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The Pilot Inn, Meads, Eastbourne
Eastbourne
BN20 7RW
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 8 of 10) see review guidelines
Steve of N21 left this review about The Pilot Inn
As we were staying west of Devonshire Park this time in Eastbourne we visited this one three times during our week in town, the first couple just for a beer and finally to eat here. As the previous reviews have noted this pub is now food focussed but we still found it a comfortable pub just for a drink.
Internally there’s a central bar area with a curved L shaped serving bar with bar stools along the curve and then two areas off here that look like they were previously separate rooms. We particularly liked the smaller snug area to the left of the bar with its stained glass bay window and large brick former fireplace. Then there is a further dining room which is accessed from the corridor to the toilets. Externally there are some bench seats to the front of the pub and a two tier enclosed sunken garden out the back.
Four hand pumps on the bar and all were in operation during our visits and Sharp’s Doom Bar, Timothy Taylor’s Landlord and Longman Breweries Best and Long Blonde are permanent beers. I stayed on the Long Blonde as it was an excellent summer session beer.
The pub is has a reputation for good food and most evenings the restaurant area is fully booked and then the bar areas are also utilised for diners. This was the case for our dining visit when we ate in the snug area and the meals we had were probably the best food we experienced during the week. So on our experience the reputation is well justified.
On 6th July 2023
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2111 recommendations about 1992 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve C left this review about The Pilot Inn
At some point in the last 12 years the Pilot has been refurbished to a very good standard. The layout of the bar is still the same as in my previous review, but an additional dining area has been added onto the right hand side of the pub. There is now a lot more emphasis on food and the two dining areas were full of people eating when I visited last Saturday evening. The “Pilot Inn Cheeseburger” with chips is priced at £14.50. Two of the hand pumps have been removed from the bar, but all four were in operation drawing Sharp’s Doom Bar and Timothy Taylor’s Landlord alongside Longman Breweries Best and Long Blonde. Premium and standard draught is also available. The emphasis on live music seems to have gone, but there was some low background music playing. This pub is also a B&B with four rooms available. The doors close early at 20:00 on Sundays.
The staff are very friendly and this pub is much improved meaning that I will go out of my way to revisit.
23rd November 2010
I’m really not sure about this place as at first glance it seems to be a run-down pub that could do with some serious TLC, but looking a bit deeper it is actually a reasonable local. Sure, I wouldn’t go out of my way to drink here and the correlation between the food and the pricing is way off, but I was served a decent pint of Guinness by a friendly woman and the locals all seemed harmless enough as they listened to some students jamming on the Thursday evening I visited three weeks ago. The jamming session night is actually advertised as a Wednesday so I came to the conclusion that this is a pub that is proud to have live music in any form and have no problem with people just turning up and playing, but probably not after 20:30 on a Tuesday when the quiz is in progress. Karaoke was also advertised for the upcoming Saturday night, but I’m not sure if this is a weekly thing or a little more sporadic. I counted three TV screens of varying sizes, but these were all off and the only sign in the window was advising readers that this is a music pub, so no sign of Sky Sports.
Along with the standard draught products there are also six hand pumps, but unfortunately only Bombardier and Harveys Best were available during my visit and I got the feeling that they are the only two ales that are ever on. The bar area is essentially L shaped with a few nautical pictures and photos on the walls and towards the rear there is a small dining type area that leads to a nice sized beer garden. There are also a couple of picnic tables on the path outside the front of the pub, but I think that these are more for the smoking locals.
Like I said, I wouldn’t go out of my way to drink here again, but may have used it if I was a local.
On 26th April 2022
- rating: 8
[User has posted 5254 recommendations about 5222 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Pilot Inn
Located right at the western extremity of Eastbourne, close to the Downs leading to Beachy Head, this is very much an upmarket dining pub these days. That said, the various seating / dining areas have been refurbished in a semi-traditional style, and there is still a distinct bar area and a small lounge that once had its own door from the entrance lobby. All four handpumps were in use, offering Doom Bar, Landlord and a pair from Long Man: Best Bitter (£6.00 with a packet of peanuts) and Long Blonde.
On 20th April 2022
- rating: 7
[User has posted 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Svetlozar Vasilev left this review about The Pilot Inn
The best pub ever!
I was in Eastbourne on a 2-week teacher training course in the summer of 2004 and was staying with Mr and Mrs Coleman at 25 Carlton Road. The best landlords ever! They showed me The Pilot Inn as a place where I can have some rest in my strolls along the seaside and enjoy the best english ale in the region. I still can't forget the "bombardier" brand I tasted there. Two things impressed me most - the books swap shelf they've got there and the quizz nights they organise!
The staff is very friendly (especially the owners daughter - Derek's granddaughter ;),though Derek told me to watch out for the barman cause he might be in some gayish behaviuor sometimes ;).
So believe me - this is the best pub in Eastbourne!!!
On 24th June 2007
- rating: 10
[User has posted 1 recommendations about 1 pubs]