The Hope & Ruin

Hope & Ruin remains one of my favourite pubs in Brighton. Always a great atmosphere, drinks are reasonably priced, quirky decor, and best of all an all vegan menu & the food is delicious!! Highly recommended (even for non vegans)

A Brighton staple! I’ve been going here for grass roots music gigs since I was a teen and it’s one of the few places in town that’s as great now as it always was! The beer range is great and the vegan kitchen is perfect for some pre-party grub! Impecable vibes and fantastic staff..

Imo the only purely authentic music venue in town. Always had a great gig here whether it's a local artist or the next big thing. The whole decor is brilliant and mesmerising. Not even vegan but the kitchen has always been brilliant, been there for years and you can see why!

There aren't enough authentic music venues left in the UK but this little gem took me back to venues of the 90s! Had the best night here. The music, the atmosphere and energy, the friendly staff... all perfect! 100% recommend 🎉

Didn't eat, but drink was made quickly and was very good. Attended the earlier evening portion of their free New Year's Eve party. DJ's did a fab job and atmosphere was great! Met a kind German gentleman and we chatted. Great experience.

First time here, and so pleased it had air con upstairs!! Looks like a fun pub, and at the gig (Saint Boy & Sweet Billy Pilgrim) it was all good; great lighting and sound. Will definitely be back 🩵

I always have a brilliant time at the Hope, the staff are great, the vibe is awesome but more importantly; If you love supporting grassroots venues, funky decor and somewhere that celebrates all things creative, then this is the place for you. Thanks for a fab time as always!

I honestly love this place. I’ve had some of my most fun New Year’s there. Dancing away to dad rock. I’ve had several birthdays and leaving dos there as well and it’s just always so fun. I’ve seen some brilliant bands and the bar staff are always sweethearts. It’s one of those places you know I’m gonna go in and whatever the situation is. I have a nice time albeit a quiet couple of drinks or wee small hours loose goose walk home 😄

They were not that eager to serve you, the bartender didn't really pay attention to you for like twenty minutes even though you were just in front of her, but when you got her attention finally she was able to make up a fine smile. They have their own judgement of serving or not serving alcohol to customers, and obviously I don't think that's reasonable, and only if they cared about their customers more and had been more skillful in customer service there could have been less confusion, but perhaps that's not in their consideration, it's not an open minded or welcoming place especially when you look nothing like them. And nevermind, a random average damp place by a dull beach is not going to change anything, Brighton is pretty conservative and dumb.Although I appreciate the venue manager Jo I talked to through the phone. If they even care about it I felt so alienated. They may have taken a proper procedure for them but it's far from making me feel comfortable. It seems avoiding this kind of inconsiderate manner of service is necessary moving forward, and if this is the average quality of service I am paying for, then you can really save it for something greater. Maybe they could just say I was a drunk and mean person, then try to deal with people like that with more professional and empathetic mind, unless it doesn't matter, and being more open-minded is important as living by the sea, good for your mental health to accept people look different from you, when you realise eventually people are all the same your life is gonna be much easier cause you can't reverse this globalization:)*, this world is kinda bigger than that small beach and hopefully you are not gonna be stuck there forever, once you can do something called traveling a little bit, you will realise you need a better smile than that you have now and a more fun spirit or you'd feel so embarrassed to receive any open-minded unbiased love from people all across the world. Yes people can generally love others for no reason, unless you need reason to hate.

Now called the Hope and Ruin . Really weird eclectic mix of old school chairs canteen tables oddly painted pieces of wall and pieces of redundant equipment and things at crazy angles . Look out for the kitchen fashioned out of an old caravan . They do their own craft beers and a good selection of real ales at a sensible price .

THE HOPE HAS HAD A MAKEOVER. It's pretty cool! It reminds me of a circus ground or freak show! I can't describe it because it's honestly so cool! I made a huge mistake though, they have the end of a caravan at the end of the bar, I thought it was a seating area, turned out to be the kitchen. Needless to say, I got a bit of a - Eh what are you doing mate kind of look. Anyway, it's got a really cool vibe, if you also like Ale they have lots to choose from. Great venue, good to see it in a bit more glory. They hold lots of nights up stairs so it's great to watch a gig and then go downstairs for a cheeky pint in the interval.

The Hope is a cool little music bar right in the centre of Brighton on North Road. The interior has a modern decor with Chesterfields, dark wood flooring and funky lamp shades. The huge front windows open right up and in the summer the bar has a really continental vibe. The 'Hope'n'Mic' night is a held every Monday and the calibre of the act is quite high. At the weekend they have a more clubby vibe with regular nights like Murderdisco which is popular with students, The Hope is definitely an alternative venue and the clientele are varied, anyone from indie boys to Brighton businessmen. If your looking for live music they have something on a couple of nights a week but either way its a cool, relaxing place to have a bev, and really near to train and bus routes so a great meeting spot.

Remember back in school, or possibly college there was kinda posh kid - always got good test results, had some good friends, but was a little unapproachable, a bit stuck up. Aloof. But then they found pot. They loosened up, possibly adopted a few rasta accouterments. Suddenly they weren't so unapproachable. They were fun. They were at parties. Maybe their test results suffered, and their personal hygiene wasn't what it was - but hey. Now, imagine that slightly posh kid with stoner overtones wasn't a posh kid, but a hugely overwrought metaphor for a pub. And not just any pub. The Hope. The Hope looks like it was a snooty, overpriced establishment with pretentions of gastro - but gave up and settled down into a friendly, slightly messy rut. This is no bad thing. The Hope is a friendly, welcoming place. Food is simple, cheap and plentiful and the drink selection is standard. The clientele are varied but seem to favour beards for men and dyed black hair on women. Arty, but not hipster. Music is unobtrusive and unsurprisingly leans in a reggae direction. The Hope could be very nice but most certainly look down it's nose at you. (Like Margo from The Good Life.) Instead it's cosy, warm and approachable. (Like Tom and Barbara)

Formerly Polar Bar Central, The Hope is a really central pub, situated on Queen's Rd , close to the clock tower end. It's an ideal place to start the night, before heading off to another pub or club in the centre of town. The place has a really nice atmosphere, with big comfy leather sofas to recline in with a pint and wooden tables and chairs, if you're in a group. The pizzas are pretty good if you fancy a bite to eat. In the summer the giant windows slide open, creating a really nice open-air feeling and whilst there is no out-door seating, this open front more than compensates. The drink prices are average and the clientele varied. Its a favourite with a younger crowd at the weekends, predominantly students, who head on to the clubs along West St later on. On weeknights there is often live music- I have been to the Open Mic night (Mondays) a few times and they showcase some real talent here! There are a few regulars who will really impress. Upstairs is often used as a venue for ticketed gigs and other musical events. All in all, a great place to enjoy a drink and some music!

The Hope is one of Brighton's many pub/music venues, with a nice big upstairs room and relaxed pub downstairs. All well and good: this is a classic set-up, and the Hope does everything as described on the tin very well. However, beyond that there is little here to like: the occasional poetry night does not make up for the sometimes loud and obnoxious clientele. A nice pub for a quick afternoon pint, or a music night if you're in the mood, but mostly one to avoid. The main problem here is the crowd: the people who are just a tad to cool for West Road, which is not far away. The Hope seems to be full of too-cool-for-school indie kids: not really my scene, and they do take over the whole place. Still, if you can avoid that the drinks selection is fine and not too expensive, although the music nights do cater more to the above crowd than to someone like me. Not my favourite place, nor one I can really recommend, unless you are a member of the above clique or just fancy that kind of crowd.

My favourite pub in Brighton I'd say. You could easily think you were in Camden or Shoreditch whilst sat in here. Indie music blaring from the speakers, stripped walls, funky wallpaper and a gig room upstairs for live bands. The clientele reflect this too - lots of band t-shirts and rolled up chinos on display! This is where you'll find displaced LDN hipsters. Average drinks selection here - but it's the very relaxed atmosphere that I like. It's close to the train station too so is ideal for out-of-town visitors like myself.

This used to be a fun pub and even to this day there are some great gigs on upstairs. This is based on my latest experience, Saturday 2nd December 2017: But the actual pub on the ground floor is terrible and only suitable for extremely drunken lads and lasses who are too drunk to realize how much they're paying. Staff: The bar staff are tired, clumsy and unprofessional. With every round I went to get they made mistakes, were slow, were inattentive and kept spilling beer/shots all over the place. At the end of the night two bouncers kicked us out after I asked them why they wouldn't let one of our friends back in after going out for a smoke. They followed her back in to let her get her stuff. When I spoke to the little female bouncer asking what the reasons for this were, she completely lost her marbles and started shouting at us. Of course we shouted back and exchanged many colourful words; it was clear that they were simply sick with the little bit of 'power' they had in that role. Management: The manager girl is incredibly rude and decidedly unprofessional. Her conduct during this whole ordeal was childish and unprofessional. You need only read negative reviews on Tripadvisor and look at the replies she leaves! I'm surprised the bar is still up and running with such management. Clientele: Ok during the week but on Friday or Saturday night this place becomes rather aggressive and chavy, unless you're going upstairs to see a band. Value: One of the most overpriced bars in Brighton, especially in relation to their products. They sell 33cl bottles of various 'half' craft beers (big brands like Einstock for example) at £5.60 a bottle. That's more than a pint in more or less any other bar I know of. Shots are nearly £4, nearly all the pints (except maybe Amstel/Kronenbourg) are well over £5. Doubtless this place will thrive due to the location and sheer amount of people out and about in Brighton. But for any conscientious person this pub is best completely ignored and avoided.

I love the hope especially cuz I'm vegan so the foods amazing the only thing is the drinks are expensive but t if your like me and are vegan and love food then I would suggest the hope

This isn't a bad little venue to head to for a few weekend beers but I've definitely been to better. Early on you get a lot of posers sitting down still wearing their sunglasses inside which irritates me quite a lot but in the evening you get a younger crowd when the music gets cranked up. Prices aren't too bad for drinks which is cool and they do put on a really good open mic night mid week called 'Hope 'n Mic' that attracts an interesting bunch. Nice place for a few pints on your way into town bu I wouldn't hang around for long.

I first came here during Freshers Week back in 2007, since then i've found myself returning semi regularly. There aren't a great number of nice pubs up in this area of town, with most being located in the North Lanes area. The Hope is extremely open plan, making for a busy and vibrant atmosphere. The varnished wooden interior is tasteful and homely, being complemented well by a good friendly clientele. You can get a good number of drink offers here, as well as live music and DJ sets throughout the week. While this pub isn't amazing, it certainly deserves a visit.

I've got nothing against The Hope and have spent many an evening here with friends for whom this is their pub of choice. For some reason that I can't quite put my finger on though, I've never been overly enamoured with the place. Inside, you'll find a load of brown leather sofas which are rather nice to relax upon on sunny days when they fling open the front windows. If you're sat anywhere further back than the windows though, you'll find it irrepressibly dark. The wallpaper is kind of velvety and gothiky-style and only serves to darken the overall atmosphere rather than enhance it. In terms of drinks, they have a decent choice of wine which is either average or slightly overpriced and they do nice crisps. So there's enough to keep me content of an evening. It tends to get quite noisy in the main bar, as the music is generally a bit too loud and it usually gets over-crowded after 9pm-ish. As the previous reviewer said, they get points for supporting local live music, but I don't think their upstairs is a particularly great venue. I wouldn't pay more than a fiver for entry no matter who was playing. There's no stage, so everyone crowds around the acts, which could be quite intimate but personally I just find annoying that I can't see what's going on. I wouldn't go out of my way to go here on a night out, but it's certainly an OK place for a glass of wine after work.

Dropped into the Hope on the Friday of a weekend away. It seems to attract a slightly alternative customer, the bar staff are very friendly and drinks prices average/a little high. However the barmaid suggested an alternative that was in the Happy Hour which really impressed me - definitely not money grabbing! The atmosphere wasn't really my cup of tea, definitely suited to the student market that doesn't mind shouting over the music.

Fun pub, great atmosphere and decent prices. Plus, for whatever reason, they specialize in Sailor Jerry rum. Yum.

The Hope is a spacious bar on Queen's Road, near to the Clock Tower. It is nicely decorated and the staff are excellent. There is a great selection of drinks on offer and you can sit there for a long time without being bored, harassed or feeling embarrassed that you've spent hours in a licensed premises and overstayed your welcome. What I am trying to say is that it is laid back, but at the same time, lively and fresh. There is also an upstairs area that hosts live music, which on the flipside to the lower bar, is pumped full of sweaty energy. This tipping of the scales balances out and makes the Hope a well-rounded place where you can either get hot and bothered, or chill out with a cold one. As "Our Graham" from Blind Date would say "the choice is yours".

The Hope has a nice feel about it. Somewhere inbetween a bar, a traditional pub and a club, there is often something good on like a cool little club night (often the best) upstairs or an open mic evening. When living in Brighton it's quite easy to neglect Queens Road for pubs if you don't live nearby, but there are tons of decent pubs around here with a similar feel to The Hope. Nice drinks and friendly staff too.

I'm not the biggest fan of this place. Pretty cool for dropping in for a beer on the way to somewhere else, but I've not been too endeared when spendng entire evenings here. The decor is very contemporary, but I think it's a little garish. The lighting is sultry. I just think it's a bit dark. The bar staff are laid back. I just think they're not overly attentive. I do however like the way this pub provides an excellent platform for supporting live music via their upstairs room, so they defintely deserve some credit for that.