Lewes Arms in Lewes

Classic traditional pub full of local characters.

The stone baked, sourdough pizza is delicious, the bloody Mary's spicy, the barman charming, the fire warms the cockles. If you're lucky you might get to throw a 🫛

Famous for the green king boycott, this pub though, close knit and cosy, stands tall in the never ending battle for best pub in Lewes. A spectacular pizza, made to order and readied in a wood fired oven. The Two Pat's have mastered the art of pizzas! This pub is built for conversation, a rule that rings true for most of this pub's visitors. Prioritising conversation and/or debate with the fellow drinker/visitor over a head in your phone. Marvelous!!

Great selection of real ales. Never had a bad pint here. Well worth a visit.

A real and genuine unspoiled pub, a real gem. Beer on hand pump was excellent and we were lucky enough to have arrived when they had a small beer festival. Friendly locals and staff. The best in town for us. Loved the various quirky events being advertised including the world pea throwing championship

delicious guinness, can tell they look after their lines. lovely staff too!

A perfect example of all that makes the great British pub. What a wonderful place! Kind, welcoming and genuinely friendly. Current menu is all pizzas - I haven't had one yet but they look great.

Great pub on the whole, good options on tap. Nice garden. In general, a great atmosphere. However, please don’t eat here. It does pizza, which is no issue, but the pizza was small, way too doughy, stingy on toppings and overpriced. It’s such a shame as I love the concept of a pizza oven and a pub challenging the traditional pub offerings, but this dining experience failed on every level.

Fantastic time here Harvey's and fuller's beers on tap wonderful staff very friendly really clean pub very clean toilets definitely recommend

As a pizza lover....up there in my most favourite pizzas.

Characterful historical pub serving a great selection of beers and ales and pizza. Well worth a visit.

Pizza was over-priced and quite poor. Pizza topping though tasty was quite sparse. Poor value for money. Same applies to their loaded fries... topping was ridiculously poor in terms of quantity of ingredients.

A pub with a quirky layout, excellent cask ales, good, friendly service and tasty pizzas.

Best pub in Lewes in my opinion, and it has stiff competition! Solid pint of Guinness

Amazing pizza and amazing drinks. Best trad pub in Lewes 🫶

Great pub with a really traditional feel and atmosphere

Really nice place. Lovely pizza

Classical pub, a definitive pint of Harvey’s, good food.

Cosy back street pub with small rooms, well worth visiting.

We eat here every week. This pub has a really great selection of beers without resorting to the industrial brews and also a secret wine list with really interesting local wines. The menu changes every month or so so we have seen favorite items come and go. But, there are always delicious and unique options beyond the usual suspects. It's also dog friendly (and person friendly). We love the staff!

Great place, the food tastes amazing. Always forget to take photo. Will try to remember next time. Great bar staff.

Really quaint old pub with a friendly atmosphere and great service. The pizzas are delicious, too!

Best pub in Lewes.. apart from the gents stink of piss - not in a small, expected way. It's eye wateringly bad. I've been coming here for 10 plus years and it's always been this way. I have no idea why. Is it the plumbing, the ventilation, the cleaning? Please, for the love of god, please sort this out.

Just a quick visit. The vibe was good and the HSB made my day.

Great pizza, warm atmosphere ... Lovely pub!

Great pub.....nothing more to say...

The atmosphere of the store is very nice. All the customers there were nice people, and most of all, the burgers were juicy and delicious.

Get together with 20-30 people. Pizza (Margherita and Peperoni both) and service are both great. Beer choice can be tough because they're all delicious.

Great pub. Even better since Pat’s Pizzas took over the kitchen!

It used to feel like a rather sinister victorian pub. Not everyone felt welcome, but it definitely had an unique vibe, an unique old-world atmosphere. Now it's still not very welcoming but the (average) pizza also killed the vibe.

Smashing little pub. Have the beer, it's outstanding!

Love this pub, always have done, and it's only got better with the addition of Pat's Pizza! Having enjoyed their pizzas at various different events, I was really pleased to see them get a permanent spot at the Lewes Arms. Everything I've had on their menu has been superb - special mention goes to their ridiculously cheesy adjaruli Khachapuri. Pizzas are great, always have been, and their menu is supplemented by lots of equally delicious and very interesting sides. Plus they always have an interesting monthly special pizza on too. I can't speak highly enough about this pub and its food!

Honestly the best pizza I have had for years. Wafer thin sourdough crispy crust, smoky, quality toppings, simply delicious. Proper pizza. The lamb flatbread mezze for 2 was a very greedy but stunning starter. Can’t recommend highly enough. Wow.

Can't comment too much as I thought this placed still did Sunday roasts when I booked but turned up and they just did pizza.

Easily one of the best pubs in Lewes. Staff and customers are friendly. It's a really cosy old building with a great selection of beers.

Great and cozy place for a beer!

With three bar areas downstairs, two outside areas and an upstairs, there's almost certain to be a nook for conversations, although sometimes this pub's popularity means it is far from quiet. Dogs are most certainly welcome. Although the Lewes Arms stocks the local beer from Harveys, the establishment is owned by Fuller's brewery in London so the choice of ales will not necessarily be entirely local. The kitchen hours are long, and it stays open all afternoon, serving a fairly traditional pub menu to which some slightly exotic choices are added. The beer-battered cod is often huge! Look on the blackboard for today's specials, or pick up a printed menu from the bar. At its best, the cooking is outstanding for its class. The beer and bar wines are not the cheapest in town, though lower than some venues whose focus is not alcohol. The Lewes Arms is clearly at the heart of a lively community of diverging opinions. Traditional Lewes games such as pea-throwing and Dwile Flunking (its origin lost in history), and English morris dancing teams can often be witnessed here. Regular poetry and music events (such as the Thursday evening traditional folk tunes session, expertly led) take place upstairs and downstairs, and the annual pantomime attracts much comment. Post-pandemic, the trade has recovered successfully, due to the positive attitudes of all staff and management. A new pizza kitchen brings totally delicious food, and reliably.

My new partner took my eldest to the Lewes Arms for a 'bonding session'. Bonding they did ! They came back home with the highest praise not just for our local and its cosy snug, but for the apparently fantastic pizza they are now serving there. My son has recently decided to try out vegetarianism much to my dismay, and came home raving about their vegetarian pizzas. Cannot wait to try for myself, and thinking this is going to have to become a regular engagement - even if its just a takeaway in front of the telly.

We've always had a few beers and something to eat here before we go to Albion games, but this visit was disappointing. The beer selection is still good, but the atmosphere was subdued and the food was restricted to pizza and was, frankly, not very good. The pepperoni pizza was OK but the Turkish mezze and the Georgian dish were not. We left most of those two as they were simply not very tasty or appealing. We'll try another place for beer and food next time we go to Lewes.

This is such a great pub. The pizza is absolutely amazing, such a nice based to the pizza and good quality ingredients used. On top of that they have a great local atmosphere, board games, and a local music group plays on a Thursday which is a really nice experience.

Vegan veggie pizza was one of the best I've had, and I've tried hundreds

Quality lewes pub. Great pizza too

Great old pub,but cask beer flat,but visit was good

Having not been here for a few years it had changed a bit. There’s been a bit of a refresh and the darts and toad in the hole games were no more. It’s still a classic pub with the lovely outdoor terrace and good selection of ales. Krombacher on tap was also a nice touch. The menu was mainly burger focused, although I didn’t indulge. Not quite the same feel as yesteryear but still a nice pub.

This well known local pub was highly recommended by an ex-inmate of Brighton College of Art, and is indeed highly worth a visit. Situated at the top of the town, five minutes walk downhill TO the station - arrive by bus they stop at the top! Quite a popular place, pretty much standing room only as we left for our train. The sampled beers were exceptionally well kept - Harvey's Sussex Best and Gales HSB. The staff were friendly, efficient and attentive. The food menu was slightly limited in variety, being basically burger based, but these were very well executed indeed. A good example of "do what you do, do well". Overall, an excellent way to spend a Friday or, (in moderation) any other night!

Fabulous pub, a nice way to spend a couple of hours

The absolutely bestest pub! The best events ranging from pupper races to pea contest to life drawing. 100% worth the trip down from London

The burgers we had were superb, the Harvey’s best, and the service was too. I had huge problems with a bike lock going home and the staff were amazingly helpful. Lovely people. Looking forward to our next visit.

Lovely pub serving great beers, very slightly off the beaten track so very relaxed.

Good traditional pub with an extensive food menu. If they had a broader craft beer/real ale selection would have been a 5. Update - food options reduced, beer better.

Enjoyed a burger and a pint of harveys.

Good food and a pleasant place to chill out. Update. Sadly went back today and the menu is basically burgers. Brioche buns and GF buns. If you are going to serve burgers, give us burger buns!! My chilli burger had zero chilli, the GF bun was burnt and like a rock. The loaded fries were dry and not loaded. Fortunately the beer is still very good. Won't be rushing back for food...

Easily the best pub in Lewes, if not Sussex. A hidden gem.

Small pub with friendly staff and good food

It was early in the day so pub was quiet Food was good thick slabs of proper ham hand cut and cooked chips. Just like mamma used to make. Freindly staff

Dropped in for a quick pint mid afternoon. Great atmosphere and selection of local beer.

I have been going here a lot over the years and am never disappointed! Amazingly homely feeling atmosphere with great local ales and beers. Nice little beer garden upstairs which makes for a nice place to be on a sunny afternoon.

Excellent pub with great local beers. I'll be back!

Great original pub with great beer choice.

Deep sigh of relief, was worried that the pub might have been spoilt by the refurb, but everything is fine. Lovely decor and benches in the back bar and plenty of Harvey's on tap as well as Fuller's.

Great pub and good beer, but a little disappointed by the poor choice on the menu. The menu is fairly limited anyway (whatever happened to the jerk chicken ?) and a lot of things on it were off as the butcher hadn't shown up. We reserved a table online which worked very well. The games room can get noisy but then it's a pub and a small room.

One of the best pubs in Lewes. Very fresh tasting Harvey's at this pub, decent atmosphere and good honest food. Family friendly. Everything you want in a pub.

Been here a few times and really love the place. Friendly staff, good drink selection and great pub food. Definitely worth popping in if you’re in the area.

I dropped in for a couple of pints of real ale, which were well kept & reasonably priced. Friendly & efficient service, & a pleasant atmosphere. I would definitely return in future.

Really beautifully located pub with tiny little bar on the right which always seems to have a great atmosphere. But the best thing is for me anyway, every Thursday night or perhaps it's once a month. You must attend their folk and old style music night. It's brilliant people with bagpipes and fiddles and everything. Such a nice thing to have in a pub like that

Iconic Lewes pub with three small bars downstairs and an upstairs room that is usually less crowded.

What a great quiz night tonight! Thankyou Saera! Smashed it 🙌🏻

A nice town centre traditional pub. Had lunch here on a cold day and it was unfortunately a bit chilly inside. However the beer and food were good, as was the service. It was quiet on the day I visited but it is justifiably a popular pub with the locals.

On the plus side,there seems to be more of a choice of beer. On the negative side, a freezing cold pub with no heat at all No food being served Bar staff who really couldnt give a sh*t Very disappointing decline from what was a great pub .

Cosy pub located just off the main streets of Lewes. Staff is very friendly and attentive and the vibe is really nice. Sadly the roasts weren’t as great (small portions, high prices, gravy was watery, etc). But will give that the benefit of the doubt being unlucky 😊Side dishes (cauliflower cheese and pigs in blankets) however were fantastic !

A locals bar. I think I was the only stranger

A wonderful time, excellent beers very well presented clean and tidy pub friendly service, well presented.

Such a lovely pub. The very definition of a cosy British pub. The food we had was excellent. They had plenty of vegan options. The portion sizes were some generous too! The staff were super helpful, even calling on the day of our reservation to say they were running low on certain dishes and giving us the option to reserve some. A must visit.

Decent roast but seemingly unwilling to turn the heating on

Very dog unfriendly pub, really surprising as we had three dogs between a small group of friends and we checked if dogs are ok before we sat down. After a couple of yaps from the dogs we were asked to leave. This was a cold nearly empty pub, no music and no atmosphere. We will not be back!

Beautiful pub great staff and service

Great pub, beer excellent and staff very friendly.

Good tradition pub grub at a reasonable price.

Three of us arrived on a Saturday lunchtime in the hope of some food - town was busy, and while it wouldn't have been our first choice (there's better in Lewes), thought we'd try it for a change. I checked at the bar before ordering anything that they were serving food and was told very clearly yes, no problem. I ordered three drinks and took them, with a menu, to where we were sitting. I came back to the bar about 3-4 minutes later with our food order (3 burgers, nothing complicated) to be told that the kitchen was no longer accepting orders, it was much too busy and they'd had too many 'walk-in' customers. If that was the case, why did they wait until we'd bought and paid for drinks? I did get a 'sorry' but it was much more of the 'not really bothered' variety. I speak with a non-local accent and I imagine they thought we were just tourists who wouldn't be back, so who gives a sh*t? We've lived locally for quite a few years, and the Lewes Arms has developed a bit of a reputation in town for being a bit of an 'up itself' hipster place, with food not as good as it used to be. Hadn't experienced it myself until today. Won't be back.

A good, old fashioned, traditional pub with food to match. After walking from Seaford to Lewes across the Downs, the food was just what we needed, tasty and substantial.

Nice trad pub with a large selection of well kept beers. Does a great roast

Great pub good selection of real ales

Best pint of Harvey's best I've ever tasted. Decent food and helpful staff.

Good real ale selection. Friendly but not fancy. Good local pub

Great old pub to have a drink in near the castle, especially on 5th November.

A decent, no nonsense pub that I've spent a few enjoyable lunchtimes and after-work drinks at.

Great pints of Harveys and Veltins, friendly service and the Cajun chicken was amazing for the three meat eaters. Meze platter went down well too. We shall return. Thanks.

Amazing staff and entertainment and a great choice of food and drink. 10/10 would recommend. Can’t wait to come back.

Really lovely, friendly staff. Great beer & great music. A warm & welcoming village vibe. Highly recommended.

This could be a really great pub for food and drink.The oub has a lovely vibe, the staff seem like they’re trying hard but I get the feeling the kitchen or management is letting them down or it’s just a mix of inexperience and amateurism. We we’re possibly unlucky that the till system had broken down that night so ordering was a unnecessarily laborious but it’s not a deal breaker. We we’re pointed to our table. No menus, no run down of not on menu, specials etc. I can live with that. Just. Being told at 7pm on a Saturday night that they have no burgers when you’ve got two strapping young lads in tow is! I’ve run restaurants so I know what’s involved with prep especially on weekends with tables booked. I got the feeling the bar person taking the order was a bit embarrassed but did his best. Then we we’re directed to the cutlery station but it was empty. Another oversight that could be preempted. In any case cutlery, condiments should be brought with the food or when the table is cleaned before service. Which brings me to the next little gripe. There was a couple sitting at our reserved table who we politely asked to move (not a problem) but no effort was made from staff to give it a wipe down. Just basic hygiene. I’d like to think I had an off night because I liked the pub and it has charm. Maybe I will. My only request guys, if you’re trying to promote your pub as a destination to eat and drink then perhaps look at your offering.

Superb! What an excellent pub. Friendly staff, good beer, lovely welcoming atmosphere. Just a smashing place to while away an hour or so.

Sunday afternoon lunch glad we booked quite busy! Rough round the edges but don’t judge a book by it’s cover. Lovely staff friendly helpful and efficient Great food too Good sized portions for the money. Veggie options of a mushroom Wellington fab! Fish and chips was delicious crispy batter ummmmmm Roast Pork belly was huge We will return

Very much enjoyed myself at this pub The food is astonishing the service is impeccable. You must visit this pub

Original pub with great service and nice beer

We had a fantastic Sunday lunch at the Lewes Arms, which was a perfect way to end a long walk along the Downs Way. The Pork roast was tasty and large portioned, and the atmosphere was good too.

Booked a table of 8 for here on 8 May after a walk in the downs from Brighton to Lewes. Everything was great, food delicious, well presented and very friendly efficient staff. Thanks looking forward to coming back.

Such a great pub. Really good atmosphere and Fantastic beers. Cannot wait to go back and try the grub. Cheers!

Wonderful. A gem. Always a buzz. Often things going on.

nice pub with good capacity and food offer.

Best pub in Lewes. Great beer and great atmosphere