Mitre Tavern, Brighton

This L shaped Harvey’s pub is tucked away down a quiet side street but remains fairly easy to reach from the train station or Laines area of Brighton. The main room is carpeted with a mixture of banquette and standard seating throughout. The walls are half panelled with some light coloured wallpaper above which brightens up what might otherwise be quite a gloomy room. The doors and windows have etched glass panes, some of which bear the Harvey’s name, although they all look fairly new. An archway to the right of the servery takes you into a separate seating that is a bit cosier than the rest of the pub. A tiled fireplace stands at the far end of the room and there was a TV on showing muted football to a group of regulars. I also managed to spot a dartboard and book swap. There were four Harvey’s beers available on my visit – Best, Mild (£2.50), Olympia and Armada. The Mild was as lovely as I remember it from the last time I tried some and, in contrast to the experience of previous reviewers, it was served to me a very friendly and welcoming barmaid. I think the Mitre is a fine little pub that might not quite match up to the Lord Nelson or Constant Service, but it is still a nice place to stop off for a drink or two. It has retained more of a traditional feel than many other Brighton pubs which have felt the need to compromise to a degree and as such a return visit may well be on the cards.

An unspoilt back street corner local. Five hand pumps dispensing Harveys ales, sadly my Mild was poor. Traditionally decorated inside in various brown shades. There’s a dart board available. The locals can be a bit unwelcoming of strangers but we were left to our own devices. Really could be better, there’s a good little pub waiting to happen here.

The Mitre Tavern is a backstreet Harvey’s boozer and during my visit on Tuesday evening last week the five hand pumps were drawing Best (x3), Old Ale and Christmas Ale. There is also a standard draught selection alongside Stowford Press cider. Around to the rear right of the bar is a seating area and to the left is a dartboard and plasma screen that was showing football highlights via Sky Sports. I found this a bit odd as nobody in the pub was interested and the volume was up quite high. The atmosphere would have been immensely better if it had been turned off and maybe a little background music could have been played. There is an area for smokers at the rear and I managed to bash my head on the low doorframe to the toilets that had no warning signs. It was busy for a Tuesday night but I’m not sure why as I found the woman on duty, whom I took to be the landlady, to be very unwelcoming. The vast majority of the customers seemed harmless enough, but a couple of regulars at the bar were rude and inhospitable. I hope that I caught this place at a bad time as it could be a great little boozer, but alas I got the feeling that strangers are not welcome.