The 20 best restaurants in Brighton

From seafood on the seafront to buzzing bistros in the Lanes – these are the best restaurants in Brighton to eat in right now

By Nina Caplan and Amber Port

8 April 2024

Anyone visiting the bohemian seafront enclave of Brighton is bound to ask – what are the best restaurants in Brighton? The seaside city is home to some beloved neighbourhood strongholds, but there is a wave of newcomers revolutionising the Brighton restaurant scene. So, we've tapped our network of locals for their recommendations on the best restaurants in Brighton; from the best seafood to incredible pasta and authentic Thai food.

How we choose the best restaurants in Brighton

Every restaurant on this list has been selected independently by our editors and written by a Condé Nast Traveller journalist who knows the destination and has eaten at that restaurant. When choosing restaurants, our editors consider both high end and affordable eateries that offer an authentic and insider experience of a destination. We're always looking for stand-out dishes, a great location and warm service – as well as serious sustainability credentials. We update this list regularly as new restaurants open and existing ones evolve.

Liz & Max Haarala Hamilton
1. Permit Room
At first glance, Permit Room appears to be a pretty independent hideout on Brighton’s East Street, tucked in among the cosy pubs and vintage stores that bring gaggles of day trippers to The Lanes every day. Inside, its connection to Dishoom is clear – both from the homely smell of curried concoctions bubbling away in the kitchen and the recognisable menus. The bar-cum-café is inspired by the permit rooms of 1960s and 1970s Bombay, post-prohibition spaces that held alcohol permits and served homely plates alongside liquor. Many of Dishoom’s signature dishes appear on the menu, such as the indulgent chicken ruby and rich black daal. Highlights unique to this bustling establishment include the crispy spinach chaat, a delightfully fresh and tangy bed of fried baby leaf spinach doused in yoghurt, chutneys, spices, seeds, sev and fresh pomegranate. While tables of lunchers share spreads of crispy samosas and pile assortments of chaats, daals and curries onto cheese naans and rice, others head straight for the bar. Cocktails are taken seriously here, so get sipping – just bear in mind, the list warrants many a return visit. Connor Sturges
Address: Dishoom Permit Room, 32 East Street, Brighton and Hove, Brighton BN1 1HL
Website: permitroom.co.uk
Justin De Souza
2. Shelter Hall
Few cities do high-low like Brighton’s seafront. Where else would you find a Champagne and oyster bar in a Victorian-era rotunda perched on top of open-plan dining space with street food-inspired menus and communal dining – both with views of one of Britain’s best-loved seasides? Shelter Hall hit the (local) headlines around the same time as Covid, so it had a false start in 2020. Now, stepping inside the huge ocean-facing bar and restaurant begs the question – why did no one think of this before? There are cute, fairy-lit, fur-lined igloos on the seafront in winter (occasionally soundtracked by a busker), but we preferred the mezzanine level indoors. Here, there are tall tables and a view down into the kitchens, where Sussex chefs stuff Mexican corn tacos; grill 40-day-aged sirloin steak on a Japanese robata and pan-fry plump gyoza. There are six kitchens to choose from – plus a rotation of two-week residencies from cool new names on the scene – with stand-out Vietnamese dishes from Zest by Hanoi Kitchen, regulars on London’s street food circuit. Like a true oenophile, I ordered wine based solely on the name, and the minerally, mouth-watering Pebble Dew couldn’t have been better as we looked out onto Brighton’s shingle shoreline. AP
Address: Shelter Hall, Kings Road Arches, Shelter Hall, Brighton BN1 1NB
Website: shelterhall.co.uk
WhyKayEss
3. Taquitos Casa Azul
Brighton’s Open Market is a hub of independently-owned businesses with seven restaurants that cater for quick snacks, on-the-move munchies and hot lunches. There’s always a crowd ordering steaming plates of meatballs and moussaka outside Greek meze spot Kouzina or bowls of fresh bibimbap at Kor-Pan, but Casa Azul’s authentic Mexican blue corn tacos should be top of your list. First-timers are made to feel utterly at home by amiable owner Gabriel Gutierrez, who sings to himself behind the counter and invites passers-by in for a slice of cake on his birthday. Each of the eight items on his simple menu speaks for itself: tacos are served three-strong in an enamel pie dish and are packed with flavour (Gabriel’s molé features over 40 ingredients). You can also buy taco kits to take home, and jars of homemade tinga chilli sauce, salsa macha and chipotle (the miniature jars make great gifts). AP
Address: Casa Azul, Open Market, 21 Marshalls Row, Brighton BN1 4JU
Website: casazul.co.uk
David Charbitt
4. Tutto
Tutto is the latest outpost from restaurateur Razak Helalat and the team behind Burnt Orange, The Salt Room and The Coal Shed. The idea fueling Tutto is “Italian food memories - ours and yours” and I have to say there is something that makes you feel at home the minute you step into this former banking hall. The warm mid-century decor makes for an inviting, relaxed dining experience, especially on a bleak autumn day. This menu is carefully curated, showcasing the freshest ingredients. Light and fluffy focaccia soaked in rich olive oil; umami, buttery bone marrow goes down a treat; succulent cornish crab taglioni cooked al dente with zings of chilli; seabass that is charred to perfection with a tender, perfectly flakey interior. And finally, the salt-baked celeriac is a must, a dish that is full of robust, complex flavours of truffle and earthy hazelnut. Top it all off with the chocolate and hazelnut torte and you’re in heaven. We will most definitely be returning to this gem on our next UK getaway to Brighton. AP
Address: 20 – 22 Marlborough Place, Brighton, BN1 1UB
Website: tutto-restaurant.co.uk

Thomas Alexander
5. Burnt Orange
Restaurateur Razak Helalat – of The Coal Shed and The Salt Rooms – has created a spot for all seasons in Brighton’s lovely Lanes by refitting what used to be the Coach House pub into somewhere the grown-ups know they’ll have a good time. Like its predecessor, it’s cosy and welcoming – warmth radiates from the brick-red banquettes and copper bar, the fiery flavours and the smiling, attentive staff. As service picks up, it’s also nicely noisy, with a relaxed, social atmosphere and music curated by Fatboy Slim. That drop-in diners were still turning up hoping for a table as we left (defeated by a dessert appropriately named the Chocolate Nemesis) speaks volumes of Burnt Orange’s loyal return customers. Chef Peter Dantanus takes ingredients that often fall short of flavour (fig, squash, aubergine) and wood-fires them into submission. Hunks of lightly-charred halloumi come drizzled with spiced fig honey; smoked aubergine marinated in miso and topped with crispy onions melts in the mouth; a sesame and tahini dressing elevates purple sprouting broccoli beyond a simple side. Order the flatbread as a vessel for all the sensational sauces, but don’t bother with the Padron peppers. We can’t wait to return in summer when the green and white striped conservatory will be a stellar spot for sundowners. Anna Prendergast
Address: Burnt Orange, 59 Middle Street, Brighton BN1 1AL
Website: burnt-orange.co.uk
Xavier Buendia
6. The Flint House
The Flint House opened in April 2019 under Ben and Pamela McKellar’s collective The Gingerman Restaurants Group, following the success of its three other Sussex properties such as pub-with-rooms The Ginger Pig in Hove and the Ginger Fox in the South Downs. Word spread about chef Ben’s blue cheese and Sussex honey crumpets (still a best-seller), and by summer, those that dropped in for rooftop terrace cocktails frequently stayed for the plumped-up pillows of agnolotti filled with Lincolnshire Poacher cheese and pickled shallots, and fried Jerusalem artichoke. The small plates and countertop dining are a departure from the McKellar’s previous pub-grub set-ups, but their experiment has paid off: longtime Gingerman fans will find what they’re looking for in the lardo toast with truffle and honey and the slow-roasted lamb shoulder, whilst new visitors are won over by choice between not one but three potato sides (we recommend the butter-roasted firs with nduja) and an entire section of the menu dedicated to ‘Fried/Toast/Snacks’. A thimble of chocolate shot through with hazelnut and salted caramel is the sweetest full stop at the end of the McKellars’ latest chapter. AP
Address: The Flint House, 13 Hanningtons Lane, Brighton BN1 1GS
Website: flinthousebrighton.com
7. Lucky Khao
At Lucky Khao, seasonal Sussex farm produce – organic lamb, local pork, free-range chicken – is charcoal roasted into a ‘beer menu’ of Northern Thai dishes. Regional recipes were developed over years by a team with lived experience working and travelling in Thailand (many recipes were inspired by staff food served on lunch breaks in the capital). The chefs have undergone training in some of both Bangkok and London’s best restaurants such as Andy Oliver’s Som Saa, and have chosen to focus on the Isan region’s family-style barbecue. Inevitably, it’s a meat-heavy menu (think 18-hour smoked brisket and 32-day aged beef sirloin), but there’s a vegan yellow curry and fermented noodle salad, plus oyster mushroom larb and one-is-not-enough deep-fried doughnut bao for dessert. AP
Address: Lucky Khao, 1d St James's Street, Kemptown, Brighton BN2 1RE
Website: luckykhao.com
Justin De Souza
Etch. by Steven Edwards
With a black facade, tinted windows and the smallest sign by the entry, etch by Steven Edwards (winner of Masterchef way back in 2013) is enticing before you even enter. The space is bright and airy, minimally designed with a monochrome palette. The open kitchen shows chefs busy at work giving a sense of beautiful choreography. Lined up are perfectly presented small plates waiting under a heated spotlight, as if in a gallery display. We were taken by the marmite brioche buns and seaweed butter that were glazed and gleaming as we walked in. The concept here is to focus on one or two ingredients which serve as a focal point of the dish, all the other flavours working together to bring the key ingredient to the fore. While this is an appealing concept, it sometimes limits the variety throughout the courses. Nevertheless, the flavours are excellent; the guinea hen served with tangy gravy with a sharp wine taste was particularly memorable. The ambiguous ‘dippy egg’ , which turned out to be an egg yolk with asparagus and fried solder to dip in it, rich and unexpectedly creamy, was a perfect example of how a single, humble ingredient can be served as art. The meal was not without its sense of performance either as the pudding – a beetroot mousse with white chocolate cannoli and blood orange sorbet – was delivered with a smoking bowl of granita on dry ice.
Address: etch. by Steven Edwards, 214-216 Church Road, Hove BN3 2DJ
Website: etchfood.co.uk

9. The Set at Artist Residence
Artist Residence is just the kind of boutique hotel Brighton should have: small, eccentric, close to the sea and sporting a terrific restaurant. Don't get distracted by the dinky, extravagantly wallpapered sitting-room between the fabulous bar, Cocktail Shack, and your destination: the space may be small, but head chef and owner Dan Kenny is big on taste and invention, and the other diners are probably people you're happy to get to know, anyway. Three four-course menus – accompanied, should you wish, by well-chosen flights of really good wines – are seasonal and proudly British, with beautifully arranged combinations of texture, flavour and colour: the crunch and softness of quail egg and toast was beautifully enhanced by asparagus and marmite, while beetroot, strawberry, goat's curd and molasses looked like a sunset. Ask for a seat on the pass to watch the chefs calmly, cheerily, pull each delicate dish together. This is all the fun of fine dining without the hauteur – or the hefty bill.
Address: The Set, Artist Residence Hotel, 33 Regency Square, Brighton
Website: thesetrestaurant.com
Emma Gutteridge
10. Curry Leaf Café
It's quite a coup to get Boho Gelato, Brighton's legendary ice-cream parlour, to invent four special flavours just for you, but the Curry Leaf Café has mango and cardamom, pistachio and rosewater, coconut and lime sorbet and peanut and jiggery chikki (a type of sugar), which sets the bar for savoury food pretty high. Fortunately, chef Kanthi Kiran Thamma is up to the challenge. His aim, he says, is balance: not too much spice, or creaminess, nor too little. The result is a southern Indian menu, strong on vegetarian dishes, that allows for lots of mix-and-matching, in a cheerfully informal little space, all orange and green, with red tin chairs and blue masks (like Indian versions of the classic African mask). Start with the superb street-food selection of lightly fried pakoras, chilli bhajis and cauliflower florets – snack food for kids hungry after school when he was growing up, says Thamma – while you dither over thali platters, uttapams and dosai (two kinds of pancake), all with appropriate pickles, sauces and mini dishes of gently spiced vegetables. The most grown-up element is an extensive beer list, useful for perking up your well-spiced palate in anticipation of that all-important ice-cream.
Address: Curry Leaf Café, 60 Ship Street, Brighton
Website: curryleafcafe.com
Alex Bamford
11. The Little Fish Market
Everything about this lovely restaurant is miniature except, happily, the portions. Down in the Hove end of town, the place is tiny (22 covers, so make sure to book), and chef-patron Duncan Ray is the only person in the basement kitchen, with Rob – otherwise known as the nicest man in the restaurant business – in sole possession upstairs. They insist on local produce, so the carbon footprint is mini-sized, too, with the fish all sourced from the British Isles. And what fish: a five-course set menu (there's just the one) might include the freshest, firmest slip sole in seaweed butter, a range of shellfish and seaweed in a clear fish broth that Ray has whimsically named a Rockpool, and a monkfish garnished with star anise, pancetta and peanuts. Nothing is fancy – Ray worked with Heston at the Fat Duck, but clearly prefers the kind of foam you get atop waves – but everything is delicious. And the ambience is so relaxing you may forget to go home.
Address: The Little Fish Market, 10 Upper Market Street, Hove
Website: thelittlefishmarket.co.uk
12. The Salt Room
Another dodgy Brighton club/bar has been transformed into a terrific seafood restaurant, this one so close to the beach that the fish can practically wave to its relatives from your plate. Like its sibling restaurant The Coal Shed, The Salt Room features a super-hot Josper Grill, which means your catch of the day arrives moist, its lightly-seared skin decorated with flowers and sea vegetables freshly foraged by 'Andy down the road'. The exposed-brick and bare-lightbulb interior is a little cavernous but then here, size matters: the fish are big, the portions generous – even the gin is served in giant goblets, and there are 12 gins to choose from. Just make sure, as you slurp oysters with three dips – including a fabulous pink shallot vinaigrette – and crunch on salt cod fritters with taramasalata, that you're leaving room for Taste of the Pier, a frivolous array of candy floss, ice-cream cones, doughnuts and pebble-shaped chocolates that's as much seaside fun as a bucket and spade – and a lot tastier.
Address: The Salt Room, 106 King's Road, Brighton
Website: saltroom-restaurant.co.uk

13. Plateau
Some of the best restaurants in Brighton neglect their wine lists, but not Plateau, where the natural wines range from beginner-friendly to seriously funky, and the staff are happy to explain the difference between organic and biodynamic – or not, if you don't much care. The 'plateaux' are sharing dishes of generous girth and seasonal persuasion: even the veggie option will line stomachs, with the likes of celeriac and apple beignets, cheeses, herb gnocchi and a selection of flatbreads and dips. There are non-sharing daily specials for those who don't feel like tussling over slow-roasted pork belly. You could just as happily sit at the curved bar with a glass of fizz and a scallop ravioli bite. Sometimes, natural wine is pretentious. Here, it accompanies top tunes, knowledgeable enthusiasm and boards of meat that would satisfy Caesar's centurions.
Address: Plateau, 1 Bartholomews, Brighton
Website: plateaubrighton.co.uk
Jamie Lau / Studio Lau
14. Riddle & Finns
The original R&F is a sweet but dark little place in the Lanes, with high marble-topped tables and a no-reservations policy. The newer sister restaurant has a fab location on the seafront – and, happily, you can book a table in advance. In summer, there's nothing quite like sitting on the terrace, sipping Gewurtztraminer with the signature wok-fried Singapore chilli crab, and watching the strollers on the beach path. In winter, huddle beneath the barrel-vaulted ceilings, eat razor clams steamed with white wine, and admire the roiling grey waves from a safe distance.
Address: Riddle & Finns, 139 Kings Road Arches, Brighton
Website: riddleandfinns.co.uk
15. Drakes
In the tastefully grey, banquette-lined basement of one of Brighton's best hotels sits a restaurant that has long been the city's best claim to a fine-dining scene and is certainly one of the best restaurants in Brighton. Chef Andrew Mackenzie plays with French tradition (butternut squash soup with tempura frog's leg, anyone?) but the homage is as light as batter and the produce, wherever possible, is local. Horseradish cuts briskly through the richness of braised pig's cheek and potato mousse. Scallops with crispy bantam's egg and smoked haddock is a crazy, delicious combination of tastes and textures. Anyone who thinks fish goes only with white wine should try the local line-caught sea bass with a red wine sauce. You can't see the sea from here, but if there's another drawback to Drakes, I haven't found it.
Address: Drakes, 43-44 Marine Parade, Brighton
Website: drakesofbrighton.com
Sanchia Gladwin
16. The Chilli Pickle
The Chilli Pickle is run by Brits Alun Sperring and his wife Dawn. Alun cooks street-food dishes such as Nepalese meat dumpling while Dawn welcomes guests to the bright, canteen-style restaurant. Dishes are seasonal and delicious. Try the line-caught sea bass cooked in a banana leaf or the Chennai seafood pot. Poppadoms are light and greaseless, with rather more interesting dips: plum chutney and sour lemon pickle. From where I'm sitting, all's right with the world.
Address: The Chilli Pickle, 17 Jubilee Street, Brighton
Telephone: +44 1273 900383
Website: thechillipickle.com

17. 64 Degrees
Brighton's pride in this superlative small-dish restaurant in the Lanes was only slightly dented when a second restaurant opened in London. Still, ours is better. The fish is local, purchased from small, artisan suppliers, but few carbon-conscious chefs have chef Michael Bremner's talent for flavour combinations and presentation. Perch at the pass if you can't get a table (likely, in this tiny place) and admire the dexterous placing of each dish's components: smoked butter on knödel or watercress on Jerusalem artichoke with hazelnut. Even though the kitchen makes the front of house look spacious, every chicken wing is barbecued to tenderness (then combined with kimchi) and the pork belly oozes delicious juices onto its apple and, wait, turnip accompaniments. There are four options each of veg, meat and fish dishes, so take two friends and you can try everything. But remember to book – the three of you will fill half the restaurant.
Address: 64 Degrees, 53 Meeting House Lane, Brighton
Website: 64degrees.co.uk
18. The Gingerman
There's a hint of Brighton star 64 Degrees about The Gingerman's menu, with two types of mackerel and gently pickled cucumber accompanying breaded oyster on a muffin, while duck liver and heart are flanked by duck nugget with miso glaze and pear. And that's just starters: good thing there is lovely local fizz Ridgeview by the glass, to sip in anguish while you attempt to choose. Occasionally, the chef overreaches, but this is a Brighton stalwart, here since 1998 (the refurb has just pared back to brick and given both restaurant and bar a little more room) and now older sibling to three other Gingers dotted round the area – all of which are some of the best restaurants in Brighton. The menu changes every six weeks, so those painful choices will keep on coming (pork belly with crumble and delicious pressed potato to add texture, and oozing black pudding to add heft? Or cod with smoked cod, chorizo jam, charred leek and buttermilk dressing?) but these are what are known as First World problems – and the supremely pleasant staff are more than happy to help you solve them.
Address: The Gingerman, 21a Norfolk Square, Brighton
Website: gingermanrestaurants.com
Jo Hunt
19. Kindling
With simple, unassuming interiors, Kindling’s sustainably sourced and zero waste dishes do the talking. The menu is constantly evolving to reflect what is in season, and what produce is leftover in the kitchen. On our visit, the amuse bouche was a chilled soup made from greens that weren’t used up in other dishes. Throw in some smoked almonds and locally foraged wild garlic and the flavours were as moorish and well-balanced as if it had used the best part of the vegetable. Likewise, an irresistibly buttery and rich Bakewell tart used raspberries preserved from last year’s growth and ice cream made from the remainder of a batch of sloe gin. This attention to detail in the supply chain is likely influenced by the fact the restaurant is owned by the chefs themselves, Holly Taylor and Toby Geneen, so you know that every dish is being prepared with care.
Address: Kindling Restaurant, 69 East Street, Brighton BN1 1HQ
Website: kindlingrestaurant.com
Ellen Richardson
20. Wild Flor
Wild Flor has an unpretentious aesthetic with its chalkboard menu, exposed brick and candlelight. This is also reflected in the menu – the food takes staple bistro dishes and delivers them with grace. Start with the oysters which are locally caught and served with a zingy salsa. The pea soup is beautiful, with fresh, crunchy peas, crème fraîche and sourdough. The team’s passion for wine and the enjoyment clearly taken in finding each dish’s ideal partner gives the meal an edge which elevates things. The cocktails are also exceptional – finish off with an Espresso Martini (decaf if you’re not one for coffee in the evenings).
Address: Wild Flor, 42 Church Road, Hove BN3 2FN
Website: wildflor.com