The Hope Inn, Newhaven

Facebook page of The Hope Inn - www.facebook.com

Official site of The Hope Inn - www.thehopeinnnewhaven.com

Seaside GBG pub just a little way away from the Town centre. It has a small carpark at the front, and beyond that a large seating area with a good view across the harbour. Inside, the single long rectangular bar is carpeted and mainly furnished with tables and chairs, although there are a few stools for those who want to drink at the bar. The walls are adorned with various nautical-themed bric-a-brac. The pub is dog friendly, but they would like you to ask before bringing a dog in as they have one of their own. The pub is also family friendly, raises money for RNLI and hosts regular open mic nights. Reasonable pub grub is on offer at a fair price. There is free WiFi, and there are open brick fireplaces at both ends. Three ales and one cider on this time: I had Harveys Best Bitter which was in excellent condition and very enjoyable. Well worth a visit if travelling along the coast, and I'd definitely include in a crawl.

The Hope in is a bit of a trudge from the town centre, but the seating on the decked area out the front affords great views of the mouth of Newhaven harbour and of Seaford Bay. The interior of the pub is split up into different areas and to the right of the bar is an area with a dartboard. I wasn’t very surprised to find a nautical theme running throughout the pub, but it isn’t over the top and gimmicky. I didn’t spot any televisions, but there was some low inoffensive background music playing. Some live music was advertised by the entrance, but from what I could tell it isn’t a regular occurrence. However there is a quiz every Wednesday evening from 20:30. I found the service to be very polite and the regulars at the bar all seemed friendly enough. Children are welcome during the day and dogs are also on the welcome list. The bar is stocked with standard draught products and supports four hand pumps. One of these was unused leaving the ale options on Tuesday evening a couple of weeks ago as Brain’s Bread of Heaven, Harvey’s Best and Wychwood’s Dirty Tackle. During the week the main menu is served between midday and 14:30 and from 18:00 until 21:00. Light bites including paninis, sandwiches and jacket potatoes are priced around the £5 mark and are available between 15:00 and 18:00 so food is available all day. At the weekend a full menu is available from midday until 21:00. The menu consists of standard pub fayre and a main meal costs around £9. In my opinion this is by far the best pub in Newhaven and well worth the trip from the Railway Station.