please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
One of the Bills restaurant outlets now occupies this building.
|
Unfortunately now no longer a pub. It is going to be Bill's, which is apparently a restaurant chain. Shame, because this used to be my father's local and my grandfather's. Progress, I suppose, but still very sad.
|
Closed for some months.
|
Gave this pub a second chance as I was looking for a swift pint and wasn't keen on the Duke of Devonshire next door. To my surprise the bar staff were extremely friendly and couldn't do enough for you - I asked cautiously if the pub had changed hands - yes, he said, they were temporary management and it is changing hands very soon. They were so good, I hope they stay on as permanent tenants..
Had the Harvey's Old Ale, which was very good, and thought I'd treat myself to ham, egg & chips while I was there, which was excellent! The chips were out of a proper fryer and there was loads of ham, very reasonable for the price. I would go back there now, particularly if the current care-takers were to take it on for good. It does need a bit of tarting up still, but it's a pub, not a boutique hotel, so as long as the beer is good and the staff are friendly it gets my custom.
|
I'll echo most of the comments below, but when the beer is good, it's very good. For the cider drinkers, there's also a hand pumed real one on too.
Also, the staff are always cheerful and you are made to feel very welcome.
|
Had a pint of Harveys Armada which was very near her sell by date.
Its a big pub and could do better.
Get a good chef in and lift the foodmenu to a higher ground.
|
A set of mixed reviews below makes this a bit a of a Jekyll and Hyde pub. I thought the beers were fine and the staff were very good. There was a drunken young lady flaunting herself in front of everybody and yet nobody seemed interested in asking her to leave which I thought was odd.
|
Cracking pint and very friendly staff. Food looked good value too and a really busy boozer. Worth a visit.
|
This pub can't seem to decide what it wants to be. The lighting in the window and faux-leather covered chairs suggest 50s diner, while the bare wooden floor and nice old-style bar are more reminiscent of the traditional pub. The overall effect is jarring - a shame, as this pub has so much potential.
We visited on a cold Saturday evening and the place was virtually deserted. After sampling the Harveys Armada I can see why. It was thin, watery and sour and my companion's pint of Harvey's Kiss was better, but not by much. The bar staff couldn't care less if you dropped dead as long as you do it out on the street so they don't have to clear up the mess.
I wouldn't go back under any circumstances. I can't see how this got a mention in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide!
|
On a recent evening visit to this Harvey's pub the Mild was off and so was the Armada (but whilst the bar staff took the Mild off, they continued to sell the 'undrinkable' Armada) - this was all the more surprising as not only was the landlord around, there was a CAMRA meeting going on upstairs at he time.
|
Awesome pub, friendly staff, beer was great and food was good too, I recommend this pub highly.
|
I've been using the Terminus for a few years now (not local on hols) and since they redeveloped the interior I think the place has gone downhill, mainly due to bar staff / or management. As mentioned in some other reviews it varies between disinterested to rude. On the beer front I've not personally had a bad pint - although I know people who have - but I'm prepared to cut them some slack on that. The foods ok, daily roast for a fiver. If only they do something about the staff, after all this is one of Harveys flagship pubs ! They need new carpets too if anyone brave enough to tell the staff.
|
Tried the Harvey's Olympia Ale: it was sour - OK it was the first from the pump, but not really an excuse. It was replaced without a fuss but that wasn't much better - far too cold and pretty flat. So can't agree with beerbaby about the beer. Don't think I'd hurry back.
|
The Terminus is a strange beast indeed, but at least it's kept its name and a traditional inn sign, unlike the monstrosity of a boozer next door which has changed names several times in recent years and is currently trading as The Duke of Devonshire. Presumably that name change suggests it aims to compete with The Terminus as a "traditional" pub. Sadly, and perhaps because of the proximity, neither pub does particularly well at doing that- the Terminus's makeover and regular paint jobs are undoubtedly a response to whatever is happening next door in what, by the way, is a totally unconnected business.
The name of the pub is inspired by it being on the main road down to Eastbourne's seafront from the elegant, listed Victorian station. Terminus Road in fact is the main street for everything in Eastbourne- shopping, eating and drinking, because of the (real) Duke of Devonshire's stipulation that there should be no shops to sully the seafront when the town developed after the arrival of the railway. While this makes for a very pleasant seafront, it does perhaps account for the strange agglomeration of pubs in the town centre, including the Terminus- which more logically I'd expect to find next to the station!
These observations aside, this is probably the best place in Eastbourne to sample the full range of Harvey's excellent ales. The monthly brews are always here, along with the dependable classics like Sussex Best Bitter and Old Ale in the winter. I don't think I've ever been served a duff pint in here on the dozen or so occasions I've been in here.
However, this is not really a pub I'd want to linger in, or at any rate, not alone. The bar staff are competent, but not as chatty and welcoming as, for instance, Phil and family at The Marine (qv), which does an equally excellent pint of Sussex though it's a free house. You're left with the impression that you are more of a supermarket checkout transaction, perhaps, than a welcome guest- particularly in the evening when the bouncers come on shift.
I can't recall eating here- or if I did, it can't have been that memorable! However, the menu looks acceptable so OK for filling a hole, I guess. As has been observed elsewhere, it's a very long walk to the loos, rather like trudging through a London Underground tunnel, so perhaps not advised for anybody who needs to get to the loo in a hurry!
As to the plastic glasses, these are I suspect a requirement of the licensing authority, i.e. Eastbourne Borough council, so no fault of the management. Neither, really, are the chavs- this is on the edge of Eastbourne's night club territory and inevitably attracts their clientelle before they hit the dance floor.
Overall, a good place to quench your thirst with superb real ale, but not perhaps to linger unless you like bizarre jukebox choices- White Christmas on the 29th March was most peculiar!- TVs with the sound down and loud youngsters.
|
I registered on this site specifically to review this pub. Went in on a Saturday night, got served a bitter and flat pint by a miserable and unfriendly barmaid who clearly wanted to be anywhere else. Then got pushed into the kitchen by another barmaid, who subsequently took the pint off me, called the bouncer, who searched me, then told me to f**k off out and not let him see me in there again. I heard afterwards that he also searched the rest of my group of mates, with no respect for anyones privacy or personal space. Never known anything like it. They didn't need to give me a lifelong ban to make me never go there again.
|
Beer was ok, but lousy ambience, overlit, sterile, unfriendly bar staff; left after one.
|
This is a peculiar pub. Its unfriendly and expensive and every time I've walked past they seem to have painted it a different colour. Not much atmosphere and indifferent staff.
|
Went into this pub due to the louts hanging about outside the pub next door. In this place they were hanging about inside! Harveys was served in a plastic pint glass as was the flat lager. There was only about a dozen or so people in the bar so I have no idea what the purpose of this was at 7.00pm with a couple of old gits like us. There is no point in commenting on the ale as all you can taste is the plastic and it was poorly presented by the barman in any event. Loud unpleasant atmosphere, poorly decked out inside and out. Can't understand this being a camera pub and how it has a rating this high I have no idea! Left most of the beer and the premises. If you like chewing on plastic this is the place for you otherwise avoid this and the linked rathole next door!
|
Since moving to Eastbourne have visited The Terminus on Many occassions. They offer a good selection of well kept Harveys Ales and I like to try them all regularly!!!! Every evening there is some form of lively entertainment, not the place for a quiet drink but always a lively atmosphere. Lunchtime food is excellent quality and good valu. Not a bad pub at all!!
|
Visited on a Friday night, probably a mistake as there was a loud-mouth yob outside but seeing as the police were watching closely we decided to carry on inside which was quiet, well customer wise the 80s music was blaring out. However, seeing as the pub had been recommended by CAMRA we decided to put up with the noise and have a good quick pint.
Unfortunately the beer I chose was as bad as the atmosphere. It was called Olympia or Olympic or something similar, I haven't tasted or smelt any beer so sour and flat for years. This type of beer is what gave real ale a bad name back in the 60s.
CAMRA you should be ashamed.
|
LANDLORD STEPHEN ELLIOTT . IS A LOUT . BEAT UP A 17 YEAR OLD AUTISTIC CHILD . HAS 2 PUBS ONE AT PILTDOWN .. DOESNT PUT HIS NAME TO ANYTHING AS POLICE ARE WATCHING HIM . DONT ENJOY YOURSELF TOO MUCH HE WILL BEAT YOU UP AND THROW YOU OUT .
|
Overpriced and attracts a transient crowd. Many people put off by the outside seating which attracts Eastbourne chavs during the summer and evenings. What with the pub next door it creates a nasty atmosphere.
|
Very nice town centre hostelry with excellent Harveys and good generously served food. The menu, however, is nowhere near as 'extensive' as the signage would have you believe. Has the look of a locals' pub which is always a good indicator (and cetainly more inviting than the the chav palace next door!)
|
Very slightly grubby pub but when I saw 8 Harveys beers on tap everything became irrelevant. Beer kept well too. They had a DJ on playing what seemed 50's rock 'n' roll but progressed to the 70's - bit loud but it was late and i didn't really care....zzzzz
|
Rather more modern than most Harvey's houses, but definitely still a pub rather than a bar (like the dubious-looking BN21 next door). Not much atmosphere when I visited early-ish Sunday lunchtime, but there was a good choice of the Lewes beers (including a Dark Mild on good form).
|
I tend to agree with the previous comments apart from the fact that it felt a little grubby inside and it is a long walk to the toilet. The beer was good, but I couldn�t get past the feeling of a sterile high street boozer with plenty of passing trade. I�d probably like this pub more if it was down a normal road.
Then again if I was waiting for the misses to finish shopping I certainly wouldn�t grumble if this was the only choice of pub.
|
Very nice pub with interesting interior, and variety of areas to eat and drink in. Serves the full range of Harvey's ales, food is OK, tailored towards the local OAPs.
|
Top quality pint of Harvey's here. A proper pub next to the chav-fest-bedlam that is BN21. Not enough places like this in E'Bourne!
|
P.S. Wi-Fi available.
|
I tend to use this pub at lunchtimes. The Harvey's ales are extremely well kept and a good session is assured. All Harvey's ales are on tap and this is my pub of the year. Go there.
|
Excellent location next to the Arndale Centre - perfect when the other half goes shopping. Very clean and comfortable, but can appear a bit soulless. The Harvey's ales were well kept, and the food was decent enough. Friendly staff, and a mix of customers as you'd expect in this location. The TV opposite the bar is quite cleverly placed - you hardly notice it if you don't really want to watch.
|
Nice traditional style Victorian pub on a pedestrianised town centre street. Spacious with plenty of comfortable seating, including tables out the front sheltered by a canopy and a conservatory-type extendion at the side.
Five harvey's ales on offer, in good nick. to begin with a flat screen tv was showing football and classic rock music was playing at a low volume, but around 6.30 the barstaff chancged shifts and the new staff switched the music to dance style and whacked up the colume, although the vast majority of customers present were over 40 and I doubt any of them wanted to hear it. My friends and I certainly didn't, so we left and went elsewhere. A shame.
|
Good range of Harveys, as expected at this brewey held pub located on the main shopping street. Plasma (no sound) opposite bar showed the racing ystdy but we sat outside is if en francais, even if some of the passers-by lacked a little parisien chique. Heard this place had a �1.5m(!) re-fit, looked ok but what exactly could have cost all that? Visited 15:00 so cannot comment on aforementioned lighting effects (although I doubt they'd be to my taste). Varying mix of clientele, not unlike that which you may expect at a (railway) terminus bar.
|
the new manager is so damn hot!!!
|
This pub has been excellently renovated. Serves the full seasonal range of Harveys' beers. Mild �2.05 per pint. Not to be missed if you're visiting Eastbourne.
|
A fabulous range of Harvey's ales, and indeed until the latest edition this pub was always a Good Beer Guide entry. Ale fans will no doubt agree that there is no apparent sign of a dip in quality. However, when I was last in here recently, it was extremely incongruous to find it was populated by mainly young, lager-swilling types, with a host of garish coloured lights and loud club music. Okay, I'm nit local and daresay it is more traditional in daytime, but it isn't what one expects from a pub so entrenched in the ale side of things.
To be fair, if they want to appeal to the younger clientele in the evenings and pull it off, then good luck to them - it will increase revenue. It remains a clean, comfortable, spacious and nicely-decorated pub with good beer and I hope that continues.
|
I'm not too keen on the coloured lighting effects, but otherwise it has survived the recent much-needed refurbishment pretty well unscathed. The beer was on fine form last night. Six different Harvey's beers were on tap, including the current seasonal Southdown Harvest, which was superb.
|
Splendid pint of Harvey's 'Tom Paine'. Very good service and much better facilities following refurbishment.
anonymous - 18 Jul 2006 16:34 |
Excellent local, very welcoming, good mix of people, good beers.
anonymous - 14 Nov 2005 14:28 |
