Where The Cricketers is and how to reach it

Black Lion Street is a narrow lane running between the seafront and North Street, in the thick of the Lanes shopping quarter. Walk up from the promenade and you are there in a few minutes; from Brighton station it is a steady downhill walk of a quarter of an hour or so through the North Laine and the city centre. The pub is on street level with the door straight onto the pavement, so you will spot it by the traditional frontage rather than a big sign.

Parking is the weak point. Visit Brighton lists on-street parking only, which in this part of town means pay-and-display bays that fill quickly at weekends. If you are driving, park at one of the city-centre multi-storeys and walk down; the train is easier still, with the station an easy walk away.

Opening hours and when the kitchen stops

The kitchen closes well before the bar, and that is the single most useful thing to know. The pub's own site gives food from midday to 9pm Monday to Thursday, midday to 8pm on Friday and Saturday, and midday to 8pm on Sunday, with the bar running later — to 11pm early in the week, 2am on Friday and Saturday, and 10.30pm on Sunday. Treat those as the pattern rather than a promise: check the day you plan to eat, especially around bank holidays.

An arrival at half eight on a Friday gives you half an hour to order, so if you want a sit-down main rather than a pint, aim for early evening or lunchtime. Sunday is the tighter case: the kitchen shuts at 8pm and the pub follows at 10.30pm, so a late-afternoon slot is the safer bet for a roast.

What to eat: home-cooked pub favourites

The menu is built on pub classics done in-house, with a few more inventive dishes alongside. Visit Brighton describes home-cooked food using fresh, local ingredients, with vegetarian dishes catered for — useful if one of your party does not eat meat. Think starters and mains of the pie, fish, burger and salad sort rather than a long à la carte list, so decide by dish and appetite rather than by trend.

No menu prices are published in the sources behind this guide, so check the board or the pub's site before you commit if budget matters. In practice a Lanes pub sits in the middle of the Brighton range: more than a back-street local, less than a seafront restaurant. If you want fish and chips as the main event, it is better to go to a proper chippy such as Bardsley's Fish and Chips, Brighton and come here for a pint afterwards.

What to drink

Cask ale is on the list, along with the usual lagers, wines and soft drinks, so a beer-led stop works as well as a food one. Visit Brighton also notes a garden or patio for guests, which is a rare bonus in this tightly built part of the Lanes and worth asking about on a warm day. Order at the bar, as you would in any traditional pub.

If you are making a crawl of it, Brighton has plenty of other beer options within walking distance. Bison Beer on North Road is a short stroll away for a modern taproom contrast, and the Hand in Hand, Brighton in Kemptown is a good second stop if you head east.

The room, and what the sources say about its history

Inside, the pub leans Victorian: dark wood panelling, red upholstery and gilded fittings, with a bar that the Brighton Journal dates to 1904 along with much of the furniture. It is a small, intimate set of rooms rather than one big open floor, which means it fills fast and gets loud at peak times. Arrive early for a seat at lunch, or accept standing.

Visit Brighton says a pub has stood on this site since 1547 and that The Cricketers was immortalised by Graham Greene in Brighton Rock. Treat the 1547 date as a contested claim rather than fact: the neighbouring Black Lion, a few doors along the same street, is also put forward as Brighton's oldest pub. Both stories are part of the pub's character; neither should be repeated as settled history.

The Greene Room upstairs

Upstairs is a separate, self-contained bar, The Greene Room. Visit Brighton describes it as a hireable space with its own music and a buffet or canapé menu, named after the Graham Greene connection and decorated with memorabilia. It is not the same as the ground-floor pub: if you are booking for a group, say which space you want, because the two operate independently.

Who it suits

This is a good stop for a pint and a plate in the middle of a day out: shoppers resting their feet, couples wanting a pub lunch, small groups after a walk along the seafront. Children are welcome, with highchairs and baby-changing facilities, so a family lunch works here. It is a busy, sociable pub rather than a quiet stop, so if you want a calm room for a long conversation and a fixed budget, look elsewhere.

What's nearby

You are already in the Lanes, so the shopping streets, jewellers and cafés are on the doorstep. The seafront and Brighton Fishing Museum are a few minutes' walk downhill, and the pier follows from there. A sensible order is a walk along the front, then a pint here, then a wander back through the lanes.

If you want something sweet after, Julien Plumart, Brighton is a short walk away for patisserie; if you prefer a different pub, the Basketmakers Arms, Brighton in the North Laine is the obvious alternative. Both are in the Brighton guide.

Booking and the practical bits

Tables can be booked — the pub's own site has a booking form, useful on Saturdays and for groups. Cards are accepted, including American Express, Delta, MasterCard and Visa, and wi-fi is available. Service is at the bar as standard.

Is The Cricketers worth your stop?

Yes, if you want a proper old pub with home-cooked food and cask ale right in the Lanes, and you time your visit to the kitchen rather than the bar. Go early for lunch or early evening for dinner, book if it is a Saturday, and leave the car behind. The trade-off is straightforward: a central, characterful, often-busy room rather than a quiet one.