Brighton foodie guide: where locals eat and drink

• olive's top 10 best restaurants in Brighton
• Foodie neighbourhood spotlight: Kempton
• Where to stay in Brighton
• Foodie day trips from Brighton
• More of the best restaurants in Brighton

olive's top 10 best places to eat and drink in Brighton

We've included insider information about what to order where below, plus plenty more places to visit, but for those who want a quick insight into our favourite spots in the city, here are Andy’s picks.

• For a special occasion: Furna
• For no-frills dining: Bincho Yakitori
• The chef hangout: The Set
• The hottest seat in town: Burnt Orange
• The date night spot: The Flint House
• Where locals really eat: Alberta's at the Windmill
• For cocktails: No No Please
• The best brunch: Lost in the Lanes
• For coffee lovers: Loam
• The craft beer spot: Unbarred

Foodie neighbourhood spotlight: Kemptown

Brighton’s vibrant Kemptown neighbourhood runs east from the Palace Pier to the Marina. There you’ll find a potent mix of bohemia, sleaze and comfortable refinement, and some of the best food and drink in the city. A few steps from Old Steine Gardens, Redroaster/Lucky Khao serves excellent coffee from its own roastery by day and a menu of northern Thai small plates including pork larb to a banging soundtrack at night. A few minutes’ walk away, chef Tom Stephens (ex Simon Rogan and Tom Kerridge) serves exquisite hyper-local and seasonal tasting menus at Dilsk, an intimate and stylish dining room in Drakes Hotel. Beautifully presented dishes might include Orkney scallop with Cornish Mids potatoes and dilsk butter sauce. The set lunch and dinner menus offer exceptional value.

Head further into Kemptown, past characterful local boozers like the Hand in Hand and boutique shops including Butlers Wine Cellar for a glass of natural wine in the secluded garden of the smart Daddy Longlegs gastro pub. Inside there’s floral banquette seating, white painted wall panelling and an enticing menu of small plates such as tempura cauliflower with gochujang – the Sunday roasts are legendary. Finish your night back near to where you started at The Plotting Parlour cocktail bar with its baroque red velvet, candle-lit interior and copper-clad bar. The inventive cocktails include Tumi made with mezcal, pisco, orgeat and chocolate ganache.

Stay in the neighbourhood

Take in the views of Brighton’s historic Palace Pier from the comfort of your freestanding bath at Drakes, a converted townhouse seafront boutique hotel. The best rooms offer sea views through bay windows, high ceilings and bags of space.

Doubles from £155, room only. Check availability at booking.com or expedia.co.uk

Where to stay in Brighton

The Ginger Pig

Not just an award-winning gastropub, The Ginger Pig also offers some of the most stylish accommodation in the city just yards from Hove’s seafront. Choose from 11 modern boutique hotel style rooms, some with freestanding baths, or book one of three spacious self-catering mews houses in the pub’s converted stable block.

Doubles from £155, room only; mews cottage from £300, accommodation only. Check availability at booking.com or expedia.co.uk

No 124 by GuestHouse

Opening in October 2024, this characterful and luxurious boutique hotel occupies four Regency-style townhouses overlooking Brighton’s seafront. The interior design echoes the Indian, Moorish and Chinese influences seen in Brighton’s world-famous Royal Pavilion and is decorated with the work of Brighton artists and artisans. The hotel features Pearly Cow restaurant, terrace bar and Field Trip spa. For an indulgent stay, book the signature ground floor suite with its own private entrance, lounge, kitchenette and copper bath.

Doubles from £295, including breakfast. Check availability at booking.com

Artist Residence

Stay at this quirky boutique hotel overlooking the iconic West Pier: each room has its own unique style, plus there's a cocktail bar serving up bespoke drinks. Rooms at Artist Residence (where you can tuck into a locally sourced full English at the funky breakfast bar, or enjoy a brew in bed, with sea views) feature bespoke artwork and are decked out with Robert’s radios, mini Smeg fridges and Tunnock’s caramel bars for nostalgic snacking.

Doubles from £161, check availability at booking.com, mrandmrssmith.co.uk or expedia.co.uk

olive's top 10 best restaurants in Brighton

Furna

For a special occasion

Celebrate in style at this modern fine diner. The high-tech open kitchen is the focal point of the elegant dining room but for the best views of top local chef Dave Mothersill and his team in action, book one of the comfortable upholstered stools at the counter. The tasting menu of creative, detailed and delicious dishes might include veal sweetbread with native lobster, hot sauce and sauerkraut. For a more casual experience, take a seat on the terrace to enjoy à la carte small plates such as pork jowl with squid, za’atar and labneh. furnarestaurant.co.uk

Bincho Yakitori

No-frills dining

Chef Dave Miney spent three years working in Tokyo before opening Bincho Yakitori, an authentic izakaya (Japanese gastropub). You’ll find him behind the counter of this small, atmospheric and always busy restaurant tending the charcoal grill. Among the many must-order small plates are sweet and crunchy karaage (fried chicken), tender and delicious pork belly skewers and grilled aubergine with miso. The blackboard daily specials are always worth ordering. Reservations can be difficult to come by but call first thing to snap up any cancellations for the same evening. binchoyakitori.com

The Set

Chef hangout

Off-duty chefs and Brighton foodies know the short trip to the edge of the city centre to this bohemian cafe that at night hosts The Set restaurant will be rewarded with some truly exciting and creative cooking. Run like a very superior supper club, chefs Dan Kenny and Marcin deliver some of the 16 courses to the atmospheric bare plaster walled dining room themselves. Over the course of around three hours, expect an explosion of big, bold flavours that might see refined versions of chicken tikka masala and Thai sausage with a re-invented version of som tam salad served one after the other. thesetrestaurant.com

Burnt Orange

The hottest seat in town

Take a stool at the bar of this glamorous Lanes restaurant to watch the chefs in the open kitchen work the wood-fired oven, preparing addictively delicious Med-inspired small plates such as chilli-glazed monkfish with mint labneh and nettle chatta. Do not leave Brighton without trying the skillet-baked potatoes. Join in on Brighton’s vibrant nightlife scene with a drinks-only table available from 10pm for a signature Burnt Orange martini made with orange liqueur, while a seat on the covered terrace is much coveted when the sun shines. burnt-orange.co.uk

The Flint House

Date night spot

A table on the covered and heated roof terrace of this smart small plates restaurant in the Lanes is the ideal date night spot. Part of Ben and Pam McKellar’s lauded Gingerman Restaurants Group, this purpose-built two-storey building in Brighton’s smart Hanningtons pedestrianised food and retail neighbourhood also features a chic first floor bar and ground floor dining counter. Graze on the must-order sweetcorn fritters with chipotle aïoli while you browse the regularly changing menu that covers all the bases from clam spaghetti to Hispi cabbage with green goddess dressing. flinthousebrighton.com

Alberta’s at the Windmill

Where locals really eat

Walk one street up from Brighton’s busy Western Road to find this cosy yet cool back street boozer where there’s local craft ale on tap, tunes on vinyl and a sun-trap pavement-side terrace. On a Sunday, acclaimed local chef Ali Munro puts a southern American spin on a British roast by deep frying whole chickens and serving them with all the Sunday roast trimmings. During the week, order the chicken schnitt sando served in a homemade Japanese sub roll and the huge, hot and crispy buttermilk fried chicken wings. thewindmillbrighton.com

No No Please

For cocktails

This stylish yet friendly lounge, bar and restaurant, decked out in a carefully curated mid-century style, is the debut venture of brother and sister team Euan MacDonald and Mel Culross. The bang-up-to-date cocktail list features original creations such as the refreshing Supagrass made with tequila, vermouth, lemongrass and salted coconut, all served from the tap or barrel so there’s no waiting around for your drink. Highlights of the eclectic food menu include sesame prawn toast finger with salted egg yolk and a classic Ivy-style bang bang chicken. no-no-please.co.uk

Lost in the Lanes

The best brunch

This contemporary, spacious and elegant café restaurant in the Lanes serves a concise seasonal menu highlighting local producers. The daily bottomless brunch includes unlimited mimosas, bellinis or sparkling wine and a wide range of dishes that might include smoked salmon on courgette rösti with soured cream. Ex-Lyles chef Sofie Tavener shows off her culinary talent in the recently launched evening menu that might include ’nduja clams with chickpeas and tomato, and whole roast plaice with lime and chilli butter. lostinthelanes.com

Loam

For coffee lovers

Keep your eyes open for a peach painted frontage on a side street as you wander Brighton’s characterful North Laine neighbourhood or you might miss the best coffee and home-baked cinnamon buns in the city. Run by partners Francesco and Dela, this intimate Scandi-chic café offers an ever changing line-up of coffees from top national and international roasters served in beautiful artisan-made ceramic cups (coffee beans and ceramics are also available to buy). In the summer, don’t miss the signature cold brew coffee sangria and cereal-infused iced latte. @loam.brighton

Unbarred

The craft beer spot

Drink among the tuns at this hip brewery taproom where it brews and serves up to 18 different keg and cask beers. Hidden away behind the bars, restaurants and shops of London Road, Unbarred is a destination for in-the-know beer lovers who come for wildly inventive creations such as Granola pale ale made with peach, apricots and honey. The large enclosed outdoor terrace is the ideal spot to enjoy authentic Neapolitan-style pizza from the hugely popular Fatto a Mano restaurant group. unbarredbrewery.com

Foodie day trips from Brighton

Ridgeview, Ditchling Common

Brighton is a great base from which to explore the growing number of vineyards in Sussex wine country. Ridgeview is the perfect place to start, easily accessible by car or a short train and cab ride away. Take a guided tour of the winery that’s set in stunning South Downs countryside followed by a tutored tasting of the award-winning and sustainably produced sparkling wines. Lunch in one of the al fresco covered pavilions of The Rows & Vine restaurant that overlooks the chardonnay vines and Sussex countryside beyond is a real treat. Jerk lamb kebabs and oozy mac ‘n’ cheese bites with chilli jam are a surprisingly great match to a glass of Ridgeview’s Fitzrovia rosé. ridgeview.co.uk

The Star, Alfriston

Hotelier Alex Polizzi leads regular ‘ramblers retreats’ from The Star, the beautifully appointed hotel she owns with her mother Olga in the postcard perfect Sussex village of Alfriston. A typical three-day itinerary includes walks to Birling Gap and Beachy Head, a tour of nearby Rathfinny Vineyard and lunch at rural foodie pub The Ram Inn in Firle. The hotel, parts of which date back to the 15th century, is worth visiting just for its blend of carefully observed luxurious metropolitan style and cosseting homely comfort. Book the Olga suite, then enjoy a drink in the Italianate courtyard garden before a rustic, comforting dinner in the sleek, oak-beamed dining room that might include homemade spinach and ricotta tortellini with sage and butter sauce. thepolizzicollection.com

The Pass at South Lodge Hotel

The stage is set for Michelin-starred dining as theatre at this grand and elegant country house hotel. Enjoy a drink on the terrace overlooking the grounds and beautiful Sussex countryside beyond before taking your seat in the intimate restaurant. The kitchen is on view to every seat in the house through floor-to-ceiling glass screens where you can watch chef Ben Wilkinson and his team meticulously craft a seven-course tasting menu based on local produce. Ben serves and explains some of the courses himself, which might include an intense, rich celeriac ‘royale’ custard studded with braised beef cheek and served with a tartlet of beef fillet tartare. Stay over in one of the grand and spacious suites with views over the grounds. exclusive.co.uk

More of the best restaurants in Brighton picked by the team

Artist Residence

One of Brighton’s favourite quirky hotels now boasts its own exceptional small plates restaurant with a cool, relaxed vibe. With its beach shack interior of corrugated iron walls, distressed wooden floorboards and exposed brickwork, Artist Residence hotel’s restaurant has a mellow vibe, the atmosphere livened by the buzzy sea-view bar in the adjacent room. Service is warm and enthusiastic, the staff clearly invested in the quality of the food they’re serving from the open kitchen, and rightly so. The seasonal menu is mostly small plates – divided into ‘crispy’, ‘raw’ and ‘grilled’ plus a couple of bigger sharing plates. Dishes were consistently excellent, but standouts included the butter-soft scallop ceviche with a perfectly judged chilli kick; a summery salad of broad beans, asparagus and peas drenched in a beautifully uplifting yuzu, honey and mustard dressing; and whole grilled meaty sea bream, the perfectly charred, crispy skin contrasting with an accompanying tart green mango and papaya salad. Save room for the elongated fluffy sugar doughnut, loaded to bursting with crème diplomat and salted miso caramel, and sprinkled with crumbs of dried raspberries. Cocktails from the adjacent bar are excellent – we enjoyed the floral, fragrant limoncello and basil spritz, and the tart, frothy cherry bakewell sour. artistresidence.co.uk

Embers

Tucked away deep within the maze-like Lanes, this joint venture from two well established Brighton chefs, Isaac Bartlett-Copeland (Isaac At) and Dave Marrow (Terre à Terre), sees the pair cooking every dish on the menu on a Medieval-style fire cage over kiln-dried ash and birch wood.

The vibe in this intimate venue is buzzy and informal, the interiors themed around charcoal walls, grey rock plates and smoke-effect cutlery, and quirky features including wall-mounted charred cross sections of tree trunk, stacks of firewood and a long industrial-style banquette backed with gridiron. A gentle smokiness fills the air, and diners have the option to eat at the kitchen counter overlooking all the open-fire theatrics.

The seasonal menu is primarily made up of smaller sharing plates plus larger centrepiece dishes (with the likes of aged pork tomahawk). Once you’ve ordered, the dishes arrive at breakneck speed, and standouts included soused mackerel with little cubes of sharp Bramley apple, earthy beetroot sauerkraut and thick dollops of labneh; beautifully charred, tender chicken leg with smoky ’nduja-infused aioli; and flaky, scorched sea bream matched with sweet smacked cucumber and nutty, chewy grains.

The cocktails are good, too – we enjoyed the smooth, refreshing lychee martini – and save space for a gorgeously creamy retro banana split with toffee sauce and fragrant rosemary and parsnip ice cream. embersbrighton.co.uk

Semola

At Semola – a small, colourful 22-seat restaurant with a big reputation – freshness is a guiding principle. Every day co-owner Roberto Lonati makes various pastas, including specials such as orecchiette or Ligurian trofie. For Semola’s pastasciutta dishes (pastas with sauce), chef Luca Cuminetti dresses those pastas with sauces that are almost all cooked to order. Only two sauces, including Luca’s bolognese, demand a different approach of patient slow-cooking over several hours. As well as asciutta and baked pasta dishes, such as a regularly changing vegetarian lasagne (say, chestnut, mushroom and mozzarella), Semola also serves pizza, risottos and Italian mains, similarly full of vivid flavours. semola.co.uk

Tutto

The Black Rock Group has a sound reputation in Brighton, with its roster of restaurants, including The Salt Room, Burnt Orange and The Coal Shed, already firm favourites with local diners. Tutto is the latest offering, an Italian restaurant set in a former banking hall on the outskirts of the North Laine.

The high-ceilinged interior, with its grand arched windows overlooking a small alfresco seating area out front, has stylish art deco touches and large, colourful, graphic art adorning the walls. The vibe around the small bistro-style tables is intimate and relaxed, with low lighting and mellow background music.

The menu follows the classic Italian format of cicchetti, antipasti, primi and secondi, and there’s also a set menu if you’d prefer to delegate your choices. Opening options include buttery bone marrow with parmesan and gremolata on crisp toasts, and long-stemmed broccoli fritto with ‘nduja aïoli. The standout dish is the tagliatelle cacio e pepe with black truffle, the pasta cooked perilously close but just the right side of al dente, and the irresistibly silky sauce suffused with a perfectly judged hit of pepper. The roasted sea bass in an autumnal wild mushroom, shallot and confit garlic sauce was also excellent, the fish beautifully succulent, complemented nicely with a side of chilli-spiked brassicas.

The drinks menu is almost exclusively Italian, featuring red and white wines grouped by region, the common characteristics of each area helpfully explained. The cocktails remain faithful to the country, too, with four varieties of negroni on offer, and a stunning slushie-like sgroppino our favourite on the night. tutto-restaurant.co.uk

Wild Flor

Wild Flor is an intimate, smart, welcoming neighbourhood bistro in Hove that matches affordable, high-quality wines with classic British and French food. The à la carte menu offers a choice of snacks, and a concise selection of starters, mains and desserts (plus cheeses), focussing on comfort classics and seasonal ingredients. The service is jovial, relaxed and familiar, and you’re given a sense that those front of house have a passion for what their restaurant is trying to do – especially when it comes wine-pairing suggestions to match your personal tastes. wildflor.com

Read our full review of Wild Flor here...

Shelter Hall

Situated on the Brighton seafront, Shelter Hall is a food hall set within a 15,000 sq ft Victorian building that has been lovingly restored to its former glory. The concept is led by Sessions Market – a hospitality incubator and accelerator programme founded by Dan Warne, ex-managing director of Deliveroo, that aims to find, curate and scale up new, local food concepts. Shelter Hall is currently home to seven local independent traders spaced over its two floors, all of which offer different cuisines and exciting food ideas. In addition, five of the vendors have short brunch menus at the weekend. Dishes start at around £6, and drinks can be ordered from the Shelter Hall bar, with wine and beer starting at £5.50 for a glass/pint and a full cocktail menu starting at £7.50 per drink. shelterhall.co.uk

Kindling

This modern British outfit (run by the canny former owners of popular Brighton vegetarian restaurant Food for Friends) has an ethos of ‘being kind’ to the planet, and there’s a strong emphasis on high-welfare meats, sustainable fish, local fruit and veg, and preserving and pickling to extend the seasons. The interiors are warm – rattan chairs, cascading plants and a pretty-in-pink marble bar – and the chefs make the most of an open fire while creating zero-waste, maximum-flavour dishes. The restaurant has bigger environmental ambitions, too, with plans to use 100% green energy in the future. kindlingrestaurant.com

Read our full review of Kindling here...

Etch

Cool and unpretentious, Etch is a casual and intimate space offering fine dining, with two weekly changing tasting menus. The interior features dark blue walls, bold orange leather seats, trendy neon lighting and clothless tables, while staff look the part, dressed in tweed waistcoats, ankle swingers and pin rolls, and brogues. Chef Steven Edwards works with local producers from the surrounding Sussex countryside to pick the freshest seasonal ingredients for their intricate dishes – expect the likes of Sussex Trenchmore beef with charred Hispi cabbage, locally caught scallops with squid crackers, and cherries filled with crème fraîche. etchfood.co.uk

Read our full review of Etch here...

The Salt Room

A modern British restaurant on Brighton’s seafront focussed on Josper-grilled fish and meat, and local, sustainable produce. The restaurant has a contemporary, refined look, with a mixture of whitewashed, bare-brick and wood-slatted walls, bistro-style tables, curvy dark-wood Scandi-esque seats and banquettes – in summer, the terrace looking out across the sea is the place to be. The fish main courses are the outstanding reason to come to The Salt Room, including the likes of lemon sole on the bone, with purple-sprouting broccoli, wild garlic, miniature capers and red grapes; and tandoori monkfish with roasted cauliflower. saltroom-restaurant.co.uk

Read our full review of The Salt Room here...

Cin Cin

Sit at the counter to watch staff carve smoked speck, Tuscan finocchiona speckled with fragrant fennel seeds, and slice prosecco-smoked pecorino cheese. Seasonal small plates rotate, or choose from the bar’s pasta dishes, including black squid-ink pappardelle with little pops of capers, and sturdy gnocchi with Tuscan sausage, crunchy courgette cubes and a light tomato sauce. Italian cocktails are top notch – start with a sbagliato aperitivo, a sparkling prosecco-based negroni drink, and finish with a refreshing sgroppino (lemon sorbet, vodka and prosecco for the perfect cocktail/dessert combo) to set you up for a night on the town. cincin.co.uk

Moksha

It’s a little off the beaten track but Moksha is a big favourite with local Brightonians and well worth a diversion if your looking for brilliantly cooked, well-priced food in a smart, spacious, buzzy café. The coffee’s top-notch, and with award-winning brunches including huevos rancheros, shakshuka and the Moksha Breakfast (free-range Sussex cumberland sausage, bacon, eggs, grilled flat mushroom and beef tomato, homemade baked beans, toasted sourdough and optional black pudding), a diversionary stop-off at Moksha is a guaranteed win. mokshacaffe.co.uk

Open Market

A five-minute walk via the back of Brighton train station is The Open Market, home to some great little independents. Sit in snug Greek café Kouzina for hearty home-cooked classics such as moussaka and spanakopita; grab a falafel and some hummus from Smorl’s to take to the beach; order a delicious steaming bowl of bibimbap from Korean-Japanese eatery Kor-pan; bag some absolutely top-notch mini sausage rolls from McStrongs; or indulge in authentic Mexican tacos at welcoming family-run Casa Azul. brightonopenmarket.co.uk

The Chilli Pickle

This Brighton institution is a spacious, modern, knowingly kitsch Indian restaurant offering imaginative spins on classic regional dishes. Choose from the likes of keemar methi (Sussex lamb mince cooked Punjabi style with mint, coriander, chilli, garam masala and roasted cumin served with masala chapatis, hung yogurt and green chilli mint pickle); and mussel rasam and toasted poa (Cornish mussles in a Tamil pepper, beets and tomato broth, curry leaf, ginger and toasted cumin brioche). thechillipickle.com

Read our full review of The Chilli Pickle here…

Fatto a Mano

Fatto a Mano brings an authentic taste of Naples to its three restaurants (two in Brighton, one in Hove) with its soft, pillowy wood-fired pizzas. The chefs collaborate with producers in Sussex, and there are regular staff tours of Italy, which inspire ideas such as the pizza topped with tomato, spicy minced pork, spianata, roasted peppers, mozzarella, basil and parmesan; and the tomato-less ‘white’ pizza with fennel sausage, Neapolitan broccoli, chilli, provola, mozzarella and parmesan. fattomanopizza.com

Flour Pot Bakery

Brighton and Hove’s mini baking empire Flour Pot Bakery (there are seven outposts dotted around the city) specialises in artisan breads, inventive bakes and fresh pastries. Try a slice of Brighton Blackout Cake (a full-on three-layered chocolate sponge cake) at the original Sydney Street branch, or head to the Hove outpost to stock up on breads - the likes of challah, sunflower rye and seeded sourdough - to take to the beach for a picnic. theflourpot.co.uk

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