The Royal Sovereign, Shoreham-By-Sea

With an impressive green United Brewery tiled exterior and United Brewery windows, this is a cosy backstreet pub with a bar area at the front and a small dining area to the rear, where Thai food is served in the evenings. Tables were booked throughout the pub for the evening session. Plenty of photographs of Shoreham from years gone by adorn the walls and whilst the real ale selection is limited to Harvey's Sussex Best Bitter, Sharp's Doom Bar & Fuller's London Pride, the Sussex Best was actually quite enjoyable. With a few more real ales, this could be a real gem of a pub.

Great photo attached and the frontage looks equally nice from the inside, original windows proclaiming wines, sprits, etc. Also beers – Pride, Landlord, Harveys, Abbot and, unusually outside the west country, a decent pint of 6X. Another well-used chatty locals bar, and the chippy is on the adjacent John Street.

The Royal Sovereign is located up a little side road just off the high street which meant that it wasn’t packed like the other pubs I visited along this stretch on a recent Saturday night. The interior is made up by a square front seating area that is faced by the bar and some seating to the left rear. Standard draught was available and I counted six hand pumps. One of these was unused leaving Dark Star’s APA, Sharp’s Doom Bar, Fullers London Pride, Harvey’s Best and Wadworth’s 6X as the ale options. There was some English food advertised, but this is a pub with a Thai kitchen. There was no background music and I didn’t see any televisions. I did spot a sign by the front door stating that there is no entrance after midnight so there is obviously a late license. I liked it in here as the service was very friendly so I certainly would pop back in if passing.

An attractive and inviting looking pub with nice tiling and some decent preserved stained glass to the doors, see photos, United Ales, Saloon Bar, Cabin Bar. Now all one L-shaped area inside with Tudor style dark wood and cream panelled walls. Comfortable, carpeted and with traditional seating in chairs or long benches. I liked the two very large tables under the front windows. Jugs and pewter tankards hang from a beam, bottles on a high shelf run around the room, the tiled fireplace has a couple of muskets above. There are also various caricatures on another beam pictures of the local lifeboat in action and a life belt with the pub name over the bar. I liked the feel of the pub straightaway and as with most Shoreham pubs visited on the day received a warm and friendly welcome both at the bar and at my seat where the pub terrier took a shine to me and slept next to me on the bench. . A good range, Harvey's Sussex Best, Dark Star American Pale Ale, Wadworth's 6X, Taylor's Landlord and Pride. I had the Dark Star offering and the quality was fine. Standard pub menu, mains £6-£8, sandwiches around the £3.50-£4.50 mark. Thai food is served on Tuesdays and Fridays. Sunday breakfasts from 9:30, I'm not clear if alcohol is served though, not sure you can outside standard Sunday hours. Probably my pub of the day on my Shoreham trip.