Withdean, Fish & Seafood - Restaurant Guide

Sui generis boozer whose “first-class seafood” (notably the “astonishingly great shellfish at great prices”) comes as a bit of a shock given the suburban setting by a school; add in “lovely service” and “good beer too” – the in-house Larrikin which is offered on tap is brewed in the basement – and it’s “a gem” by absolutely all accounts.

2025 Review: “Duncan Ray delivers a top seafood menu from a tiny kitchen” at this “wonderful and intimate spot tucked away behind a busy Brighton street”, where just 20 guests enjoy an “unbelievable menu in a single sitting per night”. Even a reporter who felt “the food didn’t quite live up to some sublime experiences in the past” still felt that “there were some great dishes, we love what LFM does, and it’s well worth a visit”.

“You always know what you’re going to get” – namely “basic fish ’n’ chips to elaborate shellfish dishes” – at this seafront establishment, where banker Thomas Coutts’s widow Harriet Mellon (Europe’s richest woman) used to dwell, reportedly dining upon her favourite king prawns. The palatial venue became a restaurant in the 1930s, and for the odd diner who feels that “standards have drifted recently as the tourists pour in”, there’s plenty more for whom “everything seems true and reassuring”, from the victuals to the “lovely setting”.

“Excellent fish cookery” showcased in a “very atmospheric dining room” which is “one of the surprisingly rare places with sea views in Brighton” – “the quality here is unwavering and the menu always evolves slightly”. Even one local who considers it “a tiny-bit-less superb than the Coal Shed and Burnt Orange” (its stablemates in local restaurateur Raz Helalat’s Black Rock group), feels that “when it’s good, it’s very good”.

For “classic fish/seafood amid traditional décor”, you can’t beat this long-running oyster bar (est. 2006), in a prime location on the buzzing Lanes – just ask fan Gordon Ramsay, who has sung its praises on TikTok! The “imaginative menu” includes “amazing” market fish of the day, and there’s also “great seafood risotto and tempura prawns to keep the younger members of the party happy”. If you’d like your catch with a view, see also their newer branch, located right above Brighton beach.

“Perched above the sand in a great beach view setting, the location is uplifting” (“whether in sunshine or driving rain”) at this very popular, restored late-Victorian Rotunda on the promenade – sibling to the Lanes bar of the same name and often praised for its “good, fresh seafood”. Maybe unsurprisingly for somewhere in the touristy heart of the city there are caveats – “the layout inside, perched on stools” can seem constraining (“only customers next to the windows can fully appreciate the seaside”); staff are “cheery” but can “struggle to answer basic questions”; and the food is “a little expensive”… “straightforward rather than outstanding”. Top Menu Tips – “Amazing fresh Sea Bream, delightful monkfish tempura and the pudding platter is the one to go for. Decent Oyster selection too”.

“Lovely family-run fish restaurant” with “superb fresh seafood, in a lovely seafront location” – this simple operation has perched on the Worthing prom for the last 10 years and earned a reputation for some of the “best fresh seafood for miles around”.

“Bravo!” – “Dave Mothersill’s always-capable wings have spread” with his solo venture – a 28-seat space near the Pavilion, which wins many bouquets in reports for the “simply exceptional” cuisine, be it from an approachable à la carte menu, affordable set lunch (£35 per person) or the full journey of an eight-course chef’s selection for £85 per person. The odd rough edge knocked it off full marks this year (“too many flavours and textures chase each other off the plate”), but most feedback continues to say the experience is “of the highest quality”.

A short stroll from the pier, this cute, slightly old-fashioned looking bistro-style newcomer opened in April 2025 and bills itself as Brighton’s first Seafood Boil House, promising Seafood with attitude... Where things get hands-on and gloriously messy’ from a menu of ‘Cajun inspired seafood boils and locally sourced seafood dishes including oysters, classic calamari, lobster burgers & Singapore Chill Crab’. It opened too late to inspire any feedback in our annual diners’ poll, but in his July 2025 review, The Times’s Giles Coren had a “fun” trip: “They gave us a mallet! So much more useful than a stupid cracker. Deep into your second bottle and smashing a huge crab with a sledgehammer like you’re putting in fence posts is about as much fun as you can have at the seaside with your clothes on”.

2023 Review: “Never disappoints” say regulars at this popular destination, near Shoreham Beach, where “the menu is predominantly fish dishes”. “It’s our local. We love this place and highly recommend it. Choose the specials!”.