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Beer of the Week (w/e 14th June 2026) with Mobyduck
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Detail Pages
John Harvey Tavern, Lewes
Lewes
BN7 2AN
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7 of 10) see review guidelines
Ian Mapp left this review about John Harvey Tavern
One of the 8 Good Beer Guide pubs in Lewes..... I had the ability to visit one, but did I pick wisely? 7 more visits to the town and I might be able to tell you.
It certainly ticked all the boxes we needed - serves food, dog friendly and the tap room for Harvey's brewery. Hard to see where bills ends and this starts from the outside - I nearly bagged the wrong outdoor table - but on the hottest day of the year, we ventured inside. A restaurant and a narrow bar - which is where we made ourselves at home on a solid square country kitchen type table.
9 Harveys beers on - 3 on keg and the only one on gravity pour was the Sussex Best. Not my favourite method of dispense, but of course, it was a very good pint.
Service was excellent, with very friendly staff.
On 22nd May 2026
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1859 recommendations about 1825 pubs]
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about John Harvey Tavern
The Harvey's tap house is in alleyway on the other side of Cliffe High Street from the Wharf Brewery but close to the original site. As traditional in appearance as you would expect, despite being housed in the stables of the former Bear Hotel, with simple wooden furniture in the Tap Room but a more refined look in the Lewes Room to the left of the entrance corridor. Also has an upstairs dining room and some picnic benches out front. The beer's the thing of course, with Sussex Best dispensed by gravity from a stillage behind the bar, and XX Dark Mild, Sisters, Olympia, Old Ale and the seasonal Southdown Harvest green-hopped ale (£5.70) available from the five handpumps on the counter.
On 21st September 2025
- rating: 8
[User has posted 9165 recommendations about 9165 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about John Harvey Tavern
Not realising that this was the Harvey’s brewery tap, I initially thought it may have been named after John Harvey-Jones, but no.
This is a fairly modern conversion and I can’t really add anything more, but agree with Will that the beers here are really no different from those served at Lewes’s other Harvey’s cosa nostra.
I went for the Armada Ale £2.85 a half and very nice.
Worth a visit as part of a crawl, but I couldn’t take a prolonged stay.
On 30th April 2025
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2337 recommendations about 2279 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about John Harvey Tavern
This Tavern became the John Harvey Tavern in 2015 after some extensive refurbishment. The exterior hosts the traditional flint cladding which can be seen throughout Lewes. The pub has a good position on the river Ouse and is a good suntrap in the afternoons, hence so many people opting for the outdoor space.
The interior is traditional in style with flagstone floors and exposed beams. The layout here is the main bar area, a single lounge to the left and a dining room upstairs. The good range of Harveys ales was on handpump across the bar, I went for the Harveys Mild Beer, which was flavourless and didn't hit the spot, in spite of their overpricing for such a basic beer.
On 18th April 2025
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3747 recommendations about 3747 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Will Larter left this review about John Harvey Tavern
This brewery tap in traditional buildings near Harveys brewery has been well described below. We chose it as our first pub of the day as it was one of a few that were open before midday. Looking back after drinking a few Harvey's beers in Lewes on the day, I can't say the beers on offer here were either particularly better or actually worse than in other pubs in the town.
On 11th April 2025
- rating: 6
[User has posted 4804 recommendations about 4399 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
David Walton left this review about John Harvey Tavern
Visited 27/09/24. Visited previously on 11/05/19.
Four cask offerings from the Harvey’s stable, namely the Sisters Table Beer, Armada, Old Ale and the Dark Mild. Harvey's best is poured directly from barrels sitting on the shelf above the wine and soft drink fridges. Their keg offerings were the Wharf IPA, the Pilsner and a new one for me from them called the Pells Pale. The away team keg offerings were Guinness, Stowford Press cider, Amstel and Moretti.
The venue is opposite the brewery site and is a very traditional Lewes boozer. The right-hand side, which proudly displays the John Harvey Tap Room sign over the large window opposite the bar counter against the back wall, is always a pretty busy venue where I have visited previously at weekends with live music ongoing. The floor is stone and there is a fire grate on the right most wall that seems to only offer fire via a candle array these days. The room is dark beamed, and tables and chairs are pretty traditional. A TV to the left of the large window was switched off and indeed I can’t remember ever being here when it was switched on. The left-hand room always seems somewhat more sedate and even the couple of quite large groups sitting at the two big tables in here seemed incredibly well behaved and less raucous than the crowd on the bar servery side.
On 7th April 2025
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1770 recommendations about 1743 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Danny O'Revey left this review about John Harvey Tavern
lovely little pub down a side street. Very traditional & stone flag floor is impressive. Harveys pub near the brewery. Not a big fan of their beers but thought I'd give it a good and it was surprisingly nice and the quality was spot on. Nice pub
On 31st August 2024
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1611 recommendations about 1588 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Blue Scrumpy left this review about John Harvey Tavern
The John Harvey Tavern is the taproom for Harvey's brewery, which is a short distance from the pub.
The entrance is located down a narrow street alongside the river. There are a number of different rooms, which have a nice, traditional feel to them. We sat in the main bar, which was busy, but there were plenty of staff available to provide service.
The 4 regular Harvey's beers here were Sussex Best Bitter, IPA, Armada Ale & Dark Mild. In addition, they also the seasonal beer Olympus on cask.
A fairly reliable place with a nice drinking environment to sample the town's wares. Although you will find Harvey's pretty much anywhere in Lewes.
On 30th August 2021
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3511 recommendations about 3509 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve of N21 left this review about John Harvey Tavern
Unable to buy fresh beer supplies from the Harvey’s brewery shop, which is unable to open due to Covid distancing rules I thought it would be rude not to try a couple of their beers from the Tap pub opposite.
It was quite busy on this sunny afternoon with all the outside seating full and I was lucky to get one of the last remaining internal tables, it obviously being table service only at present. Good to find a couple of the Harvey’s milds from the casks behind the bar and these were in very good condition as you would expect.
On 16th November 2020
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2351 recommendations about 2197 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Aqualung . left this review about John Harvey Tavern
Despite the old appearance, this is a relatively new pub and is a conversion of an old stable block. I can't trace the opening date, but I'm fairly certain it didn't exist twenty five years ago. It's a long narrow building with two interconnecting rooms the one furthest from the brewery having the bar. There js a third room upstairs that I didn't go and look at. There are some large old beams and a tiled floor. Thankfully this is one pub with no television. On a late Saturday afternoon it wasn't packed and I found it comfortable enough.
The bar has only four hand pumps but Old and Best are served straight from cooled casks behind the bar. The other four Harvey's beers were Forward's Choice, Olympia, Armada and South Down Harvest. I went for the South Down Harvest (£3.80) which was in excellent condition.
I found this place a lot more pleasant than other places in town and it was my favourite Lewes pub on the day. I was very tempted to stay for a second pint.
On 1st October 2015
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2143 recommendations about 2143 pubs]