The Blind Busker

Big pub with an above average drink range. Service is pretty slow though. Eaten there a couple of times and while not amazing you get what you pay for so is decent enough.

The Blind Busker exudes the prototype of a traditional pub. On a sunny day, my friend and I chose to pop round for a cider and sat outside. It’s quite dark indoors and being it was such a lovely day, to drink cider outside was a no-​brainer. It has been years since my last muzzy visit. Yet another questionable clientelle, but I can sense more upmarket people within the premises at the time.

Bit of an odd pub, in that everything about it screams average.
The décor, drinks choice, layout… all average.
As a post work drinks pub, I can see it doing the job, but as a regular haunt, or, settled in for the evening session type of joint, can’t see it.

We stopped in for lunch and was surprised at how solid it was. The two meals for £9.95 was a surprise, as was the quality of the bangers and mash I received. The bangers were quite tasty.
As for the décor and drinks, it was your average run of the mill pub. The service was fine and we had an A-​OK experience.

If you want to pay next to nothing for a few drinks, this place is great. It’s one of few reasonably priced places to drink in Hove your money will stretch much further. The service is mediocre and it’s often full of big groups like hen parties and stags, so as long as you don’t have high expectations, you won’t be disappointed.

Reasonable enough pub, probably one of my favourites in Hove. Nothing particularly standout about the place, but it’s certainly not a dive and it does have a nice beer garden and seating area outside the front. Good selection of drinks that aren’t too expensive and they also do pretty decent food which won’t break the bank. Staff are friendlier than most pubs and the service is prompt too, so no complaints there.
If you’re in the area and after a pint, you could do worse.

The Blind Busker, in terms of most of what it offers, is a very average pub on the way into Hove. It often gets raved about, as it does do some rather spectacular pub grub, but beyond that it is a little poor in nearly every other department. Inside, it is pokey and hard to keep a table, outdoors is on the main road, they serve a rather poor choice of drinks, and massive TVs dominate indoors. However, the food is really good, if you don’t mind having nowhere to decently sit and eat it, that is.
If you’ve lived in Brighton for any length of time, you’ve probably been recommended The Blind Busker before: it is the first place on every Hove resident’s lips when asked what good pubs Hove has to offer. As stated above, it really isn’t all that, and doesn’t deserve this undue attention. Apart from all of the issues raised above, it seems to go markedly downhill from about 9pm onwards: let’s just say the crowd becomes a bit rowdier, and there seems to be a number of young people who come here to get more drunk than they should in public.
The only thing The Blind Busker really has going for it is its kitchen. The food is top-​notch pub food: nothing too fancy or out there, but classics done really, really well. There are also some really brilliant platters of Mediterranean goodies and things like that: a great lunch alternative, if sharing with a friend. However, the fact that there is nowhere to really sit and enjoy it really does mar the experience. Sitting outside is especially awful: right next to the main road, so both noisy and smelly: not nice at all.
In the end, The Blind Busker’s over-​hype means it will need to make some big changes to get out of its own shadow. It certainly needs it: unless the managers are happy serving lager to angry louts, that is.

The Blind Busker is one of those pubs that you can’t complain about but neither could you rave about it. With food that’ll give most pubs a run for their money in terms of value it’s a good option for those wishing for standard pub grub that’s guaranteed to satisfy. For example, their £5.95 steak and drink deal will keep most people happy, as will their £7.95 Sunday Roast. However, there are so many better food pubs that it’s easily worth heading elsewhere to sample something truly remarkable. The fact is The Blind Busker is marketed towards middle-​of-​the-​road sporty types, who appreciate quality but not necessarily originality. The pub’s five plasma screens show all the big events and with a decent clientele it’s a great place to watch the footy without fear of getting a glass in the face. Serving a decent range of drinks including lagers, five guest ales, a range of wines and various liqueur coffees it’s definitely not a bad place to grab a drink but don’t expect to find that je né sais quois. This is a bit harsh for a place that is easily better than so many other pubs but the one thing it lacks is exactly the thing I’m a fan of: character/​charm.

I have tried this pub on a few occasions as it’s on the same road that I live on and it’s not a bad place but nothing special. It’s nice and cosy inside with very comfortable seating and has an area next to the front window which is a great spot for watching people go by outside. The staff are also very talkative and friendly which always makes it a nice experience. The thing I’m not too sure about is the crowds of people you find here. It seems to attract builder types who have just finished work and want to watch the football on the widescreen television. I have nothing against this but it can make for a bit of a rowdy environment which isn’t something I look for when going out with friends. I wouldn’t choose to visit here but it’s OK for a few drinks if passing by.

This pub is great to head to for some lunch as the food is really nice and very reasonable indeed. Its a baby friendly place too so we often go there with our pram-​pushing friends. Its a big place too so perfect for large groups and they do sell a good range of beers and wines.
I have however been in there in the evening a couple of times and have been so surprised at the change of atmosphere. Horrible basically. The last time we popped in was to see if they could rent the back room out for my wife’s birthday, there was a nasty group of people at the bar sneering at us and when my wife went to use the loo, there was an elegant young lady being sick in the sink!
Maybe we were just unlucky both evenings or maybe the Blind Busker needs to be a bit more selective on their night time customers.

As far as pub food goes there are so many great places in Brighton that it becomes difficult to objectively review the others. In terms of grub the Blind Busker is a decent bet, as the price won’t break the bank and the hygiene is unsurpassed. One of their best deals is their pie and drink deal for £5.95, which does what it says on the tin. Also, the Sunday roasts are pretty good despite being particularly unremarkable. For £7.95 it’s not a bad deal but for that money you could probably find somewhere better.
They serve a decent selection of drinks including the usual lagers, five guest ales, a range of wines and various liqueur coffees. With its relaxed décor and competent staff The Blind Busker is a good place to grab a chilled drink but is perhaps better for watching sport. It shows sky sports on five plasma screens and can often be full of footy fans so might put off the regular punters, however, it’s rarely overly rowdy. It’s a mid-​range pub on the top of its game but, like many others of its type, it can’t shake of its «common» image.