Best Restaurants in Brighton & Hove 2025 | Where To Eat

64 Degrees

Brighton, East Sussex £££

Pioneering culinary destination still going strong

Now well into its second decade, Michael Bremner’s compact restaurant continues to deliver creative and delicious food. The best seats in the house are at the kitchen counter where you can watch the reasonably priced eight-c… Read more

53 Meeting House Lane, Brighton, East Sussex BN1 1HB

Bincho Yakitori

Brighton, East Sussex £

From the kitchens of London’s Oxo Tower via Tokyo to a casual backstreet haunt not far from Brighton beach is quite a journey, but locals can thank chef David Miney for bringing his take on a Japanese izakaya and the marvels… Read more

63 Preston Street, Brighton, East Sussex BN1 2HE

Burnt Orange

Brighton, East Sussex £££

Colourful wood-fired cooking and creative cocktails

Part of the Black Rock Group, which also includes the Coal Shed, the Salt Room and Tutto, this remodelled 16th-century coaching inn remains one of the hottest tickets in town. It’s difficult to pinpoint the secret to the res… Read more

Part of the Black Rock Group, which also includes the Coal Shed, the Salt Room and Tutto, this remodelled 16th-century coaching inn remains one of the hottest tickets in town. It’s difficult to pinpoint the secret to the restaurant’s continued success because they do everything so well. As one diner noted: ‘Whether an occasion, a Sunday lunch or an early-doors dinner, this bistro can cater for anything’.

With its flint stone walls, open kitchen, dining counter and burnt-orange banquettes, it still feels fresh and stylish (the charming enclosed courtyard is a great spot in good weather). Service is seamless, from the warm welcome at the reception desk to attention to detail at the table. More importantly, everyone seems genuinely pleased to see you. Chef Peter Dantanus’s regularly changing list of small plates combines wood-fired cooking and global influences to beguiling effect.

A simple plate of plump, perfectly cooked mussels served on toast was made memorable by the gentle heat and richness of an Urfa chilli butter. Aubergine, smoky from the wood fire and deeply savoury from the addition of miso had the perfect combination of soft flesh and crispy skin, with a generous topping of crispy shallots, pomegranate and pine nuts adding crunch, while a sour cream dressing lent contrasting richness. Small, waxy skillet-baked potatoes, drenched in a herb cream and showered with gratings of hard sheep’s cheese have been a menu staple since day one and remain a must-order.

Not everything was perfect on our visit: the signature wood-fired flatbread with sesame brown butter was doughy and greasy, while charred grey mullet with buttermilk crab curry was served tepid in a grainy sauce. These did, however, feel like minor mishaps in the context of an otherwise pleasurable experience. The reasonably priced wine list is a bonus, but cocktails including the signature Burnt Orange Martini or something from the Margarita list, are the thing to drink here; the restaurant is open until 1am at the weekend for late-night drinks.

59 Middle Street, Brighton, East Sussex BN1 1AL

Cin Cin Hove

Hove, East Sussex ££

Super-stylish Italian neighbourhood eatery

‘I love the authentic Italian flavours and the creative dishes made with fresh, quality ingredients,’ is just one ringing endorsement for this ‘small and super-stylish’ eatery. Counter seats bring you up cl… Read more

60 Western Road, Hove, East Sussex BN3 1JD

MEMBER PERK

Dilsk

Brighton, East Sussex £££

A class act and one of Brighton's top dining experiences

Located in the basement of Drakes Hotel, this neutrally attired dining room does the job without stirring high emotions – though the soundtrack might well push the limits of those not revived by memories of holidays in Ibiza… Read more

Drakes Hotel, 44 Marine Parade, Brighton, East Sussex BN2 1PE

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Embers

Brighton, East Sussex ££

A joint venture by local chefs Dave Marrow (Terre à Terre) and Isaac Bartlett Copeland (Isaac At), Embers is deliciously warm and glowing, the air full of the sweet scent of smouldering birch and ash – thanks to the f… Read more

42 Meeting House Lane, Brighton, East Sussex BN1 1HB

MEMBER PERK

Etch by Steven Edwards

Hove, East Sussex £££

At what point does the fact that Steven Edwards is a MasterChef: The Professionals winner (2013) cease to be the first thing one mentions? Not quite yet it seems. Etch is now well established as one of Brighton and Hove's high fly… Read more

214-216 Church Road, Hove, East Sussex BN3 2DJ

Best Local Restaurant

MEMBER PERK

Fourth and Church

Hove, East Sussex ££

The intersection of Fourth Avenue and Church Road provides the distinctly American-sounding name of this popular wine shop and eatery opposite the old Hove Town Hall. With its bottle-stacked shelves and counter seating, the whole … Read more

84 Church Road, Hove, East Sussex BN3 2EB

MEMBER PERK

Furna

Brighton, East Sussex £££

Drinks List Of The Year 2024 After two decades cooking in such respected Brighton restaurants as the Coal Shed, the Salt Room and Gingerman, Dave Mothersill has set out his own stall. And what a stall it is. Located close to the … Read more

6 New Road, Brighton, East Sussex BN1 1UF

Kitgum

Brighton, East Sussex

East African cooking meets Gujarati cuisine – there's no other menu in Brighton quite like it. At this casual, intimate neighbourhood spot, expect closely set tables, warm, personal service and some seriously delicious,… Read more

9 Preston Road, Brighton, East Sussex BN1 4QE

Best Local Restaurant

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Med

Brighton, East Sussex ££

Big-hitting local eatery famed for its thrilling, globally inspired food

An eclectic menu of small plates might not sound like the most original idea for a modern casual restaurant (especially one in Brighton, where the formula has spread like wildfire), but no one does it quite like Jack Southan and W… Read more

2-3 Little East Street, Brighton, East Sussex BN1 1HT

Namo Eat

Brighton, East Sussex

For a true taste of Thailand, head to the Eagle, a popular backstreet pub in Brighton's North Laine district where Bookie (originally from Lampang) and her all-female kitchen team are in residence. Order at the bar then settle int… Read more

The Eagle, 125 Gloucester Road, Brighton, East Sussex BN1 4AF

No No Please

Brighton, East Sussex ££

Pan-Asian dining, lounging and drinking in tasteful surroundings

The debut restaurant from the brother and sister team of Euan MacDonald and Mel Culcross has brought something new and distinctive to Brighton’s already diverse dining scene. This stylishly conceived space seamlessly combine… Read more

30-31 Preston Street, Brighton, East Sussex BN1 2PG

Best Local Restaurant

Palmito

Hove , East Sussex ££

Diminutive diner serving up eclectic, vibrantly flavoured dishes

The pink neon sign and smart olive-green frontage bring some welcome style and swank to a rather drab stretch of Hove's Western Road. Flanked by a kebab joint and a vape shop, it’s no surprise to learn that this intimate sma… Read more

16 Western Road, Hove , East Sussex BN3 1AE

Plateau

Brighton, East Sussex ££

For more than a decade, Plateau has been the place in Brighton for natural wines and inventive cocktails. While that still holds true, it’s now firmly established as one of the best places for creative small plates too. Its … Read more

1 Bartholomews, Brighton, East Sussex BN1 1HG

The Chilli Pickle

Brighton, East Sussex £

'Punjabi beef keema and marrow bone curry, tandoori spiced monkish served on the bone... hell yeah,' exclaimed one fan. The Chilli Pickle's menu is a tantalising proposition and one that has continued to develop over the year… Read more

6-8 Meeting House Lane , Brighton, East Sussex BN1 1HB

The Flint House

Brighton, East Sussex £

One of Brighton's most striking restaurants is a light and airy space, housed in a handsome purpose-built two-storey brick building in the Hannington's 'retail and cultural quarter' development in the Lanes. Part of Ben McKellar's… Read more

13 Hannington Lane, Brighton, East Sussex BN1 1GS

The Gingerman

Brighton, East Sussex £££

This is where it all began for chef and entrepreneur Ben McKellar. Since 1998, The Gingerman has gently evolved and is now part of group that has grown to include a country pub, an urban pub with rooms, and the trendy Flint House … Read more

21a Norfolk Square, Brighton, East Sussex BN1 2PD

The Little Fish Market

Hove, East Sussex £££

It’s now more than a decade since chef Duncan Ray (formerly of the Fat Duck) launched his much-loved seafood restaurant in a converted fishmongers on a backstreet close to Hove seafront. Since then, the intimate dining room has … Read more

It’s now more than a decade since chef Duncan Ray (formerly of the Fat Duck) launched his much-loved seafood restaurant in a converted fishmongers on a backstreet close to Hove seafront. Since then, the intimate dining room has been spruced up with large, well-spaced bare-wood tables, comfortable designer armchairs and a tastefully minimalist interior featuring polished wood floors and white walls hung with seafood-themed art. Ray no longer runs the small basement kitchen single handed, which allows him time to serve and personally explain some of the dishes on his regularly changing seven-course tasting menu. In the beginning, there was just one waiter, now a full front-of-house team is headed up by Ray’s partner, Nicky Stephens, who brings a warm liveliness to proceedings. Open for dinner only, the evening runs rather like a supper club, with all 20 or so diners requested to arrive at 6.45pm. Things kick off with a trio of canapés that might include an artfully composed and delicious seaweed cracker of wild Argentinian red prawn, walnut mayonnaise, pork scratching and confit ginger. The signature ‘TLFM egg’, a riff on an Alain Passard classic, has become a staple of the menu and currently includes apparently random layers of Jerusalem artichoke purée, egg yolk, smoked haddock jelly, acidulated cream and passion fruit purée that actually work brilliantly together. The real stars of the show, however, are the three headline courses featuring the finest, freshest seafood, some of it locally landed. One standout dish involved a superb piece of meltingly soft confit Loch Duart salmon with a 90s-style Champagne foam encircled by a cordon of cauliflower and seaweed purée – although the accompanying mini loaves of Comté-stuffed milk bread, glazed with shrimp and rosemary butter almost stole the show. Desserts are outstanding, too: our chocolate délice, given a subtle, saline tang with the genius addition of capers and some contrasting crunch from a praline base and a crisp pistachio and pink peppercorn tuile brought proceedings to a memorable close. The short wine list leans mainly towards France and while mark-ups are far from greedy, you may have to break the £50 barrier to find a bottle that will do proper justice to the food. Alternatively, opt for the interesting matched wine pairing, curated by Dan Keeling and Mark Andrew of Noble Rot.

10 Upper Market Street, Hove, East Sussex BN3 1AS

The Salt Room

Brighton, East Sussex ££

Seafood cooked over fire is a USP to grab the attention of any self-identifying foodie – and it gets even better, because the Salt Room occupies a spot overlooking the English Channel. It's a shame about the busy road o… Read more

106 King's Road , Brighton, East Sussex BN1 2FN

MEMBER PERK

The Set

Brighton, East Sussex £££

By day, 50 Preston Road is Café Rust, serving locally roasted coffee and an appealing menu of things on toast, homemade cakes and pastries. By night, the cake stands are packed away, a red neon sign is hung up and the intim… Read more

By day, 50 Preston Road is Café Rust, serving locally roasted coffee and an appealing menu of things on toast, homemade cakes and pastries. By night, the cake stands are packed away, a red neon sign is hung up and the intimate, atmospheric space, with its exposed plaster walls, parquet flooring and motley collection of bare-topped tables, is transformed into casual fine diner. It may be on a rather unlovely stretch of road, but once the dark grey-painted, hand-carved door has closed behind you and the soundtrack is pumping, the outside world is quickly forgotten. With just seven tables and a team of four – two in the kitchen, including head chef Dan Kenny, and two front of house – there’s a hint of the supper club, albeit one that is operating at a high level of ambition and efficiency. Everyone is requested to arrive by 6.45pm for pre-dinner drinks and each course is served to the entire restaurant at roughly the same time. At about three hours and around 15 courses, this is an extended experience, but from the first bite of pig’s trotter and jalapeño croquette to the final sweet serving of alphonso mango pavlova, the food comes in fast-running waves of flavour and every dish hits the mark. At first glance, central ingredients seem to appear at random on the menu. Early on, a trio of Japanese-inspired seafood dishes (including a stunning slice of high-quality otoro tuna) are immediately followed by ‘beef béarnaise’ – a thin strip of chive-encrusted sirloin sitting on a cube of crumbed and deep-fried béarnaise sauce, plus a deeply flavoured (and satisfying) oxtail dauphinoise with oxtail gravy, asparagus and aged Parmesan. It’s as though the main course has appeared prematurely. But Dan Kenny’s mission statement of ‘big flavoured, umami and fat-led food’ means he can play around with the conventional order of things, ramping up the intensity across the board: for example, a tender piece of chicken, deep-fried in a crisp batter and served in a vividly spiced tom yum broth, brings a satisfying conclusion to the savoury part of the meal. The wine list is short for a restaurant with such ambitious cooking, and prices rise steeply – this makes the pairing of wines not available on the main list an attractive proposition.

50 Preston Road, Brighton, East Sussex BN1 4QF

Wild Flor

Hove, East Sussex £££

There's more than a suggestion of French bistro chic in Wild Flor's aesthetic, with its gilded mirrors, classic wine posters, unencumbered wooden tables, and banquette seating. A second flo(o)r has brought more tables into play, w… Read more

42 Church Road, Hove, East Sussex BN3 2FN

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