Pub du Vin, Brighton

What was the Pub du Vin is now just used for private functions and the only publically accessible bar is the main hotel bar (suppose you would call it the new Pub du Vin) just outside the entrance to Bistro du Vin (which is the same Bistro du Vin I would hazard a guess at the time of Steve’s visit). It is a very pleasant bar with leather chairs and banquettes well to the fore. There are some stairs up to a mezzanine area with more of the same leather chairs and just outside the wine room. Doors lead out onto the outside terrace, but given how windy it is today I will take the ground floor bar thank you very much. Definitely an upmarket venue for Brighton! The bank of hand pumps in the old Pub du Vin definitely did not find their way here. Just Heineken and Coast to Coast pale ale on tap and quite a reasonable range of bottled beers. As expected a decent wine list by the glass in this venue. Not going to be a regular drinking haunt when regularly in Brighton but now I have discovered the venue I will use from time to time when I need a bit of quiet. Rated as a 4 on here for its moribund beer offering but definitely one of the classier 4’s I would say!

Pub Du Vin is housed in a building along with Bistro Du Vin, Hotel Du Vin and strangely Cave Du Vin. I was only interested in the Pub part which I visited late yesterday (Tuesday) evening. The bar supports six hand pumps, three of which were unused and unless the draught taps were hidden away there is no lager. The three operating pumps were drawing Arundel’s special Bitter, W J King’s Red River and Dark Star’s Partridge. There is a bar food menu and the costs ranged from £3 for a bowl of chips to £7 for a club sandwich. The clientele were all well dressed and I wouldn’t be surprised if the majority were staying at the hotel. I found the staff to be polite in a corporate hotel way and the ale costs were no more expensive than other bars in this area. The Dark Star was good, but I prefer a proper pub so I doubt that I’ll return any time soon.