Eating & Drinking at the Amex

The University Campuses are largely off bounds unless you are parking and although the club originally looked to do innovative things such as serving home made pies in fancy boxes, that soon fell by the waste side when we were spending thousands of pounds on making food look good.

There are a couple of bars at the stadium and the concourses sell the usual range of football ground fare but by and large, you are better off spending your time either in Brighton or Lewes given the ease with which the train will normally get you to the stadium.

The Concourses

Each concourse sells what you would expect from a modern football stadium - Fosters that tastes like piss, burgers that are probably made of the most recent faller at Plumpton and hotdogs that look like lubricated penises. The food and drink on offer in the Amex does differ in two ways however - firstly, there are the pies which are a lot better than your normal football ground fare. This is also reflected in the cost. There is a lot of variety including vegetarian options and every month or so a different Guest Pie will be available. The drinks selection is also varied. The Amex is one of the few grounds that serves proper Ale with Harveys being available and the away section has a Guest Ale on from whatever city the visiting club represent. There is also the added bonus of Guinness which, although readily available at every rugby ground in the country, has yet to take off at football. The club have been keen to encourage fans to stay behind after games in order to ease the flow of people leaving and they've added artwork to the concourses as well as screens showing the various live games going on as well as Soccer Saturday. Despite this dressing up, they still resemble concrete nuclear bunkers and are not the most welcoming of places to eat and drink, especially on a winters day when the West Lower in particular takes on an additional role as a walk in freezer.

Dick's

Yes, we may be in Brighton but this is not some bar where men whip out the old wedding vegetable. Dick's is a supporters bar situated above the North Stand. Named after former chairman Dick Knight, it has plenty of Albion memorabilia in it as well as a large portrait of Mr Knight which he rather hilariously could often be found sitting under during the first season at the Amex, like some sort of Tudor King. It is a basic facility that does the job, selling food and drink as well as being relatively warm. If you want to try and picture it in your minds eye, think airport lounge and you are basically there. Dick's is currently only open to home fans with no children allowed.

Seven Stars Bar

The other supporters bar at the Amex is the Seven Stars Bar. Situated in the East Stand, this used to be free for parents and children to enter. It features pool tables, consoles and Fussball tables to keep the kids entertained and was the only bar in the stadium other than the executive lounges where you could drink from an actual glass. This made it extremely popular and naturally it wasn't long until the pound signs started flashing in front of Paul Barber's eyes. The result was that from the start of the 2016/17 season, you either had to buy a season ticket costing £250 to have access to the bar for every home game, or pay £12 on the door. Reports suggest that as a result it is no pretty much empty on a regular basis but seeing as we are not mugs, we've not been in there since to verify their accuracy.

Outside the Stadium

In recent seasons, the club have tried to lure people to spend time outside the Amex by installing a number of bars. The main one serves Harveys while there are also a number of food concessions including fish and chips, which finally put an end to the never ending debate surrounding the controversial decision not to sell chips inside the stadium. If you want to be entertained while you eat and drink, there is also a bandstand which plays host to local musicians a couple of hours before every game.

The Swan

The only pub in Falmer is The Swan. Situated about a five minute walk from the stadium on the other side of the A27, it is designated for home fans only. There are two bars inside this small traditional watering hole and one in a large barn in the car park. With plentiful outdoor seating and good home cooked food, it is probably the best option for eating and drinking in the vicinity of the stadium although it can become very busy if everyone is crammed inside the main building in winter.

Away from the Stadium

If you are travelling to Falmer by train, then eating and drinking in either Lewes or Brighton are probably your best options given how quick and easy the journey from both to the stadium is. Brighton has hundreds of brilliant pubs. The Grand Central, the Railway Bell and the Queens Head all immediately outside the station are home fans only but just a two minute walk away are popular venues such as the Battle of Trafalgar, the Lord Nelson, the Albert, the Duke of Wellington and the Caxton Arms. Likewise, Lewes has a host of pubs and is a real haven if you like real ale and in particular, Harveys. The Landsdown, the Lewes Arms and the Lamb are all close by while our personal favourite is the Rights of Man which has a fantastic roof terrace for a sunny day.