The Prince Albert, Brighton

Recently repainted again, now with an unmissable six-colour frontage. Inside, it retains a multi-room layout of attractive appearance and some regional heritage interest. The wooden benches at the front are a popular spot during good weather, and the place also operates as one of Brighton's many live music venues. Decent selection of real ales in a variety of styles available from the six handpumps, including two from Burning Sky whose logo appears on the façade. The current incarnation may be its best ever, and the place is very handy for the station.

My last visit to this pub must have been too soon after the death of John Peel in October 2004, so the mural was new to me. Also the layout of the bar was not as I remembered it when Luton played Brighton at the Withdean Stadium in 2006. The character of the pub has changed to the extent that there's now a big focus on music, but it's still a pub with good beer and still handy for the station. There were six hand pumps and my notes tell me 16 keg fonts, though I don't remember counting them. There's a nice dark wood bar with a brass foot rail and some hooks. As noted by previous reviewers, the bar also serves those who use the back room, and there are other rooms beyond which can be pleasant to sit in. At the time of my visit Franklins Smoked Porter was on special offer at £2.50 a pint, a fact that led me to have not just one half but two, so the beer must still have been in good nick. Date of visit: 3rd January 2017

Huge mural of the legendary John Peel visible as you approach from stn end of Traf St., but the condition of the beer was poor on my single visit a few months ago. Didn't strike me as the sort of place that would have the necessary through-pull to keep the cask ale in top shape but would be on my Brighton crawl if they could get that (rather important) element right.

Impressive mural on the outside of the pub as mentioned below extremely lively on Saturday evening as you would expect and very bohemian in its feel. Multi roomed with six hand pumps on the go,the Burning Sky Plateu was in top form. I loved the vibrancy of this place, its right up my street and will use this pub again .

This is a rather bohemian (even for Brighton) multi-roomed pub close to Brighton station. The flank wall externally is completely covered in a mural of musicians and other names including John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix, John Peel and George Best. Inside, the main room has the bar with a hatch to the smaller room behind. This room has various flags on the ceiling including one of Che Guevara, band flyers, lots of promotion posters for Brighton Festivals of yesteryear, beer mats all around the picture rail area, a spinning disco ball, old tin adverts for the likes of Bovril, Bisto, Colman's mustard etc and behind the bar, a Hadjuk Split football scarf. Seating at various sized regular tables, the larger versions having notes on top requesting they be saved for larger groups, fair enough. The room has a log fire but not needed on a warm March day. The small square room behind the bar had a definite ethnic feel with a leaning towards North African/Moroccan influence, the soundtrack appeared to be North African/Moorish, beads, patterned fabrics and so on as well as a dresser full of jars, bottles, old tins and some board games. The other small rooms repeat the main bar pattern with loads of band flyers and metal advertisements from days long gone. Live music is obviously big here with a number of events advertised, I assume in the upstairs function room. Outdoor seating to the front at picnic benches. Food served, looks decent value with F&C £8.95, burgers £7.50, paninis £6.50-£7.50. There are now six handpumps, a good range too with Longman Copper Hop (£3.60), Bedlam Porter, Harveys Sussex Best, Kissingate Chennai IPA, Burning Sky Plateau Pale Ale and Orchard Pig Navelgazer cider. My Copper Hop was spot on, all beers listed on a chalkboard inc Abv and price. Nice to see prices clearly displayed. The first pub of my recent Brighton jaunt, a very good start to the day and probably not my last visit. If short of time before a train this is worth considering as well as a double up with the Evening Star nearby.