Traditional pubSt. Georges Road

Barley Mow

Kemptown's cosy, quintessential local since the 60s

6.9/10

Local score

No. 61 of 212 pubs & bars on r/brighton, from 31 locals across 33 threads.

86% would send a mate. Still recommended in 2026.

A cosy, quintessential Kemptown local that's been around since at least the late 1960s, loved for its festive Christmas feel, board games and a good Thursday quiz, plus pizza delivered from Pizzaface across the road. A couple of regulars warn the staff can be off-hand and the outside seating area sometimes feels a bit uncomfortable.

Go for: Cosy pints, quiz nights, board games
Heads up: Staff can be unfriendly; outside seating feels cliquey

What locals say

…foodie pub whilst across the street the Curzon is a drag cabaret bar. It's actually fine in there but still not that quintessential friendly local one craves on a chilly evening. Don't bother with the Bristol, that's rubbish. But the next nearest two, the Saint George and the Barley Mow are much more like it. Plus once you've got as far as the Mow which is in the heart of Kemptown village, you've also got the Well (an excellent bar in a bottle shop), the Kemp (standard Laine Brew Co pub but the food is good even if the beer isn't) and the Golden Cannon (bit spit and sawdust but always…

u/Krizzlin, 202213 upvotes“What's it like living in Whitehawk/Bevendean/Moulsecoomb?”

…to be a bit of a fun pub in its current guise and I've not been so can't vouch for it. If that's no good just keep going and aim for the Saint Georges Inn on Sudeley Street. Nothing special but a perfectly serviceable old pub. From there you can take in the absolutely lovely Barley Mow and they always have a good selection of well kept beers. Then I'd probably avoid the nearby Golden Cannon, unless you want to get the numbers up, and you love horse racing! But very close by again is the Thomas Kemp and it's worth swinging in here to celebrate the man who lends his name to this part of…

u/Krizzlin, 20214 upvotes“Looking for a decent taproom crawl”

The Well Go to the Barley Mow for a pint and you can order Pizzaface pizza (which is excellent) and they bring it to you in the pub from across the road The Dove is a favourite of mine.

u/dexy_em, 20264 upvotes“The best of Kemptown - your favourite shops, cafés, pubs and restaurants?”

The Barley Mow is really cosy but I haven't found the staff to be particularly friendly. The outside seating area often has an older clientle and it just feels really uncomfortable.

u/Conscious_Tomato_913, 20232 upvotes“Cheap pubs”

Ranked from 21,200 r/brighton comments. Summaries are written by AI from what locals said; quotes are word for word. Not affiliated with Reddit. Back to the guide