The Crown is an independent, family run freehouse, situated in the heart of Hastings Old Town at the foot of the clifftop country park, and a stone's throw away from the beach. Reopened by Tess and Andrew Swan in July 2014, The Crown is a welcoming hub for the community and visitors, open seven days a week.
In 2017 The Crown won The Observer’s Best Place to Drink in the UK, followed by Parliamentary Pub of the Year in 2018. We are proud to have featured in many publications including The New York Times, Time Out, GQ, The Times, The Guardian and The Telegraph. This year we continue to be listed in Harden’s and have been listed as one of the Top 100 Pubs in the UK by The Good Food Guide.
Our menu is focused on British provenance. Sourcing ingredients from our local fishing fleet, farms and producers, we are proud to champion the best produce Sussex and Kent has to offer. Our menu includes favourites such as our beer-battered fish finger sandwich in homemade ciabatta, and seasonal meat, fish and vegan/vegetarian dishes that change throughout the year. We serve our full menu every day, all week from 12 till 4, 5 till 9. (Please note we do not serve a Sunday Roast). Our bread is made in house by Emmanuel Hadjiandreou, an award winning baker.
We are proud of our drinks selection. We work with the fantastic craft breweries in the area. We have carefully curated a list of fine European and English wine with our local vintners, and a specialist gin and whisky selection from Independent distilleries. Our soft drinks include local sparkling juices, kombucha and cloudy apple juice.
We have an ongoing list of workshops, classes and meetings that take place throughout the year, including weekly knitting groups, craft groups, darts in the snug, floral workshops, bracelet making, baby groups and much more.
We open at 11am every day. No need to book for the mornings - just turn up and enjoy the calm space. Join us for a cup of coffee from Chucky's Coffee or a loose leaf tea from Proper Tea Co down the coast in Pett. We have wifi and plenty of space to work, meet with friends, or just relax. Well-behaved dogs are welcome (paws on the floor please!) and we have colouring sheets and a cupboard of activities in the snug for children. Please ask to play a board game, we have scrabble, boggle, chess and much more on a shelf behind the bar.
For busier times, you can book a table through our website. You will find two options when you book; ‘hightops’ which are bar stools at a higher up table around the front, or normal tables. The outside picnic benches on the picturesque All Saints Street are kept for walk-ins and are not bookable. If you wished to book our cosy informal snug space with the smaller tables, please email hello@thecrownhastings.co.uk.
The Crown is in the perfect position for Hastings events such as Jack in the Green, Hastings Fat Tuesday, Crown Lane Bike Race and Bonfire Night Parades. Our walls are host to an ever-changing exhibition of art and photography by local creatives and we play our favourite music. Homegrown seasonal flowers adorn the tables and the seasonal displays at the front attract bees and wildlife.
We look forward to welcoming you to The Crown soon,
Andrew & Tess Swan
