Evening Star

If you love ales and you do not have much time in Brighton, leave the train station, walk a few steps and you will be at the Evening Star. Small and traditional pub, it is common to see men alone reading with their dogs. If you are not British, it is also a good anthropological experience.

2^nd best pub in Brighton and a must visit if you are travelling by train. Get to the station earlier or get to your destination in Brighton a bit later. An impressive and ever changing selection of cask and keg beers on offer, prices and ABV always on chalk board.

I haven’t written a review in quite a while. I’ve been so busy! But I went here last night with two friends.
I’ve never been here before, having lived in Brighton, I’ve always thought it looked quite nice. It always seems busy and not shy of people.
I’ve given it three stars for several reasons.
Firstly, let’s talk about the positives… It has a good selection of ale, and interesting cider. Which is often quite exciting because I feel you can get used to drinking the same stuff, out of habits and possibly because fosters and other brands are so accessible and on tap! Anyway, I had this really interesting cider… Ginger and chilli! It was quite sweet with a slight sweet taste. Very nice. Worth a try! It wasn’t too expensive, I bought three drinks, it came to £11. Not breaking the bank.
So, yes, a not very expensive and lots of choice kind of place to visit!
I, however wouldn’t go again., here comes the negative.
The place has NO character. The bar is somewhat semicircular in the corner of the room and the pub literally has five tables and a massive floor space of people standing. It literally looks like your in someone’s living room with a bar in the corner of the room. It’s just not my kind of pub. Life less, it really needs a makeover.
The food looked pretty weird, there we’re baguettes on the bar wrapped in cling film on a plate… I’m all of the home made vibe, but there is a difference between home made and PACKED LUNCH!
Anyway… Go have have a look. Please tell me if you agree with this statement!

Home pub of the Dark Star Brewery and as you would expect a good Selection of their wonderful beers as well as a few guests. Would agree its one of the best places to have a beer in Brighton. Great wooden interior but the place is small and quite well hidden. Good atmosphere.

Very interesting and cool
pub in the heart of London. The place has plenty of interesting décor,
artworks, and pictures that you will surely amaze. The rope that hangs above the bar is a great
originality for the name of the pub. Very satisfying picturesque that you will
enjoy.

Best beer selection I’ve found in the UK, a good mix of real ales and chilled beers, no carlsburg or fosters or anything big and generic like that just unique delicious beers! This is a must stop in Brighton for beer lovers!

Lovely little pub with lots of good beer. Wooden floors, benches and tables. Great for finding something with great taste away from the mainstream.

My favourite pub in Brighton. It looks great and the drinks selection is awesome. They offer four of their own ales (Dark Star) three guests, a couple of ciders and a whole host of interesting keg options.
They don’t do much food, but I can highly recommend the big sandwiches they serve, for taste and value.

A great bar, likely the best in Brighton due to the good beer selection. Visited twice during 26-​hour visit to Brighton. The selection features four Dark Star beers, a couple other real ales, and about six keg beers, which during my visits had Belgian fruit beers and Meantime beers on tap. There are also over 20 bottles available from Germany, Belgium, America and more.
The décor is extreme minimalist, with only a few old bottles lining the walls and a handful of framed Best Pub Awards hanging about. There is seating for perhaps 15 people and standing room for more, but I could see this pub being an absolute nightmare on a busy night. There are stools at the [small] bar that make it difficult to order a beer.
Thankfully my visits took place before 5pm each time so I never had to deal with overcrowding. Those quibbles aside, I really liked the pub and recommend it highly. The Evening Star is located literally three minutes from the Brighton Rail Station, so anyone stopping in Brighton should stop in this pub.

One of the best pubs it’s ever been my pleasure to visit. Every time I go to Brighton this is my first stop after getting off the train. I cannot add anything to the other reviews here except to agree with them.

This place is a Mecca for real ale drinkers and you realy do get some fantastic characters in here. The Dark Star selection of beer is immense and there’s always some really interesting guest ales on tap too.
For a pub this close to Brighton station, its amazing that you don’t get a lot more riff-​raff piling in from the train but I guess as its tucked away around the corner and handilly opposite a porn shop, it keeps the space for people who enjoy pubs like this.
The staff are great and always happy to talk through the different beers (or lagers) no matter how busy they are. Now its getting warmer, its worth getting there early on a Friday or Saturday night and getting a good table outside as its perfect for people watching.
Be warned though, this place does get packed! Quite rightfully so too.

One of the best pubs in Brighton, The Evening Star is amazing: excellent real ales at cheap prices and a marvellous atmosphere combine to make this the place in Brighton for a drink, although, like most popular places, it is often a little crowded. Still, if you can grab a pint and a table (the ones outside are normally free), this is a great place to grab a beer after work, or while away a lazy afternoon. No football, no food, and certainly no live music, but who needs all that?
The beer selection is the real draw here, and it is pretty impressive: none of your tasteless lagers, just a huge selection of real ales, ranging from the always popular Dark Stars to some of the more peculiar guest ales, and there are always quite a few. The really nice thing here is that none of them seem to be over £3… Quite a bargain, especially considering the location by the station: quite the pricey locale. Pleasantly though, it is a little tucked away, meaning most of the lager-​swilling horde (who would hate it here anyway) don’t find it in the first place.
The only important thing to note here is that you need to get here early, or go off-​weekend: it’s just too busy otherwise, unless you don’t mind perching outdoors!

The Evening Star is a hidden gem tucked away on a corner very close to Brighton train station.
The pub is owned by the award-​winning Dark Star brewery, which actually started off in 1994 as a microbrewery in the basement. The pub has a fantastic range of stouts, ales, lagers and cider, with a range of Dark Star products on tap as well as guest beers. There are seven hand pumps, six keg pumps and two cider pumps. The staff are always friendly too!
There’s an amusing story on their website about how in the 1970s someone erroneously decided that the name of the pub was related to England’s last steam locomotive and ever since the pub has been receiving pictures of the engine, which they have no choice but to display.
My one gripe is that the pub is a victim of its own success in that it is pretty much always busy and as a drinker who likes to sit down whilst quaffing, I don’t go there as much as I might because it is often hard to find a seat. This problem is lessened in warmer months when you can sit outside at the front on the picnic tables.

I can’t believe I’ve only just had my first pint I here, usually for this kind of atmosphere and character I have to wait until I go home to Lincolnshire for Christmas. Fundamentally an all ales pub, it’s a small but cosy spot thriving with locals and stragglers alike. CAMBA award winning produce, I enjoyed the White Ship but the coffee been beer is next on m checklist. The location does mean it’s a little out of my way but that won’t be stopping me from frequenting it more and more.

A highly unusual pub, and one for the real ale afficionados as well as the trendy student crowd.
The place is affiliated to the local Dark Star brewery, and always has a wide range of their beers on offer. I’m not much of a real ale girl myself, but even I can be tempted to try the odd one when presented with such a range. In particular, I liked the fruit flavoured beers they have!
The pub itself is small and simple.. Rough wooden tables, brick walls and a wooden floor, dark and very often packed to the seams. This place should certainly be on any pub crawl itinerary of Brighton!

The Evening Star is an absolutely sumptuous pub, stocking some of the finest ales anywhere across the land. On a personal level, this is The pub. It doesn’t have TV’s, patio heaters or lavish toilets of chrome… Instead, it has what every real pub needs. Quality beer, and stellar company.
The place bleeds with atmosphere, with its heated wooden benches lining the outside proving deceptively comfortable, and the walls framed with a mixture of beers from across the globe and numerous national pub awards. The company is the best kind of quirky, and has a ²⁴⁄₇ welcoming atmosphere akin to the best moments of a beer festival.
With both its ranges of home grown Dark Star beers on tap, and samples from all over the world changing more frequently than the seasons you’re sure to find something new and interesting for your palette to experience. Plus, they have the extremely reasonably priced «Hop Head» on all year round. Even if you don’t much like ales, get yourself a half of Hop Head, and if you don’t love it, make sure to message me as you’ll be the first I’ve heard not to.
The bar staff are exceptional, friendly, smiling and always willing to give a word of advice or offer a sample of beer. I went there with a very gruff throat and voice one day, and was soon ushered to a table with a mug of hot water, lemon and honey… Now that’s service.
The visitors too, are similarly wonderful. Being rather small yet amazing the place is often bustling with people, meaning you’ll often share a table with another gathering or couple. I have had any number of enjoyable conversations with these characters, ranging from having beer festivals suggested to music video website invites… On one particularly memorable occasion, a friend and I got on so well with one gentleman, that he gave us £10 to buy ourselves a delicious rarity!
There’s a perpetual feeling of Christmas in the air here… and I don’t mean the kind that demands you to prize open your wallet or to sit on a creepy Father Christmas’s knee… No. I’m talking about that extra special feeling round the log fire place with a wreath of holly by the hearth, nibbling buttery brandy mince pies and leaving a carrot out for Rudolf before tottering off to bed exhausted and excited for the magic to finally come…
As you can guess, I love this place… My only complaint is that I don’t live here.

The Evening Star is a traditional Brit pubsituated very close to Brighton Station and the North Laines. Considering it’s central location its surprising I only recently noticed the establishment after living here for nearly two years! Its a little hidden as it sits on the one way road behind Queens road, so you wouldn’t necessarily see it unless you were driving past.
Inside you’ll find a friendly atmosphere with lots of old features like open brick work and wooden paneling. The Evening Star brews its own ale, Dark Star, t pub also has a mega selection of other ‘proper’ beers. They also have regular live music so its worth checking whats happening. The crowds are mostly friendly locals which adds to the welcoming atmosphere. Its a great little pub so deffo worth popping in if you up by the station.

This is a gorgeous little pub in central Brighton, tucked away on a side street right next to Brighton Station. It’s location means it often gets overlooked, and I must admit to forgetting about it, which is a real shame as it means I don’t go as often as I should! The Evening Star is a bit of an institution amongst locals, it has been in existence under the same name for decades. Inside it’s teeny-​tiny with traditional chunky wooden décor and furniture and a bit of a bunker feel. It’s size makes it immediately intimate and cosy– it only takes 15 – 20 people to make it feel busy!
This pub is all about good, real, local ale. They are part of the Black Star brewery, which started as a microbrewery in The Evening Star’s basement. The house ales change regularly, meaning there’s always something new to try and they also have beers, ciders and wine, if ale isn’t your tipple. With regular live music, a great atmosphere and friendly staff and regulars, this place is a real hidden gem.

This is easily my favourite pub. This venue wouldn’t be out of place in most cities. Having drank my way around Bristol I think a pub like this would go down well there.
The furniture is rustic. The aptmosphere is like one of a village rather than a very busy city. The beer is top quality. Dark Star brewery is one of my favourites. The cider drinker is catered for as well.
I don’t know whether a bigger venue would ruin the feel of this pub but it can feel restricted. There is an outside seating area now dominated by smokers. This means non-​smokers might not be able to use the outside seating.
But all in all Brighton is lucky to have such a diamond as this pub!

Situated close to Brighton railway station, this superb little pub is an institution amongst beer drinkers for its amazing range of award-​winning, home-​brewed real ales.
The pub itself is very small, with two seating areas indoors and a small outdoor seating area. It’s usually fairly quiet during the day, but in the evenings it can get packed — especially when they squeeze in a band for some live music. During the day they also do a limited range of bar food and snacks. My only criticism is that the gents’ loo could do with some tlc
But the thing to come for is the beer, from its own brewery. Orginally situated in the Evening Star’s cellar, the ‘Dark Star’ brewery has now moved to larger premises outside Brighton.
The pub offers a rotating selection of its beer range (up to 7 at any one time) which, as well as traditional beer types, encompasses those with an original twist — such as beer brewed with a hint of ginger, coriander and orange or espresso coffee beans.
Coffee bean beer? I kid you not: the 4.2% Espresso coffee beer is a naturally dark ale, brewed using espresso coffee beans, blended especially for Dark Star. These are added towards the end of the brewing process with late hops. The result is stunning. It was voted ‘best beer’ at the Bath Beer Festival.
Naturally, the Evening Star is a constant favourite with the CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) crowd. Why not try it when waiting for a train next time you are in Brighton?
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Stop press at 06-​05-​2008
The Gents’ loo has (at last) had a makeover, and a great improvement it is too.