Fiddler’s Elbow

Very amazing creamy Guiness as usual. Nice place to meet people and enjoy excellent food.

Come for the pub quiz rather than the food.
I once raved about the BBQ chicken burger that I would invariably eat before a Tuesday night pub quiz, but alas those days are over. Apparently the pub was beset with misfortune when the chef decided to leave one dark and stormy night and take all the crockery with him, he even took the salt and pepper shakers! Vicious rumours aside, I can definitely say that since the change in kitchen management, the menu here has been sadly lacking… although 2−4−1 burgers on Tuesdays almost makes up for it.
You might be asking yourself why I’d give such a high review for somewhere with such low food expectations, and simply put, it’s the ambiance. There’s such a friendly atmosphere here, the pub quiz is a hoot (especially on Ro’s watch!) and only a quid to enter, so you won’t care that the menu isn’t as varied as you would like.

Fiddlers Elbow is the best Irish pub in Brighton by a long way!
It’s small and cosy but has room to have live music (often Irish themed — but not cheesy!). It’s got a great atmosphere on the weekends — but it’s a great place for a pint and a chat. Highly recommended

Really liked this place. Watched England in the 6 nations and it was absolutely rammed full to the point nobody could move, but credit to the bar staff they were alert to orders from 3 deep away from the bar.
Food is good, slightly pretentious but tastes good. The selection of beer was also very welcome. Great atmosphere, but getting to and from the toilet was tricky with so many people.
Off the main track you will need to be lucky or know it to find it.
A must for those drinking in Brighton on the weekend.

Nice Irish Pub off the main street. Low ceilings, intimate surroundings, and a great place to go if you’re sick of the rest of Brighton.

I have spent some considerable time at the open mic night of the Fiddler’s Elbow of a Sunday evening, and the end of a hectic weekend has often been soothed into slumber by that establishment’s choice of honey-​voiced wood-​and-​wire mongers intent on crooning lullabies. Equally, I have cringed in astonishment as a metal band has got up and performed on acoustic instruments the very same Slipknot covers they do with full face masks and distortion, with their drummer wincing at the back, a suddenly-​exposed shrinking violet sheepishly clutching a tambourine. It could go either way. What never changes is the genial atmosphere and the initial open mindedness towards whatever musical hotchpotch is being slung past the sentinels of lobe and tragus.
This friendliness seems to sum up the feel of this pub as a whole. Despite the cod-​Irish décor and the sticky tables, it’s a warm, open atmosphere that does nothing to discourage either the party of drinkers or the simultaneous loner who’s just popped in for a coffee. Just off hideous West Street as well. Truly the rose among many, many thorns.

I’m not a huge fan of ‘themed’ Irish pubs as they are usually located abroad and are utterly useless but this place seems to hit the nail on the head. It was a lot better when you could smoke in there so maybe they should pump some dry ice around on busy nights but its still a nice, comfy place to sit and enjoy the atmosphere and a seriously well poured pint of the black stuff.
Food wise, the last time I was in there I had the Irish stew with dumplings and soda bread and it was fantastic. There’s plenty of nice things on the menu to keep your stomache from rumbling.
All in all, this is a nice little cosy Irish pub that is perfect for some daytime drinking away from the hustle and bustle of town.

The Fiddlers is a lovely little pub, small and intimate it’s a perfect retreat for a quiet drink during the day in traditional surroundings. The staff are always friendly and interactive but during St Patricks Day it really is the place to be. The pub is packed and the street is cordoned off for a festival celebration, gazebos are full of live music and hot food, and obviously Guinness galore.

The Fiddler’s Elbow is a really great pub just a stone’s throw away from the seafront. If you somehow find yourself on horrendous West St with its incredible dearth of decent pubs, fear not, for you must only turn on to Boyces St and you will find yourself in front of this fine establishment!
A great place to stop in for a Guinness (if you’re feeling traditional) or any other of the wide selection of beverages on offer, the Fiddler’s Elbow offers a traditional watering hole slap bang in the middle of town. The interior is entirely wood-​panelled and when the bar is lined with regulars it can feel like a real old boy’s pub. But if you happen in on the weekend it is usually quite lively with dancing in the room at the back and occasional live music. St. Patrick’s Day is without doubt the best time to frequent this place, as the entire road is blocked off for a celebratory street party– it can get absolutely rammed and there’s a great atmosphere with live Irish music.

Inspired by Joseph’s post, I intended to discover the reasoning behind this pub’s name; unfortunately, after a brief amount of research, all I managed to discover was a) there is a place in America known as ‘Fiddler’s Elbow’, which is cited in at least two eighteenth century texts dealing with history/​geography of that continent; b) Fiddler’s Elbow is the largest of a set of islands in the River Thames; c) the expression ‘Fiddler’s Elbow’ is used by Thomas Hardy in his famous ‘The Mayor of Casterbridge’, to describe, shockingly, a Fiddler’s elbow; and d) that there exists two colloquial expressions utilising the term: one used to describe someone of a fidgety disposition — ‘he was up and down more times than a Fiddler’s Elbow’ -, and one slightly more sexual in nature — ‘going in and out like a Fiddler’s Elbow’. Whether any of these are clues as to the title of this pub, is perhaps up for interpretation.
Regards the pub itself, the drinks prices aren’t particularly student-​friendly, with a Kronembourg costing something like £3.50. The general ambience of the place is nice though, there’s pleasant seating areas, and there’s a regular pub quiz, which costs £1 to enter, and all entrants of this quiz get discounted drinks throughout the evening. You’ll also find a games machine, and, unless I hallucinated it, a pool table,

Dark, dingy and set back on a side street, The Fiddler’s Elbow (or simply The Fiddler’s to locals) is a classic pub. With a mix of patrons from hard-​up students, to regulars who — to put it politely — like a drink or seven, and young professionals alike, there is no typical crowd. You can therefore drop in and have a pint, or make this a regular haunt without much difficulty in fitting in. There is a hint of Irish, owing to the pubs history, but this is a nice touch rather than an out-​and-​out homage to the Emerald Isle. Food is served here, with Sunday roasts being a particular favourite, but this is far from being a gastro pub. In keeping with pub tradition there is a decent quiz night with fairly difficult questions to keep beery heads in deep thought and even cash prizes to keep beery heads, well, beery. I still can’t figure out what was so special about the fiddler’s elbow though. Maybe he kept elbowing people as he played his tunes?!

This pub changed a bit when it was purchased by one of the Brighton syndicates but it’s still a great little boozer.
Tucked down a side street off of West Street you can avoid that hell hole and get a decent pint and nice atmosphere whilst remaining right in the centre of town.
The décor is wood interier with irish feel.