The Colonnade Bar

You'll walk past The Colonnade plenty of times if you're around the station area, but it's worth actually going in. It's got that lived-in feel of a pub that's been doing its thing for ages—high ceilings, traditional bar setup, the kind of place where regulars genuinely know the staff. New Road isn't the flashiest stretch, but that's exactly why this works. You're getting a proper drink without the Brighton beachfront markup, proper food that doesn't pretend to be something it isn't, and enough character that you'll want to come back. The sort of local that actually feels local.