The Royal Sovereign, Brighton

The Royal Sovereign is the closest place to a traditional pub that can be found along Preston Street, although there are better pubs in the surrounding roads. Food is served during lunch periods and evenings during the week and all day at the weekends. The mains cost about £10 and there is a dining type area that is available for hire down a couple of steps to the right of the entrance. To the left of the entrance is more seating and a log fire that was blazing away during my visit on a recent cold Monday evening. The bar is stocked with a mix of standard and premium draught products and Doom Bar was the ale option as one hand pumps was off and the other unused. The lighting was very dim, but the friendly barmaid brightened the place up a bit. The plasma screen was switched off and I saw no Sky Sports advertised, but there was some background music playing that seemed to fit in with the large student contingent. The toilets are located down some stairs at the rear and out the back there is a square paved drinking area that has the benefit of being under the kitchen’s extractor fan so expect the smell of chip fryers. I’d pop in here for another beer if passing, but it’s certainly not worth the long bop from the train station.