Seaford Restaurant Guide

This former religious hostel on the banks of the Cuckmere River is considerably less humble than in days of yore, having been given the Olga Polizzi treatment (Bloomsbury Set artworks, fancy Elizabethan-style floor, plush bedrooms) a few years back. While some baulk at the “very expensive” price tag, for most it’s justified by the “very good” British cooking and, if you overnight – perhaps after a trip to Glyndebourne or a stroll on The Downs – “it should be mentioned that the breakfasts are particularly good”.

2022 Review: At the heart of a picture-perfect village in the South Downs National Park which was beloved by Virginia Woolf in her day, this rambling brick and flint pub-with-rooms has a “great garden, or more like field” (!) offering views over the Sussex countryside. Inside offers an “intimate” and “romantic” backdrop to “modern and fresh” food of a “reliable” bent.

Dining amid the Edwardian “time-warp” splendour of the Grand Hotel is “always a wonderful experience” according to traditionalist fans of this seafront landmark, which “continues to sail along offering well spaced tables, attentive silver service”. One or two reports regret that in moving with the times it’s become “sadly less stylish than in times past, with no serving cloche or pianist on the night visited”, but all acknowledge it’s “still a lovely room”, with “imaginative cuisine” from chef Alex Burtenshaw – cooking that all reports acknowledged as consistent this year.

2022 Review: Occupying the basement Kempton site of the eponymous Drakes of Brighton, the new restaurant at this boutique hotel is headed up by chef Ian Swainson (previously at The Pass). It started as a pop-up in 2019 and went permanent in 2020. Our limited feedback said the food is very good, but was too limited for a rating. But the word on the street is that his food is some of the more interesting to be had in the town.

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”.

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.

2023 Review: This “little” Victorian boozer on a North Laine corner is “a bit away from the centre but not far from the station, so perfect when arriving at lunchtime” – “the menu’s not massive, which is usually a good sign, and you’ll find Sunday roast, fish ’n’ chips, and classic pub dishes”.

“When you want a hipster burger dripping in your beard, this place delivers!” – Scott Collins’s “buzzy, vibey” joints are notorious for their “really good dirty burgers” with memorable names (the ‘Dead Hippie’ and its veggie cousin the ‘Tempeh Tantrum’), plus “excellent buffalo wings with blue-cheese sauce”. In early 2025 he opened spinoff venture BLOODsports in a Covent Garden basement (see also), showing live sports and horror films on large-screen TVs.

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”.

2023 Review: 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…”)

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”.

“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.

“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”.