From cocktails to comedy: Brighton's best nightlife spots
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Brighton after dark... the city positively pulses even in mid winter, and there's plenty to suit all tastes and budgets. Pubs? Brighton has some of the most characterful drinking dens in the country, from pared-back hipster hang-outs to outrageously camp and historic haunts. The clubbing scene is pretty cool too, and if your feet are twitching, there's usually a club serving up Reggae, R&B, Funk or Jazz most nights of the week. Best of all is Brighton's burgeoning cocktail scene - the city has some of the most talented mixologists in the business. Unless you fancy hanging out with alcohol-fuelled, stag and hen parties, avoid West Street and its adjacent beach area at night.
Kemp Town
Latest Music Bar
As well as hosting interesting live bands and jazz performances (Amy Winehouse and Herbie Flowers have performed here, and past audiences have included Fatboy Slim, Paul McCartney and Alistair MacGowan) this trendy party venue stages tongue-in-cheek 'sleaze' evenings and comedy line-ups. Housed in a beautiful listed building decorated with a great gallery of rock photographs, the Latest has a cabaret venue and bar area downstairs, while upstairs there’s a skylit restaurant and bar. This is one of the city’s main live music venues with an ever-changing programme of gigs. Fab margaritas and lovely bar staff too.
Contact:01273 687171; thelatest.co.uk/musicbar
Opening times: Daily, 6pm-2am
Prices: Varies according to performance
Getting in: Casual dress code. Booking not necessary
Concorde 2
Concorde 2, the city’s ultimate live music venue, is a favourite with millennials who flock here to see an eclectic mix of musicians and bands spanning Jam Baxter and Dizzee Rascal, to Sigrid and Brothers Osborne. And top-notch DJ nights usher in anything from Drum 'n' Bass to Reggae and House. Concorde 2’s surroundings – a pearly Victorian building facing the sea (formerly a refined tea room and then a bikers’ dive) makes it a more intimate space than impersonal lounge clubs. Expect a friendly atmosphere, high ceilings, vintage stained glass, pricey drinks and a separate poster-lined bar.
Contact: 01273 673311; concorde2.co.uk
Opening times: Daily, door opening varies according to performance
Prices: ££
Getting in: Online booking recommended. Over 18s. Photograph ID required
The Black Dove
Is it a club? A boozer or a cocktail bar? The Black Dove can never quite decide so it offers all three, with DJ nights in the basement, newspapers and snug chairs upstairs while the stereo plays a healthy mix of be-bop, Jamaican ska and contemporary beat music. And if you’re into cider, this is the place to ponder over a fabulous list of award-winners alongside 70 different beers. Bar snacks keep hunger at bay, there’s organic wine for staving off hangovers, and the décor – stuffed birds in vintage cages, leather-bound books and wax-dripped candles – is pure Dickens.
Contact: 01273 671119; blackdovebrighton.com
Opening times: Daily, 4pm-late
Prices: £-££
Getting in: ID sometimes required
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Brighton Rocks
Become an instant mixologist at this funky little Kemp Town pub, where cocktail classes are a hit, alongside tasty bars snacks and craft beers. A bistro-style restaurant upstairs serves small platters, and sharing plates mix with mussels, vegetable tempura and burgers. Bar snacks are available downstairs. A friendly pub, with whitewashed walls, scuffed floorboards, odd posters and record album sleeves, its intimate atmosphere attracts a regular following of hip locals, students and cocktail lovers. Cocktail classes cost £30 and include a lesson and a couple of strong snifters to follow.
Contact: 01273 600550; brightonrocksbar.co.uk
Opening times: Mon-Thurs, 4pm-11pm; Fri-Sat, 12pm-1am; Sunday, 12pm-9pm
Prices: £
Getting in: ID sometimes required
Club and Bar Revenge
Kitsch it may be, but Brighton’s premier LGBTQ club, Revenge, has been in business for 25 years and still attracts an all-age friendly mob to its tri-level sea-facing venue. Recently renovated, it’s the place for hot DJs, raucous drag queens, bouncy house anthems and fun Seventies and Eighties disco nights. Kick off with drinks in Bar Revenge (beverages are cheap), then hit one of two spangly dance floors. Even better, hire one of the VIP booths for a roped-off, tucked-away evening quaffing Grey Goose (included in the price). Smokers will love the stunning rooftop terrace overlooking the pier.
Contact: 01273 606064; revenge.co.uk
Opening times: Tues, 11pm-3am; Thurs, 11pm-4am; Fri, 11pm-4.30am; Sat, 10.30pm-5am
Prices: £-££
Getting in: Over 18s. Photographic ID required
The Plotting Parlour
This tucked-away bar is not yet on the tourist trail and is still considered a locals’ favourite – not least for its relaxed vibe and highly original concoctions. The décor is pretty cool too, with vintage flip-up cinema seats, burnished copper walls and quirky ceiling murals. Best of all, table service eliminates any need for panic pushing at the bar. Order pretty-as-a-picture cocktails adorned with herbal sprigs or vintage cinema tickets created by Jake Goldstein – awarded best barkeep in the Brighton Restaurant Awards 2018. And do try the Red Orchid made from Stolichnaya vodka, raspberry liqueur, raspberry vinegar and rosemary.
Contact: 01273 621238, theplottingparlour-brighton.co.uk
Opening times: Sun-Thurs, 3pm-midnight; Fri-Sat, 3pm-1am (booking recommended)
Prices: £-££
Getting in: ID sometimes required
The Ginger Dog
Situated on a quiet Kemp Town side street, this lovely little boozer oozes with atmosphere and warmth. Expect to rub shoulders with eccentric locals, tutors from nearby Brighton College, and actorly types lingering over a pint of real ale. If you arrive early bag the table for two by the log fire, though you may well find a dog hogging the heat. Otherwise, settle at a cosy window banquette. Adjoining the bar is a restaurant serving imaginative dishes that go beyond the gastro-pub remit (Sussex produce is their passion) – and the bar snacks are excellent too, particularly the silky homemade soups.
Contact: 01273 620990; thegingerdog.com
Opening times: Mon-Sun, 11.30am-11.30pm
Prices: £-££
Getting in: ID sometimes required
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The Lanes
L’Atelier du Vin
Is it a club, wine bar or cocktail den? L'Atelier du Vin essentially embraces all three – and very lovely it is. Hidden above its own Grow 40 French restaurant, L’Atelier du Vin stocks Brighton’s biggest collection of champagnes, wines and spirits – (that’s some 500 wines and 300 spirits). And the look? Funky, prohibition-era, a bootleg bar with soft jazz, exposed brick and beams and repurposed furniture (check the bar made of vintage drawers). Come here for serious tapas – Trenchmore beef, duck rillettes and cheeses – and a dizzy-making list of great cocktails. We recommend the perfectly balanced Journalist.
Contact: 01273 690534; latelierduvin.co.uk
Prices: ££-£££
Opening times: Daily except Tues, 12pm-late
Reservations: Recommended
Komedia Club
The Komedia is a real Brighton institution on North Laine, with its roofscape sculpture of can-can legs in stripy stockings. It's where locals go for their fix of fringe comedy, Indie bands, kids’ puppet shows, cabaret and surreal stand up. It has a friendly, clubby, ever-so-slightly grungy atmosphere. Good bar snacks and meal deals available and the drinks are well priced. Within the venue is Dukes@komedia – an offshoot of the Duke of Yorks Picture House – offering supremely comfortable cinema space upstairs. Even better, you can take your drinks in to slurp on while watching the latest indie release.
Contact:01273 647100; komedia.co.uk
Opening times: Daily, 7pm-midnight
Prices: Varies according to performance
Getting in: Booking recommended
The Cricketers Pub
Reputedly Graham Greene’s favourite haunt, The Cricketers appears in novel Brighton Rock and is the city’s oldest pub (a 16th-century tavern used to be located here). Jack the Ripper also apparently visited, but today, expect locals crowding the unchanged Victorian interior where a warren of rooms come decked out with plush scarlet banquettes, thick carpets and flock wallpaper, pearlised wall lights and plenty of paintings. Upstairs in the Greene Room is a dedicated wine bar, or, in summer months, grab a bench in the interior courtyard. Try out great local beers, above-average pub grub and enjoy the super-friendly local vibe.
Contact: 01273 329472; cricketersbrighton.co.uk
Opening times: Mon-Thurs, 11am-12am; Fri &Sat, 11am-2am; Sun, 11am-10.30pm
Prices: £-££
Getting in: Reservations recommended for diners. ID sometimes required
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City centre
The Fix
This place is a must-go if you’re into cocktails since the mixologists offer truly creative drinks and are happy to make suggestions if the menu leaves you befuddled. With its laid-back Caribbean vibe, where reclaimed wood from the west pier mixes with corrugated iron and retro metal bar stools, this tiny bar adjoins The Artist Residence hotel. If free, grab the seats in the bay window, settle in for some serious drinks and enjoy the Reggae soundtrack. We recommended the Beet Collins – a semi-healthy, semi-bitter mix of beetroot juice and spiced gin.
Contact:01273 324302; www.thesetrestaurant.com
Opening times: Mon-Thurs, 5pm-11pm; Fri, 5pm-12am; Sat, 12pm-12am; Sun, 12pm-2pm and 5pm-11pm
Prices: £-££
Getting in: ID sometimes required
HarBar
Perch at the lengthy marble-topped bar or hunker down in a well-upholstered tub chair – HarBar is a fab place to kick back before venturing into the Harbour Hotel’s adjoining seafood restaurant, The Jetty. What we particularly like is the sense of space – even when crowded (and it does get crowded), there’s usually sofa room at the back of the bar. Affordable (many cocktails are under £10), with smiley waitress service and expert mixologists, it’s the go-to for Kentucky Espresso Martinis and totally delicious Smoked Salt Negronis. That said, the menu is mind-bendingly long and includes unusual single malts and microbrews.
Contact: 01273 323221; harbourhotels.co.uk
Opening times: Thurs, Fri and Sat, 12pm-1am; Sun-Wed, 12pm-11pm
Prices: £-££
Getting in: ID sometimes required
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Hove
Lion and Lobster
Always crowded, always lively and with an eclectic all-age clientele, this cosy Hove pub with its distinctive raspberry-coloured exterior regularly stages live music in its downstairs saloon. Behind the bar is a warren of rooms and nooks and crannies with stairs leading to further floors, a garden and sun-trapping roof terrace. Downstairs is shoulder-shoving noisy; upstairs, it’s quieter and delightfully retro with creaky tables and burgundy walls hung with tacky still-life paintings. Book ahead for lunchtime and evening grub and super-friendly service. Dishes span meat and veggie platters to fresh local crab, homemade pies, pork belly and steaks.
Contact:01273 327299; thelionandlobster.co.uk
Opening times: Mon-Thurs, 11am-1am; Fri-Sat, 11am-2am; Sundays 12pm-12am
Prices: £-££
Getting in: Reservations recommended for diners. ID sometimes required
Expert guide to Brighton
Overview Overview
Hotels Hotels
Attractions Attractions
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Nightlife Nightlife
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