The Sussex Arms in Tunbridge Wells

My favorite pub in TW I would say

Lots of live music events, friendly atmosphere, tucked behind the Pantiles, easy to get to. Very welcoming

A great local, with an awesome atmosphere

Called in for a drink before going on to the restaurant, great service and a good selection of beers

Friendly, rustic, indie and good range of usual beers and some very good local ales. Great atmosphere, good amenities, good value, overall really pleased.

Nice little pub behind The Pantiles. Appealed to us as it was more of a proper pub. Good choice of ales and welcoming staff.

Great pub on the Pantiles, friendly and welcoming. The basement below had an open mic night and we loved the entertainment.

Friendly staff, really helpful. Very busy as it was a quiz night, so had a wait to get served. Food excellent, more info on menu would be better for exact ingredients. Easy parking after 6pm

Great little pub, cosy, really good selection of beers and really tasty pizzas. BUT - if you want a traditional pub quiz, this is not the place to go! Utterly dreadful, puerile and very much not a "general knowledge" quiz. It's really just a vehicle for a Russell Brandalike quiz master to indulge his lavatorial sense of humour. Avoid unless you are likeminded!

Great pub on the pantiles tucked away from the business. Open until the early a.m. with plenty of outside heating

Nice cozy tucked away pub round the side of the Pantiles.

Lovely atmosphere and great beer selection.

Just go! Great pub and top venue 👌

Proper pub ! Great atmosphere and excellent service

Great beer, nice staff, great pub, fun. Different. Good music. Truly terrible pub quiz, slow, childish, dumb, avoid. Every other night FAB though.

Great place for a great beer and a fantastic Roddy burger delivered directly to your table. Had a great time all round

Nice little pub with a great vibe. Roody’s Burgers were amazing!

this is what i would call a locals pub, though we were not and made welcome. it is a good pub for good value drinks. we had great drinks, beers and gin, outside area ok too.

Initially searching for a bite and a pint, discovered this real ale historic pub that does Roddy Burgers. Ordered via the app and the food was delivered in brown bags to our table...as per the usual takeaway burger joints...quirky! Reasonably priced and did the job as we were off to Brighton that night 😉

I was in the Sussex arms earlier and I found it a fantastic atmosphere and very friendly. The 4 girls and Sam behind the bar were absolutely so kind and very efficient Well worth a visit ☺️

Never have I seen such a slack bunch of staff! Not a great deal happening at the bar yet 4 or 5 staff members were uninterested unitl prompted to serve, appalling service from these youngsters.

One of my top Tunbridge Wells pubs. The Sussex has a quirky historic vibe with lots of interesting touches to the decor. There's a great choice of real ales, and the range changes often, with local favourites always available. The crowd is quite trendy, but this is a friendly and welcoming pub with knowledgeable, confident staff. I came for an open mic night in the basement. It works well as a venue for spoken word events.

Friendly staff , great music , nice and airy

Nice place conveniently tucked away from the main street, well worth a visit if you find it 👍

Very nice pub with some very comfortable seating options. Lots of character with friendly staff. The pub was very clean and tidy and was quite welcoming. The Guinness was excellent as was the Long Man Best Bitter.

Superficially ok but staff clearly, overly judgemental.

Dog friendly, good beer and atmosphere

Really nice pub and the staff are so friendly but it is in the need of some updating. I could just be nearing middle age and being grumpy but it needs some tlc. i'll be back though.

Amazing little find....the burgers were outstanding, and the mac bites! Staff were friendly too. Have already recommended to friends and we will be returning soon!

Nicely hidden little pub in the Sussex mews. Also operates as a secondary location for the legendary Forum. Good beers/ales on tap.

Busy pub, we attended after a gig in the forum. Too small for amount of people. Everyone was pushing and barging to get through. Downfall - toilets downstairs, and not really enough toilets for the amount of people. Was a good experience though.

Nice busy pub specially Friday and weekend

Great atmosphere and fantastic burgers by Roddy burgers!!

Nice pub tucked away on the Pantiles. Good selection of beers

Nice traditional pub in own courtyard nicely to one side of the Pantiles

I've passed through the Sussex Arms a couple of times but spent last Friday evening there with some friends and it was such a vibe. The DJs and the music were on point, and everyone was having a lil boogy. The peppercorn gin with elderflower was excellent, and the food was incredible... I'm a burger fan and this burger was soo good my partner and I ended up ordering an extra one to share. The dirty fries were great, and I loved how the food was served wrapped up and in a paper bag in case you wanted the food to take out. All in all a wonderful experience and a new hang out for sure 10/10 Thank you :)

Good food, very helpful service, excellant for families.

Nicely tucked away in the pantiles. Lovely pub with good selection of drinks. Outside area perfect in the sun.

Cosy pub with live music downstairs

Great pub, wonderful welcoming atmosphere with a talented band on playing classic punk covers.

Lovely pint and great atmosphere

Friendly pub, good for a couple of drinks and a game of cards

All rounder good pub for drinking. Good drink options and friendly staff. Got some outdoor space which is nice is the summer. Toilet cubicles are very cramped/awkward and they could do with some hooks so you don't have to put your bag on the floor in there.

Beautiful pub, people behind the bar are very welcoming, Would recommend if u like very interesting drinks if not I’d settle with one of their amazing Staropramen, which they know I love.

We were there for Unfest - a small music festival taking part in the courtyard adjacent. Found this pub to be really charming, with a nice vibe and great selection of beers. Food that day was a stall in the courtyard so not sure if they do food normally or how good that is (the pop up burger bar when we were there was great!)

Visited The forum basement at the sussex Arms. The pub was nice however the basement was extremely small and squashed. They had over sold tickets. It was so hot in there and couldn't stay more then 20min! Had drinks at the bar and price was OK. Would visit again but probably not the basement

Was looking forward to a nice nostalgic drink as used to frequent this pub years ago.... unfortunately we will not be returning. Toilets were grim. Bought a bottle of pinot and it was so vinegary we could not drink it. Another member of our group had a glass of merlot and said it tasted like it had been open for weeks. Took the bottle of pinot back. No refund or replacement offered....shame

Lovely little pub. Great selection of crafts ales at sensible prices, delicious burgers from roddy burger and friendly staff. My kind of pub!

Nice lively pub in the Pantiles.

After the sudden death of our son, The Sussex Arms was the venue chosen after the funeral service by Jack's best friend because the pub was their favourite and where they had their first legal pint. From the moment we emailed them to the final pint poured on the day, the owner Rich and his team were incredible. It takes a special team of people to go out of their way to look after people so well and with so much compassion, generosity and kindness. That aside it's a gorgeous pub with a lovely ambiance and great beer. Thank you to everyone at The Sussex Arms who helped and supported us through some of the most difficult days of our lives.

We held our son's post funeral celebration at The Sussex Arms in December 2021. Not only is the pub absolutely lovely but the pub's team are incredible. It's hard to express our gratitude for their kindness, generosity and compassion. The pub had very special meaning for some people who were very close to our beautiful son and it was their recommendation because it was Jack's favourite pub. It was obvious from the moment we met with the team why Jack had loved this cosy, ambient pub so much. Not only is their beer and cider amazing, the staff is an absolute credit. Highly, highly recommend.

Cosy setting for an evening pint. Good selection of beer and good quality beer. Friendly staff nice atmosphere

Great little pub, lovely bar food

Nice pub in the pantiles. Really warm welcome and very reasonable price

Friendly staff. Cosy pub with outdoor space and good selection of beers and ales.

Amazing band, good beer and safe for kids to run around outside

Great atmosphere, staff, band and drinks!!! Will, most definitely, go back!

Stopped in for a quick drink. Lovely beers and friendly staff. Thanks

Lovely place to chill on a lazy Sunday afternoon

Fabulous place. Great drinks. Great fun watching people negotiating the small car park and scratching there cars on the ramp!! Enjoy the pub, park somewhere else!!

Great old English pub, good service & beer.

Nice genuine old time pub. Great food and drink and a great welcome.

A great pub, with a lovely ale selection and the burgers are fantastic. Thoroughly enjoyed Roddy Burgers there, highly recommend ordering or getting it delivered!

Delivered here today lovely out the way pub friendly pub and staff

I arrived at the venue and the beautiful lady on the door said "The burgers are insane". She asked which we were having and explained that the best part of working here is getting burgers at lunchtime. She said a Professional catering business has gone into partnership and people will love it. A Pint and a Burger. Served with a gorgeous smile. The burger was truly tremendous. I wouldn't call it insane but the man who brought it to the door looked like he was from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Next. It was incredibly tasty, probably the best Burger I have had during the pandemic. The guy sources the ingredients locally. I do now know the actual people but the man goes by the name of Roddy and the burgers are called Roddy Burger. 100% recommended. Very tasty. I'm looking forward to the pub reopening and doing exactly what the lady suggested.

One of the best pubs here in Tunbridge Wells, consistently great service and beautiful location in the heart of the famous Pantiles. Also regular hosts of music, a must for any night out.

My wife and I visited the Sussex Arms on a weekend break just before the UK's "second lockdown" - we were actually sat in the pub as the Prime Minister announced the new restrictions. As a fan of pubs, it's been horrible to see how the industry has struggled this last year through no fault of their own. Since we were allowed back into pubs post-July, we've been cautiously visiting some, much preferring to sit outside where possible due to the covid-risk. It's been interesting to see how some pubs have responded so well to the new restrictions, while others have seemingly been quite half arsed about things. In our experience, the Sussex Arms has it absolutely spot on - they are clearly taking things VERY seriously, and are enforcing the rules as you'd expect (hope!), but doing it in a pleasant and cheerful manner, gently "telling off" customers not following "the rules", but doing it so in a way that was friendly but firm. Staff were absolutely rigorous about wiping down tables, menus etc between customers, and were going round disinfecting the common areas every 20 minutes or so. The staff were cheerful and friendly, and it was painful to see their reactions to hearing from the PM that they'd be forced to shut again for another months. We really felt for them. The beer was superb and had a decent selection of real ales. We sat in the garden, and despite social distancing, enjoyed good banter and chat with some of the locals. I really hope this pub weathers the storm - we'll certainly be back to support them if we find ourselves in the area again.

I was at Sussex arms last night, and frankly I was really surprised at how the staff were behaving. I was trying to enjoy a drink with my fiancé and instead had to listen to the staff swearing and shouting at a group nearby that in my opinion hadn’t done anything wrong. Ruined my evening, and I think the blonde man especially who was hostile and rude, need an attitude check. Won’t be returning.

Having had a member of the group misunderstand the one way system for Covid, instead of being warned and corrected, we were plainly told to “f**k off“ by the brunette curly haired girl behind the bar. When asked why we were being spoken to in such a way, the same girl again spoke to us in a foul language. Another girl working there with a bob haircut was happy to serve us and didn’t think we had behaved inappropriately at all, took our order, but was intercepted by the girl who had a problem and was told that we were barred, after which she slammed plastic cups on the table and again told us to “f**k off”. As we were sat there I said to my friends who were putting they’re pints into plastic glasses, embarrassed and upset, I said to them I didn’t think we should have to leave until they finished the drinks they paid for, at which point the barman with blonde hair got in my face and said “ you think your f**king funny don’t you saying we should stay, you can f**k off you pr*ck”, I ;hurt, replied “Is this how you speak to customers?” To which he replied “Yeah, when they’re f**king pr**ks”. This was at 6:30pm. I would understand being told to leave if we had been rude or unruly; which we weren’t, but to be told that I’m a “f**king prick” and to “f**k off” by a member of staff in front of other embarrassed customers, and friends, is absolutely disgusting. I will not be returning to this horrible and arrogant pub, I’m really disgusted by this experience that now leaves me not wanting to return to a pub I would consider my go to.

Nice chilled pub tucked away from everything, good vibes and atmosphere

In these difficult times, the guys/gals have done very well.

Nice little boozer tucked away with a outside garden shame about the barman who told me I wasnt aloud to stand up in there. Covid 19 power trip. Stay away untill pubs are back to normal or hes sacked.

Friendly and attentive. Good atmosphere

Always love going to the Sussex. Usually good beer, decent pork scratchings and a good vibe, from an eclectic crowd.

It sells Timothy Taylor landlord

Cute little bar, nice and busy good atmosphere, the pint glasses did make my mate look very camp though 😂🍻

All other pubs were full around the pentiles. Found this - bit run down and no food. One of the locals took issue with us being there and had a row - no fault of the publican but the experience left a sour taste in my mouth. Ok for a couple of drinks with friends but certainly not for families

Traditional pub witu cozy fireplace, beautiful decoration and very nice staff.

Went here on Christmas Eve and had a great time enjoying the festive season. Would recommend.

Great pub, great live music, cozy on a cold winters night.

Good times for all little birds and naughty geezers to have very knees up time at this special treat of a watering hole, nestled delicately within the Pans tiles. Pints and a chat? board games? Music session? Speak to bald gent about Brexit? It's all here. Maybe even meet a special friend for the lifetime over a cold apple cider? It's all here, "mines a kronenberg mate". Would reccommend to any gentillman wanting a luxury night out on the wells...with all those whistles and bells.

Great pub, brilliant vibes, nice outside area undercover at the front, good prices and even better drinks, unfortunately no food but a great location to chill out after a hard day at the office.

Lovely friendly pub with great bar staff

Nice pub good selection of beer very nice terrace and quiet

Probably the best pub in Tunbridge Wells!

Great place for a drink after work. Cosy. Sometimes there are live bands also so great atmosphere.

Great pub, good selection of beers on tap including Camden Hells. A quality all-rounder pub

My local pub. Small but good atmosphere. Nice selection of ales.

Alex at the bar was lovely. Very talkative and made our time at the Sussex a personal experience. Very talkative and friendly, when asked about certain spirits he had an excellent knowledge and was able to advise. 5/5, great night out.

very nice little pub hidden away from the main street. nice beers and a lovely place.

The Sussex Arms used to be the best pub in T Wells. Slight hidden out of sight on The Pantiles, it was a hidden gem. Great atmosphere, great value for money, and great bar staff. At least- these things were all true over a year ago since I'd last visited the premises. What was once the nicest boozer in town, has done crashing into the ground. Gone are the pleasant, friendly bar staff (two barmaids stick out in my mind particular- genuinely lovely girls. No sign now.) The prices have gone through the roof, cleaning standards have significantly dropped (the toilets were never pleasant but jeeeesus) and the staff are miserable, distracted and badly managed. (Don't get me started on the new manager- someone ought to give him some hygiene tips. Good Lord.) Stick with the other pubs further up the other end of Tunbridge Wells- you'll have a better time. Someone ought to give the owners a good talking to. Shame.

Good pub with a good selection of beers. They do a great comedy night down stairs!

Great pub for real ale and music great staff

A proper pub. Nice atmosphere, very welcoming.

Lovely old English pub, great beer & atmosphere

nice place to have anything from a chilled drink to the start of a night out. The outdoor seating is nice and has heaters

Enjoyed a few drinks here after our walk, and doggies welcome

This pub is my local it is literally 1 minutes away from the pantiles and has such an eclectic type of music comedy quiz nights and many others sometimes I've been in there and there's been three venues all in the same place music outside music inside and music downstairs this is a very good venue very friendly staff

Always drop in here for a pint of London Pride .. never disappointed and the atmoshere is very friendly too.

Nice pub. Occasionally has live music in the basement. Can't say I've been enough to be aware of any flaws with the place. (Except for "it'd be nice if they could do food")