Basketmakers Arms in Brighton and Hove - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

Gales HSB best beer in Brighton

This is a good pub for many of the sorts of reasons that other people visiting Brighton won't like it so much. We'd tried a more central pub and it was just so loud, the music louder than we could shout over it, that we were looking for a lively pub where we could attempt to talk. It's very far from a quiet pub, it's lively but in a very good way - unless you want dull, in which case don't come to Brighton. It's buzzing but you can hear, the service and choice is good. Obviously it's Brighton, where everything is London prices, but it's not as insanely expensive as some pubs. Tbh - I'd quite like to give it 1 star and a bad review so that it remains a place where there's a chance of getting a seat Thurs through to Sunday. So, don't go - leave it for the rest of us.

Great atmosphere. Always lovely staff at the bar.

One of the best pubs in Brighton. Possibly the best roast in England.

Great pub, atmosphere, service and food. Amazing Sunday roast accompanied with lots of different vegetables. A brilliant place for lunch whilst out exploring the Lanes.

Good little pub, nice lunch all round. Tasty pint of 'Wanna Go To The Sun' pale ale too.

Fantastic food...lovely atmosphere! Thanks for being open on Sunday for roast dinner!!

Really glad we chose The Basketmakers Arms… thoroughly enjoyed the prawn tacos and fish pie. Friendly service and dog friendly too.

Proper old pub. Good selection of ales and lager. Music on but not too loud so you could easily have a conversation. Busy on bank holiday weekend.

How tf was I charged £9.60 for 2 Pepsi's? That's insane.

We were looking for an old place in Brighton and people showed us this place. Everything was fabulous. You should definitely visit

Possibly Brighton's best pub, great selection of beers, fantastic atmosphere. Solid pint of Guinness

Had 3 small plates of delicious, seafood. Great service and highly recommend if you want a proper pub not full of tourists x

Crikey Moses where to begin! The food, in a word, outrageous. I plumped for the pie of the day with a leek mash and my word I’m glad I did. We nipped in on a whim on a Saturday evening as the kitchen was closing and I’m pleased to say we were sated as if they knew we were coming! Charming ambience, delightful staff and perhaps one of the last true great Sussex public houses. A MUST.

One of my favourite Brighton pubs

Good, down-to-earth pub. Great beers and locally sourced fish dishes. Very busy with a good atmosphere, and friendly bar staff. The food was good and tasty. Lots of old tobacco tins etc on the walls where people can write and add little notes.

Pleasant traditional pub with eight ales on the hand pumps. I understand overheads are high but 6.30 for a low abv ale seems quite a lot.

Superb range of ales and amazing food.

Excellent pub Very good Sunday Roast. Perhaps the best I ate in England. Good atmosphere.

A great pub, not on the main street but well worth visiting. We didn't eat on this occasion but the food looked lovely.

Great selection of beers, lots of local brewed bitter on hand-pump. Busy and noisy.

Fantastic make sure you book! Visited here last Sunday was blessed we got there at 1240 as filled up quickly! We were able to secure a table until 2pm Food was fab and service wit a smile! Make sure you book to avoid disappointment!

First time in Brighton on a Sunday so had to go for the Sunday roast. Best roast I’ve had hands down! We tried the chicken, beef and pork and all were outstanding. Cheesy cauliflower was also a winner. Would love a mixed meat option (all roasts) and the ability to add more roast sides- cause the red cabbage was amazing and I needed more :)

What a lovely little pub this is. A real gem, with friendly staff and a good vibe. Great beers on tap. Didn't try the food but what I saw looked good.

Love this traditional old pub in a quite city centre street. It's quirky, cosy, friendly staff and great food. Please keep it forever

Went for lunch on a quiet weekday afternoon and was treated with great service. Excellent food- some of the best fish and chips I’ve ever had, and a steak pie that was outstanding. Must-visit if you are looking for a traditional English meal in Brighton.

Presently suffering from a lack bar staff, one person on Friday lunchtime isn't sufficient

Came for a pre booked Sunday roast with family, as a table ordered one of each roast, the pigs in blankets and some cauliflower cheese. Everybody was happy with their meal. Particularly loved how the pork and beef came with meat cooked two different ways which were all executed well, that was delightful. Sides were very nice. Potatoes a little hard but I realise that can be a luck of the draw situation when kitchens are churning them out all day… they were still nice. Didn’t love the gravy, honestly it had 90’s tinned ravioli sauce vibes, and the roasts came swimming in it which usually I would like but the flavour was weird. The deserts were to die for, though, and the homemade gelato is amazing, especially with the chocolate brownie 😍 Staff were attentive and pleasant 👍 Overall a solid set of roasts! Would return and would recommend.

Top tier pub. Very small. Good beer. Great atmosphere. Never eaten here myself but I have only heard good things.

On Sunday is not easy to have a table without reservations, however they did their best and I was able to have lunch. I had the fish and chips and I must say it was cooked very well, really crunch, along with real potatoes not the standard French fries. In my country we don’t make fish n chips so every time I come to England I try it in different restaurants and pubs and I must say this is one of my favorite.

Proper old lively pub. A rare gem. Often have fish/mussels on the menu. Good beer.

Great place but could teach staff how to make hot 🔥 whisky/port for a customer

Great atmosphere, excellent service and lovely food, must try desserts!

Unspoiled by progress. Nice spot for a pint or two and a homemade burger.

Nice enough basic pub, decent beer, but there are plenty of other good pubs in Brighton, so why this one is 25% more expensive than the competition is a mystery. (Not really - it's a Fuller's house - they're always pricey. But unlike this one they usually have an upmarket vibe to justify it. )

Popped into this wonderfully welcoming pub after a visit to the North Laine area of Brighton. Brilliant place. Staff were great, seemed to genuinely enjoy their jobs and look out for locals and new customers alike. Real, eclectic mix of clientele in there. We didn't have food, but the menu looked good and food coming out looked and smelt wonderful. Beer was great. Plenty of good real ale and cider. Highly recommend.

Nice traditional pub. Bit of a tight squeeze when dining.

Best Sunday lunch going. Be sure to book prior to visiting.

Had a wander around the streets and popped in for lunch not the first time as food is always excellent in there. A couple of bottles of fizz and oysters for starters which were so tasty and lovely and big. Three different main meals all outstanding with wonderful friendly staff.

Buzzing Fullers pub in a quietish mews away from the busy Laines. Some nice outdoor seating, but it does get very busy, especially in good weather. Excellent Fullers ales, including ESB, which is to die for! A bit pricey, but we'll worth it.

Super friendly staff, great beer selection and food to die for. An absolute recommendation.

Lovely, proper little pub, great selection of beers, fair price, good atmosphere, nice part of town.

The best pub in Brighton, bar none. Great food, lovely staff, amazing guiness, well kept cellar.

This is a real Brighton institution, cosy snugs, great beer huge selection, lovely staff and always a story or two to be told or heard. genuinely one of the best pubs in breighton and I've tried a lot of the over the years.

Good local pub in the Herat of Brighton Laines with great & friendly atmosphere

Traditional pub where they serve good fish & chips accompanied by a draft beer

I love this place. The food was great. The beer was great. The crowd was - eccentric.

Charming place, very good food and good variety of beers

Gorgeous pub, amazing beer and beautiful food. Veggie pithivier really, truly worth a visit on it's own! Thank you 😊

Really charming pub with amazing food and a lovely atmosphere!

A true Brighton gem. The staff are exceptional, the food is excellent and the atmosphere is cozy and friendly. Highly recommend, though be prepared for it to be full - it's highly popular with the local regulars.

What a great find, in the back streets of the town, worth finding. Good selection of, well everything, I'm a real ale person, lots to choose from, old style pub, some background music but not loud, lots of chatting people sat at small tables. Food excellent, recommend the fish n chips, locally caught catch of the day, not frozen, with real chops not frozen. It was so good after having lunch there we decided after a couple of hours at the sea front to return for an early evening tipple prior to departure.

It's a lovely pub in a nice secluded part of town, but the service can be very hit and miss. Bar staff should know who is next and not have to ask.

Great food at a reasonable price. A lively pub which is very popular - book a table to guarantee a space. Only drawback is the background noise makes it difficult to hold a conversation.

Absolutely lovely, brightly decorated traditional friendly and inclusive pub with great real ale and friendly staff. A must visit 😁

Okay, ready for this?… So, I’ve always liked this pub. Things changed drastically on a recent Sunday visit. Quote: “The best thing I’ve done with my clothes on in a long while” - Fuff (local chick) After unsuccessfully trawling a few local places hoping for some late Sunday food, we were repeatedly told that kitchens had closed. To cheer ourselves up, we stepped into the Basketmakers. ENTER TRUMPET FANFARE HERE! The kitchen was open, and roasts were being served! Naturally, we excitedly perched at a table with Molly our westie (yep, dog friendly too). The staff are brilliant, and soon roasts were placed in front of us, and on high sided plates no less. Those who know, will appreciate that this plate design feature allows for near soup levels of delicious gravy. And this particular rich, robust, joyous gravy accompanied what could easily be one of Brightons best pub roasts. - Perfect potatoes!!! Let’s high five perfect potatoes! - Proper homemade Yorkshires! And the size you want. Just shy of a babies head! And so continued the relentless brilliance and banter from the bar staff. (Irish gal, if you’re reading this…. Thank you 🙏❤️). Fancy a roast? In a pub? Then, yes…. Just YES!!!

Great little pub. Busy when we visited but made to feel very welcome

Had the West End Mussels Special with fries in a pancetta and cider sauce. Absolutely amazing. This is the place for great food when in Brighton!

Love it here. Great pies and pints. Nice to have a proper pub left in central Brighton.

Still one of the top pubs in Brighton. Traditional, good beer choice and good food. Busy, but then you'd expect that in one of the best pubs in Brighton. Opens at 1100 on Saturdays, so busy when super seagulls playing at home.

We visited this pub with some trepidation after having seen some of the recent reviews particularly surrounding unfriendliness of staff and small portion sizes. How wrong can you be? The whole ambience of the pub was just great with quality ales, superb food with ample quantity (in fact I couldn’t finish mine so took a doggy bag home with me) and staff who quite honestly couldn’t have been better or more friendly. It’s difficult to understand how the experience we had contrasts with the reviews of others. I can only say how glad we were to try things out for ourselves rather than being put off by recent negative reviews. Thanks to the Basketmakers for a very enjoyable dining experience in a buzzing and vibrant old style British pub.

Perfectly decent food, ideal for a pub lunch staff were lovely. Smashing pub.

THE best roast I've ever eaten. Very dog friendly too.

Delicious Monkfish Scampi! Admittedly Scampi and Monkfish are two different things, and Monkfish goujons would be more accurate, but fantastic all the same! Possibly the best chips I've ever eaten in a pub too. My only criticism is that the portions are a little small. Felt like a starter and I was still hungry afterwards. Will definitely be back. All other food looked delicious too.

Really lovely pub, very cute inside. The food was fantastic - we had lamb shank roasts which were delicious. And the brownie was outrageously good!

Fantastic roast meals with options for everyone. Great portions and massive selection of beers. Staff are friendly and helpful. Book in advance to avoid disappointment!

Best musicians in town on 1st and 3rd wednesday of the month and good food as well.

I have been visiting this lovely pub for over 30 years. It is one of the best pubs in Brighton.

Last minute walk in for Sunday roast and it was PERFECTION! We had pork and beef which were huge portions, amazing flavours and quality. Lovely staff and atmosphere and a great bar with lots of options. Thanks

We love the vibe, welcoming and calm. Great food served here. We tried 2 starters, both well made 😋 We'll definitely come back again.

Probably the best pub in town!! No tvs just the sound of lively chat! Great beer selection too. Now the food is fabulous! Had cod & chips (home cooked not frozen), monkfish scampi, mussels and the cauli cheese pie & mash oh and some Carlingford oysters!! Absolutely delicious and generous portions too. Look out for the specials board. You won't be disappointed!

Great little pub fantastic friendly service lovely Sunday lunch and vet clean loo

Nice buzzy pub, but food not great. Tasteless Wagyu burger, overcooked. Undercooked fish. Small cramped tables. Nice for drinks, wouldn't eat here again.

Lovely pub! Will definitely be back.

Great old school Brighton Boozer 👌

This is such a picturesque pub, one of my favourites.

We were taken here by a local. Lots of interesting beers and a good selection of wine & spirits. It’s a good pub with a great atmosphere and friendly sky staff definitely worth a visit and only minutes from the sea & centre.

Stumbled upon this place while wandering the street. Such a lucky find! The food was good and the servers were lovely. Plentiful choice of drinks. The atmosphere was cozy with all kinds of nicnacks on the walls. Packed with people. I'm so glad I stumbled upon this place. Highly recommend foe a quick drink and a meal!

All the food is cooked fresh and all homemade! Can't get more better than that 😍

Just popped in for one drink. Fantastic bloody Mary it was too. Lovely old pub, great vibe. Will go back.

As Pubs used to be. A community feel, great range of beers and good food. Expensive, but everywhere is now. Reminds me of how Pubs were when I was young......so loved it.

We’ve always liked this pub and the food has been very enjoyable in the past. Unfortunately our meal last night wasn’t up to standard. My friends Christmas dinner was room temperature and mine and my husbands was ‘warm’ at best. 2 of our meals were meant to come with gravy which we had to ask for, having already had to ask for the ‘brown bread and sea salted butter’ that was meant to come with the starter but didn’t. What arrived when I reminded them was white toast. For an £11 starter I’d expect something to be as advertised and not have to chase up the other half of it. A pub serving food should of course have tomato ketchup (surely a necessity for everyone eating chips etc..) but the pub had a few bottles with dregs in the bottom which the waitress said ‘was all they had in the building’ and it made us wonder why someone wouldn’t just pop to the many shops within a 1 minute walk to get some more instead of watching all the customers aggressively shake the ketchup bottles and if their lucky, get splats of it on the edge of their plate. The bar staff were as helpful and friendly as could be and you could tell the food was nice but unfortunately let down by either the temperature or missing elements that I imagine is even more frustrating for waitstaff having to go back and forth when they’re already busy. Between 4 of us and 1 child we spent £155 and a bit disappointed by our experience last night and I doubt we will be back to eat.

Lovely, cosy, old school boozer with a really friendly feel, cold beer, great bartenders, well worth a little wander away from the middle of the laines.

Excellent small pub with great atmosphere

Traditional pub with a warm welcome, great ale and a lovely friendly atmosphere. Update- My companion was waiting to be served behind some friends of ours as I went to the Gents but was completely ignored in preference for a guy who just walked up to order, then a woman tried to jump in until I spoke up firmly. Not impressed! Admittedly the cellar hatch was open where my companion stood but no experienced bar steward should make such an error. We had a drink with our friends but decided to go elsewhere for food in view of this. A pity as the beer was excellent. Update: Packed pub, good ale, a proper boozer with good service this time.

Lovely pub but £14 for 2 pints of lemonade & cordial is daylight robbery!

I have never left a review on her before...BUT that feeling of absolute frustration leaves you with no other option but to want to ward others away from the same experience. The staff take 1st prize for rudeness in Brighton. If there is another vying for this local accolade I want to know where? I really don't want to be mean I have to add, and especially not to a place I’ve loved for decades like this one. Because The Basketmakers was once famous for being a local pub with a reputation carefully cultivated over decades by the former manager unmatched in Brighton for warmth of atmosphere and eclectic conviviality. That is long gone. Once you have been served by the staff here you will never return, even 20 years later. There is rude, and now there is 'Basketmaker's rude' and they were rude form the absolute get-go. Everything was an inconvenience to them regardless of mark-up on what was being consumed. Champagne? Sorry would it be ok if we had some glasses to go with it? One barmaid appeared visibly put-out for having to serve us. My friend said to me 'it's a tough job, things are hard right now.' Basically acknowledging and excusing it in they way we do here in the South of England. I went along with his surmise for a few more turns. The staff member came across as if she was some elite movie star on set mistakenly asked to do the actual job she was acting as by someone who stupidly didn't know who she was. Definitely not a method actor if so. I saw one staffer completely forget an ale she poured out to one poor, overly polite guy—who became suddenly invisible having already paid—and could not seem to get their attention to have it completed and given to him. He eventually asked another barmaid (again visibly put-out before impartially deciding to grant the request) to complete the task for her co-worker. You COULD go here for pricy amusement at how rude they are, I saw other bewildered punters being 'entertained' by the same as what we received, also looking around for a hidden camera set-up as I did. But it would kill you in the end. We spent A LOT of money that night, and left feeling like bona fide idiots for doing so. They came across superior to us and I'm sure we deserved their contempt, but it's best in the service industry to try to keep this fun fact from the paying customer, whom you know absolutely nothing about. The Basketmaker's charges the absolute premium price for booze and always has (in the most expensive town for booze in the country), but it was just about justified before. The only time we received any form of positivity from them was when we left; awkwardly, as if we'd done something wrong but were forgiven, this time. A smile and farewell by the way, that caused one of my work colleagues to flinch as if he'd seen 'something' before shaking his head mystified walking out.. By this point I laughed out loud. I was not joking above, I had moments I thought there was a hidden camera on us and it would all be revealed as a set-up. The food was good. Compliments to the chef. Good if money's not an issue for you and you have a small stomach. But 3 Michelin stars would not be recompense enough for the customer service here. Infantile would be too harsh but narcissistic personality issues are something you don't want to become freely associated with your pub. Decorations, tins on the wall, coziness, good quality beer, none of it matters without the person serving you actually wanting to, and happy to serve you. But it certainly will not work with them not wanting to serve you. And it will kill the business eventually, might take a few years even five to ten years, but it will destroy it if such contempt for the punter continues. I'm going to go back again in 2050 and see how it is then, if i'm too, still alive. I'm sure they hope I won't be.

A great pub for a pint of Cruzcampo, but unfortunately the food was a huge disappointment. After over an hour waiting (which wasn’t a major issue) the toad in the hole came out of the kitchen burnt to a crisp. I’ve never experienced a Yorkshire pudding shatter before! As we’d already waited an hour I decided to eat around the charcoal, but mentioned to the waitress that the dish should have never left the kitchen. I didn’t want any form of compensation but an apology would have been nice… which unfortunately was amiss.

Lovely local boozer with a great range of ales, craft, wines and food to suit any budget

Firstly, we both like this pub. Great atmosphere, and a quirky interior, The beer is good as is the wine, There may be too many "hipster gnome types" there, but generally, we like it. BUT....... The Sunday lunch, though very tasty, was not value for money. Sorry to say in an embarrassed English way! Both of us had the Sunday "Whole" roast chicken. To be honest, what we got was a 1/4 of a chicken and I think even less than that. A large (nice) Yorkshire Pud, 1 roast pot cut into 1/3rds, an inch of parship and I had 1 flat bean. (Their cabbage was nice though). Certainly not worth £16.95, more like £4.95. What got us was how the menu (see enclosed) said Whole when we got a 1/4. Why!!! Be aware of this and I would think the other lunch combinations are the same. On the plus side, what slim pickings we had were tasty!!!

Fantastic place.Friendly staff.Great food.looking forward to going back 👏

Really great bar.Recommended by a local and fantastic.Great proper pub with excellent food.Friendly warm atmosphere.Cant wait to go back.Best Home made brownie 😀

Kudos to the kitchen 👏👏👏 the roast I had was superb - I got the vegetarian wellington and it was soo tasty. Best red cabbage I’ve had too! Every bite was delicious. The bar staff are all lovely too - very enjoyable experience ☺️

the rudest barmaid I've ever known. Having arrived as a group of 8, it seemed a massive inconvenience that we'd need 8 drinks. A terrible experience. I've only known this pub to be first class for over 20 years, I feel sad that it didn't go well this time. fingers cross for next time.

A great pub. A Brighton institution. Great food and a large selection of real ales.

Arguably Brighton's best pub (but no argument about it)

It's a really nice pub with a great atmosphere , to food it's ok but I believe that the portion should be a bit bigger.

The Basketmakers is a lovely old fashioned fullers pub. The real ale is spectacular. They do have a food menu and also special boards. Very friendly pub

Cracking little pub, I wish I lived near here, would definitely be my regular

Couldn’t get served. Discarded fish and chips on bar. Disgusting hygiene!