The 21 best restaurants in Brighton

Telegraph

08-05-2025

Gone are the days of good-but-staid establishments, second-rate pizza parlours and soggy fish and chips. Brighton today has an increasingly sophisticated restaurant scene that easily outshines other seaside resorts. The trend in many is to emphasise locally sourced ingredients, and that's all to the good, given Sussex's burgeoning vineyards, artisan cheesemakers and organic farms. From a chic all-day brasserie and cocktail bar in The Lanes to a hip but cosy restaurant serving Southern Indian street food, Telegraph Travel Brighton expert Louise Roddon shares her favourites.
Find out more below, or for further inspiration, discover our guide to Brighton and the best hotels, nightlife, shopping and things to do in the area.
Find a restaurant by type:
Best all-rounders
Best for families
Best for cheap eats
Best for walk ins
Best for fine dining
Best for seafood
Best all-rounders
The Flint House
This, the latest offshoot of Chef Ben McKellar's local restaurant empire, is a fab place to flop after scouring The Lanes' antiques shops. Located in a newly renovated flint and stone fisherman's house, it has a lofty bar and patio upstairs (check out the dramatic plant arrangement above the bar) and either casual counter-top or table service below.
The theme is small sharing plates: zippy-tasting mushrooms on toast with truffle oil and duck egg (perfect for lunch) or slow roast lamb belly with confit garlic, anchovy and crushed peas. Prices are decently pitched; so too the wines, including a palatable but unusual 'Taronia de Gris' orange wine from Languedoc.
Kindling
The elements underpin this chic restaurant, with strictly seasonal, locally sourced tasting menu divided into three themes: Earth, Sea and Fire. The first two are pretty obvious: think retired Sussex dairy beef, or locally caught red mullet with courgette and sea aster. But fire? Well, that element is the grill.
In fact, Kindling is mad keen on grilling, and the results are pretty accomplished. Starters at this buzzy restaurant might include grilled patty pan squash with ricotta and basil; that retired beef will be grilled to perfection, and as always, there's an unexpected but delicious burst of flavours – a dab of chimichurri, pickled elderberry, perhaps some fermented apple…
Burnt Orange
From the team behind The Coal Shed and The Salt Room comes Burnt Orange – pitched as 'a new grown-up hangout for Brighton' – and favouring grilled, slow cooked and smoked specialities. Set in The Lanes, it has a pleasant courtyard and an interior where burnished orange colour notes mix with exposed flint walls.
Come here for creative Sunday brunches with live DJs; drop by for an early evening cocktail (we're behind their twist on the Bloody Caesar, aptly-named The Bloody Pleaser), or settle for yummy sharing plates spanning Sussex grilled halloumi, tender smoked lamb shoulder shredded into fat filo cigars, or – particularly winning favours – slow-cooked Baba Ganoush.
Plateau Brighton
Is it a wine bar? Bistro? Cocktail bar? Well, Plateau offers a bit of everything on the edge of The Lanes and champions an award-winning list of low-yield, natural and organic wines.
A reasonably-priced bites menu offers exquisitely cooked modern European sharing plates. Featuring the likes of excellently crispy pan haggerty with rosemary mayo, Sussex charcuterie, or wild venison pierogi with fermented chilli. If fish is available, go for it. It is bound to be local, zinging with flavour and perfectly cooked. Alternatively, grab a seat outside and order a few of their fabulously crafted cocktails.
Nostos
Greek cuisine is having a bit of a moment: gone are the days of dimly lit tavernas and endless bouzouki music; today, you're more likely to find innovative cooking with staple dishes given a contemporary twist. This is certainly true at Nostos – a relative newbie to Brighton's dining scene – where clean flavours match the fresh, uncluttered décor, and where over half the dishes are either vegan or vegetarian.
Starry starters include perfectly cooked, exquisitely crispy calamari, and lamb cutlets with celeriac and parsley and raisin dressing. Mains feature flavoursome chicken souvlaki, always a fish of the day, and excellent vegan moussakas.
Wild Flor
Wisely pitching at innovative comfort food, Hove's buzzy new Wild Flor quickly found favour with locals, and not just because it's a good place to go for a decent meal: this is a pleasingly calm space too (no over-loud music or over-fussy décor).
Winner of Brighton's best wine list, this modest well-cellared restaurant offers clean, unpretentious dishes such as Cornish crab with pink grapefruit and celery, or pappardelle of pig cheek, peas and aged parmesan. Starters are particularly starry: if it's on the menu, don't miss the veal sweetbreads in a foam almond and cream sherry sauce.
Manju's
This family-owned and run restaurant was dreamed up by its eponymous, octogenarian owner. The décor is a blend of modern and homely, with traditional cooking pans, milk jugs and material from one of Manju's saris framed and hung on the blue-drenched walls.
Food is an exciting whirlwind of palate-punching starters, curries, sweet-sour homemade chutneys and moreish flatbreads for mopping up sauces (vegan and gluten-free options, too). Don't miss the classic Gujarati snack, palak patra or the imaginative take on samosa chaat, served in a martini glass. Pick up a jar of the sweet and fiery date and tamarind chutney on your way out.
Back to index
Best for families
The Coal Shed
The Coal Shed is known for its expertly cooked, well-hung steaks. And – huge puff for Brighton being first on the scene – they've also got an outpost in London. The décor of stripped floorboards, wooden tables and brick walls can result in poor acoustics but the cooking is spot on.
Come in the evening to chow on aged Scottish cuts and fabulous beef dripping chips. Alternatively, try good value lunches, BYO Corkage every Monday (£5) and Sunday sharing roasts featuring 35-day aged beef. They also offer locally caught fish and seafood, but it's better to stick to the dishes that serve the restaurant's original purpose.
Tutto
Brighton has lacked a decent Italian restaurant for many years, but new Tutto looks set to redress the imbalance. Housed in a former banking hall and elegantly decorated with sage green banquettes, parquet flooring, and bold, abstract paintings, this is the place to come when you're in the mood for some authentically Italian comfort food.
Delicious pastas include velvety saffron-infused risottos and a sublime spaghetti with crab, tomato, chilli and samphire, while mains span excellent sea bream with young leeks, pine nuts and olives, to a meltingly-good Mozzarella Parmigiana. Tutto also offers sharing plates and many vegetarian and vegan options. Above all, don't miss the to-die-for chocolate and hazelnut torte served with vanilla ice cream – heaven on a plate.
The Ginger Pig
A member of the Gingerman clan of local restaurants, 'The Pig' takes the concept of gastropub to new levels. Inside, it's spacious and contemporary, with dark wooden tables, banquettes and a cool revamped auberginey colour scheme. Do keep in mind it's popular with local families, and gets busy at weekends.
That said, the atmosphere is convivial and the staff are super friendly. Pick a Sussex brew to enjoy with hearty comfort-food grub such as barbecued braised beef cheek or pork fillet with crispy pig head. Just the thing before a wind-whipped walk along Hove's prom.
Back to index
Best for cheap eats
Shelter Hall
Set within an exquisitely converted Edwardian rotunda, Shelter Hall is a gloriously vibrant food market, offering a taste of the very best from Brighton and indeed Sussex's artisanal producers under just one roof. Come here for knock-out live music, fab cocktails or craft beers at their first floor Skylark Cocktail Bar, and of course, sensational sea views.
You can either grab a high-end takeaway to munch on the pebbles or settle in either outside or at one of the trestle tables, then pick from the likes of VIP Pizza's authentic Amalfi creations, Asian salads and noodles from Zest, lip-smacking chicken wings from Lost Boys Chicken – or masterchef-winner, Kenny Tutt's yummy grilled meats.
Brighton Smokehouse
Seafront counter food doesn't get more authentic than the Brighton Smokehouse. Collectively, the Smokehouse, The Net Loft and Brighton Fishing Museum comprise Brighton Fishing Quarter, located a five-minute walk from the West Pier. Visit the Smokehouse for hot mackerel and fresh crab sandwiches, hot kipper rolls and sea bass salads – all for under a tenner. On a recent visit specials included smoked mackerel with horseradish and homemade beetroot salsa in a ciabatta roll (£8.95), which can be enjoyed on bench seating and chairs.
Back to index
Best for walk ins
Basketmakers Arms
This Victorian street-corner boozer is a locals' favourite, and at weekends it's packed with a benevolent mix of hipsters, young families and ageing hippies. From the snug salons and low ceilings, crowded barstools and walls covered with a clutter of old cigarette tins, this is where Brightonians come for a great range of cask-conditioned beers and craft lagers.
If whisky is your thing, they've over 100 varieties. Expect a noisy friendly vibe and mostly traditional pub grub fodder: burgers, cheesy chips, mussels or dressed crab. That said, the ingredients are generally locally sourced and the cooking is sound.
Contact: thebasketmakers.pub
Prices: £-££
Getting in: ID sometimes required
Moshimo
Aside from the comprehensive menu, there's a lot to like about Moshimo. The buzzy dining room is set inside an interesting purpose-built modernist building, it operates under an award-winning sustainability policy and the service is slick.
The menu runs the gamut from sharing plates, bento boxes and nigiri to the more familiar gyoza, soup noodles and sushi (with plenty of vegan options). Don't miss the moreish tempura udon fries or the tempura ice cream. If time is tight, ask for a booth by the conveyor belt.
Back to index
Best for fine dining
The Bistro at Hotel du Vin
Okay, we miss the cluttered Parisian bistro look they had going – even the dried flowers, and particularly the tobacco-coloured walls – but the latest look of sparseness works very well and the place still exudes a certain Gallic charm. It's just more elegantly conceived, with marble tables offsetting eau de nil colour notes.
What this place continues to do well are classic favourites such as slow roasted Gloucester old spot pork belly and steak frites. This is equally a perfect spot for a Sunday roast – but you need to book.
Terre à Terre
Vegetarians, vegans and carnivores alike adore this spacious pared-back restaurant for inspiring dishes and clever twists on all things pulled from the soil. The menu is a tad convoluted – what exactly are amchur, arame wakame and dengaku? – but no matter; if you can't decide, opt for the easy-to-share tapas menu comprising seven generously sized though scaled-down portions from the à la carte menu.
An Asian twist runs through some of the dishes, too. Wash down with cocktails made from local distiller's Blackdown gin and vermouth – alternatively, book ahead for their hugely-popular Afternoon Teas. Alongside scrummy cakes like orange and almond polenta or chocolate hazelnut truffle, you get innovative savoury treats spanning steamed rice buns stuffed with Szechuan marinated halloumi, to pumpkin, sage and onion corn hush puppies.
64 Degrees
Chef Michael Bremner opened this cramped industrial-chic establishment in the Lanes before flexing his wings in London, yet the original still pulls in the punters. The concept is slow precision cooking with a strong emphasis on local ingredients: an egg, for instance, poached at 64 degrees for 40 minutes to intensify flavour – with dishes intended for sharing.
Grab a chair at the kitchen counter (always fun), and choose from ever-changing yummy treats spanning ox tongue, polenta and pickles to brill with grapefruit and chilli. Five or six dishes are sufficient for two – just don't expect them to arrive in any logical order.
The Gingerman
The Gingerman was one of the city's first restaurants to offer proper posh nosh, and despite swapping its formerly plush and somewhat staid décor for a more contemporary look of exposed brickwork and wooden tables, it's still an absolute winner. The cooking is highly inventive to the point of quirkiness, with a strong emphasis on locally sourced produce. And for such high standards the five-course tasting and set menus (including dedicated vegetarian menus) offer surprisingly good value.
Get behind irresistible dishes such as Brighton coast Gurnard with pork scratchings or the much-vaunted Sussex Wagyu beef with Brighton blue cheese.
Dilsk
A standout addition to Brighton's dining scene, Dilsk – named after the seaweed dulse – is located in the Drakes hotel. This sleek, intimate venue is driven by a small, passionate team with an expert knowledge of local produce. There are short and full tasting menus, with optional wine flights, and the lunch menu offers exceptional value for money.
South Downs venison is paired with hay-baked beetroot, and a memorable starter combines crab with kohlrabi and lovage, topped with pomelo pulp. A rich dessert features chocolate from a local bean-to-bar chocolatier, served as a choux bun with crème fraîche and cold-brew syrup.
Best for seafood
The Salt Room
Brighton has ridiculously few decent fish restaurants, considering its seaside location – but this is certainly one of them, especially, given its somewhat pricey a la carte, for a celebratory treat. Peerless sea views meld with on-trend ships' lamps, exposed brickwork and stripped floorboards.
There's even a covered sea-facing terrace, though the traffic noise mars the enjoyment a bit. And the food? Sometimes a bit hit and miss, but when they're on fire, expect – appetisers of little fish tempuras or Maldon oysters – preceding starry fire-roasted local fish and surf boards. Pick a window table, try one of their cocktails and linger on for the inventive afternoon tea featuring sweet and savoury treats topped with candyfloss.
The Little Fish Market
The city's star turn is found in Hove where three AA Rosettes chef, Duncan Ray (ex-Fat Duck) presides over a very special restaurant at the bottom of an easy-to-miss side street. What's not to love apart from the scary bill? Expect exceptional cooking, an unfussy blond wood interior of just eight tables and a fish-led eight-course set menu.
No choice means no foodie FOMO (that's fear of missing out) – just plate after zinging plate, with stand outs spanning perfectly cooked cubes of cod with seaweed butter and a memorable salmon risotto with oyster, watercress and lemon to velvety halibut with caviar and crispy chicken skin.
Back to index
How we choose
Every restaurant in this curated list has been tried and tested by our destination expert, who has visited to provide you with their insider perspective. We cover a range of budgets, from neighbourhood favourites to Michelin-starred restaurants – to best suit every type of traveller's taste – and consider the food, service, best tables, atmosphere and price in our recommendations. We update this list regularly to keep up with the latest opening and provide up to date recommendations.
About our expert
Festivals, a thriving music scene, independent shopping and an 'anyone is welcome' vibe are just some of the things Teresa loves about Brighton. If not roller skating into the sunset or scouring vintage shops in North Laine, she'll be in the sea.
Louise has never regretted moving to this fun-fuelled city since she did 23 years ago. Her favourite pastimes include people watching at Pavilion Gardens Café and out-of-season seaside walks.