The Barley Mow in Brighton and Hove

We arrived around 3pm and we were hungry. So asked if food was still being served. We got a filthy look, a huff and puff and then a reluctant "I'll have to clear this lot up 1st. I'll come over to you shortly". We sat for half an hour, watched him laugh and joke around us, while being ignored. We gave up in the end and just had the one drink on a dirty table (which remained that way while we were there) and left. Walked straight past the guy that served us without even an apology or acknowledgment. Now I realise it may have been a bit late in the day but when we asked about food, a simple "no" would have been fine. We wasn't demanding. And would have just gone somewhere else. And all they serve is pie and mash so its not like it's anything complicated. But I get the impression this is a pub for the locals only. As we felt like we were treated differently to others for being visiting strangers. Should have known really as it wasn't on the recommendation list of establishments on our welcome pack in the B&B. And as regular visitors to the area we won't be returning. It's a shame as it appeared to be a great cosy pub. Just not very welcoming unless you're a regular or local

Our favourite local by a mile. Staff always attentive and beer pretty much always on point.

The best vegan roast dinner . Gravy delicious and roast potatoes are the best I’ve ever had

We came here at 3pm on Saturday 9th November as locals who used to drink here regularly on the off chance the service has improved. Ordered a Guinness. Male bartender very surly, unwelcoming. He pours the Guinness with the glass sitting on the drip trap and all the way to the top. I ask - don’t you do the two pour here? His rude answer: ‘no’. Guinness wasn’t very pleasant with bubbles in the head and very thin after 5 minutes, and customer service was terrible from this guy. The place has gone downhill since this cohort of staff has come in.

Great pub with big sitting space + outdoor garden with heaters. I tried their pies and they were huge and very tasty. Amazing service as well.

Cosy busy place. I found the service to be patchy. Ordering Thai comes from Kemp Thai. So was not pleased very poor quality Thai food. Prices are approx. 1£ more for ordering in the pub. Food dumped on table by staff. Pies were good. Nice choice of pickled eggs is something different to much on with beer.

Really rude and unhelpful staff member yesterday who was bringing the others down. Brining out items of food after people had finished their meal, forgetting to reserve bookings food orders, and not knowing what food was left (only 1 option left), but it was how she delivered these messages to people. Brown hair didn't care or want to be there.

Staff was rude and confrontational on ordering. I get that people can have a bad day but the whole interaction was unpleasant and we were treated as a nuisance. The roast was very good though.

Great place - great atmosphere- great selection of games and good house wines and beers !

Amazing pub with boardgames and friendly staff, great place to visit

Still the same nice pub with an outside area and lots of games. But they don't have their own kitchen now, so the food is just shipped in from local takeaways. Not for me, but an ok pub for a drink.

Great meat pies!! And we enjoyed playing the board games at our table.

A bloody marvellous quirky boozer and the Sunday roast we had was very quite exceptional. Great balance of rustic and high quality. Thoroughly recommended

Loved this pub for years - good beer, nice food, good atmosphere. My heart sinks though when I go in and there's one particular rude, disinterested woman behind the bar. She's been there for a while and I won't be going in there much longer if she continues. Shame - apart from her the bar staff are great.

Excellent pub with top quality beer and superb staff.

It was a really nice pub, surprisingly open on Sunday ! As a foreigner, the experience was great because we were immediately plunged into the authentic atmosphere of a British pub. The food was excellent (the concept is clever as they offer you plenty of choices and they get delivered by local restaurants around). The staff was pleasant as they took the time to explain us the menu. Moreover, this pub offers a great deal of games so you can play as you eat or drink with your friends or family. I highly recommend this place !

Great cosy pub. Really lovely atmosphere, so much so we went 3 nights in a row! Took our children to play cludeo and guess who (love that they have board games!) so relaxed and friendly. We will 100% be back when we are in Brighton again. Also we tried the Thai food and the pizza you can order in and it was absolutely delicious. We had the Thai food twice. X

Had a couple of decent pints of real ale here. Decent selection on the bar. Friendly and helpful staff and a nice seating area out back.

Warm beer and rude staff. Avoid!

Lovely pub, solid beer, great pork scratchings. Garden not very secret 😉

Ended up in the Barley Mow again :-)

Ended up in the Barley Mow again :-)

50 minutes for two pies to arrive. Not as described (broccoli swapped out for beans without asking) Plate drowned in watery gravy. Served two bottom of the barrel cloudy pints. Other people dining were having similar experiences. If this place was ever good, that time has passed. Nothing positive to say and I signed up for this account to write this review, that’s how bad it was.

Very nice place, friendly staff. We ate Pizza Face pizzas there which were really good!

I like the garden and the comfy chairs. Also good beer and friendly staff ⚕️ Worth popping in for a couple.

Fine selection of craft ciders, warm atmosphere, nice vibes 😊

Great little local pub, Boyd is great.

Lovely pub! You can order food at the bar from a few local restaurants - Thai, pizza, or pies. They have great drinks and snacks, a nice atmosphere, and a good little courtyard garden at the back with heatlamps.

A very young girl served us and didn't even know the correct way to pull a pint.Food not served as advertised. Very disappointed with service today.

Fantastic pub! Warm, inviting, with board games to play!

Games, decent beer and food ordered in from local take aways. It's a good and different way to serve food, supporting local businesses.

I don't eat here but, I hear the food is good. Pies on premises and a wide range of local restaurants deliver to your table. The staff are really good and it is a fantastic place to catch up with friends in a relaxed environment and fantastic beer selection

Best pie I’ve ever had :) thank you !

Pub looked good but a strangely rude young barmaid on Friday night. Huffed at me asking what beers were on tap then again when ordering. Grunted at me to get out of the way a few times and pulled faces as she moved around the pub. Shame as the pies looked good. Just odd.

Have frequented the barley for years but seems to creep up 10p a pint every time I’m in there. Brighton is expensive across the board but this is one of the most expensive especially given it’s an independent freehold pub out of the centre of town. Publican is and has always been very miserable il give credit to his staff though they’re always friendly. Shame as was a great pub.

Fantastic pub. Lovely atmosphere a d great service. Highly recommended.

Nice little old pub, just a quiet place for a wee glass on my lonesome. Was nice. :-)

Celebrated my husband’s birthday at the Barley Mo last night. Lovely cosy table in the corner. Good beer and range of food, some sourced from local venues nearby. Friendly staff and home from home atmosphere. Recommended.

Great food, Great atmosphere, very welcoming to New visitors & our dog, would highly recommend 😀

We’ve been here twice now and one bartender is extremely rude! There was a mishap with ordering and they made us feel so uncomfortable flagging it. Such a shame one unpleasant staff member can sour the whole otherwise lovely experience.

Been there for fish and chips and it was lovely and the staff was great. So we went again for a Sunday roast and again food was lovely but one of the staff members was extremely rude. It was like she couldn’t be bothered to make an effort to serve us, making us feel as if we were a nuisance. It’s a shame as I like this pub and the food, but I will no longer be going due to this quality of service.

Really friendly staff who were very helpful. Had pies and food from Thai, all amazing. A real pub with wonderful atmosphere.

Called for lunch. The only menu choices were various pies. We each ordered a veggie pie. Very tasty but served unheated plates

Walked in to see if by chance there was a table. They kindly let us take a table that was booked out in an hours time on the understanding we would order straight away and leave by the booking time. We each had a roast. One Wildshroom Sunday Pie and one Beef. Both of thoroughly enjoyed it and would highly recommend. Thank you.

NO FRIGGIN MASH. However, the pie was quite tidy. Couldn’t help myself, I licked the plate clean ! Overall some good mucky grub.

I feel like I'm not qualified to write this review, as you'll figure out after reading. Went into this pub with my husband last night (Monday, 6 November) for a pint and some food. When we walked in, it was rather empty. Three employees were talking to each other, and not about business. All looked under 30. We were waiting for some acknowledgement of our presence - a hello/hiya ... maybe even just a glance. As we walked closer, they were still just talking to each other. About 3 minutes passed and someone walked towards us, no greeting. We asked if we can just sit anywhere and order food, and a quick, dismissive: "yes, menus are on the table" came out, and the worker quickly went back to talking to his friends. We sat down, looked at the menus. 1 menu was from Pizza Face (across the street), another from Kemp Thai (a 5 minute walk away). The last menu was pies seemingly from their kitchen. The three workers kept talking and laughing with each other, staying in their own world. When we realized that Kemp Thai is just down the street, we got up and left. Whoever owns "The Barley Mow", I hope you realize that you're paying your workers to basically chit chat with each other. We obviously were there for the first time. We didn't expect table service ... but we expected SOME kind of service. Luckily Kemp Thai was awesome.

Only had a short stay on a Friday evening, but from our time there it felt like a really well run pub. Lovely staff with a good atmosphere!

Busy, popular pub with a good crowd. Love it!

Great vibe here friendly staff. Definitely coming back

Nice pub tucked away a little but worth the walk, food was good which is what I went for, (thought the drinks were very over priced But all the pubs in Brighton are the same) Good service and everything was good. would go again but not to drink

Just had one drink here, a nice golden ale (long man). Would've liked to discovered it earlier, but was out late the night before. Nice atmosphere, lots of boardgames. They work with local takeaways so lots of people were enjoying pizzas. Will have to visit next time we're in Brighton 😀

Popped in for a quick pint, Rude miserable bar person. Decided not to have the pint and go to the much more friendly pub down the road

Could be a great pub but beer selection is terrible and staff seemed in their own world. Awful Pop music pumping when we went. Shame.

The Barley Mow is a pleasant little pub in Kemptown. Called in yesterday and was pleasantly surprised by the great Sunday roasts. We had pork, beef and lamb and also a chicken and mushroom pie and a veggie mushroom pie. Everyone enjoyed their meal. During the week they just do pies, or pizzas (delivered from Pizza Face across the road) or Thai, from Kemp Thai. All in all, some great food choices. We'll definitely be back for the Sunday roasts.

Beautiful pub amazing garden lovely staff great food

This is a great little pub with friendly staff and great pizzas from the restaurant down the road. Will definitely be popping back in the next time I'm in Brighton!

Belly pork was absolutely amazing, well recommended

Great belly of pork roast, lashings of gravy, everything was top notch. I sat in the naughty corner 😂We'll be back.

Good wee boozer. Nice smoking area. Close to the hospital for emergencies

Great little pub, with sweets behind the bar. Board game selection. Food delivery from local take-aways and decent selection of beers spirits and wines.

Lovely place. Pies & pizzas, fun quiz, old school tuck shop, board games on hand, good garden, friendly people, good vibes ❤️

Visited this pub for the odd pint while working away, found out they done food and the rest is history. Notably for me were the Chip Shop Tuesday offerings, tried it a few times and each time it was sublime. Compliments to the chef!! The food was fresh and well presented, the gravy served was off the scale good. I am hoping to visit again in the future, not being from the area. The staff were friendly and helpful. The pub has a nice courtyard garden which caught the afternoon sun. A good selection of nostalgic crisps and pick and mix is served behind the bar also, nice touch.

Friendly, helpful, cosy. Good mix of customers. Fun pub quiz on a Thursday, booking advisable.

This pub has a good selection of restaurants food they will order in for you.

An amazing place! Great food; great drinks; great vibe. So happy that it is my new local.

wow ~ that was the best roast I’ve had in a while (and it’s not just the g&t talking). it’s got everything you need ~ cheesy leeks, braised cabbage, luxurious gravy. it was immense🤩 catch me there every sunday🌞

Went here for their pub quiz and it was really well organized! You could also call or book a table ahead to participate

The pie is lovely and really well priced, the music is very good and the garden is lovely, great selection of drinks served by a very friendly staff

Waltzed in in search of supper on a Sunday evening after 19:00 and were greeted with a menu and the choice of pie, pizza or Thai. Good beer and ambience. Nice to see this pub doing well again.

Loved this place. Eclectic and lovely.

Great food and atmosphere. I go here from time to time and like the outdoor sitting. I’ve always liked it in here sometimes it takes a while to order a drink or food but its a pretty popular place so it’s understandable. Definitely recommend the Sunday menu (I’m vegan and the choices are great!).

Great little place with fantastic vegan options and a great atmosphere!

Such a great, quirky, friendly, homely pub. How can you not love pie, pint and board games.

Good crowd of peopel on the night we visited. Decent beer on the hand pumps but NO porter or stout or winter ales of any descrioption. That was disappointing. But friendly staff and a good crowd of people all enjoying themselves with some playing at board games and stuff. Bizarre decor though - seems to have been designed by a committee - no cohesive theme of any kind, like it couldn't make its mind up. But that's superficial I suppose although it makes it seem a little artificial.

Lovely little pub, you can order a pizza from here, and it's delivered from the pizza shop opposite

Fantastic midweek meet with friends . Pub warm and welcoming , staff obliging and friendly - made a delicious hot toddy for me . Pies are yummy . Pub full on a weeknight which says it all . Good neighbourhood venue

Very cosy and warm local pub, with an excellent selection of ales and lagers, beautiful people, nice food and many board games. I stopped by before a gig in the nearby concorde 2, but I will definitely go back soon and try more of it!

Friendly pub with a great selection of drinks behind the bar and great food – pies warmed up behind the bar, or Thai or pizza from local restaurants that will deliver to your table. Brilliant pub quiz on Thursday evenings.

Lovely friendly local - the kind of place that has kept some of its bar staff for years. Not as expensive as other pubs either and their beer is always well kept.

Came for Sunday roast, staff very friendly, nice quiet pub mix groups of people, roast is lovely but bit stingy on the roast potatoes beef is perfect done,

Cosy little pub, lovely Sunday roast. Nice thick gravy and pork belly cooked to perfection. Also really nice veg selection with it

Nice place. Good ale selection, huge beer garden and music at a sensible volume!

Relaxed, friendly local with great beers and outside space. Dog friendly too.

Nice pub, lovely people and will try again. This was my first visit and unfortunately had an issue where my roast got mixed up. It did not arrive while my partner finished hers before the food got cold. We couldn't wait any longer as we had somewhere else to be. I asked for a refund of my roast, all sorted.

Terrible service pub was empty (we were the only three there) and it took 15 mins to order 2 pies and mash and three drinks. Food was much worse than the service pies Luke warm, gravy tasted like chemicals. Worst £10 pie and mash I've ever tasted. Yes paid £20 for inedible food.

Lovely little dog friendly pub, water bowls provided. Very friendly staff with a relaxed feel. Lots of board games you can play with the family whilst waiting. We had the Sunday roast which was delicious, meat & vegan options, both very tasty.

Great Pints Very Rude Customers

Came along for their fish and chips Tuesday and it was an absolutely excellent meal! Super fresh, flaky fish, locally sourced, delicious homemade chips, mushy peas and tartare sauce - who could resist?! Big thanks to Claire and Phil for another lovely meal (also a big fan of their pork belly roasts)

Great characterful pub with decent food options. We visited this lovely pub with our dog on more than one occasion, the pub has a great vibe and decent beers. They have a great food option with the local Thai & pizza take away so you can order these & they are delivered to the pub. As well they offer pies and we had the fish and chips on Tuesday which was delicious, perfectly cooked haddock and home cooked chips with mushy peas which was excellent. Cannot fault the food, beer or the hospitality

A nice pub with a good vibe an reasonable prices

I love this pub, because it's so unspoilt. I used to be a regular over forty years ago when I first moved to Brighton and it hasn't changed at all

Lovely homely pub with nice staff. You can order in from Pizza face too which I love.

Warm welcome from friendly staff. Great food.

Lovely bloke behind the bar and a lovely beer garden. I had a pint of Staropramen which was... lovely.

Lovely staff and lovely atmosphere

Great atmosphere a little small when crowded

Lovely, friendly local. Nice outdoor space out back

Lovely little pub, where you can order delicious pizza or Thai and eat it in there. All v reasonably priced too.

Another banging roast at the Barley Mow! Claire and Phil absolutely never miss, their roasts are consistently the best in Brighton and have ruined me for other pubs. The Barley Mow is a lovely place to spend a Sunday afternoon, with super lovely staff and a nice garden to catch some sun! Don’t miss out!

Very good local pub. Staff friendly. Outdoor space when weather permits.