The Heart Hand

Once you step in, you'll find a single room with a bar along one wall and seating arranged around the perimeter. The decor is fairly simple, showcasing patterned carpets, some wood paneling, and cream-colored walls adorned with numerous posters promoting old-school gigs. During my visit, I enjoyed two well-kept beers: Harvey's Sussex Best Bitter and Sharpe's Doom Bar. They also offered Thatcher's Somerset Cider. Overall, it's a welcoming spot worth checking out.

This place is definitely worth a visit. It's a charming old pub featuring beautiful stained glass windows. I thought the Harveys beer (and the jukebox, for that matter) was decent, but I found the atmosphere to be a bit too loud and uncomfortable, thanks to a few bothersome patrons. It became somewhat stressful at times. I truly wanted to enjoy my experience here.

The interior is quite dimly lit, and I was served a flat cider, while the food options are limited to frozen pizzas prepared in those old-fashioned sandwich presses. On the bright side, there are a couple of benches outside, which, like all the pubs in North Laine, are perfect for people-watching. The pub is also home to a legendary jukebox, boasting an extensive collection that keeps the local musicians frequenting this cozy dive.

The Heart and Hand really surprised me the first time went there. If I 'm honest I was expecting a slightly dowdy, maybe even seedy pub. I expected to be met by the stench of beer soaked carpet and the silence of a few old boys propping up the bar. It 's not that my preconceptions were entirely wrong, but the Heart and Hand strikes a fine balance between traditional 'old man pub ' and trendy North Lanes hot spot. It is nice because it is a traditional pub that just happens to be cool, unlike some of the contrived efforts of other pubs/bars in the area. The decor and bar staff are unpretentious and warm and they serve an impressive range of beers, lagers, wine and spirits. The duke box is undoubtedly my favourite thing about this pub- they seem to be few and far between these days...I could honestly spend hours flicking through the records. It 's so much more fun than fiddling about with an ipod! One of the best pubs in the central North Lanes area!

I've walked past this pub so many times on my travels around The Laines and the lime coloured tiles that distinguish it have always caught my eye. I think it was those very tiles that led me to the assumption that it would be a pub occupied by a group of very well established locals, all of whom would still be smoking in there regardless of the law. This all however turned out to be false. Quite small and tidy inside, I met a friend for a Saturday afternoon gin. Sitting outside, I saw friends I hadn't seen for ages popping in for a drink. Looks like the tiles only put me off.