British, Modern Restaurants in Hove
1. The Set
British, Modern restaurant in Brighton
50 Preston Road - BN1
2021 Review: Eat from a “tempting short menu” (“there’s no longer just a set menu”) at Dan Kenny’s funky former pop-up that’s now permanently parked in a “relaxed and quiet” location, within a trendy boutique hotel. “How can kale taste like heaven? How can sultanas make such an intense jam? How can rhubarb zing in an eclair? Go visit The Set and discover for yourself!” But hurry – in December 2020, Kenny announced that the restaurant would cease trading at the end of March 2021.
2. The Lamb at Angmering
British, Modern restaurant in Angmering
The Square - BN16
“A great pitstop whilst in the area” – the Norbury family’s gastropub next to the South Downs is consistently well reviewed in our annual diners’ poll. As well as a selection of pub ‘classics’ the menu includes a number of more ambitious brasserie-style items.
3. The Tasting Room, Rathfinny Wine Estate
British, Modern restaurant in Alfriston
Rathfinny Wine Estate - BN26
Lush local wines are not the only attraction at this vineyard restaurant (also with accommodation), which enjoys gorgeous views of the vines and South Downs. There are weekly changing seasonal tasting menus, or “take the incredible picnic amongst the vineyards on a summer's afternoon… bliss!”
4. Fourth and Church
British, Modern restaurant in Brighton
84 Church Road - BN3
A “great neighbourhood choice” – this restaurant/bar/wine shop in Hove serves “excellent small plates” plus a “delicious menu of dishes which is kept small enough to ensure freshness and innovation”. It’s a “warm and intimate” place which is now offering “one of the best tasting menus in town”.
5. Wild Flor
British, Modern restaurant in Brighton
42 Church Road - BN3
This three-year-old bistro “has made a huge impression on the Hove scene” with the “quality and inventiveness of its food”, an “excellent and surprising wine list” and “impeccable service” led by founders James & Faye Thomson and Rob Maynard. “Proud to have Wild Flor in our ’hood!”.
6. Due South
British, Modern restaurant in Brighton
139 Kings Road Arches - BN1
It has a “lovely setting” on the front, but Rob Shenton’s well-known venue has yet to reestablish itself fully since he decided last year to restore its branding of ten years ago (and to move Riddle & Finns On the Beach – his operation here since 2011 – to a new site). On limited feedback, some locals do rave all-round: others say “it’s not what it used to be – the food’s nicely cooked, but not good value for money”.
7. Etch
British, Modern restaurant in Brighton
216 Church Rd - BN3
“The remodelling of the restaurant has made it even better”, say fans, and with expansion Steven Edwards’s “high quality dining experience” in Hove (which occupies a converted bank near the seafront, complete with basement bar) is reaching an expanded audience. Serving the now typical 8-9 small course tasting menus, with chefs delivering dishes to the table, all reports speak of a “stylish, fun and friendly” venue “with a very professional front of house team” and “great focus on local produce, letting great ingredients sing”. The Indie’s Kate Ng is a fan of the new look too and her April 2022 review described “a glimpse into the future of modern British cuisine!”
8. The Ginger Pig
British, Modern restaurant in Brighton
3 Hove St - BN3
A “classy member” of a well-known local group, this “great gastropub a few yards from Hove seafront” “serves Paris bistro-style food, with a few innovative touches such as rabbit Scotch egg”. “A lovely place for any meal, with an always-tempting menu: it never disappoints”.
9. Gingerman
British, Modern restaurant in Brighton
21a Norfolk Sq - BN1
“This small and intimate backstreet gem remains deservedly popular with regulars” – and was the original in Ben & Pamela McKellar’s successful local group, opening 25 years ago. It’s gone “ever so slightly more ‘haute’ recently (fancy canapés), so some people might think it’s on the dear side”, but on most accounts, it isn’t! – it’s “not cheap, but fantastic”.
10. Murmur
British, Modern restaurant in Brighton
91-96 Kings Road Arches - BN1
“Blessed with a sensational location” – under the arches on the seafront – Great British Menu winner Michael Bremner’s casual venue makes a “lovely” spot for “reliable food, particularly the fish”. But it is “much less adventurous than 64 Degrees” (his acclaimed Lanes flagship).
11. The Salt Room
Fish & seafood restaurant in Brighton
106 Kings Road - BN1
“A window table gives a good view of the sunset on a sunny evening” at this “excellent seafront restaurant”: a seafood brasserie near the old West Pier that’s again one of the city’s commented-on destinations in town in our annual diners’ poll. Fans say it’s “hard to get into, and not cheap, but everything about it’s good” in particular its “great fish-based menu” (“it’s a great place to share a whole fish at market price”). “The scale of the restaurant can make the service a little frenetic” though and the food can “try too hard to be interesting and only sometimes succeed”. On most accounts, though, it’s “still knocking it out of the park and a great place for a treat”.
12. The Coal Shed
Steaks & grills restaurant in Brighton
8 Boyces St - BN1
“High-quality meat” – and “with a variety on the menu if you fancy a change from beef” – has helped win a significant fan club for Razak Helalat’s well-known destination (which has a spin-off near Tower Bridge, in London). Reports remain generally upbeat, although a number of them note service can be “variable”, especially when they are busy.
13. Burnt Orange
British, Modern restaurant in Brighton
59 Middle Street - BN1
“Currently the ‘in’ place in town” – Razak Helalat (founder of Coal Shed and Salt room) has another hit on his hands with this sophisticated-looking yearling, which fans say is “deservedly popular, thanks to its exciting and seriously good Middle Eastern-inflected small plates”, “very imaginative cocktails, and a 70s-but-cool aesthetic”. Boosted by Giles Coren’s upbeat review in The Times, it is the most commented-on venue in town in our latest annual diners’ poll and “there’s a great buzz around the place”. The overall rating is dented though, by an unusual number of mixed or disappointing reports. The sceptics say “there are good flavours, but just too many of them, nor are they as good as the hype suggests”.
14. Riddle & Finns
British, Modern restaurant in Brighton
12b Meeting House Ln - BN1
This “wonderful little venue” in Brighton’s Lanes (with an offshoot near the seafront) scores highly for its “incredibly fresh fish and seafood”. There’s a “real buzzy atmosphere”, too, that sometimes makes it “a bit of a madhouse” – a small price to pay for somewhere that “performs this well in a tourist hot-spot”.
15. 64 Degrees
British, Modern restaurant in Brighton
53 Meeting House Lane - BN1
Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, Great British Menu winner Michael Bremner’s Lanes 20-seater is still one of Brighton’s more interesting culinary destinations. For “committed foodies”, it provides an “amazing experience”, with “sensational dishes of seasonal food – I even tried squirrel!”. “Presentation is beautiful and sitting at the pass just adds to the experience”.
16. Flint House
British, Modern restaurant in Brighton
13 Hannington’s Lane - BN1
“A massive cult favourite among people in the know in Brighton”, this Lanes outfit from Pamela & Ben McKellar’s Gingerman group is “now almost impossible to get into”, due to the fame of its small plates with “really interesting flavour combinations and seasoning”. It’s also “extremely good value”, thanks to “incredibly good use of cheap ingredients”. “Wish this was in London – but it’s a good reason to go to Brighton!”
17. Plateau
British, Modern restaurant in Brighton
1 Bartholomews - BN1
2021 Review: “A shabby-chic bistro with pleasant staff and interesting small plates” – fish-centric – plus “natural wines to complement the seasonal organic food”.
18. Kindling
British, Modern restaurant in Brighton
69 East Street - BN1
2022 Review: Opened just before Christmas 2019, a brightly decorated establishment where everything is cooked over open fire in the central open kitchen. It’s from the Food for Friends team with chefs Holly Taylor and Toby Geneen. Limited initial feedback, but ratings are strong and reports are of a “carnivore’s delight”.
19. Isaac@
British, Modern restaurant in Brighton
2 Gloucester Street - BN1
Isaac Bartlett-Copeland’s ambitious and ultra-local operation in Brighton’s boho North Laine is “so original and never the same twice”, with its ‘taste of Sussex’ menus and an all-English list of wines. The “NYC vibe” goes too far for some tastes (“well-meaning front of house told us everything, and I mean absolutely everything, about every dish…”)
20. The Ginger Dog
British, Modern restaurant in Brighton
12 College Pl - BN2
2021 Review: “More ‘pubby’ than The Gingerman” – the namesake group’s original site and flagship, opened in 1998 – “but more relaxing” too, this dog-friendly Kemptown spot is a solid performer which “cannot be beaten for family get-togethers”; the newest ginger, The Flint House, mixing tapas, cocktails and a roof terrace, opened in central Brighton in spring 2019.
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