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Beer of the Week (w/e 27th April 2025) with Thuck Phat
on the Pub Forum

Image posted by Just a quick pint, then I'm off
Submitted on Sunday, 28th July 2024
With picture contributions to 10780 other pubs
View all this pub's pictures (7 more images)
Detail Pages
Garden Bar, Sovereign Harbour, Eastbourne
Sovereign Harbour
Eastbourne
BN23 5UZ
Served areas
Reviews of Garden Bar (Average Rating: 5 of 10) see review guidelines
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about Garden Bar
One of the various bars and restaurants in the centre of Sovereign Harbour, but this one benefits from being at first-floor level with a view over the quayside. Apart from that, it's quite a basic sports bar so it was a surprise to find Long Man cask ales on both of the handpumps: the usual Best Bitter plus the 'small batch' Golden Tipple (£4.40) in fine shape.
On 1st July 2024
- rating: 6
[User has posted 8679 recommendations about 8678 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
E TA left this review about Garden Bar
An awful moron magnet on the first floor of the marina commercial complex, reached by staggering up fag-end paved metal stairs to a balcony entrance. Bouncers on door make it feel less than welcoming and foretell what you will find inside. Traipsing across broken glass and spilled beer, you approach the bar to find Holt's Two Hoots on draft plus some exotic lagers. The ale was in very poor condition, barely drinkable. There is a pool table in an area fenced off from children. The bar staff were nearly as unpleasant as the bouncers. Conversation was almost impossible due to the profane din from the sound system and the Neanderthal grunting of the drunken louts wasting the oxygen in here while waiting for Jeremy Kyle to call them. Every garden has a compost heap.
On 1st December 2016
- rating: 3
[User has posted 3516 recommendations about 3480 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Strongers . left this review about Garden Bar
Garden Bar is located up a flight of stairs on the first (top) floor of the bar and restaurant development on the waterfront at Sovereign Harbour. I’m not sure why it is called The Garden Bar as there are no gardens within half a mile and those are in at the rear of local houses. There is some seating at the top of the stairs with a limited view over the harbour and the entrance to this place is shared with the adjacent Ganges Indian restaurant, but a swift turn to the left gains access to the bar. The bar is located on the left hand wall and it supports two hand pumps, one of which was unused leaving Harveys Best as the only available ale. There is also a standard draught selection and Sagres is also available. Floor to ceiling windows line the back wall and there are some great views over the harbour, it’s a shame that the outside seating doesn’t afford the same sort of views. To the far right of the entrance is a raised over eighteens area that houses a pool table and two dartboards complete with electronic scorers. There are a couple of plasma screens that show Sky Sports and some sporting memorabilia is up on the walls including boxing gloves/shorts, something to do with Tim Henman and a signed Spurs shirt that seemed to take pride of place – Boo hiss! I wasn’t that impressed with the rap music that was playing in the background, but to be fair it wasn’t very loud. There are two quiz machines and two fruit machines and I thought the seating to be minimal, but this place has live music and DJs every Friday and Saturday so I’d imagine that standing room is most in demand. These music nights are over 21s and smart dress code so expect a late license with bouncer in tow.
I though that the girl behind the bar was very friendly, but I wasn’t overly impressed with the Guinness – although I will say that it had a detergent taste rather than bad beer taste so I think that I must have been unlucky with the glass. I would have taken it back but I had drunk half of it before I noticed due to thirst after trying to walk to the harbour from the A259, which is no easy feat.
I wouldn’t go rushing back to this place, but out of the options available in Sovereign Harbour this was my favourite as I like football, pool and darts.
On 31st January 2011
- rating: 6
[User has posted 5965 recommendations about 5931 pubs]
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- Official site of Garden Bar - garden-bar.co.uk
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- CAMRA WhatPub :: Garden Bar - whatpub.com
Pevensey & Westham, 2.24 miles, 43 min walk (show)
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Pub Details
Pub details supplied by members of this site to the best of their knowledge. Please check with pub directly before making a special trip.
- Car Park : Yes last updated 19 October 2023 by paulof horsham
- Darts : Yes last updated 31 January 2011 by Will Larter
- Live Music : Yes last updated 31 January 2011 by Will Larter
- Live TV Sports : Yes last updated 31 January 2011 by Will Larter
- Micropub : No last updated 19 October 2023 by paulof horsham
- Pool Table : Yes last updated 31 January 2011 by Will Larter
- Real Ale : Yes last updated 31 January 2011 by Will Larter
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