Black Lion
WHERE
Brighton
What it’s like
A Brighton pub with a garden open till midnight, kids welcome for daytime pints before it settles into a proper adults' night out.
This is a pub that changes shape over the course of the day. Turn up at lunchtime with kids in tow and it's a normal family pub visit, food on the table, a garden to sit out in. By 7pm that stops and it becomes an adults-only space, so if you're planning an evening meal here with the children, you'll want to eat and go before then.
The garden stays open until midnight every day, which is worth knowing if you want to linger after the kitchen part of the day winds down. There's no ticket needed to get in on an ordinary night, though queue-jump tickets are floating around free on weekend nights if queuing isn't your idea of fun. Weekends run later too, Friday until 3am and Saturday opening from 11am through to 3am, so it's built for a long one if that's the plan.
The food side is genuinely thought through rather than an afterthought: gluten-free, nut-free, lactose-free, vegetarian and vegan all catered for, plus alcohol-free and low-ABV drinks if someone's driving or just not drinking. Wheelchair users get a proper accessible side entrance through the garden gate with a ramp, and an accessible bathroom, rather than a fudge round the back.
One thing to flag if you're a dog owner: they're welcome most of the time, but not on Friday or Saturday after 7pm. And there's no cloakroom, so coats and bags are your own problem on a busy night.
Facilities
Need to know
- Best for
- Families welcome for daytime visits; adults only after 7pm
- Food
- Menu with options for gluten-free, nut-free, lactose-free, vegetarian and vegan requirements
- Wheelchairs
- Accessible side entrance via garden gate with ramp access, accessible bathroom
- Dogs
- Welcome except Friday and Saturday after 7pm
- No cloakroom, so hold onto your coat on a busy night
- Garden stays open until midnight every day, later than the main bar on weeknights
- Cash is accepted if you're not a card-only household
- Saturday's the earliest opening, from 11am
Plan your visit
Can we bring the kids?
Before 7pm, yes, any day of the week, as long as an adult's with them. After 7pm it switches to adults only.
Do we need to book a table?
No, you can just turn up. There's a way to reserve ahead if you'd rather not risk it on a busy night.
Do we need a ticket to get in?
Not normally. On weekend nights there are free queue-jump tickets going if you fancy skipping the queue, and big events like New Year's Eve sometimes need a paid ticket.
Can we bring the dog?
Dogs are fine any time except Friday and Saturday after 7pm.
Is it wheelchair accessible?
There's a ramped side entrance through the garden gate and an accessible bathroom inside.
What if we've got dietary needs?
The kitchen covers gluten-free, nut-free, lactose-free, vegetarian and vegan, and they stock alcohol-free and low-ABV drinks too.
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