I spent about a week in Brighton/London area visiting my daughter as she was going to school at the…read moreuniversity of Brighton. While, I have a lot of highlights of my trip in the UK, one of the best was going to The Basketmakers Pub for drinks and dinner. It is interesting how many people asked me when I got back to the states if I'd gone to a pub and they wanted me to share the experience with them. It was a joy to be able to tell them about my time at The Basketmakers.

I loved my visit to this pub. The bartender was very friendly in helping me choose a beer and an…read moreorder of food to eat. I ended up with the HSC beer and Sausage & Mash with the leek and chive mash on her recommendation. The food was very good and the beer selection was good as well! They have multiple food & drink specials in addition to the regular menu items. I will be back next Thursday for the surf & turf special. Can't wait!

The Saint Georges Inn is a cozy, friendly bar set a stones throw from Brighton hospital…read more Staff are great, beer is great, food is great and the pub quiz on a Thursday is... a hoot and a half. Large sized beer garden with regular BBQ's and live music add to the reasons to pop in. Strong recommend.

This is my after-work local, so normally tends to serve as an oasis in the middle of the desert…read more Bad day at the office? - lets all pile down to the George for a pint or two of Arundel Gold and a packet of crisps! The bar has two main drinking areas, plus a fairly large beer garden with heaters if the Brighton sun isn't shining. The food is pretty generic pub grub but I generally don't come here to eat. Last time I popped in they had just undergone a change of management and were not serving food for the week, it will be interesting to try it again soon. The bar staff are quirky, as are the majority of clientele ranging from hosital staff to punks and hippies (sometimes a combination of all three!) Don't sit at the table next to the boys loo - it doesn't smell pretty. Most importantly, there is an NHS staff discount, just show your ID badge.

The Cobden is one of those traditional pubs firmly rooted in the drinking culture…read more They have a couple of pool tables, a dart board, big screen tv's for sporting events and a no nonsense approach to what they are. Don't expect a cocktail menu, gimmicks or food. This is a pub of old, that you don't see so much in Brighton these days. It's the kind of place that may look a bit rough around the edges, but it still remains friendly and a good port of call if you are with a group of mates. It's pretty big and there is also a large patio area out back. If you want to go out for a few pints and get away from the sometimes excessive trendy venues (and clientele) then the Cobden will tick all the right boxes.

Great little pub nestled in the back streets of the Hanova area. Places like this look and smell…read moredown to earth without seeming at all 'scummy' which I always prefer to some of the horrid, trendy bars in the center of town. There's a lovely patio at the back of the pub which is fantastic in the summer for a good all day session in the sun. Inside the decor is pretty old school but there's a couple of big screen TVs and they are always showing all the big sports events. Unfortunately, this being a is a pub that mainly concentrates on its booze (which it does do exceptionally well) there is no food available so maybe grab a few pies before hand

This pub is in between being traditional and being new age Brighton but it does work in the sense…read morethat you are curious about things on the walls etc. when you enter. I agree that the food here is very good and that the price you pay although not cheap does reflect the good quality. For the best roasts get in there before 3 on a Sunday. A good atmosphere for pubs is essential and I believe this pub does have that but to me it always feels a little bit like it can't make its mind up in the end. As I am a big fan of pub games such as pool and darts which are facilitated, you'd have to argue it ticks most of the boxes. This pub often fills up around 9 oclock in the evening which is quite normal but before then it tends to be far too quiet for my liking.

Having trekked up the never ending Hartington Road, only to still be lost, I eventually discovered…read morethis pub lurking over the horizon. From the outside, the red paint and large windows are enough to convince you the Hartington might be OK. When you step inside however, you discover where the feel attraction lies. The walls are decked with paintings and a collection of other trinkets. Running alongside the various paintings were still fairy lights, which helped to create a very relaxed room. The drink prices are a bit of a confusing one; a small house wine is £2.40, but my pint of Staropramen was £3.75?! I wasn't delighted by the price, but then Brighton has never been known for discount alcohol. I also decided to branch out and try the food menu; I had a spicy lamb cutlet dish, served with mash and roasted vegetables. While initially unsure of what I might be served, I ended being really quite impressed.

The Park Crescent is a corner pub close to 'the Level' park, with a predominantly studenty…read moreclientele, real ales and Thai food. The pub has a single large U-shaped room, wrapped around the bar area. There's also a garden with a smoking area out the back. The decor is fairly standard for the area; part panelled walls, wooden floors and second-hand wooden furniture, and lots of candles, making a decent first impression. They serve Badger ales, which included Hopping Hare, Badger Best Bitter and Tanglefoot on our visit. Or, rather, they didn't because during the course of the evening both Tanglefoot and Hopping Hare went off during the course of the evening, and the young bar staff, though pleasant and helpful, weren't able to change the barrels. Not a particularly good start. We tried the Thai food, but were a bit disappointed: the quality was variable, and, compared with other Thai eateries in Brighton, delivered smallish portions; a Pad Thai noodle dish was reasonable enough, but portions sizes of a chicken curry and particularly a stir-fry were disappointing (just three pieces of pork in the pork stir fry, in a glutinous pink goo). Service was friendly, though, and some of the mixed starters others were having looked more generous, so I suspect it depends what you have. What really put me off, though, were the Gents' toilets, which were simply disgusting (score: 1 out of 10): a smelly, blocked WC with a malfunctioning flush and no lid on the water tank, and urine soaked floors. Not conducive to enjoying your subsequent meal...

The Park Crescent is a lovely little pub tucked away on a quiet residential street near the Level…read more Probably one of my favourite pubs in town, it has loads of character and charm. It is one of few pubs that successfully blends contemporary and old styles. The interior is largely wooden and the walls are covered with interesting memorabilia and old photos of Brighton, giving the pub a really cosy, 'steeped in history' kind of feel. The small round tables and candlelight make the pub feel quite traditional, whilst the cool, pastel paint-job and slick bar area, provide a modern twist. Drink prices are average and there's a good selection of ciders and beers. I also had a delicious Bloody Mary here once. The menu is really interesting...yummy sweet potato risotto, delicious fish cakes and chunky chips are among many delights on offer. The Sunday roast is also really good and the portions are huge! This pub is great year-round- it's cosy in the winter months but also has a really lovely little garden for warmer weather. A handful of picnic tables are nestled amongst palms, aloe vera plants and vines, which makes for a really pretty little drinking spot! In the evening the fairy lights and tea lights come out, making it feel like a magical little fairytale garden. Definitely one of my favourite places to drink a cider on a summer's eve! Oooh and they do cash-back, which is always handy, or dangerous, depending on how you look at it...

If it's cool hair cuts, thick rimmed glasses, drinks that end in 'inha' or 'ito' and ironic…read moregaudiness that tickle your fancy; Brighton is undoubtedly the place for you. However, The Bugle Inn just off the Lewes Road may not be, for a number of reasons which I will now attempt to explain. Firstly the Bugle Inn or just simply the 'Bugle' is a proper old fashioned boozer in the best sense of the word, a bit dingy, full of loyal drinking borderline alcoholics, live folk music and a local ales. Walking into the pub, you are immediately struck by the lack of pretense in the decor in a city obsessed by such things. A dark, rich, beer sodden and (used to be) smoke infused character has penetrated seemingly every last fitting in the pub down to the old fashioned 60s style carpet and ornate wooden bar fittings. The walls are relatively bare, and art work has mostly been snubbed in favour of a few relatively modern guinness posters. Lets not be in doubt, this place is geared toward the simplistic art of drinking in a pub and the atmosphere is produced almost wholly by the punters and the owners (all people, not aesthetics), which I think is the special essence of the pub. The other crucial element to this place which demarcates it from the rest of Brighton, is that it is an Irish pub, but not in the European idea of an Irish Pub as some reductive theme park made of oversized Guinness hats and fake memorabilia. No. This is an Irish pub in a sense which I didn't realise was really possible in Brighton; its full of Irish people (including the owners). I used to live next to the pub with my window facing the street and I promise on a busy night when live music was on, the accents of the leaving crowds could sometimes make me question in a half sleep-induced haze, whether or not I had in fact transported myself to my own grandfathers fatherland in dream. I don't know where the rest of the time this Irish population is hiding in Brighton, but they do seem to come out of the woodwork, for this one special watering hole. If its possible to say, this strong Irish presence simply makes the place a bit more lively, open and laid back than most quite small, localised pubs in England which often can have their established pecking order on show for all to see and feel. The Bugle, is basically a great pub to get away from the more knowing Brighton scene, have a pint, a chat, and also maybe on an odd thursday night see some live Irish music. However after writing this review i now realise the irony which lays at its core. The 'ironic gaudiness' that i originally bemoaned of Brighton and held up The Bugle as it antidote to, is i suppose, in many ways what could be seen as the pubs attractions to many, and maybe even me? So my advice, which you should most likely not take is to not go there, and allow me to enjoy this little unspoilt gem on my own. Or just go, and have a good old fashioned knees up, and leave the thick rimmed glasses behind (unless you actually can't do without).

Finally went to this place last night after tip off from one of Brightons top Yelpers!! Wish i'd…read morecome here before now. Really nice inside,quite a lot of seating,a cosy little room down stairs. Great selection of drink,whatever your taste is. And in my eyes they played some of the best music i've heard in a bar for ages. Last night it was afro-latin music,if i had my way every bar would play this type of music!! Other nights are on as well.....check local press!!

My local and definitely one of my favourite drinking establishments in Brighton…read more It's regularly listed in the 'Brighton's Best Bars' lists floating around on the world wide web. It also makes a few craft beer pub lists too as it has a very long list of world and craft beers, mainly in bottles, to chose from. It may surprise a few but it also serves amazing cocktails. A craft beer place AND a good cocktail place under one roof!? Surely not! But yes, it definitely works, they do a mean Amaretto sour and Espresso Martini and some of the more unusual cocktails too. It's not table service though which I actually really like as it remains down to earth and has a local hangout vibe. It gets really busy at the weekends on Friday and Saturday nights and there's often a band on or a cool DJ playing Northern Soul over the weekend too. In the daytime it's really chilled out and the bar staff are always happy to chat to you and talk you through the latest beer/cocktail menu (or about anything really!). There's also seating outside but with the view of the top of St. James Street it definitely is a better view inside with its quirky decor. I lucked out with this place being my closest pub!

A slightly rough round the edges suburban pub near Lewes Road. It's not the most sophisticated…read moreplace in the world, and generally has a slightly grimy feel. That said, it is very friendly, with a good crowd of all ages. There is a little garden to the side, and although I have never tried the food, it is very cheap with roasts for around £6. Very much a locals pub, but not intimidating at all - I ended up dancing like a loon at chucking out time with the regulars when I visited.

This has geographically been my local for a little while now but due to several stay away stories I…read morehad always avoided the urge to pop in for a pint. But with a new year on the horizon and prospects a plenty I decided to bite the bullet and visit The Gunn. Described to me as a 'locals for the locals' I imagine a Wicker Man styled scene, but to my pleasant surprise I found this to be a smart and sociable pub. Nice selection of beverages, classic décor and friendly staff made this a relaxing afternoon stop off. I've never been self conscious of being in my own company and drinking alone, so I stayed for another.

Situated a little way out of the Kemp Town area of Brighton, the Barley Mow is a cosy, traditional…read morepub, with a mixed gay/straight clientele. The interior is slightly ramshackle, but it also has a large outdoor seating area, most of which is under cover. As well as a good selection of real ales, they have an extensive menu of good value traditional pub food, with a good Sunday Roast (portions can be generous - be warned!). Slightly oddly, they also stock a wide range of confectionery - I'm not sure what would go with a pint of Wadworth's 6X.. It's a pub my partner and I are more than happy to cross town for.

Situated in Kemptown Village the Barley Mow is a really traditional old style Brit pub with an open…read morelog fire, dogs are welcome which add to the homely vibe. You cant miss it on St Georges road as its a pale purple colour. The bar offers local real ales like Harvey's and Arundal as well as a old school sweets like Dip Dabs and Wham bars! Food wise its great for Sunday Roasts but get there before teatime because its really popular and they have been known to run out completely. generally the pub is known for its good food but is priced at around £10 a main. It has a covered & heated outside space which is bearable to eat in even in the coldest winter months.

You can't miss the Gladstone- I guess that's the point- a simple but highly effective marketing…read moreploy: paint the building luminous yellow, and the people will flock. Well it seems to work. I used to live near the Gladstone, and every time I went it was surprisingly busy, any night of the week. I don't really go there anymore, which is a shame, but its stuck all the way out on the Lewes Rd, and if you're not local, it's just that bit too far out of the way. I expect its still full of students though. I seem to remember that the decor is very wooden and quite traditional, though it may have a had a face lift in the past few months. The bar staff are friendly and the drinks are reasonable- all in all it's a pretty good pub to have in your neighbourhood. When they put on gigs or get a DJ in, it can get surprisingly busy in the back room, with some seriously energetic dancing! If you're just in for a few quiet drinks, I would recommend the sofas in the back room, they're giant and perfect for sinking into. You'll also be safely sheltered from the draft from the door. The Gladstone isn't a spectacularly characterful pub, but it has a chilled atmosphere and they do a great BBQ in the summer!

Ahhh, The Gladstone: Home of Gladstonebury, yellow paint and a great beer garden. If I didn't live…read morecompletely the other side of town I would certainly visit more often. Its location means it tends not to suffer from the weekend influx and thus is great to relax in at any time of the week. The decent prices and average selection of drinks is testament to its philosophy: simplicity, value and good atmosphere. In the summer it's a great place to relax as the beer garden has a capacity fit for a king and all his noblemen. If you're lucky enough to catch the annual Gladstonebury festival you could be treated to three whole days of good music, sun and cheap booze depending on the quality of bands, the weather and the economic situation. Either way I'd recommend this place to anyone moving to or visiting the Lewis Road area. More for students than for winos.