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Shakespeares Head

4.4 (31 reviews)
ModeratePubs, British
Closed 4:00 pm - 11:30 PM

Shakespeares Head Photos

SHAKESPEARES HEAD ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Casual
Good for groups
Good for kids

Recommended Reviews - Shakespeares Head

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Reviews With Photos

Sarah-Jane B.

On the outskirts of Seven Dials, Shakies is a lovely pub that attracts a mix of students, couples and locals. In the day-time it draws you in with colourful signage by local artist Sam Chivers whilst at night it's lit up by a sea of twinkling fairy lights and candles. As the ambience suggests, the atmosphere is great and they serve fine beer, ale and spirits for reasonable, Brighton prices. I've yet to sample the food but now autumn is drawing in, I'm tempted to try one of their legendary Sunday roasts with all the trimmings.

Spinach & cheddar sausages, oh my!
Stephanie H.

Wow! I went with a friend for lunch on a Sunday. Heard so many good things about the huge variety of sausages, mash & gravy. Especially for us veggies, it's great to see more than just your classic linda mccartneys (which I do love). There were about 5 veggies sausages to choose from. What a delight! It gets better... A choicle of about 10 different type of mash and gravy. I am in heaven! We head there, take a long time to decide which to have and go to order. Oh no! It's a Sunday, they only offer roasts. A little disappointed as I was desperate for the confit garlic and rosemary mash but no matter. We got to pick which sausage and then have all the trimmings. Boy am I happy we went there! It was so so so amazing. Cumin glazed carrots, red cabbage, greens, crispy roast potatoes, lemon and herb stuffing, yorkies and cauliflower cheese. Oh my, the cauliflower was to die for. When asked how our meal was, we mentioned how much we enjoyed it the waiter went and got us some more! I went for the spinach and cheddar sausages and my friend went for sweet potato, sundried tomato and olive. We shared them between us. I will definitely be back to sample more! And also to try the mash of course. On top of all this, we both had what seemed like a litre of Bloody Mary. Topped with a port float. Mmm mmmm!!

Taken by me
Pete L.

This is a great pub for those in the know. Located just out of the way enough to not be invaded by the thousands that invade the city every weekend, but still central enough to be easily walkable, this is an A1 pub. They have a good selection of ales and speciality lagers on tap and also stock an interesting range of bottled beverages. If you are after a bite to eat then you better be a fan of sausage and mash! Aside from their Sunday Roasts this is all they sell. In my opinion, this is by no means a bad thing. A big chalk board lists the sausages, types of mash and sides on offer. You get to choose one of each and can concoct a wide variety of the classic dish. You will pay about £8 for the meal and the portion is generous. If you want to come for Sunday roast then make sure you get here early as they sell out very fast. They have a selection of old board games to play, should the mood take you and play decent music from the bar. I would certainly recommend this pub for any time of the week and you are always made to feel welcome by the staff.

'THE MENU'
Ben J.

Shakespeare's Head is a great pub located less than 10 minutes walk from Brighton station that gives you the best bangers and mash in town, probably even Sussex. Plenty of choice that allows you to mix and match the sausage, mash and gravy to give you a new option every time you return. It's great value for money and service is always friendly. Just a word of note that if you are really hungry the food can take 30-40 mins from the time of ordering so well worth checking out the menu to place your order on arrival.

Sunday Roast with spinach and cheese sausage

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Review Highlights - Shakespeares Head

Back when I worked up at Seven Dials, I would often get lured in for an after work drink as I walked down the hill.

Mentioned in 5 reviews

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Queensbury Arms - Photo taken from mybrightonandhove.org

Queensbury Arms

(3 reviews)

££

This tiny pub - also known as 'the Hole in the Wall' - is tucked away at the sea-front end of…read moreQueensbury Mews. Reputed to be Brighton's smallest pub, it has two small rooms either side of a central bar, serving a couple of real ales, and the usual range of lagers, wines and spirits. The decor is plush and cosy - rather like the inside of a theatre. This is appropriate, as the walls are covered with hundreds of old theatre posters and signed photos of theatre performers. (Or should that be 'artistes'?) It's reputed that Laurence Olivier (among others) once drank here. The staff are very friendly, and it attracts a loyal following of (mostly) gay men, although it's not exclusively gay. A perfect spot to escape from the winter gales on Brighton sea-front.

The Queensbury Arms, weather it intends to be or not, is something a bit different. This pokey…read morelittle pub behind the Hilton is rich with the kind of charm normally possessed by an old Gay thespian. The seats are of faded pinkish velvet and the air somehow stuffy as though thick with back stage stories from days that have long since come to pass. It's not going to be everybody's cup of tea, but if you've ever watched the fast show's Arthur Atkinson story and aside from the comedy been taken in by the romance of 1950's theatre this place is well worth a trip. The drinks selection's not bad either it has the usual standards and last trip a made there I enjoyed some Harveys Sussex best and marvelled with complete ignorance at the signed monochrome photos across the back wall.

Hop Poles - Open mic night !

Hop Poles

(41 reviews)

££

I hate leaving bad reviews but I am worried someone might DIE here…read more I ordered a whisky and after sitting down noticed it had fruit flies in it. I went back to the bartender and he apologized and then offered me another drink. I looked at multiple bottles and ALL of them had flies. I said they needed to throw them away and I would just take a beer. He gave me a beer free and then went outside to hang with my friend. I then watched him pour the bottles through a strainer and then back into the bottles. Not only did they never rinse the glass but didn't rinse the strainer that had the flies in it. So - Do NOT drink any whisky in this place. In fact don't drink any hard liquor in this place. Other bottles had flies but didn't see them "recycling" them. Bartender was very nice and amicable but this place should be shut down. Someone will get sick. No idea if they clean their beer lines or not but just stay away.

Five minutes walk from Brighton Centre, The Dome and Corn Exchange, the Hop Poles is a great pub to…read morego to after a gig. I went here after seeing Kings of Leon and Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds earlier this year and noticed lots of other people from the shows wander in. The staff are friendly, the bar stock everything from Guiness and ale to quality spirits and the atmosphere is warm and bustling. There's clusters of wooden chairs and tables and a window seat where you can watch the world go by or strike up conversations with - equally intoxicated - locals.

The Mesmerist

The Mesmerist

(18 reviews)

££

As far as Brighton bars go, The Mesmerist is maybe as most versatile as you're going to find…read more Came here with a party of 30 people. I let Cat, the booking manager, know the situation, and she was a wizard at making sure everyone had the food that they ordered. We had a room upstairs to ourselves, and everyone loved the food and service. We all got what we had pre-ordered with Cat, and the people who didn't preorder were proffered dinner in a timely fashion. The food was great! I got the tomato tart and the beef cheek. I had never had a tomato tart before but really enjoyed it, and I thought the beef cheek was very tender. Other people raved about the fries. There were lots of vegetarian and vegan options. Drinks were good! I had a cocktail called "The Bees Knees," which I really liked. There are plenty of beers on tap, and the waitstaff gets around to bar belly-uppers quickly. The space is amazing. There's a second story, rooftop courtyard, and a large downstairs area for dancing, live music, picture taking, and a brewery/beer store attached. As someone who loves lots of diversions and micro-vibes within a bar, I really enjoyed bopping between all of these areas. What better way to finish off the night than to catch a trio downstairs playing motown and rock? These guys were terrific: the bass player/singer was getting the crowd dancing, and the guitar player and drummer were seamlessly providing a groovy beat. This band is good enough for a high cover and the Mesmerist brought them in on a Thursday night, no cover. Thanks for everything, Mesmerist!

The Mesmerist is a bar in the very centre of Brighton. As far as bars go, this is definitely a…read moredecent one. As it is central, it is pretty much always busy - and particularly in the evenings - but it doesn't take long to get served as the staff are efficient. The decor is really rather lovely. It has a very vintage feel to it which goes well with the music that they play which I believe is soft jazz (I am not very good with those sorts of genres so please forgive me if I am wrong!). Upstairs, there are several tables and it feels homely but spacious at the same time. I have not had food here in a few years but from what I can remember it is very decent indeed.

Shakespeares Head - pubs - Updated May 2026

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