A humble high-street café housing a staggering ten rotated keg lines
19–21 Market Street
Lewes
BN7 2NB
01273 477042
The Patch in Lewes appears to be a typical pokey café on one of Lewes’s narrow side roads. Don’t be fooled however, as The Patch is home to the best range of kegged beers in central Lewes.
PUB DESCRIPTION
It’s hard to tell if The Patch Lewes is more cafe or tap-room. There’s a huge refrigerator full of sandwiches to your right as you walk in and the air smells of frying food, so that’s ticked the cafe vibes. The walls, however, are decorated with thousands of beer tap POS clip art, which collectively tell a colourful tale of the myriad of wonderful liquids from far and wide that have graced the taps here.
The venue itself is simple, and despite the lack of space, there’s a good selection of wooden furniture to choose from. In the main bar space stools at the window bar allow you to perch and peer out. Elsewhere a mish-mash of booths, tables and chairs are creatively jammed into the long but narrow space. There’s a small yard out back that has no furniture in it so not sure this is in much use.
BEER OPTIONS
If you are here for beer then you get excited as soon as you step over the threshold, as it’s a mere 2 steps to the bar where 10 lines stare back at your with their weird and wonderful beer logos. The Patch Lewes have a knack for offering punters a combination of tempting styles from local, UK-wide and worldwide options, showcasing brewers you’ve probably never seen anywhere before. With 10 to choose from (okay 9 as there was a cider) even the most picky of beer
geeks will find the perfect thirst-quencher. If you’re really struggling, there’s even a small fridge stocked with more options.
The brews are regularly rotated to keep things exciting. The Patch’s Facebook posts are good at keeping you updated on new arrivals.
FOOD MENU
There are loads of different sandwiches available as well as full breakfasts and also all the usual fried things available in a roll. Keep an eye on the socials for amazing sounding specials which will get you salivating.
CONCLUSION
Opening from 8am-10pm most days, and with beers and food both fairly priced. The Patch Lewes is a humble and valuable member of Lewes’ cafe and nighttime landscape. In truth the space could be a bit more comfortable for when you want to hunker down for a beery session. However, with the brewery taprooms of Abyss and BEAK out on the fringes of the town, you just cannot beat The Patch for beer variety in central Lewes.