The Bedford Tavern

The Bedford Tavern is a proper, cozy gay local on the Brighton and Hove border, a traditional pub with real character, a piano, a real fire on cold nights and a genuinely warm welcome that keeps regulars and first-timers coming back. A little away from the main Kemptown scene, it draws a friendly, mixed-age crowd for well-kept real ales at prices that are kind by Brighton standards, alongside cracking entertainment: cabaret and drag shows, riotous musical bingo, karaoke and singalongs around the piano. Its home-cooked Sunday roast is the stuff of legend, big, hot and "like your mum makes," and Adam and the team run a tight, welcoming ship. If you want a characterful neighborhood gay boozer rather than a big scene bar, this is the one.