Bolthole Cafe

The bolt hole would only ever serve 1 purpose for me — as a mid study pit stop. You aren’t allowed drinks or food in the library, so this is a good way to maintain focus, but get a little caffeine pick me up.
The staff are friendly enough, but the produce available is pretty limited. You can get a soup of the day, a selection of baguettes, token fruit items and your standard range of coffee or tea.
It’s the kind of place you see a lot of under graduates sitting in groups around a table complaining of the massive workloads (seriously!!), or what they got up to in the city the previous night. It feels very much like a canteen and is certainly not up to the standard of other cafes on campus.
Handy for a quick break, but that’s about it.

I have never really been a fan of the Bolthole. The name says it all! Maybe it’s just me, but the last thing I fancy, after hours of holing up in the library studying, is holing up underground! Although there is a bit of natural light from the side windows, it just feels miserable. I was forced to use this café, as it is the only place to get refreshments in the library, but it was always a get in– down a coffee– and get out kind of an operation! It’s possible that my problem with the Bolthole has more to do with association than anything else. The times I used it were always moments of peak stress… pre-​exam or essay deadline. But it would seem logical to me to improve the facilities for that very reason– the café gets used by students who are mid-​revision or study session. It would be so nice to have a pleasant café (perhaps above ground!!) to really get away from the dismal misery of the library and enjoy a well-​made coffee or a smoothie (I know… really pushing the boat out in my little fantasy land here!)
So, in short, if you’re in the library and in desperate need of a coffee or a bite to eat, I suggest you evacuate the library entirely, take a proper break and head to Falmer or IDS!

The bolthole is a handy little café, just below Sussex University’s library. It was a regular pitstop for me during the dissertation run ups of my student days, and I’d often work down here with a regular supply of caffeine and the bustle of gossiping students keeping me awake! You’ll find some food, but no meals — think jacket potatoes, pizza, pastries and baguettes. Some of the food is quite nice and it’s all ok in price.
As cafes go it’s not great — looking pretty drab with the basic furnishings and lack of daylight. I guess they don’t need to make much of an effort when people are gonna use the place out of convenience anyway, but even so one feels that with it being so popular the uni would do well to make it more impressive!

The Bolthole, although not the best place to get food on campus is pretty essential as it’s the nearest place to the library to buy filtered coffee, tea, chocolate and provide a well earned break or continuation of procrastination. The food on offer is pretty limited really with either some calorie loving pizza slices or baguettes rammed with cheese aswell as some more expensive but healthier houmous and salad options. Soup is also served but in my experience can be hit and miss and I’m pretty sure they used Lamb Spam (if there is such a product) in one of the soups I’ve tried.
Can get really rammed, though many people still seem to work in here, the Bolthole is simply alright, and due to it’s proximity to the library and filtered coffee (which the meeting house doesn’t have) will always be a popular choice.