Waggon & Horses

Nice lively but small pub selling small range of real ales, quality is suite good. Lots of painted wood and tables suitable for large groups. Service good.

Not to be confused with same name pub in Abingdon, we used to use this pub years ago on a regular basis but now only pop in now and then when in town. (We like both)! Still a nice place to be but there is so much competition around today. That’s good for the punters but it is a hard life for licencees’! Pleasant to sit outside and watch the world go by.

This is an average type of pub situated in one of the main thoroughfares of Brighton. Its fairly small inside and is decorated in your usual bare wood fashion that seems to have taken over in Brighton these days.
The have a good selection of ales including Hophead, Dark Star and Harveys. The wine is expensive — its mostly sold in miniature bottles so works out quite expensive if you want anything other than a house wine.
It does have a great outside seating area which is perfect for watching the world go by on a warm summer evening. Its probably the better option compared to the Mash Tun next door.
I was going to give the W&H three stars until I remembered that I came in here on a Sunday once and they were giving away free bar snacks. And I’m not just talking a stale bowl of peanuts covered in pee, I’m talking proper warm bar snacks such as spring rolls, mini kebabs and fish cakes. Yep, that’s enough to win me over!

Ein klassisches Pub, wie ich es mag. Es gibt eine große Auswahl an Getränken und Biersorten. Womit wir schon beim Thema sind, hier war es das erste Mal, dass ich nach den Biersorten fragte und probieren durfte. Das sehr nette Mädel hinterm Tresen schenkte mir einfach einen Fingerbreit in ein Glas und reichte es mir. Das Bier war für englische Verhältnisse gut, ich blieb dabei.
Es gibt Sitzplätze im Freien, man kann die vorbeiziehenden Leute beobachten, im Inneren wenig Sitzplätze dafür umso mehr Stehplätze, wie in Pubs üblich. Es wird auch Essen angeboten aber das haben wir nicht probiert.

This is certainly a proper pub. Decorated in the style of pubs from old and decked out with chunky tables and mis matched chairs. There is a good number of benches outside and this is probably the best area to get comfortable for an evening if the weather permits.
The staff are very nice, but will be somewhat curt on the busy evenings. It can be a bit of a squeeze inside when trying to get a round in. In a lot of ways everything about this place is average at best. They do have one trump card however. Whisky.
The whisky menu is as good as you will get in the city whether single malts or bourbons are your thing. I’m not a massive fan of the golden nectar, but some of the offerings here will get me ordering off the menu. If whisky isn’t your thing, then you will also find a good number of ales and spirits also.
This is a great spot to start off a night, or stop off for a round on route to a club etc. Thumbs up for me.

The Waggon and Horses is my favourite Brighton old-​man pub, and for good reason: it clearly hasn’t changed significantly in the last 20-​odd years! It’s got that old pub smell, old tables… it’s just a grotty old wooden pub, and I love that it’s retained its identity so strongly. Sure, the grottiness does mean it’s not the most pleasant place to sit in, but it does have a huge outdoor area in a very nice part of town, the prices are nice and cheap, and it’s an amazing alternative to the crushed Mash Tun.
I really wouldn’t recommend sitting inside here: it’s all just a bit ugly and smelly. It does smell like 20 years of beer and spirits has seeped into all of the wood here, and it’s not always pleasant. However, I do admire the Waggon and Horses for it: in a town that’s often too cool for school, they’ve stuck by their guns and remained one of the best places in Brighton for a drink. Yes, it’s grotty, but it’s also homely and nice not to have to blink through neon lights and glitterballs to get to the bar.
Despite all that, sit outside anyway. It’s far nicer most months, and there’s loads of space to spread out. Also, you’re on the main concourse at the beginning of New Road, so there’s always plenty of people about and a nice vibe going on. No heaters, but it shouldn’t matter: it’ll probably be heaving with Mash Tun and Fitzherberts run-​off, who’ll all be generating plenty of heat on their own. Don’t let that disturb you: there are plenty of tables, and the atmosphere is great.

This is best seen a somehwere to grab a cold pint and sit at one of the outdoor tables, watching the world go by on a sunny afternoon. Together with the Mash Tun and Fitzherberts, this is an excellent people watching spot.
Inside, the pub itself is nothing special, although not uninviting either. Lots of wooden tables, old pictures on the walls and a slightly rough and ready feel. Personally, I think it’s quite nice that a pub in such a trendy area of Brighton hasn’t been overtaken by pretentiousness. It can get very busy just before a show at the Dome, which is just down the road.

From the outside, Waggon & Horses looks like a cool little gastropub where you could get cracking drinks and food. They have great seating outside and it’s a stone’s throw from Brighton Dome, Corn Exchange and the Pavillion.
Unfortunately, each time I’ve visited it’s resembled an old working man’s club with lots of solitary, old blokes sat in silence with a pint infront of them. Once I saw two sat together and they didn’t speak a word to each other the whole hour I was there. The lack of music — or cheesy radio music when it’s on — makes it feel even more like a sponsored silence competition. The spirits tasted fine but they once served me a hot mulled wine that was neither hot nor tasty. I’d only venture back here if I’m going to a gig at the Dome and couldn’t get a table or standing space at Fitzherberts.