Drop In The Ocean

You're walking out onto Eastbourne Pier on a Friday night, and suddenly you're not in a seaside town anymore—you're somewhere altogether more sophisticated. Drop In The Ocean pulls off that tricky feat of feeling properly grown-up without taking itself too seriously. It's the kind of place where a £9 cocktail actually tastes considered, where the bartender knows what they're doing, and where you can settle in for an evening without feeling like you need to shout over a hen do. The maritime setting isn't trying too hard; it just is. On a good night, there's live jazz drifting through, which transforms the whole experience into something unexpectedly lovely.