Brighton, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

“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!”

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”.

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”.

“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”.

“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.

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…”)

“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”.

“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).

“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”.

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”.

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!”.

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”.

“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!”

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”.

This “picture-book thatched country gastropub” from Brighton’s Gingerman group in a “beautiful, isolated setting nestled under the South Downs”, is “just perfect on a sunny day when you can eat in the attractive garden”. It’s “much more than a pub”, serving “inventive dishes”, “done with refinement”, along with “a wine list including bottles from 10 Sussex vineyards”.

This “lovely, buzzing old pub” in the Sussex Weald has all the ingredients required for a “perfect country inn”: “a lovely old bar”, “great food from an interesting menu”, and “a brilliant garden that’s even more beautiful in the sun”. Piers Morgan grew up on site – but don’t worry, he’s long gone!

In the second half of 2022 (well after our annual diners’ poll had concluded), Ben Wilkinson (formerly of The Cottage in the Woods) was named as chef to relaunch the open kitchen, chef's counter operation at this foodie hotel. It hit fame when it first launched in 2008, quickly winning a Michelin star, when it was one of the early adopters of the now-ubiquitous open dining-as-theatre approach. In recent years it has struggled to hit an even keel seeing a number of chefs come and go for different reasons. His eight-course menu is £120 per person.

Chef Aaron Dalton is launching a tasting-menu restaurant called Four inside his home in 2023, in the hope that he can make it work on a permanent basis. A former head chef at London's Smoking Goat who has also worked at Chez Bruce and Simon Rogan's Fera, Aaron was planning before the pandemic to open a restaurant featuring wood-fired cooking with his wife Sally. But their backers pulled out and Sally, a paediatric nurse, died from a rare and aggressive cancer in late 2022. This purpose-built space in his home means he can be near his children and still cook. In the mean time, he's appearing at pop-ups around the area - follow his socials for more details.