A friendly neighbourhood pub that has stepped up its game with the appointment of a top end chef moving it into the gastro pub league.

The Venue
A big, friendly, modernised pub on Queens Park Road, The Hanover has always been popular with local residents and considered to be one of the better pubs in this part of town. Now it's moved up another gear with the appointment of chef Alexander Chalk in early 2007 under his company Alexander's Fine Foods. Alexander has previously worked at Le Caprice, The Ivy and Gordon Ramsay's Boxwood Cafe so it's pretty clear that he knows his stuff. This is a welcome development on the food front not only for Hanover residents but Brighton as a whole. Inside the pub the look is exposed brickwork, wooden floorboards and leather sofas, all in very warm and rustic hues. There's a lovely decked beer garden bordered by lots of plants and a function room available for hire.

The People
It should come as no surprise that alongside the longstanding locals you'll now find many a foodie oohing and aahing over the food. The pub and its patrons still remain refreshingly down to earth however, no doubt due in part to its location. If this pub were located closer to the city centre it would be overrun with pretentious tourists and locals that have more cash than class. The pub quiz, DJs and live music nights also draw in a loyal following.

The Food and Drink
The Hanover has a really impressive range of beers and ciders on tap (with an emphasis on German and Belgium brews), including — deep breath — Becks, Staropramen, Artois Peetermans, Belle-Vue Creek, Hoegaarden, Guinness, Harveys Sussex Best, Bombardier, Landlord, Stowford Press, Leffe and Franziskaner. There's also a concise but carefully selected wine list (three whites, three reds and a couple of roses).

The pub has two food menus: one for pub classics such as homemade beef burgers and smoked haddock, the other one changes every day according to what new and fresh ingredients the pub has, including fresh fish from Shoreham. As an example, Chalk’s signature dish is seared tuna with Chinese five spices served with confit potatoes in oil and lemon, avocado puree, daikon cress, lemongrass and soy sauce. However, the Sunday roasts take some beating too and if you just fancy a sarnie you'll be able to get the Hanover club sandwich with a hefty portion of chips for £6.50.

The Last Word
This pub is reason enough to move to Hanover and never set foot in the city centre again. Superb food and drink, live music, DJs and the all-important pub quiz add up to a winning formula.