The Cleveland Arms in Brighton and Hove

Nice family run pub friendly staff still feels like a local place to meet

Wonderful roast pork staff super friendly had a table for 10 everyone enjoyed their meal . So impressed booked for next week .

Very friendly local with great staff and good selection of beer and wines. Dog and child friendly, great outdoor seating when warm enough.

Fantastic local pub with great food and friendly atmosphere. Staff always willing to help, and not too pricey compared to some other pubs locally.

Recently had a great meal at The Cleveland with my wife & kids. Excellent, friendly service and the food was fantastic. I had the Mutton Curry (which is as every bit as good as the Dishoom equivalent) and my wife had the Blackened Sea Bream which she really enjoyed. The kids had burgers and at the end of the meal, all plates were empty! Location-wise you're right next to Blaker's Park too which is a good spot for the kids to burn off some energy! Highly Recommended

My cousin and I visited for Saturday lunch for our two monthly catch up and chinwag and thought we would try the Cleveland Arms as she had had successful Sunday lunches here. We were served by the ebullient Poppy, excited to be travelling to Greece to commence a new chapter in her life. We were asked about food allergies..a good thing. The starters we had were the Welsh Rarebit, it was tasty and well made adequate for a light lunch with a salad, the prawns in a garlic and chilli sauce were equally tasty. Then it went wrong. We ordered Bavette steak, it was very badly cooked from a very fibrous piece of beef flank. It should have been cross cut and tenderised by marinating and flattening, then cooked fast and rare, alternatively braised. Ours was as tough as old boots and placed in buttered bread to make a sandwich, no seasoning. It was inedible. We enjoyed the chips. We managed to get these disappointing meals at £18.50 each taken off the bill without any fuss and went on to enjoy desserts, cheesecake and sticky toffee. Pudding. Wine is expensive here £52 bought two bottles of white and red wine, the cheapest on the menu . Not overly impressed, this is a pleasant gastropub and ideal for a family meal to combine with a walk with your dog in the parks but it is a tad expensive and adding wine adds to your expense. Clearly they manage Sunday lunches well but should stick to what they know and avoid cuts of meat that are tricky to prepare!!

We were in town for pride. Served by Poppy who was professional/ chatty and knowledgeable. She’s an asset to the company! Thank you for making us feel so welcome B xx

Was served by poppy Such a lovely girl and very welcoming Came here for the first time and was instantly made at ease by her such a credit to your establishment

Another great evening at the Cleveland. Pints are always extra tasty there.

A family Sunday lunch at The Cleveland - which is a regular affair! However, we just have to put on record that this meal was outstanding! The roast belly of pork was acknowleged by two of us as the "best ever" - and the childrens' portions of roast beef were ideal for the some of the fairer sex, who have been overwhelmed by the regular size portions served to us blokes! (Some exclusive eating establishments will not serve childrens' portions to adults - so well done The Cleveland). The Cleveland Arms never disappoints - well done to management and staff!

Disappointing Sunday roast, I had eaten here during lockdown and it was awful but was a burger so decided July 2024 to try and roast as people had rated these better. Yuck and very expensive, I don’t mind paying the money if the quality matches but this was miles from acceptable. Dry old chicken, either overcooked or defrosted from frozen, they had attempted to compensate by throwing a bucket of gravy all over the plate. I always say a gravy boat indicates what will probably be a good meal, here they took the liberty for you. Veg was very limited and undercooked, 3 cubes of soggy and unseasoned potato. On the plus side I was asked twice if the meal was ok, so had I wanted to make a scene I was given the invitation. I definately won’t return here again, I’ve given it two goes now and both times it’s been frankly dreadful. Drinks were ok, but you can’t really f*** them up, but no sorry, this wasn’t very good at all.

Just been for a roast at the Cleveland arms. Delicious food and service was great. All staff very friendly. Will be back!

We have been going to the Cleveland on a Sunday evening occasionally for some sixteen years now, so this review is solely with regards to this evenings experience and not a reflection of many good evenings we've had there in the past. 1. The website says Sunday open 11am to 23:00. we know that this isn't the case. The website needs to state the actual closing time on Sunday. 2. This evening there were 10 customers at 21:30 when last orders were called. 3. At 21:40 there was an announcement that the pub is now closed, leave the building, we have paper cups if you want to take your drink with you. You can therefore understand the one star review for this evening.

Welcoming local pub with three ales on. Outside area overlooks the park. Well worth a visit.

Lovely pub, proper local with interesting, interested people! Didn't eat but many were and looked super. Really lovely Team, big smiles and engaging.

The hubby and I spent a very enjoyable Easter Sunday lunch here. We have been before and have always been impressed with the food and staff. Co owner Sarah really knows how to run a tight ship and made us both feel welcome and comfortable right away. The roasts were good value and in large portions. Extras such as a tasty cauliflower cheese and pigs in blankets were extra and not really needed. The cocktails are exemplary and they do a 241 offer on Thursdays from 5 and all day Saturday. The only let down was the crumble which, although tasty, was teeth breakingly rock hard on top and required extra custard (as offered by Sarah) to properly lubricate it. We will definitely return in the future. We just won’t have the crumble.

Fantastic Sunday lunch and great options for kids if they don’t eat roasts. Friendly, helpful staff and great atmosphere. Definitely be back

On visiting here which was highly recommended, I found the food OK at best, staff to busy to talk to you and slightly overpriced but ok

Excellent service, food is great. It can get busy and somewhat noisy but we sit outside where staff still come to ensure we have all we need

Love this pub! Cosy, relaxed, friendly staff. Great drinks and atmosphere. Cosy log burner when it's cold & some outside space when it's warm. Food is delicious, have never been let down. Dog friendly & glad to have this as our local!

Amazing service and Sunday roasts, a must visit!

Only went for a drink nice evening

The roasts at the Cleveland Arms are consistently fantastic, with generous portions and delicious flavors. The staff are friendly and create a welcoming atmosphere, although it can get a bit noisy. Booking in advance is essential due to its popularity. Highly recommended!

Good enough food if you like burgers etc. Good beer. Friendly bar staff.

As an asthma sufferer I was totally shocked that people were vaping in both the bar and the restaurant. Totally ruined my meal. Had to ask for a dog to be removed from the restaurant area after it's owners placed a load of dog biscuits on table.

what an absolute delight of an old fashioned real ale pub the staff are absolutely fantastic perfect pints poured Great atmosphere and dog friendly which is a brilliant touch for us dog owner's after a long walk around the local portsunlight village all round Great pub 🍻

Best and most reasonable roast dinner I’ve had for ages. The Yorkshire puddings were amazing. I’m not a veggie but I had the veggie wellington and it was delicious.

Went here for a Sunday roast after doing a quick search online, and we weren't disappointed. A really friendly, welcoming pub. The roast was really nice. I had the pork belly, and my wife had the beef, very tasty. Would definitely recommend, and we will be coming back

Friendly & fantastic atmosphere. Feel privileged to call this our local. 🙂

One of the best roasts I've had in Brighton. Highly recommended and I'll definitely be coming back again! 😁

Short time allotted at table. Food was overcooked and had little taste. Service was excellent. Staff friendly and obliging.

One of my favourite pubs in Brighton. Great service, food and delicious Harvey’s. .

Lovely local pub with friendly staff and great food in a great location. What’s not to like!

i’ve posted quite a few reviews of roast dinners in brighton, all i stand by. however can i just say that i’ve had one of the best i’ve ever had at the cleveland. service impeccable and let’s be clear it’s new year’s eve and emma was top drawer,this crew have probably been working all over Christmas and it’s superb. so let’s talk about the food…. went straight in with the roast beef, great price hands down. had a side of cauliflower cheese and pigs in blankets. how did i clear my plate, because im greedy, taking the rest of cauli cheese and pigs home to gorge on later… come here again for a roast ? god yes yes yes… now a lie down. incredible

Amazing staff!! So accommodating and efficient!! Food very good-we all cleaned our plates. Wine excellent!!

Fabulous food great atmosphere

Booked our work Christmas lunch. Really helpful staff right from the start.. very accommodating with different dietary requirements. There were 20 of us and the meal was great. Lovely atmosphere.. would definitely recommend..

10/10 would recommend, amazing dinning experience and the food was delicious!

Ooh la La……what a gem Staying close by in an air bnb and noted that this pub had a high google map rating. So went and had the fish pie and wow delicious…lovely pub, friendly staff and so overall great. Try it if staying nearby 🥳

Went to try their Sunday Roasts. The food was very tasty, but unfortunately the vegetables came out cold. The staff and service was amazing though, and it was sorted quickly. They have a lovely conservatory, but it feels like they've squeezed one table too many out there, and it feels you're a little on top of each other, especially if people keep heading up and down to the bar/toilet.

Top notch roast. Relaxed dining. Great Bev's and lovely service

Excellent Sunday Roast and a very decent bottle of house red. Definitely would recommend it to others.

Great local cozy pub. What more could you want?

We went there because we heard that the sunday roast was good, and we ended up with a really great meal! Both the chicken and the beef were excellent. The staff were very helpful, super friendly and service oriented. They made us feel so welcome. We will come back the next time we are in Brighton, and we strongly recommend.

Lovely Sunday lunch today for my family of 6 ( and 2 dogs!) Attentive staff......the owner was quick to offer my dogs a treat and also some meat scraps from the kitchen. Bubbly waitresses. Enjoyed a lovely 'bloody Mary', very spicy! My food wasn't quite hot enough but that was quickly rectified. Lovely Sunday out Forgot to 'tip.!' Sorry . But hopefully this review will make up for my bad manners! X

A great pub, just near the park. Lovely outside area as well.

Popped in with my wife on Saturday for a pint. Went to the bar with just the one person being served and two bar staff. We stood almost right in front of one of them and we were completely ignored. When someone else stood next to us, they were served immediately. Was it something to do with us being a mixed couple? Who knows, but there were no other people of colour to be seen in the place. We left and went to the Preston Park Tavern, which as always had great service and a much better atmosphere!

Beer lovely, cider lovely but thought cheesy chips too fat and perhaps slightly undercooked as not crispy but rather sad. Tasted OK but could have done with being crispier in places. Pub still definitely worth a visit for drinks and food.

The roasts here rocked my world!

Really nice pub. Good food Really lovely staff . They were fantastic with my mischievous mother in law.

Took my brother here for a roast dinner treat as he is visiting Brighton. As always the Cleveland was just great. Brilliant service from the moment I went to the pub to discuss my brothers needs ( he finds crowds tricky ). Sarah was so understanding and obliging. From the moment we arrived everything was t just absolutely perfect. It had been a busy day as World Cup but there was plenty of staff at the pub, tables clean and food arrived quickly. Excellent Customer and always with a smile. The outside tables are great. My brother had roast lamb and for the first time for a long time I witnessed him enthusiastically eating everything on his plate . He then proclaimed it was the best lamb he had ever tasted and even better than my late mother used to make ! This is praise indeed ! My sister and I had the veggie roast which again was perfect - great selection of delicious vegetables including roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding and lovely gravy (veggie gravy is often crap !) The veggie roast was just right and again often a veggie roast is dry this one wasn't. As always the Harveys and Hop Head was spot on Many thanks to you all

This pub is a gem! The welcome is warm; the atmosphere is buzzing; it’s great for families, couples, friends. They do yummy food, but… the thing that lets them down is the Yorkshire pudding served with Sunday roasts. I’ve eaten a roast at the Cleveland on a few occasions and every time the Yorkie is spongy and leathery, not crisp. I’m from the north of England and I know what a good Yorkie is meant to be and spongy is not it. So I can only give a for out of five rating - everything else is fantastic!

Amazing place with amazing food, service and atmosphere for the Neighbouhod.

Loved it. Really friendly and a perfect mix of traditional pub and updated, but casual, decor. The menu offered a lot of choices and the British Cheese & Charcuterie Board was probably the best one I’ve had in three countries and five years. ❤️ Highly recommend.

We ended our Brighton trip with a roast at this pub and it did not disappoint! Absolutely fantastic and so quick. The staff were all very welcoming - we would visit again if ever in Brighton.

This was a pre-booked meal for a group Christmas meal. We had already chosen our 3 courses in advance. Because of Covid there were cancellations but we had a large table (for 7) in an extension and the window was kept open. Staff wore masks and it felt as safe as possible with space around us. The food was good except for Christmas pudding which was dry. Staff were attentive and friendly. We will return once restrictions are lifted to check out their a la carte menu, which looks delicious.

Excellent Sunday roast! Lovely pub with great service and delicious Sunday roast! Definitely recommend and will be visiting again!

Sort of a local for me. Great pub! Great location next to Blakers Park. The food is good with the roasts being particularly nice on a Sunday (advise to book in advance), quite pricey but one of the better value pubs. Wide array of indoor and outdoor seating. Good choice of drinks and friendly staff. More family friendly given its location next to a park and in a busy school catchment area but can also accommodate those having a few post work bevs when the suns out. Can get very busy with kids and dogs dashing about at weekends but I always enjoy coming here.

One of our local pubs, independent, family owned and operated. Was our first visit for a while and they have a new small plates menu on offer which we are told is be be changing regularly. It was refreshing to have a lighter alternative to the usual list of pub fare albeit with enough familiarity to keep punters happy. We had a few dishes, a special on the list of local mortadella ham was probably my favourite along with the toasted fig bread and cultured butter to go with the cheeses. Totally loved the king prawns too. The pub has a good drinks selection. It is modern and bright as well as incredibly welcoming. Lots of quality outdoor seating. With the promise of a changing menu of this quality there is every reason to keep climbing up that hill to The Cleveland.

3 adults and our small dog visited for Sunday lunch. We sat outside in one of the booths which were great. Service was super quick and friendly. The roasts and sides were tasty - generous portions. There was one minor issue with one of our meals which was dealt with efficiently without any fuss. Desserts were amazing too! Highly recommended.

Had family in town and thought we’d try somewhere new. Booked last minute, and was impressed that we received a confirmation within an hour or so. The pub itself is really nice, however the service was pretty disappointing - we had a drinks order taken but no one came back to take our food order (we waited and gave up and just ordered at the bar). It then took at least 45mins for food to arrive and we had a very hungry and irritable toddler at the table. I had to chase the food up at the bar (while ordering drinks as ours had run out) and it arrived a few minutes later. The food itself was mixed. The meat on our roasts (lamb and beef) was delicious, but the potatoes were very hard on the outside and the yorkie was a bit dark and dusty. Our family ordered a cheese deli board and a meat deli board and we were shocked at how meagre they were given they cost about £17 each(!!). A bit stressful trying to entertain a hungry toddler for over an hour and embarrassing for us taking our family there. In the end after being there a little over 2 hours we had to rush the end of our meal as our parking had expired. Totally understand places can get busy but a ‘table service when we’re not overwhelmed but bar service when we are’ doesn’t work, especially when staff were often stood around the bar and could have checked in on tables to get more drinks in or communicate about the delay. With so many good roasts in Brighton, we won’t be bothering to come back as good service if possible elsewhere when fully booked and busy.

Excellent roast dinner. We increased our party from 10 to 14 people at the last minute and everything went smoothly

Delicious food, but SO slow! Even on a pretty quiet weeknight it took an hour for 4 burgers to arrive.

We love finding the best places to go in Brighton and Hove for a Sunday roast and we think we have found the best! Not only is the Cleveland a beautiful pub in a great location with great service, but also serves exceptional food and drink. I had the vegetarian wellington (also has vegan options) and my husband had the beef. There was also chicken, lamb and pork options too- so plenty of choice. As you will see from the photographs the quality of the food and portion size is incredible- very good value for money. The best yorkies, potatoes and overall taste we have experienced. Finished off by a yummy pear and apple crumble. We will be returning with our friends and family!

Good food friendly atmosphere great staff.

This pub is a gem! The welcome is warm; the atmosphere is buzzing; it’s great for families, couples, friends. They do yummy food, but… the thing that lets them down is the Yorkshire pudding served with Sunday roasts. I’ve eaten a roast at the Cleveland on a few occasions and every time the Yorkie is spongy and leathery, not crisp. I’m from the north of England and I know what a good Yorkie is meant to be and spongy is not it. So I can only give a for out of five rating - everything else is fantastic!

Had fish and chips. Tasted OK, but only 5 chips, two tiny portions of fish - each about 1 and 1/2 inches by 3 inches in size - a big smear of tartare sauce across the plate and the tiniest dish of 'mushy peas' - about 1 and 1/2 inches across - I've ever seen. It wasn't even a kids-size portion. If they were running low they should have said so when we ordered. Not good value at all.....

Fish and chips as I've never known it! Two bits of fish roughly the size (each) of a fish finger, five medium size chips - both shoved to one side of the plate, a large smear of tartare sauce across the plate and the tiniest dish - about an inch and a half across and half an inch deep - of 'mushy peas' which tasted more like a few frozen peas that had been put in a processor. It was just about enough for a kid.

Fantastic little pub with inside and outside seating. A nice selection of drinks and high-quality food. Right next to blakers Park, which offers a lovely view when you have a drink outside. There's a covered area in the back with heating if it's cold. The staff and owners are lovely and are more than accommodating.

We called into this fantastic pub last Sunday (8 post- hen-weekend girls in need of sustenance). We had not booked but were so warmly greeted and accommodated - the staff went out of their way to find a table for us. The food was absolutely delicious and arrived so quickly! We cannot fault this place. Highly recommended.

We had just been for a hen weekend and needed some grub before heading back home , we turned up without booking and the super kind man let us in for a hour and a half to enjoy the best roast ever!!! We all got different meats but we’re all extremely happy. The staff were so friendly and everything was clean and cosy! Shame we live so far away otherwise we’d be regulars!!! X

Very friendly and accomadating staff! Lovely pub and delishous food!

We had the best evening. The atmosphere was lovely. The food we had was delicious , we didn't have to wait long despite the pub being busy. The men who were serving were so polite, smiley and just lovely. We shall be returning soon. Thank you ! .

Cannot fault The Cleveland arms if i try. Great food, wonderful service, great selection of drink. Cannot wait to return.

The food is absolutely delicious here, had the Sunday roast and all of our group thoroughly enjoyed it. The staff are incredibly friendly which made our visit even more enjoyable.

I’m blessed to have this pub as my local and often visit for drinks. I’ve not eaten for a few years so was delighted when my Aunty said she’d like to go there for her 90th birthday. From booking the lunch to leaving the pub, I cannot find fault. Sarah and her team offer exemplary service. We were looked after and my Aunty said she was made to feel like royalty. Nothing was too much trouble. There were 15 of us, all having starters and a main course. Not a crumb was left. Every person said the food was top restaurant standard. They offer a varied menu with pub classics and other options. My son was wowed by the venison stew! There were also some specials- my uncle had ribs and said they were the best he’d ever had. They offer a great children’s menu as well. Obviously being a pub, the there is a huge selection of wines and beers. We had some Ridgeview for a toast which was divine and reasonably priced. I cannot find fault and will make sure I eat there more often!

Sunday Roast was delicious, friendly and helpful staff and a great atmosphere. We will defiantly be going back as it was also very popular with our kids!

Always good. Friendly staff, prime position on the corner by the park and really really tasty food. Great place to hang out and in the summer the outdoor seating is perfect. The venison stew is some of the best comfort food you'll ever have! It's divine!

I’m half Chinese and this place is really good. Get the hot noodles with the slow cooked pork, and the pork belly bun. Friendly service too on a cold, quiet autumn afternoon

Wanted deep fried chicken but it wasn't on the menu so I had the dahl rice box and it was quite yummy and nice

Very tasty pork buns with chilli sauce, and vegan noodle dish. Ideal pick me up between a Graduation and dinner !

We used the venue for my grandmother's wake and we were looked after really well, polite staff and they put on a great spread for us as well!

We found this pub as it was recommended for being dog friendly. We booked late but they found us a table with our dog! Very friendly welcome, the menu was excellent & there were a good range of drinks. All the food we ordered came hot & well served. The staff were all faultless & made sure we were well looked after all evening. The pub had a great “local” atmosphere & we were made to feel very welcome. It was a nice surprise to find a gem like this when visiting Brighton.

For a long time, I we had heard great things of The Cleveland, but had not visited, so when friends wanted to come to Brighton for lunch, we decided the Cleveland was the place to go. Sadly our experience was not a happy one which prompted me to make a pretty fierce complaint. I did not expect a response. How wrong could I be? Sarah answered my email almost immediately explaining why we had an unfortunate experience, apologised on behalf of her staff and offered us a complimentary Sunday lunch. In my experience, this kind of professional and appropriate response is very rare. We recently took up her offer. We were welcomed as soon as we entered, shown to a very pleasant table and immediately offered drinks, which arrived in timely fashion. We both chose Pork Belly for our lunch and were more than satisfied. Our plates were generously loaded with a variety of vegetables, roast potatoes, a Yorkshire pudding and excellent quality pork. . We declined a dessert because the main course had more than sated our appetites but the menu was varied and tempting. The pub was packed with people of all ages; looking around, it was clear that we were not the only ones entirely satisfied with lunch. I have no hesitation in recommending the Cleveland as THE place to take Sunday lunch if you are in the Fiveways area of Brighton.

I visited the Cleveland last night with friends. It’s a busy bustling vibrant pub with friendly helpful staff and great beers. We had the most delicious fish and chips with home made tartare sauce. All very fresh and beautifully cooked. Will definitely be going back for more!

Great food, lovely setting and friendly staff

This pub is the Best local ever - I can’t believe you ran after me when I forgot my phone- thank you soo much - - you are all fab xx

Another enjoyable Christmas Meal at the Cleveland. Top quality food, excellent staff and a good selection of beers. Service excellent and a good atmosphere.

This is a very friendly pub with great staff. This was a group of us having the festive menu. Food was great and plentiful. Service friendly and efficient. Have eaten here before and always happy to return.

Great pub with good food and very friendly atmosphere

My family and I have visited this pub on several occasions and I have to say the staff really are amazing. They make you feel so welcomed and go out of there way to ensure you’re happy. It’s so cosy with a friendly atmosphere. They have outside patio heaters and a lovely outdoor space which is even nice in the winter. I couldn’t recommend this place enough!

Great pub - Atmosphere, beer, food all 10/10 You won’t regret a visit. Best pub in 5 ways by a country mile. The staff are very friendly and the service is fantastic. You won’t regret going there for a beer or a great meal.

Had to try this place after reading they have Best roasts in town - and have to agree they’re not wrong. Our food was delicious, and the efficient service was impressive even tho the pub was packed. They fitted us in after a last min booking, and we felt extremely looked after and welcomed by the staff. It’s a very friendly, cosy pub, felt relaxed as soon as we sat down and best of all its really dog friendly too. Bit like being in someone’s home! 💯 going back again.

Sunday roast was top class. The lamb shoulder fell apart. Perfectly cooked veg, proper gravy and topped with a crunchy Yorkshire pudding. Chocolate browny was yummy too. A great feel to the place and would definitely recommend.

Nice clean pub. Beer selection is ok. Pretty nice overall. Solid roast on a sunday

Had my daughter’s wedding celebration here. For about 40 people, the buffet food (all veggie) was superb. The staff were lovely and the venue was perfect 🤩 we highly recommend this place for a small events.

Tasty Sunday roast with giant Yorkshire puds!

Great looking pub but the food was bland

Visited with family for a 70th birthday. Although the food quality was good and the service reasonable, the cost was high and the portions were tiny. After choosing two separate dishes and having pudding, we all went away hungry. Unimpressed.

One of the hidden gems of pubs in brighton with a great range of beers and the Sunday lunch is one of the best in the area in the back streets