Lion And Lobster, Brighton

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user reviews of the Lion And Lobster, Brighton

please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.

Fantastic afternoon in this pub enjoying the "Festival" ale, followed by live Jazz music in the evening. Good atmosphere for a large pub.
baxterfish - 9 Jan 2010 16:22
Quality pub, very friendly, and good atmosphere, decent selection of draught, and nice reasonable food too, only downside is it does get mobbed in there, and isn't too cosy.
hawker101 - 27 Nov 2009 10:39
Always very busy, somtimes thats good, sometimes i want a slightly less busy place. The ales are always pretty good, the Doombar in particular.........only eaten here a couple of times and its always been pretty prompt and tasty. Must try the new upstairs out soon. Love the fact you get all the sports shown on several tv's.......downstairs toilets are a bit smelly but hey, you cant have everything. Generally very good pub......
brightonbloke1 - 23 Nov 2009 14:50
Disappointing. This pub has a lot of potential and it has a cosy, relaxed feel - you could linger here alone or with a friend. But it needs a clean up and the staff need to look after the beer. My pint of Harveys was decidedly dull and in poor condition.
alebarry - 16 Nov 2009 11:54
Great beer, food, people, barmaids, roof terrace... Open very late... Only downside is it gets very overcrowded despite being huge. 9/10
notters - 4 Sep 2009 15:12
My Brighton local, it never dissapoints.
Klaude_Martner - 27 Feb 2009 15:55
Best pub in Brighton by far!! Friendly bar staff and and good food. Far superior to all other bars in the area. Definitely a favourite.
suziegringle - 31 Oct 2008 11:26
Oh yes, a truly great selection of tasty local beers and a jolly convivial atmosphere and only a minute or two from the glitz and trash of the seaside. A good range of food (well the chips were good - I can't comment on anything else) and a roaring fire to dry out in front of if you've just been dragged from the sea by a rescue helicopter. My only gripe would be that on the Saturday I visited the volume on the TVs was way too high. Sitting in the back room with the big restaurant tables ready to stuff my face witth the aforementioned chips I literally couldn't hear myself speak in an otherwise empty room. Odd quirks are the gents' loo which has around 200 mirrors angled around the mirrors for a truly narcissistic experience and the strange radio anomaly that engulfs the pub. meaning it is impossible to achieve a mobile phone signal. Handy if you don't like idiots shouting down their phone at other idiots in other pubs to let all the other idiots in other pubs know which pub they are in, but not so handy if you have an urgent call to make. There is a three foot space with a signal to the right of the front door if you are desperate and need to check to see if your house is on fire, it's right by where the smokers congregate so don't breathe in.
agnes_guano - 19 Sep 2008 11:43
This is a real find of a pub... but don't order food here. I ordered "Irish stew" which consisted of 4 pieces of carrot, 2 pieces of potato and about 5 pieces of meat! Needless to say I asked for a refund.
Nikkiginger - 26 Aug 2008 11:50
A great pub - I play in a band here regularly, so perhaps I'm biased - with a good atmosphere. Having said that - get the Gents' toilets cleaned up and sorted out, for heavens' sake! I don't relish standing in a pool of piss every time I go. Apart from that, a good boozer!
Will_Fly - 21 Jan 2008 13:19
If you want a pub with real character the lion & lobster is for you. The food is good, the beer is good and the staff are always friendly too. Its a quirky little venue and the regulars are a great mix of people. The addition of guest rooms is brilliant (nice and really cheap too)

I always go to the L&L when in Brighton - which sadly isnt too often nowadays
heah - 4 Dec 2007 16:46
Just been there on Sunday, 7/Oct/07. Good range of beer & real ale, good atmophere but the quality control of was quite bad. I was after a nice roast meal coz a friend of mine recommanded their roast meal, but I was very disappointed. They had the best gravy I've ever tasted but at the same time the driest beef I've ever eaten, lamb also a bit on the dry side, overcooked vegetables (carrots were burnt and black on one side), and only beef roast comes with yorkshire pudding. All in all, a very characteristic deco and good place for drinking. but if you're having a meal there, good luck to you.
vpylin - 15 Oct 2007 14:36
Sorry Sastrugi, this is one of Brighton's last Free Houses. There's no brewery to complain to.


mark.ed - 10 Jul 2007 21:36
I am a single parent with little money and rarely can afford to pay a babysitter. Last night myself and another single parent went to the lion and lobster. We walked in and whilst waiting to be served were splashed from head to toe on the other side of the bar by a barmaid who laughed, passed a disgusting towel soaked with beer and went off to serve another customer (already waiting before us). The other staff member (male) who was laughing about it served us and I said I think free drinks for myself and friend were the least they could do. He continued to ignore us racking it up on the till and asking us to pay up. i said no, that free drinks would be a nice gesture in the light of this. He ignored us. we went to the original barmaid to ask her to give him the nod that this was a good plan and she avoided eye contact and said it was not her decision. The 'manager' came over in a very unfriendly way and said "I dont like people who come into a pub asking for free drinks", continued to humiliate and berate us in front of all the other customers until we had no choice but to withdraw without a drink.

I was wearing a new dress, I had beer in my hair and felt ridiculous. Surely common sense, manners and some knowledge of how PR works come into play in these circumstances.

I am appalled and feel that other people would perhaps have been treated differently ie regulars, elderly people, people dressed in sharp suits etc etc

I am furious - who knows what brewery this pub is linked to??
sastrugi - 30 Jun 2007 16:52
Smoke on a rope. Really good pub which I am looking forward to visiting again after 1st July when the smoking ban starts.
douvres - 9 Apr 2007 21:49
One of my favs in Brighton. Good selection of high quality beer, attractive barmaids, local feel. Busy in a good way early evening but very relaxed this lunchtime. Darkstar Hophead & Festival, Wessex Bitter from Cottage Brewing, Harvey's Sussex, and Abbot from boycotted GK. Wood bar and panelling, 2 TVs (no sound today), 1 plasma out back. Best pub near seafront for beer & atmosphere. Food selection didn't look great, in fact I can't recall seeing anyone eat there on my half dozen visits, but Bankers chippy is just up on Western Rd where I tend to eat in, as the gulls round here attack in squadron formation - I'm sure they must be in radio contact.
trainman - 28 Mar 2007 19:36
Bit of a classic tale.....great atmosphere, good food, a bit cramped....and APALLING toilets.
Beer is good, but pub gets very smokey when busy. Roll on the ban!
raveydavey - 11 Jan 2007 01:13
A pretty decent pub, usually has a few darkstar beers on tap..
napoleon_dynamite - 6 Jan 2007 15:38
Im afraid this pub is steadily going down hill. It used to be good. Now the food is poor and the upkeep of the place is terrible.
anonymous - 5 Jan 2007 12:12
like any ups and Down's syndrome our pubs seem to go through I predict the worse great pub thu??
dddddddd - 31 Oct 2006 23:12
Great pub - monster sized portions for the (reasonably priced) food and a great selection of beers (again, cheaper than average). The roasts are especially good - its the perfect venue for a Sunday session as they show the football too.
Only black mark is the gents toilet - they have regular leaks in there, so there's often puddles on the floor! They seem to combat the potential smell of this by piling the urinal full of urinal blocks... If you sit at the big table by the gents, you get a rancid waft of chemicals whenever someone opens the door!
This pub must make a fortune, so come on Whelan, sort it out!
MattPike - 13 Sep 2006 16:22
Lovely unpretentious dark gin soaked den with roaring fire and decent range of booze and food. Toilets are quite small. Jazz musician on the flute warms the cockles too.
anonymous - 13 Jan 2006 11:50
A proper pub with a good range of beers, a cozy atmosphere and great jazz on a Sunday night - good late licensing hours too
teens - 13 Dec 2005 17:58
Recently had a bot of an extension round the back so now got a few more tables. Jazz on a Thursday is outstanding and other live music through the week.

Badly Drawn Boy has played here. Fairly recently too (within the last couple of years).
antmiller - 11 Nov 2005 18:06
Chilled, good place for a pint and some footie.
anonymous - 21 Sep 2005 15:21
Good cosmopolitan serious drinkers pub, could just do with being a fraction bigger as it is always a squeeze getting round the bar
anonymous - 1 Aug 2005 11:19
Lovely traditional pub tucked down a side street. Good choice of real ales, perhaps not as well kept as those in the Evening Star. Great food, reasonably priced, great atmopsphere and late licence as they do food!!! Very friendly, plenty of seating. Enjoyed my Hophead almost as much as that in the Evening Star (where I went the same night :-) ) and I came back for lunch the next day :-)
anonymous - 24 May 2005 13:24
It IS officially the best pub in Brighton.......
Because of Katrina, she kicks arrrrrse!
anonymous - 13 Jan 2005 14:59
Like the mirrors in the toilet
codsnatcher - 7 Jan 2005 12:46
really chilled out, can get rather busy, but its the norm for peeps to spill out on to the street- pretty cool
Sally - slavinder@lycos.co.uk - 7 Oct 2004 14:45
Wicked layout, cozy and cool, probaby my favourite too.
Gareth - 3 Dec 2003 15:56
Charming, atmosphere, setting and staff...just lovely.
sally mathias - 21 Nov 2003 12:23
Great atmosphere on Sunday evenings (the Irish music night).
Ian - 8 Oct 2003 23:50
Great Pub, with good Music on Sundays
Peter - 2 Oct 2003 13:24
My local. Great atmosphere, mix of locals and discerning fellow travellers, good range of beers, regular excellent live music, shabby decor, superb straightforward food, rooms available at reasonable (for Brighton) rates, friendly staff, and a really scary looking landlord/owner (wasn't he off the bill??).
Ant - 30 Jul 2003 13:29
My favourite pub in Brighton... friendly and nice
Denis - 29 May 2003 14:52

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