Brighton, Fish & Seafood Restaurant Guide

This “cracking hidden gem, tucked away in the Lanes” is “a bit of a Brighton institution now, and rightly so” – an “intimate and romantic” place where “the seafood is fresh, the dishes filling yet light and the service unobtrusive but friendly”. “It provides a great selection of crustacea and everything from mackerel to Dover sole”. There is now also a beachside offshoot in the Rotunda on Brighton’s Promenade.

This “very professional brasserie-style” operation has moved to a “stand-out location surveying Brighton Beach” – the restored late-Victorian Rotunda on the Promenade – and serves a “large and delicious choice” of “classic seafood dishes”. It’s a successful spin-off from the long-established Lanes oyster bar of the same name. Top Tip – “smoked haddock and tempura tiger prawns hit all the right notes”.

This “buzzy seafood restaurant on the seafront” with views over the skeletal West Pier features some “innovative cooking” and “fantastic sauces”, with whole fish cooked over fire a speciality. Some reporters consider it “a little pricey”, but “the lunchtime menu offers good value”.

This “great traditional seafood restaurant on the seafront” has been “very popular for decades” (some nine decades in fact) owing to its “always good” victuals, which range from “basic fish ’n’ chips to lobster” plus Champagne-fuelled platters.

“What a spot!” – working solo, chef Duncan Ray “turns out five-star dishes, each one meticulously thought out, beautiful and tasty”, to just 20 guests at a sitting in this “hidden away” seafood specialist in Hove. With a big reputation after 10 years in business, it’s now “hard to actually get a table in such a small venue” – but “well worth trying” for the “sublime experience”.

“A shellfish gastropub? Yes, exactly” – the winning formula at this much commented-on corner boozer with a “quirky dining area”. By all accounts the grub is “fabulous” (“simply and expertly cooked”) and “the homebrewed beer adds an additional dimension which makes it really good to visit”.

“If you love fish you’ll love CrabShack”, say fans of this “rustic” family-owned spot “right on the seafront”, with a “short and consistent menu”. It’s “a bit crowded, a bit noisy, but if you don’t mind that, just relax and enjoy fish tacos, crab cakes, crispy squid and more – it’s all gorgeous”.

“My new favourite restaurant!” – well-known to diners at Brighton’s Coal Shed, Gingerman and Salt Room, chef David Mothersill makes his debut as patron with this highly ambitious, tasting-menu-focused newcomer near the Pavilion, which is hailed by early guests for some “incredible food and wine” (in the evenings, from a six-course menu) and an “all-round great experience” – “hope they get the recognition they deserve”. (Initial feedback this year was relatively thin on the ground, and we’ve rated it relatively conservatively – you could argue for full marks here!)

2023 Review: “Never disappoints” say regulars at this popular destination, near Shoreham Beach, where “the menu is predominantly fish dishes”. “It’s our local. We love this place and highly recommend it. Choose the specials!”.