Chambers, Eastbourne

The train station is usually as near as I get to the ‘Little Chelsea’ area of Eastbourne, but I found myself walking down Grove Road on Saturday afternoon and I spotted Chambers Bar. I was expecting an expensive and pretentious venue so I was pleasantly surprised to find a friendly and relaxed atmosphere. Stella, Becks, Budweiser, Strongbow and Guinness are the draught options and there is also a hand pump that was drawing Harvey’s Best. I found the service to be friendly and half a Stella cost £1.75, which is about par for the area. Food is served daily from noon until 20:00 and the menu comprises lunch dishes that come in at around the £6 mark. A phone number is given so that local workers can phone in their lunch order to ‘maximise their lunch break’ and take-away is available. The bar is positioned on the right hand wall in a contemporary open plan room. There is some more seating to the rear and out the back is a small courtyard with some seating. I didn’t spot any TVs but there was some swing and jazz playing in the background. There is a disabled toilet, but there are a couple of high steps at the entrance. I prefer a pub, but this place is certainly now on my lunchtime radar.