Best Pubs in Brighton 2026: Where Locals Actually Drink
Brighton's pub scene is one of the best in England, with around 340 pubs across the city and eleven per square mile. Photo: Squarespace
Brighton has around 340 pubs, eleven per square mile and a drinking culture unlike anywhere else in England. This is where locals actually drink in 2026
There is no shortage of pubs in Brighton. The city has around 340 of them spread across a residential population of 277,000 people, which works out at approximately eleven pubs per square mile. The problem has never been finding a pub. It has always been finding a good one.
Brighton's pub scene does not look like anywhere else in England. There is no high street chain dominance here. The pubs that survive and thrive tend to have personality, a point of view and a crowd that actually wants to be there. Locals know their regulars by name. The craft beer spots have staff who can talk you through a tap list without being insufferable about it. The old boozers have not been gutted and refitted with grey paint and Edison bulbs. Every neighbourhood drinks differently. Hanover is not Kemptown. The Lanes is not Hove.
This guide covers the best pubs in Brighton and Hove in 2026, from BRAVO award winners to hidden neighbourhood gems, organised by what you are actually looking for. Whether you want Brighton's oldest pub, the best craft beer selection, the finest Sunday roast or simply the pub that Brighton's residents voted the best in the city, this is where to go.
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The Signalman Brighton's best pub 2026
The Signalman won Best Brighton and Hove Pub at the 2026 BRAVO Awards, voted for entirely by the public in Brighton's biggest food and drink awards. In 2026, 71,285 votes were cast across 724 venues. The Signalman took the top spot for the first time, with the team describing the win as a reflection of the pub's role as a home from home for everyone. If you want to drink in the pub that Brighton's residents voted the best in the city, this is where you go.
The Cricketers Brighton's oldest pub
The Cricketers on Black Lion Street in The Lanes dates back to 1547, making it the oldest pub in Brighton by a considerable distance. It looks the part. Red velvet booths, wood panelling and more framed prints than your nan's living room. It is a maze of snug rooms and hidden corners that spill out into a little courtyard at the back. The food menu uses local Sussex produce and gives pub staples a decent glow-up. Brighton ghost walks start from here, which tells you something about how much history is packed into the walls. Getting a table on a weekend evening without booking is optimistic. Just go.
The Evening Star Dark Star taphouse near Brighton Station
The Evening Star on Surrey Street is a two-minute walk from Brighton Station and the official tap house for Dark Star Brewery. That alone would be enough. But they do not just pour Dark Star. The cask selection rotates constantly and the guest ales pull from breweries across the south of England and beyond. The interior is small and unfussy. Wooden floors, a few tables, no pretence. It fills up fast on Friday evenings and you will end up standing near the bar talking to someone about hop varieties whether you planned to or not. If you care about cask ale, this is your first stop in Brighton.
The Urchin Brighton's craft beer and seafood destination
The Urchin has its own microbrewery in the basement, five craft keg taps, four cask pumps and over one hundred bottles and cans to choose from. It arguably has one of the biggest beer selections in Brighton and Hove. The food matches the beer in seriousness, with expertly cooked shellfish and seafood dishes that pair properly with what is on tap. The oyster stout with a plate of rock oysters is one of those combinations that sounds like it should not work and absolutely does. For serious beer drinkers this is the destination pub in Brighton.
The Basket Makers Arms North Laine institution
The Basket Makers Arms on Gloucester Road in North Laine is a proper old-school pub that has managed to retain its character while everything around it has changed. It is cosy, often buzzing with a diverse crowd and the beer selection is always well-kept. Staff are knowledgeable and genuinely enthusiastic about what they are pouring. It is unpretentious and consistently good, which in Brighton is a combination worth seeking out. A North Laine institution in the truest sense.
The Regency Tavern Brighton's most gloriously eccentric pub
The Regency Tavern near the seafront is one of Brighton's most distinctive pubs. Chandeliers, gold-framed mirrors and velvet seating give it an opulent, theatrical quality that is entirely at odds with what you might expect from the outside. It is a hidden gem in the most literal sense. People have got lost trying to find it multiple times. The atmosphere is warm, the welcome is genuine and the interiors are a perfect expression of Brighton's particular brand of eccentric glamour. When you eventually find it, you will wonder how you went so long without knowing it existed.
The Eddy multiple BRAVO winner near Brighton Station
The Eddy, tucked on a side street near Brighton Station, has won multiple BRAVO awards and built a loyal following among Brighton residents. Inside it is all polished wood, soft lighting and bay windows that catch the afternoon sun. There is no kitchen but you can order your own food in, which combined with quiz nights, film nights and sport on screens makes it the kind of place that works for almost any occasion. It manages to feel genuinely buzzy without ever being hectic. Dog friendly, which in Brighton is always worth noting. One of the most reliably good pubs in the city.
The Haus on the Hill Hanover craft beer landmark
Up in Hanover, The Haus on the Hill is one of Brighton's most loved locals for good reason. Behind the bar there are over twenty draught lines pouring everything from local craft beers to crisp German lagers, plus a decent wine and spirits list. Hanover as a neighbourhood has a distinctive pub culture, slightly removed from the tourist centre of the city, genuinely residential and all the better for it. The Haus on the Hill is the pub that most clearly expresses what makes Hanover drinking different from anywhere else in Brighton.
The Cleveland Arms Fiveways BRAVO award winner
The Cleveland Arms near Fiveways finished 6th in the Best Brighton Pub category at the 2026 BRAVO Awards, 17th in Best Team and appeared in the Top 5 Sussex Pubs list for 2026. The Sunday roast is particularly well regarded, roast beef, pork belly, chicken or vegetarian Wellington, all served with proper roast potatoes, seasonal vegetables and good gravy. It is a neighbourhood pub in the best sense, the kind of place that anchors a community and keeps people coming back week after week.
The Robin Hood consistent BRAVO performer
The Robin Hood is one of Brighton's most consistently well-regarded pubs, appearing in the BRAVO Awards year after year and finishing 12th in the Best Team category in 2026. It is a community pub in the truest sense, reliably good and genuinely welcoming. Worth knowing about if you want something a little removed from the tourist centre of the city and want to drink somewhere that feels like it actually belongs to the people who live nearby.
The Eagle craft beer and Thai street food
The Eagle has a rotating lineup of craft beers, a relaxed crowd and one of the more interesting food arrangements in Brighton. Namo, a Thai street food kitchen that has developed a cult following in the city, holds a residency here. Fragrant curries, crispy small plates and spice levels that keep things interesting alongside a genuinely good craft beer selection. If you want a pint and something more interesting to eat than standard pub food, The Eagle is the answer.
The Ladies Mile Patcham community pub
The Ladies Mile in Patcham is a Golden Lion Group pub that draws crowds from across the city despite sitting slightly further out than the central options. An excellent selection of cask ales, local beers and ciders, a child-friendly garden with a play area, a pool table and a BRAVO award-winning Sunday roast that took second place in Best Roast in 2024. It is also 2nd Most Family Friendly in the BRAVO Awards. If you are north of the city or heading to Preston Park, The Ladies Mile is worth the detour.
The Wick Hove community pub with a heart
Down in Hove, The Wick is a Victorian pub with plenty of character and a genuinely local feel. Green tiles, dark wood and the buzz of conversation around the central bar. Wood-fired pizzas, hefty sausage rolls and good vegan options sit alongside Sussex ales and craft beers. A community-minded approach where profits go to charity, a busy quiz night, live music and the occasional street party make this one of Hove's most genuinely loved locals. The kind of pub that actually gives back to the neighbourhood it serves.
Brighton's best Sunday roasts
Brighton takes its Sunday roasts seriously. The 2026 BRAVO Best Sunday Roast was won by Embers in Brighton's Lanes, taking the title for the second consecutive year and reflecting the rise of fire-led cooking in the city. The Cleveland Arms consistently features in the top tier of roast destinations, particularly popular with families in the Fiveways area. The Ladies Mile in Patcham won Best Roast in 2024 and remains one of the city's most reliable Sunday destinations.
Brighton pub areas: where to drink by neighbourhood
Brighton's pubs spread across distinct neighbourhoods, each with its own drinking culture. Understanding which area suits your evening makes the difference between a good night and a great one.
The Lanes has the highest tourist concentration but also some of the city's most historic pubs. The Cricketers is the obvious landmark. The streets around it reward wandering.
North Laine, just above The Lanes, has a more bohemian and relaxed feel. The Basket Makers Arms is the institution. The pubs here tend to be less tourist-facing and more genuinely local.
Hanover, northeast of the centre, is the best neighbourhood for a pub crawl in the city. Locals consistently say so. The Haus on the Hill leads a strong pack of community locals across the hillside streets.
Kemptown, east of the city centre, is the heart of Brighton's LGBTQ+ community. The bars and pubs along St James's Street run seven days a week and the atmosphere is welcoming and genuinely inclusive at every venue.
Hove, to the west, has a quieter and more residential pub scene. The Wick is the standout. Church Road and the surrounding streets have a solid spread of independent options that reward exploring on foot.
Fiveways, north of the centre, has the Cleveland Arms as its anchor and a cluster of good neighbourhood locals that most visitors never find.
Brighton craft beer: the best pubs for serious beer drinkers
Brighton has one of the strongest craft beer scenes outside London. The Evening Star is the essential starting point as the Dark Star taphouse. The Urchin takes things furthest with over one hundred bottles and cans alongside its own basement brewery. The Basket Makers Arms keeps an excellent and ever-changing selection of independents on tap. The Haus on the Hill's twenty-plus draught lines cover the full spectrum from local Sussex breweries to German imports.
For everything happening across Brighton and Hove, read our Brighton Events Guide 2026. For the full nightlife picture including clubs and late-night venues, read our Brighton Nightlife Guide 2026. For hidden Brighton gems that most visitors never find, read our Brighton Hidden Gems guide.
Best Pubs in Brighton 2026. Written and published by ImJustBrighton. BRAVO Awards results verified from the official 2026 results at brightonrestaurantawards.co.uk. All pub information verified from official sources. Last updated June 2026.
