The Joker in Brighton and Hove

Firstly I will point out that I have been in here a few times over the years for drinks and previously very much enjoyed it. But last night I paid a visit and it was an absolute joke. The whole visit was just full of disasters. I arrived early for our booking (15 minutes), which I booked well in advance (maybe a month or longer ago) for two people. I was told that they were so busy and therefore we would have to sit on the Terrace. On a cold evening in October. As if we were going to do that. So therefore we squeezed onto a tiny table by the pool table, not really suitable for two people to eat at, but what choice did we have. The pub was busy and there seemed to be a pumpkin carving event on which was an charge extra. As we hadn't booked this 'extra' I can only imagine they gave our table away to someone who was eating and carving, and therefore paying more, and our booking ignored out of greed. I politely questioned if our table had been given away and the guy was addemant it hadn't. Even though we booked so so so long ago, yet there was no suitable table for us. Kind of pointless booking. Once my friend arrived I went down to the bar to order the food. I did the food order in two separate transactions. The first transaction went through, and she gave me a pager for when the food was ready (1x wings). I then paid for the second lot of food (1 x wings and potato tots) and was given a second pager, and the bar girl walked away. I then looked down at the 2nd pager she had given me and noticed it was falling apart and wasn't lit up at all. So I caught the bar lady's attention and asked her to confirm it was working. She looked at it said it was broken (then why did she give it to me!). And then said she would put both the orders on the first pager, and took the broken one off me. Later on when the pager went off I went to collect the food. They tried to give me a tray with a burger and 2 x loaded curly fries. I said that isn't mine and told them what I ordered. They said that for the first lot of wings ordered that there was an order ready the same that no one had collected and therfore they must be ours. And they said that the second lot of wings and tatter tots would be a 2 minute wait. There was no point in me going back upstairs to the pool room as by the time I got there it would be time to come back, being sat so far away, so I stood and waited for the rest of the food. Once I had the food I then returned to my friend and our seats upstairs. I was then followed by the same bar lady that gave me the broken pager, and messed up the order (lady in red dungarees and hair in plaits for halloween). She appeared with the tray i was originally offered with the burger and 2 x curly fries on it. She said these are yours too. We politely said no they aren't. She responded with 'you ordered in two transactions and you also ordered this'. Again I said I didn't not. I told her how much we had paid in the 2 x transactions which added up to the food that I had collected (2 x wings and tatter tots). But at this point it turned really weird. The bar lady got angry and raised her voice and basically shouted at me saying that we did order them, and who's are they if they arnt ours, whilst still shouting. It was so bizarre. Never have I been shouted at that in a hospitality environment before for someone else's error. She then stormed off and that was that. So strange. ( @ the joker I'm sure you can view it on the cctv of the pool room if you wanted to see this bizarre incident) Anyway we ate our wings, which were very tasty and made the most of the rest of our evening. But I won't be rushing back here again anytime soon, which is a shame as Ive always enjoyed it in the past.. Seems their staff need a little customer service training, as we did not appreciate the way we were treated.

Booked The Joker upstairs Cocktail Lounge for a Fresher's Week mixer event with 40 staff and students at a local University. Organisers were very communicative. Staff on the night were fantastic, super helpful. Venue is central and easy to find. Room is very atmospheric. Everything worked very well. Strong recommend.

Great food , friendly customer service 👌

Wings and loaded fries are always top notch

Cool bar with cocktails and a history. Lovely roof terrace and pool table

We hired the venue upstairs and it was so cosy and beautiful. The cocktail bar was beautiful and adjoining games room was perfect for our works do. The staff were really friendly and interactive, food was delicious!

Thank you for hosting the most amazing 44th birthday for my best friend - the food is out of this world - Joe & your staff went above & beyond to ensure we had the best time 10/10 5* we will allways come back - best venue in Brighton

The lost boys kitchen which is the pop up kitchen within the joker pub. Makes this pub! The food is amazing, we travel pretty far to come here monthly for the food. The atmosphere is nice and in a nice part of Brighton. The staff are always friendly.

We hired the cocktail bar upstairs at The Joker for our wedding party and had the best night! The service from booking the venue to the service provided by Joe the barman on the night was superb. He single handedly looked after all my guests (around 40) and did the best job!! What a great guy, thanks Joe. Nothing was to much trouble, the team were happy for us to bring all our own party food and cake an store in the cool room. And no rush to collect our bits the next day. We wldnt hesitate to book this venue again.

great drinks especially the wine menu, bit expensive but worth it

We hosted our pre-wedding function upstairs here last Saturday before our wedding on the Sunday (bit of an ice breaker for guests), and it couldn't have gone any better. Fantastic service throughout the booking process and on the day (massive thank you to Selina and Joe who were superheroes!), great food and a great venue!

We hosted our pre-wedding function upstairs here last Saturday before our wedding on the Sunday (bit of an ice breaker for guests), and it couldn't have gone any better. Fantastic service throughout the booking process and on the day (massive thank you to Selina and Joe who were superheroes!), great food and a great venue!

Lovely staff food and drinks except for one staff member who was really rude hence the 1 star

Great location, amazing staff, yummy food! 10/10! Fav pub in Brighton 🫶🏼

Great lot to work with 🫶🏼🌸 everyone’s super friendly!

Put on a lot of effort for Brighton Pride 2024 Pub brightly-coloured decoration, staff well decored too, great service

Lovely place, lots of space and the terrace is so pretty! My nieces welcome to the world was held here, staff were brilliant! Thank you.

I was lucky enough to win an Instagram competition run by The Joker. We enjoyed a round of Summer Berry Spritz cocktails on the Roof Terrace along with some olives. We stayed for another drink as we were enjoying the atmosphere so much. Though I don’t live in Brighton, we usually visit The Joker every time we visit. The staff are friendly, the food is great and there are always new and interesting drinks on offer. I tried orange wine after my cocktail and that was delicious. Can’t wait to return!

Love this place! Unreal food, the best drinks & great atmosphere. Staff are amazing especially Connor. Can’t wait to come back again! 10/10 5+*****

Cannot fault this venue at all! I had my babies party there and everyone went absolutely above and beyond to make it so perfect and special! Staff are great, especially Connor, the atmosphere and vibe was just spot on too! Will be looking to use again for future occasions and will deffo be returning for a drink and food!

well worth a visit for 🎉WING WEDNESDAY🎉 via The Lost Boys Kitchen 🍗 you are warned of a long wait due to high demand but me and my fiancé made a fun game out of “is this ours.. ooohhhh is this ours” and cheered ecstatically when our food was finally ready 🍟 the sauces and flavours are just incredible and definitely worth the wait (although for next time we know to book earlier so we can eat earlier) - will be back and am always recommending to friends !!

Great wings although the no name sauce is quite hot! Good beer too.

We recently hired the cocktail bar upstairs for a private party and had such a brilliant evening. The party room is beautiful with large windows cascading around the room and has an adjoining games room and roof terrace. The person handling events bookings (Margot) was absolutely fantastic in helping to organise the evening - so informative and helpful with event queries. On the night, Joe did an exceptional job in looking after us all evening. From prepping our pre-ordered welcome cocktails, keeping our playlist at the perfect volume and generally adding to the great party vibe. He was brilliant! Overall, an exceptional venue for hosting a great party! Wish we could do it all again..

Popped in here first time before walking on. Staff seemed friendly until I saw the bartender pouring cheaper absolute vodka into a more expensive bottle. Absolute disgrace. WILL NEVER STEP IN HERE EVER AGAIN. *Didn't order food had to give a rating.

Nice venue, not enough staff and frustrating queue system. Only one small area at the bar to order drinks/food/find out where reserved table was.... when our food finally arrived they missed out our wings from the order and these never arrived. Poor service. Will not be returning. In response to your below comment - Thank you for your response and for following up, unfortunately this was 100% our experience last Saturday. Thank you for offering to have us back.

Everyone but us got served with food, dysfunctional kitchen / ordering system.

Lost boys at the joker used to be amazing. Much more reasonably priced. I balked when I saw that they’re charging £12.50 for regular wings and £6 for some potato! And with that, the quality has gone down too. They also need to work on their takeaway orders - I got takeaway from there Friday and it took half an hour which is frustrating as they deliberately don’t take orders over the phone but I wasted my time at the pub waiting for it. I’d have thought they’d prioritise the takeaway order than the in store ones but they clearly didn’t which is a shame.

Great experience and proper luv🫶🫶🫶👊👊

A nice location but I found the music was way too loud. The place was deserted except for a few other couples. We drank up and went somewhere where we didn't have to shout to be heard.

Excellent pub and vibe to watch the euros!

This drink varies Day to Day. On this occasion it tastes no more than soda water, even after stirring. This venue is normally very good, but this today has really let them down. Hopefully this was just a one off.

Reserved space on the roof terrace for an 18th birthday celebration on Saturday afternoon. Great location, atmosphere and staff. Will definately be visiting again.

Amazing upstairs venue space! Staff were so helpful & kind. Great place!

Cool pub, delicious food, super friendly & helpful staff, will be back.

Really good wings and a variety of sauces, ranging from sweet to really spicy. Good place if you wanna challenge yourself with some hot and spicy wings.

We had our ‘Happily Ever After Party’ at The Joker on Saturday after our Vow Renewal and it was fabulous. Joe & Sam couldn’t have been more accommodating. The space is lovely, wouldn’t change a thing Thank you 🫶

Large group of work colleagues came here. Enjoyed few drinks and wings with curly fries. Good service. Roof terrace is a hidden gem :-)

Had our birthday party here, Joe and all the staff couldn’t have been more amazing! Such a beautiful space upstairs with a brilliant vibe. Would definitely recommend <3333

Friendly staff and great atmosphere. We went on Wednesday wing night and the chicken wings were out of this world! Highly recommended and we’ll be back when visiting Brighton.

Lost boys for last 9 years for my husband’s birthday!! Bar staff lovely and Duke of York discount appreciated.

I am not a fan of beeping pagers when they make you come pick the food when ready, especially when it's 2 floors down (how it felt to me that going about half way down from terrace to 1st floor than to ground ) to order, and then go pick up. You see bits all around the place trying to cut costs, which is a shame when prices are on higher end of the scale. They have recently refurbished the roof terrace, so guess they have to make money from something... P.S. After their reply to my review : "... also they can't handle criticism, so they go hostile on their reply calling you untruthful, basicly a 'Liar', on a honest mistake that it felt to me 2 floors going down whereas it was actually 1 floor but a long way through tables and stuff to carry food and drinks , as I am not used to do so... "

I had my 40th party at The Joker in the cocktail bar upstairs and I wouldn't change a thing! Communication before was excellent, the space was perfect and we could decorate and I had the best night. Highly recommend!

Terrible Guinness, nice garden though

Favourite pub in Brighton. The staff are lovely. The drinks, especially cocktails, are great, and delicious food.

We had our wedding reception in the cocktail room of The Joker and the whole night was exceptional from start to finish. From first contact when requesting the space to settling the bill at the end of the night the whole experience was quick, efficient and simple. It took all stress out of what could have been an extremely stressful time. The day itself went off without a hitch and the staff made us feel special from start to finish so a huge thanks to everyone involved. I couldn’t recommend highly enough! Thank you again!

Went for a private party in the function room really taken care of by Selena

Nice pub, food is ridiculously overpriced. £10 for some budget curly fries with some spring onions and sauce on. Atmosphere is great would recommend for a drink but do not eat here.

The upstairs outside garden area thingy, more well known as a roof terrace, is so damn cute.

Great vibe in here, great people, good energy and diverse crowd.

Great food .relaxing. nice seating ..best food ever

Shannon was an amazing bartender and made me want to come back many times. Her presence was palpable!

Drinks are way too expensive, wings are redeeming however. A nice busy pub overall.

Great food, lovely place, great location

Best rooftop beer garden in Brighton

We hired the upstairs at the Joker for a work event. The experience right from the start was fantastic, with the event staff being super helpful at all times. On the night the staff were amazing, with nothing being too much trouble, along with the fantastic food!!! Special mention to Joe who looked after us on the night, who made everything so relaxed for us!! Thank you, and we will definitely be booking again for future events.

The staff are amazing, as they could suggest a drink that I wouldn't have gone for. Next time I'm in this area, I'll head here!

One of my locals, great little pub has good food especially if you like chicken 🐔 does also have live music in the week which can be cool 😎

Big trendy but welcoming pub. Lots of seating options with a roof terrace with pool & darts. We went on wing Wednesday & it was heaving but we easily found 2 bar seats. Not your traditional cheap wing Weds - 241 on regular portions which are £12.50 each. Delicious curly fries but again, felt expensive for £3.50 a portion when you know they are probably made much cheaper than that cost. All tasty though & loads of flavours to choose from! Hard when there's only 2 of you and it's probably 7/8 wings per portion! Took a little whole due to how busy it was. Would deffo go back.

I have been to the Joker many times and have never been disappointed with the service or the food/drinks. I would highly recommend.

I had my birthday party here - the staff were so easy with booking the ro and I didn’t have to worry about anything. Particularly impressed with Maddy for providing great service and helping us make sure food arrived in time! Will recommend

Foods great as ever, wings 😚🔥 dirty fries 🤤 only knocked a star off because the Erdinger is not quite up to scratch, that is most unsatisfactory, otherwise Wunderbar! Great Place 👌🏻 Back again 30-12-23 The Erdinger is Wunderbar

I booked an area in The Joker for work birthday drinks for about 25 people. I spoke with the team on the phone who was really helpful with booking the right kind of space for the vibe we wanted, and it ended up perfect. Everyone was complimenting the choice of venue, and everyone had such a great time. Everyone ate the amazing Lost Boys food as and when, and the bar staff were friendly, attentive and efficient for our drinks orders. Special shout out to Connor and Charlotte who were super nice albeit being incredibly busy. It’s rare to find bar staff who can handle the stress and pressure of a busy pub but still be friendly!! 100% would recommend to anyone looking for a fun night out! Especially if booking for a large group :) great night out had all round!

Extremely rude staff member who was drunk and shouting at us to leave half an hour before they close, threatened to get the bouncers on us who did not exist as it was a Sunday, stood over us while we put our coats on and then proceeded to follow us out to greet his friends who were waiting outside which explains his passiveness, a real shame as I only live over the road and visit this pub regularly.

So disappointed with the food , chicken burger was so deep fried there was no chicken , price of a small glass of wine £13.50 and the bar man asked for a tip !!

The staff were amazing, I hired the cocktail lounge for my birthday and everything was perfect. Thank you to all the bar staff!

1st time at The Joker! What I expect from a good pub. Decent selection of beers (although I am not a drinker), including their own brew. Comfortable and vibey. We were lucky to get a table as they had all been booked! So clearly a popular choice

I hired out the cocktail lounge and games room for my 50th birthday party and it was brilliant! The space was perfect. Joe and his team were excellent. Joe was so helpful and helped make the evening flow, with great communication and smiles throughout. A truly memorable night!

Spit'n'sawdust affair. Food ok, as long as it's deep fried.

Loved the open fire on such a cold and wet day and the chicken wings were out of this world good as alway, go for Rufio sauce - it’s amazing! Lovely place to meet up and fabulous food!

Cosy spot for a meet up with friends before moving on to a restaurant. Nice lighting fire. Good beer...especially the Joker real ale. Plenty of seating. I didn't try the food on this visit but it looked good from what I saw folks order.

Margot and the Team hosted a wonderful surprise birthday party up in the cocktail lounge, from initial booking through to the day, the process was flawless and the venue is fantastic, spacious, with attentive staff and great food. Highly recommend for your next celebration!

How do they make their chicken wings so damn tasty? That blue cheese sauce too, boiii - flavours so deliciously tasty my brain cannot comprehend, and I turn into a feral animal, leaving no trace of sustenance. Please never stop making such delicious food, being so awesome and having such great beers on tap, or I will have to take to the streets in protest. Thanks xoxo 🍗 🍻

I hired the upstairs room at the Joker for my 30th birthday party and had such an incredible night! The staff were so friendly and accommodating and the room was so beautiful. Joe especially helped with my music and everyone ensured I had a fun night - thank you!! I would recommend hiring the upstairs room for any special occasion!

Cool pub with a nice, spacious layout right near the Duke of York. Great for us to have a pint before/after our cinema visits. They’ve got the Lost Boys kitchen in so fried chicken fans are in luck. Didn’t try the terrace but will definitely be checking it out in spring.

Popped in for a bite to eat and had an array of different items, burgers, wings and loaded fries. The food was outstanding over one portion of loaded fries was cold which was a shame (didn’t have time to to stick around to order a new portion) otherwise great!

Delicious food, would recommend any of their burgers or wings. Loaded fries were tasty but they were cold.

Lovely place! Been a lot of times but this was the first time we had been in the function room upstairs! Definitely recommend it for a party!

stunning STAFF guy working saturday night best in the biz ❤️

I got served by a lady 2 double rum and cokes then went to get another drink after we ate food, the man wouldn't serve me when I literally just got served. Jobs worth . Also the food has gone downhill from the last time we came. The wings and chips were cold. The burger was dry and chicken tasted off. Won't be going there again when we used to go a

I had my 30th birthday at the Joker and it was the perfect venue! Staff (Joe and Sam) were so attentive and warm and the upstairs space was great! I liked all the lights and decorations that were up and guests all commented on what a great venue it was. I recommend to everyone! Thank you!

I hired the cocktail lounge for my 30th and cannot thank the team enough! I had plenty of time during the day to decorate the space before the event, was able to choose a message on the cinema board and generally felt very welcomed. The evening ran super smoothly, was lovely to have the room privately and a private bar too. The bar staff were fantastic; everyone was commenting about this all night and they helped create a fun and enjoyable atmosphere throughout the event. Thank you so much!

I hired out the cocktail lounge for my birthday party and we had an amazing night. The space is beautifully decorated, has a private bar, and the team were so welcoming and made sure our night ran smoothly! Highly recommend as a private hire venue.

Great vibe and excellent food! Thank you everyone.

Amazing pub and they have jazz on Thursdays which is just incredible.

I always liked this pub, until tonight when my family came to visit and we went for a drink with my Korean wife and a member or staff had the audacity to come up to me and ask “hi are you with that Chinese girl?” Firstly, she’s Korean and secondly why? Are Asian people allowed in the joker? Please tell me, as I am yet to get an answer on why I was asked that question by a member of the bar staff!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 😡

Nice pub great atmosphere. Live music. Good selection of beer and wine

Nice food, warm atmosphere. Cute lil roof terrace

Best wings in the world 🌎 juicy, the sauces are delicious, the curly fries extraordinary. It was only when I couldn't go when I realized the gel they are

Best wings in town, always a lovely time coming in to this pub! Nice and chill vibe with lovely cocktails

Unusual reaction to a customer waiting 25 mins for a drink

Good selection of beers, and banging wings

I have visited the Joker on numerous occasions now and each time for me it just gets better and better. If you are looking for a cold, crisp pint served with a friendly and warm smile this is the place. Alternatively, if you’re looking to get messy and have your tastebuds frazzled I suggest trying some of their delicious hot wings. Great pub and can’t wait for my next visit.

I am very happy to call this the pub I regularly go to :) I've never had a bad experience with any of the staff members, everyone is so lovely! I love the pub's atmosphere, especially with the Christmas decorations up at the moment, everything feels so cosy. The food and drinks are really good too. I love the pub quiz and jazz nights as well! Would highly recommend :)

Have always had such a great experience here in a group booking or just on a date. Service is fantastic & the wings are to die for.

One of the finest pubs in the south east of England. Impeccable service and decor and imaginative drink offerings.

I challenge anyone to find better wings anywhere else (You won’t). Top class food and service 🤌🏼

I love spending time in the joker, whether that be midweek for some wings or on a weekend for a cold pint, the service is amazing!

Been going here for a few years - food is always top notch. Good selection of drinks at decent prices and always a good crowd inside. One of the best pubs in Brighton!

Had the best time in the joker, came in with some friends for some beautiful and delicious cocktails, the service was very friendly all the staff members are amazing people. Truly best pub in Brighton in my eyes !

The Joker is an excellent venue in Brighton with warm welcoming staff and a great selection of specifically picked drafts and liquor choices. There chicken wings are an absolute game-changer - succulent, flavorful, and downright addictive. What impressed me beyond the food was the impeccable service. The staff's warmth and attentiveness truly elevated the entire Joker experience. Whether you're a wing aficionado or just looking for some delicious comfort food, The Joker is an absolute must-visit in Brighton. Already planning my next visit - those wings are calling my name!