Pubs in Lewes

We’ll get started on the High Street, home to The Pelham Arms which comfortably sits among the very best pubs in the area. It’s a beautiful 17th century pub with characterful wooden beams, an original fireplace and an award-winning Sunday roast. There’s a top-class selection of drinks, including a couple of the landlord's excellent home-brewed beers. Visit on a Thursday for a lively night of live music.

The Brewers Arms is another classic English pub on the High Street, which sits practically in the shadow of Lewes Castle. There has been a pub on the site since the 16th century. The current owners have run the pub for a quarter of a century making it a CAMRA favourite with a first-class selection of ales and an excellent menu of food with meat sourced from the local butcher. The front bar is a warm and welcoming place to enjoy a quiet pint or two, while the back bar is a lively hub of entertainment with a jukebox, darts, pool and the old regional game of Toad in the Hole.

If you’re staying with us at our Lewes Town Centre hotel, The Lansdown Arms on the corner of Lansdown Place and Station Street is one of our favourite pubs, less than a five-minute walk away and the perfect pit stop on the way to the station. It’s a brilliant community pub with regular live music nights – including jam sessions with free drinks for all participants – a full schedule of entertainment and pub events, an excellent drinks selection and bags full of character.

While we’re on Lansdown Place, we’ll tell you about Symposium. It isn’t a pub but it’s the very best wine shop and bar in town. The wide selection of Old World and New World wines is exceptional. It offers an ever-changing choice of 10 different wines by the glass, or pick out a bottle for a reasonable corkage. If you don’t fancy wine but you would like to enjoy the beautiful bar, it also serves a growing range of artisan gins, local craft beers and a menu of charcuterie and cheese boards.

Another honourable mention goes to the Elephant & Castle on White Hill at the edge of the town centre. The ‘Elly Burgers’ are reason alone to visit. As well as having delicious food, it’s also a CAMRA favourite thanks to its excellent choice of ales on tap and bottles brimming the fridges.

The Patch on Market Street describes itself as a beer cafe. If you’re after a full English breakfast, it’s arguably better than any of our recommended places to eat in Lewes. On top of that, it has a huge choice of beers for you to sample.

Lastly, The Cock Inn is a countryside pub in nearby Ringmer with an exceptional reputation for its homemade food and beautiful rural setting. It enjoys a large beer garden, which makes for a popular spot to sip away a couple of hours when the sun is shining and the weather’s warm.