Doctor Brightons

A real fun pub on the seafront with great music and atmosphere.
The bar staff were really friendly and really added to the fun night. There is a DJ in the corner of the pub and there is a little dance floor that was packed.
This is a great gay bar and I’m sure we’ll be back for another night out.

At Dr brightons for drinks and dancing with friends. Love this bar as its so friendly and welcoming. A little bit expensive but worth the price.

Went here for the first time this weekend as part of a pub crawl. Loved it great atmosphere drinks not badly priced and good dj.
Great décor inside and feels allot more sociable than some places
Well worth a visit if ur in the area.

Cheap drinks, great atmosphere, friendly staff — I don’t go to Dr Brightons too often, perhaps I should start going more!
I used to go a lot for after work drinks back in the day, but as of late it’s been forgotten about. Popped in for a couple of drinks last night with some friends and it was great! I think we were there a little too early as it was pretty quiet, but I’ve been there many times later in the night where it’s been really fun and everyone is up on their feet and dancing.
I like how everyone is made to feel welcome here.

The high stars aren’t so much for the bar as décor wise it is pretty average. Really cheap and an excellent start to the night. What made it though were the staff and the cheesy tunes. We had a blast! Really friendly crowd, mixed and a wide wide age range. Lots of banter and fun friendly dancing in the bar and on the street outside. Capable door staff who also had a proper giggle. All in all a well put together experience and I will definitely visit again. Too fun not too!

What can I say, bad staff, no atmosphere and the places smells a bit bad. It comes to something when you have to break up a fight and get people to calm down and leave peacefully in a place that has security. it’s even worse when one of the offenders is security!

I went here recently to watch the Royal Wedding and it was a laugh. The bar staff are really lovely and even though I came in on my own as I was having a break away from things I felt comfortable because of all the friendly people in there. Comfy seating with a good view of the screen. There were two screens in there but the one that I was at had the most laughes.

I always feel pretty comfortable in Doctor Brightons, it’s quite laid back and unpretentious. When I went on the Pride weekend it wasn’t so laid back, the bar was transformed into something much more like a club and an outdoor area was cordoned off round the back where you could stumble around with a cigarette. Last time I went they had a pretty good DJ on playing tracks which I shook my tush to whilst I played pool.

Doctor Brightons is a busy gay venue, right on the seafront and so a little away from the St James Street gay scene.
Unlike some of the bars in that area, it has a more down to earth, pubby feel, with pool tables, wooden floors, and a friendly atmosphere. As James Y notes, its seafrront location makes it an attractive choice for clubbers, but it doesn’t have that manic ‘pre club bar’ feel.
There’s also a decent cocktail and shots menu.

Dr Brightons is one of the City’s best known gay friendly pubs and is pretty much an institution in itself. Its one of the oldest seafront bars in existence and has probably one of the best locations out of the lot. It has of late been quite popular as a ‘pre-​clubbing’ bar but we always used to pop there in the daytime for a few afternoon pints before heading into town.
The staff are really laid back, as is the music policy. There’s a pool table on hand too but in the summertime your better off outside, they have an excellent fenced off area to sit back and enjoy the sea views and watch the world go by.
This place gets absolutely rammed at Pride though so make sure you get there early to get the best seats!

Dr Brightons has been part of the Brighton Gay scene for a long time. The pub was sold during late ⁰⁷⁄₂₀₀₈ and fell into a bad patch. The crowds flocked away and it looked as though DB’s was going to fade into history. However in the spring a new owner took the helm, gave the place a lick of paint, brought back the DJ’s and the pre club crowd. Having said that it’s still not back to it’s heyday. Needs a bit more TLC to bring it up to date, especially the toilets. Good selection of beers, staff friendly and prices ok. Bit away from the main scene. Pool table at the back makes it popular with the ladies. Nice sea views, but no real outside seating area.

This pub has changed alot in the ten years that I have been using it.
Ten years a ago it was male dominated, gay, and not very clean. The beer wasn’t well kept and staff had an attitude! Then about 5 years ago more women started to use the venue. The furniture became more sofa styled. Art work was displayed on the walls. The picures were more naff than not. Then recently the furniture has improved and staff are ok. The walls have better pictures on it. The beer is better kept now than in the past ten years.
At Pride this pub always pushes the boat out. This pub is very popular now with students and the gay community.
Faults are the loud music, irritating DJ’s and its not close to my home!

Update 15 February 2009
Visited last night and were very disappointed. Nearly empty and with intrusive, anonymous thumping disco music. They only had one real ale on, and that was ‘on the turn’ — ie nearly off — and not nice to drink. We decided to move on, and when we pointed out our half-​drunk pints to the bar man, and explained the problem, he just said ‘oh, yeah, thanks’ and offered no apology.
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This is a busy sea-​front lesbian/​gay pub in Brighton, away from the main gay area, just west of the Palace Pier.
It serves a decent selection of real ale, among the usual lagers, alcopops, wines and spirits, and the bar staff and friendly and efficient, even when busy. On week-​end evenings there’s a resident DJ, so the music volume can be a bit overwhelming (though this seems to be popular with regulars, so I guess I’m just getting old).
It can get ram-​packed on a Friday and Saturday, as it’s especially popular with pre-​club folk (mostly, but not exclusively gay). Not bad when it’s a bit quieter.