Good Companions - Dyke Road - Hove
Set-back on Dyke road in trendy seven dials; this hostelry may not immediately strike you as a place to visit but give it a try and you may be surprised.
Make your way past the beer patio and once inside you are greeted by friendly, chatty bar staff, the prices are very reasonable, at less than £3/pint and they do serve quite a few quality beers, as well as the usual over carbonated cack.
Talking of the bar; the pub layout is quite pleasant, harking back to yesteryear, with the bar set in the middle of the room, accessible from any area of the pub. The décor is bang up to date with wood flooring and a big plasma screen tv in the corner and plenty of seating around the perimeter of the pub. Which brings me to the one and only bad point as far as this pub. . .Don’t even think of going in the good companions during any kind of sporting event, especially major football matches. Unless you like being surrounded by chavesque football supporters, of course. That’s not to say the place is frequented by football hooligans, it’s not! Just gets a little packed during these occasions.
A garden is located at the rear of the pub and barbecues are available for hire, so you can bring your own food, should you ever want to ‘throw a barbie’ and not have people traipsing through your own place. Spilling food and booze everywhere.
The toilets were clean and well presented whenever I’ve needed to use them.
If you’re a sports fan, then good companions scores highly, if not, pick your time to visit carefully and it makes for a nice afternoon drinking spot.
March 19th, 2008 at 12:06 am
What on earth has happened to this pub ! There is no football shown anymore as the brewery chain has decided to cancel the sky subscription . The excellent landlord and his wife have now gone and the place is now a shadow of what it used to be . The food is poor and of very limited choice . The bar staff lack interest and skill and appear to be unable to change a barrel . Shelves are not stocked and optics are empty . On my last visit there was no orange juice available , no ice and no atmosphere . Pubs have struggled enough since the smoking ban but taking out the sky , the landlord , the staff and declining standards of cleanliness in this pub will surely lead to it’s closure and no doubt conversion to a block of flats . If you want a good night out - go somewhere else .
April 5th, 2008 at 5:49 pm
This pub was recommended to me by good friends who drink there most nights, and I would recommend this pub to anyone else especially booking a party as I did for my 40th birthday!I had the most wonderful night the food was fantastic!and the staff were extremely friendly and welcoming to all of my friends and family.