John Harvey Tavern in Lewes

Excellent pub with proper traditional atmosphere in a great location Only had drinks but all good.

Meet up with friends for a few beers and lunch. All good.

Having had a glorious meal at this fair establishment with 3 friends washed down with hearty ales my luncheon companions and I went home truly satisfied. However, upon learning of the brewery's treatment of their hard working guest chefs there is a foul taste in the mouth that lingers and will continue to linger until said chefs are paid for bringing their skill, passion and pride to a workplace that clearly doesn't honour or respect them. By cheating the staff they are also cheating the customers who want to see those who provide their good experiences rewarded, not stolen by unscrupulous management on the take. I'll be telling my friends and local business owners to avoid. That sicky taste is still in my mouth.

Great cosy pub with lovely attentive staff

Beer is cracking (although I do question the high price a pint considering the brewery is walking distance away!) Nonetheless, remains one of my favourite ales. The food however has nosedived since we last visited a few months ago. They used to offer really good toasted sandwiches, fish fingers, chicken and bacon etc with chips, which nice and pretty reasonably priced. I was disappointed to see these gone from the menu and instead, plain Sandwiches offered (which I think are around the same price, cost cutting maybe?) Anyway, my wife has the salmon and cheese Sandwich and I had a steak pie. The steak pie, brought in and not made on site, was one of the worst I have ever had, all pastry and sauce, spot the meat. My wife's sandwich has the cheapest looking sliced bread going. Apparently it's from a local bakers...if it was, it's a crap bakers. All in all, food not as good as it was, bring back the toasted sandwiches/baguettes as they were SO much better. Won't eat here again if that menu and the quality remains the same. Good place for a pint still.

We had White bait, chips and halloumi and everything was very tasty!

Used to go often but haven't been for about a year. I can hardly believe how far it has declined. They used to do really good food - the squid with fries, really great fries, was my favourite. Went on a Saturday evening when a wedding party was on upstairs so it was busy. But there's no excuse for the quite dreadful food. Staff were friendly and the service was fine but the food was awful. I had scampi and chips and my friends had cod and chips. The food was barely warm, served on cold plates. Scampi tasteless and mushy, chunky chips about the worst I have ever eaten. Tepid, mushy and tasteless. I dislike chunky chips at the best of times but these were beyond awful. A smudge of tartare sauce, not nearly enough, and clearly out of a bottle. The peas were ok - how hard is it to mess up peas? I asked if they only did chunky chips and was told yes, and that many others had complained. To cap it all, the place looked neglected and grimy and long overdue for a facelift. The mens toilet was disgraceful, so bad I used the disabled toilet instead. The beer, of course, was great. But I can get Harvey's anywhere around here. This is Harvey's flagship pub, right opposite the brewery, so it baffles me that they have allowed this to happen. Come on, Harveys, get shot of the chef for starters. He clearly doesn't care what rubbish he puts out. Sadly I won't be returning until this place is under new management.

Truly wonderful 👍👍 beer. Highly recommended.

Fantastic to be able to buy a pint from freshly tapped barrels kept behind the bar. A little frustrating that the brewery tap itself charges more for Harvey's than other pubs in town but it's a great place all the same.

Great pub I assume the brewery tap for Harveys brewery. A great range of their beers available on draught . Lovely old world atmosphere just off the unspoilt High street in Lewes. Will have the food next time but was seduced by warm pork scratchings. These helped work up a Thurs for the second and third pint. It was quiet, went there early Thursday night , I can't believe it wont get busy

This pub is a must when in Lewes. A excellent range of fresh Harvey's beers, from across the road at the brewery

Fantastic Harvey's beer on tap we had sides they were lovely plus the best pork scratchings ever the staff are all amazing so friendly and very helpful

We had a private function . Friends birthday party . Food was amazing Bufffy was best I have seen . Lovely staff family friendly

Stopped here on bank holiday Saturday for a quick pint… lovely cosy pub with some outside seating. Serving locally brewed beers. We didn’t eat, but the food we saw coming out looked great! Only negative was only one ladies toilet.

Great pub with views of the River Ouse. Friendly staff.

Lovely pub, great beer. And the service was fantastic. More than what you’d expect from a pub. Will definitely be returning! 5 stars all round!!

Came in for dinner with friends after finding out they have a new manager and headchef, had been previously but the food quality was hit and miss. Came back to a lovely vibe, all bar staff very bubbly and easy to talk to. Had the fish and chips alongside some other things! It was probably the best fish and chips in lewes. Fish was cooked to perfection. I would definitely recommend! Can’t wait to visit again soon!

Anton, Lexi, Lee and the team, made it possible for me to have the best 40th birthday party, the space was warm and comfortable and staff were on hand for our every need. The food was amazing, all my guests were wowed by the buffet. I personally would like to thank you all.

Great range of beers, super friendly bar man, salty snacks literally cost peanuts. Great job

Friendly staff, good beer selection

Really nice pub, with real authentic atmosphere. The Sunday roast was outstanding, portions were good. Me and my family really enjoyed it. Defenetly recommend to visit if you're in Lewes.

Sticky dirty tables and drinks were tepid at best

We called in for a few beers on the way back to the station. The pub had just stopped serving food, so we missed out there. All the beers were really good. Well worth a visit if you're in town.

Tucked away by the river and well worth a visit. Friendly and welcoming staff plus a wide range of beers

Love this place. It can get busy, but staff are very good ales and beers very nice ,food too . Dogs welcome just a lovely pub. I recommend it 👌

This was our first trip into Lewes & being unfamiliar with the area we decided to go by some google recommendations & found this pub was highly rated. I honestly do not know how. We should have known from the moment we ordered as the greeting was far from welcoming, the man behind the bar made it perfectly clear he didn’t want to be there, in fact at one moment he let out some lovely expletives just because the phone was ringing! He did not even bother to tell me how much our order came to & proceeded to just point the card machine in my direction. I let this slide, working in retail my entire life I know what it is to have a bad day but I’m afraid it went from bad to worse. We waited nearly an hour for our food to arrive, a problem that was obviously wide spread as I heard another customer questioning where their food was. When it finally did arrive to say we were disappointed is a total understatement. I ordered Gammon…well this pub is clearly not aware that packed, processed ham is not the same as gammon because that is what turned up on my plate. I’m not exaggerating when I say the ham I currently have in my fridge at home from my local supermarket is better quality. As for the Vegan Lasagne, I have never seen a more crispy, dried out cube placed on a dinner plate…not forgetting the stale, cold ciabatta with some lurpack garlic butter spread over it as an accompaniment. I have always resisted leaving reviews such as this because I am aware every place can have a bad day but this was one of the worst pub/food experiences of my life & I’m afraid I wouldn’t want anyone else’s trip into Lewes to be spoilt by a trip to this pub.

All good, pub food as you would expect, nice to sit outside in sunshine and of course great beer!!!

Probably the full range of Harvey’s beers. Had to wait approximately 45 minutes for food.

A lovely pub with good service and an excellent range of local beers on draft. Good quality classic pub food.

Great place to try full range of Harvey's beers (beautiful brewery!). Spotlessly clean. Very traditional!

A lovely quaint pub next to the river. A pleasant atmosphere, really friendly and welcoming team of staff, and the Sunday Roast - I had the minted lamb - was delicious. A generous portion, with plenty of veg and just the right amount of gravy. I say at a small table outside, and the sun shone down on us. I enjoyed my visit here and trust you shall too. 5 stars for the food and the service. A high 4 for the atmosphere. Overall, easily 5 stars.

Visited to have Harvey's cask ales. The staff were very friendly.

What an enjoyable experience. Sitting outside enjoying a couple of their wonderful brews. Will definitely return.

Historic pub with a wide range of dedicated Harvey's beers on tap, cask and bottles, top condition. Impeccable service. Delicious food, had pie and mash, could lick the gravy from the plate. Don't goYrget to pick up your beer passport here or a card for beer-mile.

One of the best pubs in Sussex!

Grand old English pub with the perfect vibe. Service was very friendly. The food was amazing. Lovely soft fish perfectly cooked. Great chips crispy on the outside and fluffy inside.

Good quality beer with burger and chips. Friendly service and a great atmosphere. Will definitely be going to this pub again.

Great selection of Harvey's ales. Well kept.

The food appears to have gone downhill since the last time we ate here.Fish flat batter soggy chips mushy and almost cold Maybe employ a chef

Best pub in Lewes. Nicest staff by far. Not pretentious at all.

I have just had the most appalling ham, egg and chips! Had to return meal as eggs rock hard, the plate I think had been left under heat lamp, not freshly cooked! Have been going there for years and have never experienced this before, even my husbands fish and chips was certainly not the fresh traditional cooked food! Shame, no apology! Not wasting my money there again!

Visited here a number of years ago , still hasn't changed with the great atmosphere 👌

Didn't have food. Just a drink. Nice pub. Good atmosphere. Nice staff. Good selection craft beers. Well worth a visit.

Wonderful pub, food however disappointing. Boyfriend asked for steak and kidney pie but was given chicken and veg without any sauce in a pie! Fish and chips was disappointing, not properly cooked and the fish juice made the chips really soggy. However will return for a drink as the atmosphere was very welcoming and pleasant.

I like it here, friendly staff, nice atmosphere but most importantly excellent beer!

Best place on earth for fantastic Ales and the biggest sausage rolls I have ever seen.

Please change your food times on your website, to avoid disappointing visiting customers. I'd made a special trip to eat there and sample Harvey's excellent beers as the kitchen is advertised as open until 9, but on a Friday evening before 8:30 the kitchen was shut! So a walk was needed to other pubs selling Harvey's and food elsewhere

Lovely friendly staff and a smashing pint upstairs.

I have a weak spot for this pub, being the first pub I ever visited in Lewes. It's in a great spot in the centre of town & being the Harvey's pub has all the expected Harvey's beers on tap. Staff have always been friendly here & the food is worth trying. Overall would recommend a visit

Nice taproom with an excellent range of cask beers from Harvey's brewery, which is literally across the road. Didn't try the food, so can't comment on that.

Very good venue, excellent Harvey's beers and good food.

A proper traditional pub oozing character. The place to go when visiting historic Lewes and in need of a pint! Excellent range of Harvey's ales. The pub food at lunchtime and in the evening was very good and reasonably priced. Friendly staff. Lots of events on too, throughout the week. Look forward to going back.

Nice local pub. Great friendly service. Wharf IPA is a lovely beer. Nice ambience about the place.

Great Lewes Pub serving great Harvey's beer - Old is still available

You won't find fresher Harvey's beer anywhere else

Pleasant evening drinks with friends

Friendly staff. Great beer. Proper old fashioned pub

We were a party of 5 people and we pre booked selecting from the Christmas menu so the restaurant knew our order in advance. The front of house got the date of the booking wrong twice and we had twice to give our pre-orders. No- one had ordered a starter. Nonetheless we then had to wait at least 40 minutes for the main course to arrive. When it did, two of the advertised items from the Christmas dinner, pigs in blankets and stuffing, didn’t appear. The standard of the meal was about what you’d expect from from one of the budget carveries, everything smothered in a thick gravy. As the plates were being cleared, I asked the waiter if our desserts would be long, explaining that we were under time pressure, and he replied that they were then being plated up. After a further twenty minutes I asked a member of staff what was happening with them and said that we’d been told that they were almost ready twenty minutes ago. I added that we’d been sat for ninety minutes and so far received one course, despite the kitchen knowing our order in advance, and I felt this wasn’t good enough. After some minutes he reappeared and said that they had just started to prepare them, which typified the muddle and confusion we’d experienced. At this point we expressed our dissatisfaction and said that we’d have to forgo the dessert due to time constraints. It was agreed that we would pay for drinks and mains, but at no stage were we offered any reduction or comping. Upon examining the bill it appeared that we’d been overcharged for the mains but we were told that the price given for the mains was in error and that we’d been charged a higher price than appeared on the bill. No apology for this error on their part was given, nor indeed for any of the muddle or non- appearance of listed menu items.

Ale, as expected, was perfect. Only had sausage roll and loaded chips to eat; they were fantastic. Best chips ever!!

Superb, spot, no one serves Harvey's like this place, the staff are the absolute best, super friendly.

my friend and i had a lovely sunday roast, the lamb was amazing as was the beef, the food came quickly and the staff were very attentive. will definitely be returning!

The worst food I have ever seen and tried to eat. Harvey’s should be ashamed to be associated with a kitchen this bad. Bar staff and beer great

Went for a Sunday roast last week … absolutely brilliant . Meat was lovely well cooked and presented. Staff were lovely and will definitely be booking for Christmas.

My husband and I always know that a real Sunday roast is a John Harvey Tavern roast. Today we chose our favourite being the classic beef and it was cooked to perfection alongside crispy cooked vegetables and delicious roast potatoes. A big thank you to the lovely landlady and her staff, a jolly super job.

I had a fantastic experience at this pub! The customer service was top-notch, and the drinks were excellent. Highly recommended!

After visiting Lewes Castle we were a bit peckish so walked down the high street and found the John Harvey Tavern. It's sort of hidden away on a side street, but we're glad we found it. My husband had wanted to try some of the Harvey beers, so this was perfect for him. We ordered sandwiches - a pork sausage sandwich for him and a falafel and halloumi sandwich for me. Both were enormous and came with a generous serving of chips. Great value for money!

What happened to this place? Food use to be great the super generous portions. Today we waited 40 minutes for our food, and the wait really wasn’t worth it. Uncooked chips, very measly portions and hugely overpriced, bill came to £140 for 6 adults. They even forgot my sisters order of bangers and mash so we had to wait for that to arrive which eventually was also rank. Give this place a miss.

Came here as a group for lunch- enjoyed some nice Harveys drinks- old, best & pilsner. Food was ok- had crunchy calamari, ok burger & nice Bakewell tart. Food service however was awful- barmen took orders from across the room, was rude, service slow, plates wasn’t cleared and cutlery & sauces only brought out on request. Recommended for a drink out in Lewes however.

Great location, friendly atmosphere, food and drinks are delicious, staff are so friendly and helpful.. Will visit again, recommended..

Awful and overpriced, tiny halloumi burger and chips £15 !!! The chips were rock hard and the burger was smaller than the palm of my hand, one slice of tomato and one slice of onion. The picture on the left is halloumi burger, the one on the right is from my local today. Goats cheese lasagne, focaccia bread and side salad £14.50. See pictures below. Won't visit John Harvey Tavern again.

Visited the John Harvey Tavern on Thursday. As it is regarded as the Brewery Tap, it was no surprise that the beer was top notch. A pint of Olympia was excellent, so I thought the food must be good. So quickly ordered a steak and ale pie and another pint, this time of Armada. The food was excellent, too. Good chunks of beef in the tasty pie. Again, this pint was also top-notch. Therefore, rather than mess around finding somewhere to eat a few days later for Sunday lunch, I thought I must book the JH Tavern there and then to have a Sunday roast. Just eaten it. So pleased. It was wonderful. Excellent beer again. Good portions of meat and veg. The beef was well cooked, slightly pink, and good-sized slices. The roasties, broccoli, carrots and other veg were very good but the creamy leek... wow!! ...lovely. 10 out of 10. You can't go wrong with this place. I'll be back.

Today we waited an hour and ten minutes for food. After 45 minutes yes barman said it will be 10 minutes after an hour and ten it still hadn’t come. Got our money back but no real apology. All the fault of the kitchen apparently. Clearly barman couldn’t care less. If you are too busy don’t offer food. Won’t be coming here again. Can get Harvey’s beer elsewhere

I ordered a starter and main course which arrived together. The fish was half the size I would have expected for the £16 price tag. The beer was expensive at £5.10 a pint (Sussex Bitter) Won't return, I'm afraid

Always a great pint two pints of Harvey's porter absolutely fantastic a tripvto Harvey's brewery shop as well to stock up on Christmas beer

Wonderful beer and the best pie (steak and mushroom) sooo good really nice staff also. Really worth a visit!

A total rip off. We ordered two Ploughman’s Lunches, having been very happy with the same meals in the same location a couple of years ago. For £12 all we received was a small lump of cheese, a single slice of ham, half of a small baguette (if that), a sliver of gherkin, a single small pickled onion, and a dessert spoon of coleslaw and pickle, topped off with a few strands of rocket! It wasn’t worth half the value that we paid. We did tell the staff that we expected more, all they said was ‘we’ll feed that back to the kitchen’. No hint of apology, a larger helping or a refund! Very disappointing after being very impressed a couple of years ago. I accept that things have changed over the last couple of years, but this was a total joke and shameless profiting.

Simply wonderful staff. So nice to see staff with a smile and a sense of humour. The food was just lovely. We went for the sausage and mash. The sausages were really nice...none of this supermarket own brand stuff. Fresh mash and lovely gravy. I...

Absolutely love this place, food is great and beer is top notch and bar staff are pleasing on the eye too which is odd for lewes as usually the bar maids would beat you in an arm wrestle. Going there again at next opportunity

I’m sorry to have to agree with previous reviewers who write about rude and miserable bar staff. I’m assuming the hostile barman yesterday is one of those in question. Service was chaotic and unacceptably slow in bringing two baguettes to the table. For a Harvey’s...

Some friends and l came here after a walk on the Downs. It is a traditional Boozer with a good selection of Harvey ales. The staff were friendly, even taking a picture for us. I had the ploughman's lunch, which was pleasant, although you could...

Extremely disappointed - firstly, rude barman who misunderstood something and jumped down our throats - I corrected him. Secondly, no starters on menu and limited roasts on menu if you don’t eat red meat. Roast potatoes hard and not homemade, Yorkshires frozen and not homemade...

Love this place, always pop in when in Lewes for a pint. It's a pub pub. If you know what I mean!

Honestly wouldn’t go back ever, the most miserable bar staff, had food brought out by a guy that looked like a painter and decorator in filthy clothes, the chef should be ashamed of what was sent out, totally unseasoned steak, the peppercorn sauce looked like...

Nice pub, across the road from the brewery. Harvey's Best bitter in barrels at the back of the bar. Good bar service, decent beer and wine. On the night we were there, they had a problem finding food menus. Having ordered the food, I would say it was OK, not great, just OK. But the bar service was good and I'd go back there.

Had the best evening. There was some live music which was so much fun. Some great vegan food. And the staff were so cheerful and kind. Place was fun and welcoming.

We ordered roast beef and were seated in the upstairs room. We waited over half an hour so my husband went to find someone to ask where our meal had got to. The meal then arrived almost instantly, as if it had been plated some...

A busy pub, with a good atmosphere. There weren't many gins on offer. I had a house gin and my boyfriend had cider. People around us had food, which looked good.

I loved the JHT. Really easy going pub and a sun trap outside in the spring and summer. Loads of room inside and the staff are charming and funny. The beer is Harvey's of course and you can get brews not available in other Harvey's...

Been in a good few times . Massive shame they are Never open to there opening hours online Staff are brilliant when they are open, Manager is hardly ever there and when she is all she is doing is free lancing around, don’t think Iv...

I always have to pop in for one or two pints when I visit Lewes Fantastic beer !

We come here quite often and love it. However my wife and I had the prawn sandwich today and couldn't taste the prawns at all and overall it was very bland with no seasoning.

Was very disappointed with the portion size that we all received. For to price i think 3 little roasts and a small about of beef was not really acceptable. The wait time was fine and it really wasn't busy so no excuses. When you pay...

Dropped in to this pub for a sandwich on a quiet lunchtime and was very impressed. I had a fish finger sandwich which was delicious. Bacon and Brie sandwich was also very appreciated. Nice buzz in the main bar. The environmental nature of the brewing...

Staggeringly rude barmaid. Her colleague was fine but gosh, she should not be in customer service. Will never go there again.

In Lewes for the day and stopped here for fish & chips. Good sized portion of locally caught Cod with chips and a good selection of local Harveys beer, reasonably priced and friendly staff. On a good day you can make use of the outdoor...

We had a lovely Sunday lunch at The John Harvey Tavern, the staff were so friendly and helpful, the food was delicious and arrived quickly, we all had a lovely time. Would highly recommend ❤️

Visited for a couple of pints with friends. Bar staff looked irritated when I ordered a pint. Zero warmth, eye contact, banter. They were openly moaning about the length of their lunch breaks in front of customers. Crappy music in the background. The atmosphere would...

Lovely pub in lewes. I have been going there for many, many, many years!!!

The menu isn't extensive but we had an excellent meal. The Fish and Chips was fabulous, the beer was perfectly served and a fantastic range. The new manager was really lovely and obviously working hard to make a success of the the pub. We will...

Swung by yesterday for an improptu lunch. Brilliant service, great food and as ever a top pint! Pie was well made and was completely full, wonderful gravey on the side. Sausage and mash for my partner, which she thoroughly enjoyed as well. Even after the...