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Detail Pages
The Hanover, Brighton
Brighton
BN2 9ZB
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7½ of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Hanover
At the top of a never-ending hill in the eponymous Hanover neighbourhood, this is a good-sized pub with an open plan interior across two or three notionally different spaces. The pub has exposed floorboards throughout and a mix of bare brick and plain painted walls, which all combines to make it feel a little plain and indistinctive. The bar is on the back wall, directly opposite the entrance, and has a long tongue and groove panelled counter and matching bar back with a small pump clip collection across the top. To one side, there’s a disused open kitchen counter with a tiled back, but it didn’t look like it got a great deal of action. Seating comes in the form of chairs and high stools in the open area to the right, and comfier options in the smaller space to the left of the bar, which appeared to have been given over to a children’s party on my visit. More pump clips are on display around the room alongside local photos and a few random paintings, and there was also a TV screen or two showing live football, possibly with the commentary on, but the screaming kids made it hard to tell from where I was sat. A nice bookcase in the right rear corner, flanked by old maps and a nice clock, rounded out the décor and would’ve been the most memorable thing about this visit, had someone not parked a van too close to a traffic island opposite the pub, resulting in a massive traffic jam as the local buses couldn’t get through the resultant gap.
On the bar, four handpulls were dispensing Sharps Doom Bar, Firebird Two Horses and Bedlam Benchmark, with a clip for a real cider reversed. I took a pint of the Two Horses from the friendly barmaid and enjoyed watching the drama unfolding outside with some of the amiable locals.
This is a decent enough community boozer serving young families to one side, and an earthier, older clientele on the other, with no obvious friction between the two. A choice of a couple of interesting ales was a bonus and whilst Hanover has better pubs, this was still a decent enough visit.
On 21st February 2023
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Will Larter left this review about The Hanover
This is a lively and popular pub, with such a crowd around the bar when I arrived shortly after opening time that it was difficult to see what beers were on. I counted half a dozen hand pumps, with a real cider and local ales from Firebird, Greyhound, Gun and Cellar Head breweries. It was very lively on a Friday afternoon, with workers having just knocked off for the weekend creating a throng around the bar counter, so that I was unable to note all the beers and had to escape to a nearby table to write what meagre notes I could. I had the Cellar Head Bitter Tide, which vied with Franklins Mama Knows Best for my beer of the (very long) day. This is a pub I would definitely include on a list of Brighton pubs to revisit, with a mental note to choose another time than 3pm on a Friday next time.
Date of visit: 23rd March 2018
On 27th April 2018
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3724 recommendations about 3461 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
paulof horsham left this review about The Hanover
The first thing that struck me on entering was the aroma of pizza. But that's not so bad - the Hanover's food offer centres on stone-baked pizza. I didn't try one, but it seemed to be popular in this family-friendly pub.
I was here for the beer and, as part of the local Indigo Pub Company chain, I was assured of local ale - the 6 pumps are dedicated to Sussex (and a bit of Surrey), some of them at a very reasonable £2.79. As is the way with many of the Indigo outlets, hand-written notes adorn the clips. The beer may have been served in a mug, but The Hanover managed to serve it without the retro irony that afflicts too many London pubs.
Background music was playing here: all I can say is that the style was 'funky', and at just the right volume.
All in all, a decent pub in a part of the city with many great options. Well worth a visit if you're pub-crawling the Hanover / Queen's Park neighbourhoods (or you just fancy a pizza and some quality ale).
On 1st April 2013
- rating: 8
[User has posted 453 recommendations about 425 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
hondo . left this review about The Hanover
Excellent large bar and restaurant serving 6 real ales. Live music advertised.
On 12th November 2012
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 2883 recommendations about 2820 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve C left this review about The Hanover
The Hanover advertises itself outside as a pub and restaurant which usually means gastro pub, but I felt that this place pulled off the food and drink combination very well. Granted my visit was on a quiet Wednesday evening and it may get busier at the usual dining times but I felt that the informal dining in the right hand side of the pub didn’t detract from the drinking in the left hand side. The music was a little loud for my liking, but nobody else seemed to have any complaints. There was a mix of students and people that have paid income tax and the atmosphere was relaxed. I thought that the service was very friendly and the bar supports four hand pumps that were drawing Molly Malone’s Brighton Stout, Hammerpot’s Shepherd’s Warmer, Ballard’s Gold Bine and Arundel’s Old Scrooge. Carling makes an appearance in amongst the premium lagers and the student discounted stone baked pizzas are heavily advertised. There is a quiz every Tuesday evening and roasts are served on Sundays. At the rear of the pub there is a decked seating area with a heater for the smokers.
I liked it in here and would happily return.
On 4th January 2012
- rating: 7
[User has posted 5228 recommendations about 5196 pubs]