The Greys

Love to drink here as it’s always a good time and always some think new to talk about

I stumbled across this little pub on my way up to Hanover last Tuesday. My friend and I walked past and heard music playing inside, so we thought we’d take a quick break from what felt like mountain climbing to stop for a drink (or 2).
The Greys is a lovely local pub, with a relaxing atmosphere — particularly helped by the girl playing the acoustic guitar at their Open Mic night, which is what we had initially heard outside. The landlord told us that her name is Hannah and she plays every week, so I highly recommend going to have a listen. She’s got a mini Laura Marling style to her.
The house white was a little too dry for me, but on further investigation I found that they had a choice of around 6 other whites. My friend’s double malibu and coke came to £6.50 — so maybe stay off the spirits if your pocket’s a little empty. A large glass of white was around the £5 mark.
All in all though, it was a lovely way to spend the final part of our Tuesday evening.

Like some of the other reviewers we happened upon this pub by chance. What a find! In an area crowded with decent local establishments this one stood out. It’s not often you walk into a pub and like it on sight. The food might be slightly more expensive than the others, but it was very good. Staff were friendly, what more can you ask?

Well worth the climb up the hill! Great selection of Belgian beers, not had a chance to see the live music yet!

Plonked oh-​so-​inconveniently on the steepest part of a mammoth hill, the bright turquoise exterior of The Greys is hard to miss. It’s a small but charming pub, warm and cosy on winter evenings, and mostly always packed with Belgian beer-​guzzling locals and proper food lovers.
The food is exceptional, with the ever-​changing menu boasting such delights as crispy pigs ears and potted salmon to start, gammon and leek pie and slow cooked rabbit stew with dumplings, and sticky toffee pudding and homemade icecream for dessert. Everything is homemade by dedicated chef, Roz Batty, from start to finish, not a microwave in sight.
As well as the mouthwatering food, the pub holds regular gigs from internationally renowned folk/​blues artists, a quiz night on Sundays and beer festivals throughout the year.
As other reviewers have mentioned, it’s a popular addition to Brig Town’s pub circuit and gets packed often, so get down early for a table.

A great pub of the many in this area, the Greys have also found their USP as a gig bar for the folk and blues singers in our midst. The pubs in this area all have a very relaxed feel about them as it’s not quite so rambunctious over here out of town, saying that this is a big student area so many bright young things are about to get lairy and spice things up a bit. This place has a cool, liberal and modern feel and makes for a very relaxing pint indeed.

Hanover, particularly Southover Street, is filled with numerous, perhaps endless pubs. They are all extremely charming, with the Greys being one of the best on offer (not to mention one of the lowest on the hill).
Unsurprisingly in such a residential area, the pub is relatively small, seating only a few. That doesn’t overly detract for the pub’s charm however. The Greys is particularly popular for it’s strong range of British beer and ales, notably the more northern ‘Timothy Taylor’, which is an absolute favourite of mine.
Prices are relatively average, you could probably expect to pay just over £3 for a pint or a glass of wine, which really isn’t out of the ordinary in Brighton.

Chanced apon this little gem by accident. We were going to another pub for sunday roast at the top of the hill, which was packed, and had the football on. Total no no, then after discovering that the other foodie pub was doing football, gave this one a go. Excellent food, excellent service, slightly pricey compared with local competition, but worth paying for. We had different guests arriving at different times, and they organised the delivery so we ultimately didnt have to wait long after the last guest arrived. excellent.

Can’t believe these guys have got it so wrong. The Greys is a great pub with excellent food at good prices and they also do a great range of Belgian Beers as well as real ales. Their live gigs are only on a Monday night and so what if they sell tickets for these gigs — it’s a tiny pub — and that way they can afford better musicians (Martin Carthy, Martin Simpson, John Renbourn etc).
And they haven’t got a function room upstairs either!
Background music is at a good level and when the pub is noisy it’s usually with punters having a good chat over a beer.
I’d go there again anytime.
It’s in all the good pub guides for it’s food as well.

One of a number of pubs on Southover Street,. the Greys can more than hold its own in this crowded little corner of Brighton publand.
In many ways it’s typical of Hanover pubs — old fashinoned and cosy but with a modern vibe. The place is well known for its food, but for me, a little overpriced. The menu does look enticing though, and seems to change often. I really come to the Greys for its Belgain Beer selection, which includes several fruit beers, and Leffe Blonde on draught — an unusual find. For the more traditional, there is also a good selection of real ales.
The Greys is really one of those places that keeps you going back for the atmosphere, which does just have that special, intangible ‘something’, and the care and dedication with which things are done here is always obvious.

Nestled away in the trendy Hanover area, you can’t miss the bright blue exterior of The Grays.
Inside, the pub is really tastefully decked out and really does excel at making you feel warm and welcome.
Outside the patio is heated so you can enjoy a cigarette without coming back in with frost bite.
We had a Sunday lunch there which, at £9 I thought was a little over-​priced. It was really nice but there’s a lot of other pubs that do it better for a lot less in my opinion.
I’m definitely going to head back there on one of the blues nights though as the staff and locals really are fantastic here.

Unbeknown to most people outside Hanover, The Greys is a popular venue on the folk/​blues circuit. On a gig night entry can be expensive, usually £10 upwards, but the footstompin’ atmosphere and top-​notch music is well worth the price. If you want a seat get down early because it’ll be rammed, no question. However, if you fancy a quiet drink The Greys is still a good option and with an outdoor heated area you can happily escape for a cigarette at any time of year.
Food-​wise The Greys is up there with the best in Brighton. 6 — 9pm Tues, Wed and Thurs and 12 — 4.30pm Sun is when the kitchen is open and you should book a table, as it gets full very quickly. For pub food the price is perhaps a little steep but that’s not really a fair description. The menu reads more like that of a top gastro-​pub, which is not surprising as The Greys is recommended in many top-​name pub guides including the Which? Pub Guide and Les Routiers. They even serve real ales. Could The Greys do anything wrong?

Hanover is famous for its pubs and when you wander into the Greys you’ll instantly see why. The interior is small and traditional with lots of wood paneling and a small wooden bar complete with stools. With low ceilings and intimate little tables and booths, the Greys is the perfect place to snuggle up with friends or a special someone for a glass of red wine in the winter. In addition to the cosy indoor seating, they have a covered, heated patio at the side of the building and a few tables and chairs out front.
As well as an impressive array of the usual ale, lager and cider, the Greys boast a fine selection of Belgian beers with very distinctive flavours… the raspberry and cherry are especially tasty. The pub is a hub of beer-​drinking activity during the Hanover beer festival and is my favourite of the pubs involved.
This pub is also great for live music… I once happened in on a beautiful folk singer. They quite often feature local and international musicians of all varieties, but they do seem to generally favour bluesy and folksy bands, which is fine by me! They also do a monthly music quiz, which will especially appeal to music buffs.

A good pub, and always ranks highly in the best pub guides nationally, but I find it’s a little pretentious. I’ve attempted to drink here several times, but been turned away at the door because they had live music on and was either sold out or extortionately expensive for a local pub. The one time we did get in for free, I couldn’t quite grasp what all the fuss was about.

This pub is bordering on trendy. It’s getting very expensive. Food too costly for me to have tried! Nice beer. Can be very noisy. Has improved since the smoking ban. Live music is a regular event.
After climbing the hill one needs a beer!

Love hills? This pub is halfway up a very steep one! They have an upstairs function room for hire and the occasional live gig on the smallish ground floor. I went here for a sunday lunch recently — overpriced at £9 given the local competition, but better value if you take the starter and main for an extra £2. That said, there was a cracking selection of vegetables and it was unusual to find pheasant on a pub menu. Worth a trundle.