The Good Companions in Brighton and Hove

Popped into The Good Companions for lunch and have had lovely lunches before in here. We ordered a BLT and a 6 chicken wings at the bar along with a ginger beer for my friend and an apple juice for myself. We picked a table in the garden and were told our food would be coming. We sat down and sipped our drinks. There was a large crowd of people in, perhaps 12-15 at a nearby table. We waited 15-20 minutes and our food (pretty quick to rustle up you would think) still had not appeared. I enquired at the bar and was assured it wouldn't be long. About another 30 minutes passed by which time , our drinks were getting warm, the whole intention of drinking them with our meal wasn't much to hope for.We decided we had waited too long and besides our lunch hour was nearly over. We decided we would leave and pick up something from the co-op opposite so asked for a refund. We were told they would only refund us for the food not the drinks. We argued we had only had a few sips and wanted a full refund. We were told that " It's up to you how long it takes to drink your drinks" . We replied we wanted our drinks with our food. The woman at the bar said "I am sorry, but we had a big rush on." I said "Not my problem " .Long story short only refunded on food. However my complaint is that seeing we had waited so long, ended up walking away without food , out of a gesture of good will and good customer service the whole amount should have been refunded. No excuses, and we really were not treated like we were good customers. Will not be going there for lunch again which is a shame as we like this pub and the ambience and food in general. Just let down by poor customer service and the bar woman's attitude.

Lovely little pub good beer and great food.

Lovely garden and always buzzy local pub. Food is good as is the service with a nice pub quiz.

Very good food, good size portions for a good price. Customer service polite and efficient. I have been visiting this place on regular basis and I would recommend it to anyone.

Great as aways friendly staff.. Nachos first time I tried guaooo so good with a lot of cheese and sauces this time no much of everything. Great patio.

Staff not very interested in their customers 🙄

Absolutely despicable service! I had heard good things about them but what an absolute disapointment. I was charged twice for a roast, which was already over-priced at £27.30 for a roast and a drink. £13 for a kids roast which is extortionate. When I called to request the money back I was told if I didnt' come back in then I would not be refunded. The manager told me I was difficult and hung up the phone on me. I called back and she refused to give me her name and hung up the phone again. The general manager got in touch and said I had been abusive, which was not true at all, and still did not apologise for double charging me and said if I didn't come in they wouldn't refund me. I still have not been refunded. Worst service I have ever experienced.

Absolutely despicable service! I had heard good things about them but what an absolute disapointment. I was charged twice for a roast, which was already over-priced at £27.30 for a roast and a drink. £13 for a kids roast which is extortionate. When I called to request the money back I was told if I didnt' come back in then I would not be refunded. The manager told me I was difficult and hung up the phone on me. I called back and she refused to give me her name and hung up the phone again. The general manager got in touch and said I had been abusive, which was not true at all, and still did not apologise for double charging me and said if I didn't come in they wouldn't refund me. I still have not been refunded. Worst service I have ever experienced.

Great atmosphere in the bar, which also offers outside space with heated booths, has a busy student trade but don’t let that put you off ! excellent food available, the Southern fried chicken burger is 100% fresh cooked chicken breast , only criticism is the fries have a very spicy pepper on them which should be optional as not to everyone’s taste.

Still has good food suday roast amazing bur need to have cauliflowér cheeses Back on menu had to go the west hill tarvern sunday what are u like bring back the cauliflower cheese as eest hill was banging lol

It's nice enough and much improved from how it was years ago but is lacking in character. It has a vibe of a station pub I.e. a bit soulless.

I cant express how good the food is here! I had pig brisket mac and my partner a chicken basket and it was very very tasty! Epic portions too. My pals ordered nachos and it was a huge plate! Would reccomend this place on food alone. It was also great for us sober people as they had non alcoholic beer on tap which not many do, but I cant stress enough how nice it is not to drink a tiny can of non alcoholic beer while everyone else gets pints of drink for the same cost. Smoking garden is also really nice.

Guess we drank In here too by the looks of it , must be good. I have no memory of being thrown out and definitely came home well hydrated 😁

Bouncer is aggressive and intimidating to young women, seemed worryingly close to becoming violent. He even started making things up, either completely blinded by anger or had taken something. Would not recommend, did not feel safe.

Great boozer. Lots of space, and a great atmosphere. Music is usually on point too! Prices are quite high, but they do offer a local discount

Lovely pub, great outside area with heaters.

I tried the frickle pickles, it was very good

Great pub, the food was incredible, one of best nut roasts I've ever had and delicious as was the milled cider

Great spacious pub with quick service. Fave beer is the Tropicana IPA and love the garden in winter or summer.

Long wait for food but expected around this time of year. Great roast pork belly. Highly recommend if you fancy a casual, cosy sunday roast. Booking table is recommended.

NOT good for kids. Got complained at a Lot.

Excellent heated outside seating

Used to be good, these days it’s about rinsing you for all the ££££. 👎👎👎👎

Everything is perfect apart from the staff don't know how to smile and a smile goes a long way

Excellent value pub food & very tasty, some delightful IPAs & a young front of house team. Loved the decor as well. Will definitely return.

Would give 6 stars all around if possible

Brilliant service from a kiddie in here. A vast array of lovely drinks, and a fantastic beer garden with a big moveable roofy-thing if it lashes it down. Good stuff.

Fantastic Sunday roast, outside in their quirky garden with great heaters.

Didn't order food. Beer and service were great

Decent food, very nice smoking area in the garden at the rear, with decent heaters when it's cold. Friendly young barmaid. Good selection of lagers. Dog friendly. Worth stopping in for a pint and a bite to eat if you're in the area.

Lovely friendly pub with patio heaters and a covered beer patio.

Great pub and garden. Fabulous Roasts

Excellent Sunday roast, highly recommended.

Lovely pub but needs air con in the function room

Fab roast and really sweet bar staff

Amazing food, good atmosphere. Staff are quick and efficient.

Such a beautiful and big pub garden as well as plenty of seating out the front.

Lovely pub with an awesome beer garden. Service, food (good veggie options) all top class. Awesome setting. You honestly forget about the world outside. A gem of a pub.

One of the best pubs I’ve been to in ages. Went for a friends bday, they had a big part of the pub, but the food was great, staff lovely, great service and drinks, huge outside area. Wish I lived locally so I could Come again!

Sunday lunch is absolutely fantastic. Ate here whilst visiting Brighton, would highly recommend.

We celebrated our parents 65th wedding anniversary upstairs on Sat 19th Aug. The staff were fantastic, facilities lovely, especially the beer gardens front and rear, food was delicious and drinks were plentiful, never a long wait even when it was fairly busy. Thank you for a making our celebrations perfect.

Very busy yet staff friendly and patient sorting out our food order with kindness and good humour. Food very tasty the cauliflower nibbles and chicken burger really tasty. Belgian beer not bad either !

Great staff especially sonny, lovely pints and a good outdoor area.

Our go too local when visiting from Scotland

Love this pub, but regularly ignored by the staff so they can chat to each other instead

We ordered burgers thinking you can’t go wrong but sadly the meat tasted like it was in the turn. When we told the staff they said the kitchen is separate to them and they had nothing to do with it. We ate the burgers as it was post work hunger, but after a few mouthfuls we both had awful taste in our mouths and stopped eating. The ladies toilet looks like someone pooed all over it. I mean how much does it cost to replace a toilet seat. Would not eat their again.

What a fantastic pub! Great service, and a fantastic garden. We had a room booked upstairs for a friend's birthday which was awesome but I'll be back to hang out in the garden and chat to randoms!

Great food ,nice place, pleasant staff

Great pub. Used to drink here many moons 🌙 ago. Food great beer great prices fair. Staff great.... Went there today for a pint of larger was gobsmacked at the price 3 pints 9.70 each .won't be back to the pub again .gave my daughter 30 pounds to get a round came back with 65 pence in change

Nice pub garden with tons of space. Great beers on tap and friendly staff.

Amazing big seating area, baby friendly and big group friendly. Fried chicken blt foccacia is like the best thing i’ve ever eaten. 10 STARS

Love the outside area. The food was very good value

Used to be our go to spot for roasts but after 2 consecutive weeks of calling up to book, and being told there was no need, we have arrived and not been served. Will not bother in future.

Nice place with nice outside areas. Went at opening time for a bite to eat. Looked like an interesting range of ales, but unfortunately I wasn't in a position where I could try any. Next time...

Unfortunately they now have a new American style smokehouse kitchen with an unvaried menu, all very fried food or nachos. The one salad we ordered was allegedly a Caesar salad, a little gem lettuce cut in half with a few croutons and a poor imitation of Caesar dressing. The new menu is very disappointing after many years of very reliable food service, which catered so well for some many different diets, not sure where they’re catering for now but won’t be going back to eat until they improve the menu.

booked the upstairs room for a private party. nice space and staff were all great.

Lovely outdoor seating at front and back… great for summer, heated for evening and winter! Very welcoming staff and very quick on service. We didn’t eat but we will defo go back to - the roast looked amazing!

Lots of vegan beer choices including 4 casks in this smart pub with an insanely good / well designed external beer garden

Good selection of beers and ales. And an impressive garden. Sadly, the kitchen was closed but expected on a bank holiday after 6pm.

Good pub with decent choice of craft beers in Hove. Regular here when visiting can get busy and on sunny days gardens very popular.

Summer beer garden front and back. What more do you need

Saturday afternoon in the spring sunshine with a pint and really good food. Highly recommend the American burger. Wife and daughter shared nachos and quesadilla. Worth a visit

GC is a common favourite for me.. great service, brilliant seating.

Nice city centre pub with plenty of outside seating, unfortunately no parking space anywhere around

What an amazing pub this is, went here for a birthday and the energy in the evening was fantastic! Also very accommodating to birthdays and table bookings! Will probably do the same for mine in the near future!

Great pub! Fantastic outdoor area come rain or shine. On balance, prices are probably what you would expect for 7 Dials, just a shame they ran out of 8 y/o Barcardi and charged me the same for the 4 y/o. I suppose it was just good they had it, in fact the drinks selection is really wide.

Good food and quality beers "good music" The best pork belly roast in town 😋

Good atmosphere and good drinks

Never seems to have ribs available, poor bar staff service bad attitude the girls don’t really care, when you ask questions it’s always “ I don’t know! Can you find out? No“ chocking customer service.

A great pub in the 7 Dials area with a nice beer garden. We really enjoyed the food we had for dinner.

Spacious and cosy. Don't miss the beer garden at the back

Never tried before and spot on! Clearly a busy day for them and wasn't expecting miracles, but the roast was superb. Partner had lamb and I had the veggie. Both exceptional. Will return.

Great drink selection and good service

Best roast in Brighton, nice beer garden and big warm pub

A nice pub with a good beer garden, good alcoholic beer selection on draught but few non alcohol options for the non drinkers and £4.70 for a pint of tap lemonade!

Great roast dinner but the staff are awful and so rude! Having to wait for them all to get off their Instagram accounts and finish their lunch (think Tesco pasta salads) before sulking towards waiting customers. It’s a lovely place but it needs some structure in the management.

No food on this visit. Drinks only. Large selection of classics and alternatives. Plenty of seating and some cose knooks. Music was good. Garden very large and covered in the right places. A classic "Brighton" establishment

Great beers, good food, fine pub

Highly recommend the fried chicken burger! Outstanding. Don’t look at any other reviews. They are just grumpy losers.

First time going for lunch and what a great surprise this old pub is. Really friendly staff. Great aperol spritz!! Had lunch with friends. Vegan beyond burger and chicken burgers. Fries are fresh hot with a kick. The burgers were cooked perfect and we're juicy. My friend said the vegan burger was one of the best she'd ever had. Decent and normal prices. They have a room upstairs you can hire out which I didn't see but good to know. Outside space at the back and the front. Will be back.

Great food and staff -and a feeling of b4 the end of the world as we knew it Thx

Always friendly, quick, efficient service

Had a works Christmas meal here and I fully expected the service to be extremely slow due to the amount of people we were , but no, it was not too bad. The portions were big and presentation of food Beautiful. I was very impressed.

Shocking food everything tasted of salt. I can't belive this place charges what it does. Very frustrating as visually it looks great but this is down to who is cooking it as they clearly don't know how to cook.

Excellent. Fabulous outdoor space.

Great range of beers on tap. Close enough to Brighton station. Friendly staff and a large outside area.

Good large pub with a nice selection of beers. Large heated outdoor area and friendly staff

Nice pub, local pints, good garden with lots of space and heating.

A great pub with great staff... Can get busy at times and the only reason it's a 4 star is because our experience was slightly tainted by some unruly children. Overall a great place with an awesome vibe and has a very expensive area out the back which is sheltered and has many heaters. It's like being in the I'm a celeb Jungle!

A great local boozer. Lovely ambience, staff, seating indoors and out. 🍻👍

Very disappointing The lunch was of a poor standard . The manager was rude and unhelpful The beer tasted as if the pipes need cleaning They advertising showing the World Cup but turned it off after half time I do nor recommend this pup at all!!!!

Great atmosphere, amazing roasts and family/dog friendly.

Friendly welcoming staff, great atmosphere with music. Currently has a lovely mulled cider

Went with friends. A nice pub. Didn't try the food

Impromptu visit for a roast and not disappointed. I had the vege wellington and hubby the lamb and both were hot, tasty and plentiful. Good value and would definitely visit again as it’s so hard to find decent food these days even if you pay a fortune which this isn’t.

We had booked in for 3 adults and a child. We had 2 x belly pork and 1 x rolled lamb. The food arrived quickly and was piping hot and very tasty. There was plenty of food but on balance we all agreed we’d have liked a couple less potatoes and maybe another or more veg instead. The drinks were fine but the bottle of Malbec was a bit on the average size. If it works well for most then that’s ok especially as 2 of us weren’t regulars. If we visited more frequently we’d rather pay a bit more and have a better wine. The serving staff were all really friendly, helpful and very efficient. Plenty of staff too so no big queues at the bar. Look forward to returning again.

Nice pub in Seven Dials, the Sunday roast (chicken in the photo) was great - tasty and large portion, but there was almost an hour wait, in a very noisy and busy environment.

A brilliant garden come rain or shine and a huge pub that's great for gatherings.

Lovely pub with a number of all weather booths at the rear. No car park but plenty of on street parking. Good selection of beers and lovely food.

Nice pub good beer lovely staff x