Freemasons

You're walking down Western Road towards Hove and you stumble into the kind of place that makes you wonder why you don't visit more often. The Freemasons has that worn-in, comfortable feel of a pub that knows what it's doing — no forced Instagram moments, just good beer, decent food, and the sort of crowd that's genuinely there to enjoy themselves. It's the type of local where regulars actually talk to each other and newcomers don't feel like they've wandered into someone's private members' club. The reviews speak for themselves: people keep coming back because it's unpretentious and does the basics brilliantly.