Brighton And Hove Restaurant Guide

“Raz (Helalat, of the Black Rock Restaurants group) does it again!” with this open-flame specialist, reborn in “deliberately flash” new city-centre premises, on North Street, in late 2024, and now sprawling over five distinct dining areas and a dedicated cocktail bar. By all accounts the new venue is “fabulous in every way”: “the beef (28-day Irish steaks cooked over hot coals) remains of the highest quality, but there is now a bigger menu with plenty of fish and vegetarian choices” to go with it, and the high stakes relocation has “real atmosphere” too (“almost like a London restaurant”).

“Messy, filling and tasty” – this 14-year-old indie outfit is “one of the best burger groups in London”, with seven outlets in the capital and one in Brighton. It was acquired last year by a new company, headed by original founder Joe Grossman. Top Menu Tip – “the Ari Gold cheeseburger is best”.

Old-school Hispanic in the Lanes, with a menu of “hearty, meaty” dishes (plus “a good selection of vegetarian and fish options”); plus “welcoming service with a sense of urgency”; and a “fun Spanish decor and music that makes you feel like you’re on holiday”. It makes a good fist of “the challenge of catering to tourists in one of the busiest spots in the city” according to a couple of visiting Londoners. Top Menu Tip – “the lamb special is a must-have”.

“Delightful and surprising” small plates of “delicious Middle-Eastern-influenced food”, most of it cooked over fire, is matched with tasty cocktails and “fairly-priced wines” (“we had an excellent bottle from Turkey”) in this “lovely setting” close to the Brighton seafront from Razak Helalat’s Black Rock group (alongside Coal Shed, The Salt Room, Tutto). Open until 10pm for meals (9pm on Sundays) and even later for drinks (“great fun at the bar”), it is tipped by several reporters as “a new favourite”.

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.

“It’s good to see innovative and regular changes to the menu”, say fans of these “enjoyable” Mexican street-food operations, which win many nominations for their “cheap ’n’ cheerful formula, including a “fresh and flavourful” menu majoring in tacos, quesadillas and tostadas”. On the downside, for long-term fans, “the food doesn’t seem as fresh as it used to years ago, by which standard it feels mass produced”.

“Lovely little restaurant” in the Lanes “with a wonderful atmosphere and excellent staff”, and “consistently excellent French provincial cooking that never misses” – it’s pretty good value, too, with a multi-choice prix fixe menu at £23 for two courses or £28 for three (available weekdays including Friday); fans feel that its “by far the most elegant and enjoyable French bistro in the region”.

“Still the most sought-after seats in town (although less mobbed than it was)” – this modern small-plates operation from Pamela & Ben McKellar’s Gingerman group is predominantly counter-seating with an open kitchen, so “it’s always interesting to sit and watch the chefs at work”. “There’s a nice roof terrace for summer days” and “they’ve introduced a proper Sunday roast, which is wonderful”. Top Menu Tip – “irresistible blue cheese crumpets, or the sweetcorn fritters”.

“Excellent vegetarian food, made with love and imagination” has earned widespread recognition for this institution on a “slightly cramped” corner in the Lanes, founded in 1981. Its younger sibling, Botanique in Hove, was founded on similar lines, but last year took a different direction by adopting a ‘sustainable, biodiverse, hyper-local approach’ that involves serving some meat and fish.

2023 Review: “A bustling Italian pizzeria with huge helpings of food like Mama makes” in the heart of the Lanes. “Comforting and joyous” – it provides “value-for-money pastas and pizzas and is ideal for outings with young family members”.

“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”.

2022 Review: “Creative and delicious” – this pleasing Lanes spot, say fans, “takes Indian food to new heights”. One or two reporters this year, though, craved more spice here.

“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”.

2023 Review: “Not a restaurant… rather a tiny room with some bar stools along the wall”. Fans say “it’s a ‘must-try’ experience for all lovers of honest, tasty cuisine! The burgers are juicy, and full of flavour from the quality of the meat to the seasonings”.

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”.