Traditional pubUpper St James Street
Hand in Hand
Tiny Kemptown local that feels like a front room
9.7/10
Local score · A local favourite
No. 4 of 212 pubs & bars on r/brighton, from 84 locals across 91 threads.
98% would send a mate. Still recommended in 2026.
This small Kemptown pub comes up again and again as one of Brighton's best or signature pubs - 'a wee piece of joy', 'like someone's front room' - with an upright piano that gets played often. It's chill and LGBTQ-friendly without being a specifically gay bar, doesn't put the football on, and gets praised as an easy place to make friends solo.
- Go for
- A cosy pint and friendly chat in Kemptown
What locals say
The Hand in Hand, not a LGBT bar but is very chill and super friendly, mostly all bars in Brighton are friendly towards queer people. Also, the Fallen Angel which is LGBT, is a 5 minute walk from the Hand. You can then carry on down St James Street in Kemptown which has many LGBT friendly bars. Happy exploring.
Lot of hilarious answers but seriously. If you like your pubs I’d suggest the walking along the seafront and popping up to the Hand in Hand in Kemptown. Wee piece of joy in a joyless world.
Hole in the Wall. Brighton’s smallest pub! Hand in Hand. Also small, some real characters (the good kind). Bottom’s Rest, nice and out the way, but a good location with outside seating. Evening Star (real ale!) near the station. Ditto, Prince Albert. Have a great time in Brighton…
Hand in hand is great. It's a micro brewery so they have all their own beers on tap, though often pretty full at the weekend. The well is like a craft beer place and has a very big selection of wines and beers. Black dove is also a good one! Hope you've found somewhere to drink by now but if not, all these are…
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