The 20 Best Pubs in Brighton 2026

The 20 Best Pubs in Brighton by Area

Looking at this year’s top 20 as a whole, the geographic spread tells a vivid story about where the best pubs in Brighton are concentrated and what makes each area distinct.

Best Pubs near London Road and Preston Circus Brighton

The area around London Road and Preston Circus has quietly become one of the most rewarding parts of Brighton for a pub, and the 2026 BRAVO results confirm it emphatically. The Signalman takes first place overall, sitting right beside London Road station with two pub gardens, cosy winter corners and a kitchen producing comfort food and cracking roasts that have also earned it seventh place in the Brighton Sunday Roast rankings. It is the kind of pub that immediately makes you understand why people fall in love with their local. The Basketmakers Arms finishes nineteenth and is one of the most cherished traditional pubs in Brighton, a compact, characterful North Laine pub with a serious real ale offering and an atmosphere that has remained genuinely unchanged for decades. The Sussex Yeoman takes tenth, adding further quality to this northern stretch of the city.

Best Pubs in North Laine Brighton

North Laine is Brighton’s most bohemian neighbourhood and its pub scene carries that independent, creative spirit throughout. Earth and Stars finishes second in this year’s rankings, a historic Brighton boozer that has evolved into one of the city’s most celebrated plant-based pubs, with a genuinely sustainable menu from Oowee Vegan, a proper community feel and the spirit of North Laine running through everything it does. It also won the BRAVO Plant Champions award and finished fifth in the Best Sunday Roast category, making it one of the most decorated pubs in the entire list. The Robin Hood takes third as a cult independent with an impressive craft beer and rotating guest ale selection, board games, banquette seating and the kind of real personality that cannot be manufactured. Last year’s overall winner, it remains one of the best pubs in Brighton by any measure. The Basketmakers Arms in nineteenth completes North Laine’s strong showing in this year’s top 20.

Best Pubs in the Lanes Brighton

The Lanes are home to some of Brighton’s most atmospheric and historically significant pubs, tucked into narrow streets and characterful spaces that have been serving drinkers for centuries. Mrs Fitzherberts takes fourteenth, a pub of genuine historical charm named after Brighton’s most famous romantic figure, with a New Road alfresco space and a cocktail and classics menu that makes it a natural stop on any evening. 

Best Pubs in Fiveways and Poets Corner

The residential neighbourhoods around Fiveways and Seven Dials are home to some of Brighton’s most reliably excellent community pubs. The Cleveland Arms in Fiveways finishes fifth, perched on the edge of Blakers Park with a strong community feel, excellent seasonal menus, an award-winning Sunday roast and summer tables overlooking the park that are one of the most quietly enjoyable drinking spots in the city. Children and dogs are genuinely welcome, and the open fireplace in winter makes it one of the most inviting pubs with a fire in Brighton. The Westbourne finishes sixteenth, a much-loved neighbourhood local in Poets Corner area with a relaxed atmosphere and a loyal following among the community it serves.

Best Pubs in Hove

Hove places strongly in this year’s top 20, with pubs spread across its neighbourhoods from the seafront to the residential streets inland. The Farm Tavern finishes sixth and is one of Hove’s most celebrated independent pubs, known for its well-made cocktails, Margarita Thursdays and a warm, welcoming atmosphere that draws a devoted local crowd. The Better Half takes fifteenth as one of Hove’s oldest pubs, recently revamped with care and home-cooked dishes that celebrate proper pub classics in a genuinely traditional setting. The Longman finishes eighteenth, adding a strong Hove Patcham local to a top 20 that demonstrates the breadth and quality of the Brighton pub scene.

Best Pubs in Kemptown Brighton

Kemptown has a vibrant and inclusive pub scene anchored around St James’s Street, and this year’s top 20 reflects the quality and character of what it offers. The Bell Tower finishes seventh, a stylish and welcoming addition to the Kemptown pub landscape on Arundel Road with modern British pub food, a spacious beer garden and a warm atmosphere that has quickly made it a community favourite. Kemptown Klub takes thirteenth as a fun and inclusive venue at the heart of Kemptown’s social life, while Brighton Rocks finishes twentieth as one of Brighton’s most beloved LGBTQ+ pubs, a cornerstone of the community that has been welcoming everyone for many years. The Bedford Tavern in twelfth adds further depth to Kemptown’s showing, making this one of the strongest areas in the entire top 20.

Best Pubs in North Brighton and Patcham

The Ladies Mile in Patcham takes eighth in this year’s rankings, a well-loved family-friendly pub with a kitchen producing quality pub classics and a Sunday roast of real merit. It sits at the northern edge of Brighton and draws a loyal crowd from the surrounding community week after week. The Howard finishes ninth, rounding out a strong showing from the broader northern Brighton area.

Best Pubs in Central Brighton

Central Brighton contributes The North Star in seventeenth place, positioned directly opposite the Royal Pavilion with a stunning alfresco terrace, a vibrant open kitchen and a Sunday roast that has become one of the most talked-about in the city centre. The Howard at ninth and the Argyle Arms at eleventh both add to the central Brighton showing, covering a broad range of pub styles within easy reach of the main visitor attractions.

How to Plan a Brighton Pub Crawl

Brighton is one of the great pub crawl cities in England, not because its pubs are close together, though many of them are, but because each neighbourhood has such a distinct character that moving between them feels like an adventure rather than a commute. With 340 pubs across the city and 11 per square mile, the challenge is not finding somewhere to drink but deciding where to start and where to end up. Here is how to think about it.

The North Laine and London Road Pub Crawl

This is the most natural starting point for a Brighton pub crawl, and arguably the most rewarding. Begin at The Signalman near London Road station, Brighton’s current number one pub, and settle in for the first drink of the evening. From there, the walk south into North Laine takes you past The Basketmakers Arms, one of the finest traditional real ale pubs in Brighton, and on to Earth and Stars for its plant-based food and community energy, and then The Robin Hood for craft beer and board games. This cluster of pubs between London Road and the southern edge of North Laine is probably the single best concentration of quality independent pubs in Brighton and can comfortably fill an entire evening on its own.

The Kemptown Pub Crawl

Kemptown is Brighton’s most inclusive neighbourhood for a night out and its pub crawl has a distinct energy compared to anywhere else in the city. Start at The Bell Tower on Arundel Road for food and a relaxed opening drink, then move onto St James’s Street for Kemptown Klub and Brighton Rocks. The Bedford Tavern also sits in this area and completes a Kemptown evening that covers a wide range of pub styles within a very walkable geography. Kemptown is at its most lively later in the evening and on weekends, so it works particularly well as the second chapter of a night that begins in North Laine or the Lanes.

The Hove Pub Crawl

Hove has its own distinct pub crawl geography, spread along the Western Road corridor and the streets feeding off it towards the seafront. The Farm Tavern is the natural starting point as Hove’s highest-placed pub in this year’s rankings, and from there the walk towards the seafront takes you past The Better Half. Hove’s pub crawl is calmer in pace than the Brighton equivalents, which is precisely the point; this is an area that does everything with a slightly more relaxed confidence and the pub scene reflects that perfectly. For those who want to combine the Hove and Brighton pub experiences, the walk east along Western Road eventually deposits you in the heart of the city, making a combined evening entirely achievable.