Depot, Lewes

Visited 02/05/25. Visited first for tick on 28/09/20 and many times before and since! No cask but an interesting craft selection on tap as well as in bottles, comprising a few from Lewes craft brewers (the Faust Pilsner and the Its Came From God cacao stout both from Abyss and the Paradise IPA from Beak) plus regulars the Shaka pale ale from House Brew Co and the Pilot cider from Ascension. This is a large airy L shaped bar in the arty cinema by the train station. There is a large outside seating area at the front, a mixture of grass and paved with a lot of picnic style benches of different sizes as well as some regular comfy seating with large umbrellas and parasols providing shade on a hot late Friday afternoon visit. Inside the bar counter is against the rear wall to the right of the entrance and the tables and chairs over in that area are generally reserved for diners. To the left of the entrance beyond the cinema check in desk are several rows of facing sofas with tables between each set. Off to the left of the rear of this area is the more regular seating array of tables and chairs, the area generally popular in the day with people going there to work on their laptops. High ceilings, all the doors throw open, lots of glass panes, white walls and a light polished concrete floor makes for a very bright space on sunny days. Not a destination but a pleasant venue to sit and kill some time either hoping off or awaiting a train or attending the cinema.

Official site of Depot - lewesdepot.org

Official site of Depot - lewesdepot.org

Facebook page of Depot - www.facebook.com

Facebook page of Depot - www.facebook.com

Depot is a cinema that has three screens for airing arty type films, in fact the building feels like an art centre. On approach a slope leads down to a neat square outside seating area with Lewes Railway Station to the right and buildings of the Depot to the left and rear. Inside there is a small open plan restaurant area to the right where a serving counter supports five craft keg fonts that were drawing all local beers: Gun Brewery’s Scaramanga, ABYSS Brewery’s Gonzo, Beak Brewing’s Parade, Silver Rocket Brewing’s 62 Mile Stout and Only With Love Brewery’s Funkel Weissbier. This restaurant area was empty, but just before 16:00 on Saturday I was told that all the tables were reserved for 16:00. I was invited to sit in the Gallery that is found in the left hand side of the buildings past some sofas that were being used by mums that lunch. Having found a table I then had to revisit the serving counter to give them my table number and order. I then carried my Gonzo and can of Coke, £8, back to my table. The number of my table had no bearing on this transaction what-so-ever so I’m at a loss as to why I had to go on a table number finding quest. Also, when I left at 16:30 the restaurant was still mostly empty. The staff were all actually very friendly, however this place is about as far removed from my ideal drinking venue as it gets.