10 Best Restaurants In Brighton
When visiting Brighton, a bohemian seaside town, one must inevitably inquire about the top restaurants in Brighton. Although there are several well-liked neighborhood mainstays in the coastal city, a new crop of restaurateurs is completely changing Brighton’s dining landscape. We’ve therefore asked our local network for ideas on the top eateries in Brighton, from the greatest seafood to the most amazing pasta and real Thai food.
1. Tutto
The restaurateur Razak Helalat, together with the group behind Burnt Orange, The Salt Room, and The Coal Shed. has opened a new restaurant called Tutto. “Italian food memories—ours and yours” is the concept driving Tutto, and I have to admit that the moment you walk inside this ancient banking hall, you feel at home. Warm mid-century furnishings provide a cozy, laid-back eating atmosphere that is perfect for a depressing autumn day. Rich olive oil-soaked focaccia that is airy and fluffy. Perfectly grilled seabass with a soft, flakey interior; delicious cornish crab taglioni cooked al dente with zings of chilli. and umami, buttery bone marrow that melts in your mouth. Lastly, the salt-baked celeriac is an absolute must-try. it has rich, nuanced flavors of earthy hazelnut and truffle. You will be in heaven when you add the chocolate and hazelnut torte on top of everything. Without a doubt, we’ll come back to this treasure on our next
2. Shelter Hall
Brighton’s seaside is a prime example of high-low living. Where else can you find an oyster and Champagne bar situated above an open-air eating area with communal dining tables and dishes influenced by street food, all overlooking one of the most beloved seasides in Britain? The venue is a Victorian-era rotunda. In 2020, Shelter Hall had a false start since it coincided with the (local) news around Covid. One is left wondering why this idea didn’t occur to anyone sooner after entering the sizable restaurant and bar with a view of the ocean. In winter, there are adorable, fur-lined, fairy-lit igloos on the waterfront, often with live music provided by a busker. However, we liked the indoor mezzanine level more. Tall tables with a view of the kitchens below, where cooks from Sussex pack Mexican corn tacos, grill a 40-day-aged sirloin steak on a Japanese robata, and pan-fry plump gyoza, can be found here. There are six kitchens to select from, along with a rotating schedule of two-week residencies from hip newcomers to the market. Zest by Hanoi Kitchen, a mainstay on London’s street food scene, is known for its exceptional Vietnamese meals. I chose a wine only by its name, like a real oenophile, and the mineral-forward, delicious Pebble Dew was perfect as we enjoyed the view of Brighton’s shingle beach.
3. Taquitos Casa Azul
Brighton’s Open Market is a center for privately run companies with seven eateries serving hot meals, on-the-go munchies, and fast snacks. Casa Azul’s authentic Mexican blue corn tacos should be at the top of your list, even though there’s usually a throng eating bowls of fresh bibimbap at Kor-Pan or sizzling platters of meatballs and moussaka outside Greek meze establishment Kouzina. Friendly owner Gabriel Gutierrez makes newcomers feel completely at home. who, on his birthday, invites strangers in for a slice of cake while singing to himself behind the counter. His eight-item menu is straightforward and speaks for itself: tacos are served on enamel pie dishes in threes and are incredibly flavorful (Gabriel’s molé has over forty ingredients!). Additionally, you may get take-home taco kits and small jars of salsa macha, chipotle, and tinga chilli sauce (the latter three make excellent presents).
4. Semolina
Most tourists who arrive by rail go in the direction of the ocean. However, if you go around the station and head toward The Level, a skateboarding hangout, you’ll discover Semolina, Baker Street’s best-kept secret. Taking its name from the flour that’s often used to make gnocchi, pasta, and bread, it alludes to the handcrafted approach that husband and wife team Orson and Linda Whitfield use here, from the free warm rolls that are offered before dinner to their pecan ice cream that’s served after. You won’t find yourself searching for ingredients beneath the table on the internet here. It’s really wonderful, fresh cuisine, made using ingredients from Sussex sources (black and brilliant cabbage, celeriac and mushroom risotto). Butler’s Wine Cellar in Kemptown helped develop the wine list, and the staff there serves it with a genuine grin. The coffee has been sourced from a micro-roaster in Horsham since 2015. The name may conjure up images of boarding school for many British people, but after a long term of school meals, Linda’s hospitality and Orson’s carefully prepared dishes make it feel very much like a home-cooked supper.
5. Burnt Orange
In Brighton’s charming Lanes, restaurateur Razak Helalat, of The Coal Shed and The Salt Rooms, has transformed the former Coach House bar into a place where adults can be sure they’ll have a great time, making it a destination for all seasons. Like its predecessor, it’s warm and inviting; the flaming flavors, the copper bar, the brick-red banquettes, and the cheerful, helpful staff all exude warmth. It’s also rather boisterous once the service gets up, with a laid-back, communal vibe and Fatboy Slim-selected music. As we departed (having been vanquished by a dessert aptly titled the Chocolate Nemesis), walk-in eaters were still arriving in hopes of securing a seat, which says much about Burnt Orange’s devoted repeat patrons. Chef Peter Dantanus wood-fires foods like aubergine, squash, and fig that don’t always have much taste. A miso-marinated smoked aubergine crowned with crispy onions melts in the tongue; purple sprouting broccoli is elevated above a mere side dish with a sesame and tahini vinaigrette. Chunks of delicately charred halloumi are drenched in spiced fig honey. Don’t bother with the Padron peppers; order the flatbread to mop up all the amazing sauces. We are forward to go back in the summer, when the conservatory with its white and green stripes will be a great place to have a sundowner.
6. The Flint House
Following the success of its three previous Sussex properties—the pub-with-rooms The Ginger Pig in Hove and the Ginger Fox in the South Downs—the Flint House debuted in April 2019 under the collective The Gingerman Restaurants Group of Ben and Pamela McKellar. By summer, people who had come for rooftop terrace cocktails often stayed for the plumped-up pillows of agnolotti filled with Lincolnshire Poacher cheese and pickled shallots, as well as fried Jerusalem artichokes, after word got out about chef Ben’s blue cheese and Sussex honey crumpets, which are still a best-seller. The McKellars’ former pub-grub setups have been replaced with small plates and countertop eating, yet their experiment has proven successful: Old timers will be satisfied with the slow-roasted lamb shoulder and the lardo toast with truffle and honey, while newcomers will be wowed by the three potato side options (try the butter-roasted firs with nduja) and a whole menu section devoted to “Fried/Toast/Snacks.” The ultimate sweet finish to the McKellars’ most recent chapter is a thimble of chocolate laced with salted caramel and hazelnut.
7. Lucky Khao
Seasonal Sussex farm products, such as organic lamb, locally sourced pig, and free-range chicken, is charcoal-roasted at Lucky Khao and used to create a “beer menu” of Northern Thai cuisine. A group of people with firsthand knowledge of working and traveling in Thailand spent years creating regional cuisine; many of them drew inspiration from the food that staff members were given during lunch breaks in the capital. The cooks have trained at some of the top restaurants in Bangkok and London, including Andy Oliver’s Som Saa, and they have decided to specialize on family-style BBQ from the Isan area. Naturally, the menu is heavy on meat (think 32-day aged beef sirloin and 18-hour smoked brisket), but there’s also vegan options like fermented noodle salad and yellow curry, as well as desserts like oyster mushroom larb and one-too-many deep-fried doughnut bao.
8. Isaac At
You won’t obtain three digits by adding the ages of the four buddies that manage this tiny, well designed restaurant together: Of the four, 24-year-old head chef Isaac Bartlett-Copeland is the oldest. The meal is all so proudly local that you receive a rundown of food miles with your menu, so there’s nothing tacky about it. There’s only one multi-course menu, which is based on what their suppliers say is the best available right now. If you visit during asparagus season, you might be served an amuse-bouche consisting of a single green tip elegantly decorated with charcoal mayo, followed by the remainder of the spear sliced and served with hazelnut mousse and egg yolk. There’s no overabundance, but each dish—from the robust John Dory to the delicious lamb raised nearby—is expertly prepared, and the wine pairings—all English, naturally—are among the most intriguing our nation has to offer. Eating here is made extra memorable by two things: the freshly baked, intriguingly flavored bread, and the friendly, casual, but never sloppy service where the young cooks come out to discuss their creations. A treacle loaf or a brioche with caramelized shallots? You get both, but good luck picking a favorite as you won’t be able to decide on one for long.
9. The Set at Artist Residence
Artist Residence is just the type of quirky, little boutique hotel Brighton needs—it’s on the water, has a great restaurant, and is all that. The Cocktail Shack is a fantastic bar, but don’t let the tiny, ostentatiously wallpapered sitting room deter you from your destination. Owner and head chef Dan Kenny is a big taste and inventiveness maker, and the other diners are probably people you’d be happy to get to know anyhow. While the beetroot, strawberry, goat’s curd, and molasses looked like a sunset, the asparagus and marmite perfectly complemented the crunch and softness of the quail egg and toast. Request a seat on the pass so you can observe the cooks as they expertly and cheerfully assemble each delicate delicacy. This is all the elegance and enjoyment of a fancy meal without the pretense or high cost.
10. Curry Leaf Café
Getting the renowned ice cream shop Boho Gelato in Brighton to create four unique flavors for you is quite an accomplishment, but the Curry Leaf Café raises the bar for savory fare with its mango and cardamom, pistachio and rosewater, coconut and lime sorbet, and peanut and jiggery chikki (a type of sugar). Thankfully, chef Kanthi Kiran Thamma is capable of rising to the occasion. He claims that his goal is balance—not too much creaminess or spice, nor too little of either. The end product is a brightly casual tiny place with orange and green decor, a strong vegetarian cuisine, and blue masks (which resemble Indian versions of the traditional African mask) and red tin seats.