Lewes, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

2021 Review: “More ‘pubby’ than The Gingerman” – the namesake group’s original site and flagship, opened in 1998 – “but more relaxing” too, this dog-friendly Kemptown spot is a solid performer which “cannot be beaten for family get-togethers”; the newest ginger, The Flint House, mixing tapas, cocktails and a roof terrace, opened in central Brighton in spring 2019.

2023 Review: Isaac Bartlett-Copeland’s ambitious and ultra-local operation in Brighton’s boho North Laine is “so original and never the same twice”, with its ‘taste of Sussex’ menus and an all-English list of wines. The “NYC vibe” goes too far for some tastes (“well-meaning front of house told us everything, and I mean absolutely everything, about every dish…”)

“Brighton’s most popular restaurant” (our survey agrees – it’s the most commented-on in town): “small plates rule – and the choices are definitely out-of-the-ordinary” – at Pamela & Ben McKellar’s venue in the Lanes, where “most of the seating is counter-style, which is great but arguably limits its appeal (you have to be very lucky to get one of the tables if you want a six, for example)”. For £50 per person, you can avoid having to choose and go for the chef’s short tasting menu, which is “really good, and a good representation of the kitchen”. Notwithstanding its popularity and virtues, though, ratings overall here are only in the middle ground and one or two more sceptical reporters “expected more given its reputation… I’m not sure exactly what it is attempting”.

“Exceptional seafood, ultra-fresh off the boat” is the order of the day at this classic oyster bar down “one of the cutest winding alleys in the Lanes” – “every Brightonian has either been in this place or stared longingly through the window” since it opened almost 20 years ago, and it’s “definitely a must-stop for visitors to the town”. “The USP is that you can choose your fish from a board showing the day’s catches. When it’s gone, it’s gone (but it’s annoying when the board isn’t kept up-to-date – we missed out on the Dover sole!)”. There’s a newer branch in the Rotunda on the Promenade (see also). Top Menu Tip – “the seafood risotto”.

2021 Review: “A shabby-chic bistro with pleasant staff and interesting small plates” – fish-centric – plus “natural wines to complement the seasonal organic food”.

The “perfect place for a celebratory meal” – a decade-old Lanes favourite by GBM winner Michael Bremner where “it’s great sitting at the pass watching the chefs at work”, though half the seating is also allocated elsewhere if that’s too much drama; you can choose to make a meal of the small plates, or sample more of the “interesting” and “flavourful” dishes on the “amazing tasting menu” (“where as much attention is paid to the vegetarian options as the meat and fish”). As feedback on the venue was thin and included (unusually) the odd off-report this year, we‘ve left it unrated.

2022 Review: Opened just before Christmas 2019, a brightly decorated establishment where everything is cooked over open fire in the central open kitchen. It’s from the Food for Friends team with chefs Holly Taylor and Toby Geneen. Limited initial feedback, but ratings are strong and reports are of a “carnivore’s delight”.

“Another wonderful small-plates restaurant in Brighton” – this three-year-old hit from the Black Rock group wins nothing but praise for its “wonderful service”, “fun interior and super food” (much wood-fired, and sometimes same-y, but with some “truly memorable” standouts). The stable now spans The Salt Room and The Coal Shed (the latter exported to London) plus a newer Italian, Tutto.

Opened in 2011 by restaurateur Razak Helalat, this “brilliant” steakhouse (with London spin-off) was the first venture for the ever-expanding Black Rock group, whose latest siblings include Italian restaurant Tutto and boundary-blurring bar/restaurant Burnt Orange (see also). In September 2024, it made a bold and long-planned move into a swish (and big for Brighton) 142-cover location in a (“deservedly”) prominent Lanes setting. In addition to an expanded bar-operation, the NY steakhouse-style venue will morph its cooking-over-fire philosophy into a less meat-heavy approach, with somewhat more emphasis on fish and veg. Ratings have been maintained from the old location, but this could be a major step-up for the business.

“A bustling destination, with a nice view of rolling sea and big horizon” – this “very buzzy seafront room” sits within sight of the skeletal remains of the West Pier and remains one of the most popular dining options in the city. On the downside, there is a view that “the best aspect are the vistas over the water, with food that’s reliable rather than sensational and too expensive”. Most of the many reports, though, are more positive, saying, “if you particularly enjoyfFresh, beautifully cooked fish, this is the place”.

There’s no doubting the “great” setting of this former religious hostel, which lies at the foot of the Sussex Downs on the banks of the Cuckmere River; having been acquired by hospitality whizz Olga Polizzi in 2021, it’s now an “upmarket country hotel” replete with Bloomsbury set artworks and (in the dining room) a gorgeous Elizabethan-esque floor. With River Café alum Tim Kensett having moved on to his Scottish wild-dining concept Inverlonan Dining, head chef Vincenzo Petrocco is currently at the helm; the “food is mainstream Anglo-French with good fish and meat options” and while “not inexpensive” (“you can eat in the best London restaurants at their prices”) and described by sceptics as “good but fairly ordinary”, more positive reporters believe the “quality cooking and service justify the bill”.

Chef Ben and his wife Pamela McKellar’s flagship restaurant (est. 1998) is a “cosy side-street gem” that has “maintained its high standards through all its years, and against a rising tide of local competition”. In fact, some think it has “upped its game again on quality and imagination, although that has come at a (literal) price”. Top Menu Tips – “the bread and the soufflés remain things that cannot be passed over”.

“In a delightful village”, this “scenic” gastroboozer-with-rooms continues to please, two years after longtime owners the Pullan family handed the keys to the Young’s group; the “best atmosphere is in the bar” (as opposed to the annexe), though the “great garden” remains the standout here, offering lovely views of the Ouse countryside.

This “amazing neighbourhood restaurant will have you coming back for more” of its “brilliant modern British cooking in a relaxed bistro setting”. Founded five years ago by a trio of local hospitality veterans, Rob Maynard and James & Faye Thompson, it is “very much in tune with modern Hove, but in a very unprepossessing location” – and with “very sensible prices”, including a £22 per person set menu that runs alongside the à la carte. Many diners recommend the wines here (“one of the rare restaurants which do not force you to ‘kill’ red wine too young, offering good mature reds for fair prices”).

Eat “surrounded by bottles in this friendly and informal bistro”, which also doubles as a wine bar and shop. Reporters love the “inventive small-plates food and excellent wine list” – especially the set menu, which is “full of more adventurous things you might not normally order à la carte”.

“The attention to detail is amazing, with top-notch food and wine pairings” say fans of this “favourite destination restaurant” – Stephen Edwards’s conversion of a former bank arguably “feels like a converted pub”, but “is so unexpected and elevated it fits well with the vibe of Hove”. Choose from either a five-course menu for £50 per person, or a seven-course menu for £75 per person: “flavours are fun and refreshing, from seasonal and playful tasting plates” – “truly spectacular cooking and would be three times the price in a central London restaurant”. Many local diners report their gastronomic highlight of the year here. Top Menu Tip – “the marmite bread is to die for (if only the whole meal could’ve been made of that!)”

“A dependable favourite ever since it opened” – this “elevated pub” near Hove seafront is part of a hugely popular four-strong local chain; with its “upmarket take on sausages and mash with kale or a lovely slow-cooked beef pie”, it’s “more akin to a restaurant (with a nice bar attached)” than a boozer, and a “buzzy atmosphere” is guaranteed. Top Tip – stay over in their “quirky rooms” (in either the main building or self-catering mews houses); one reporter who did so “could not think of eating anywhere else” after the first night (resulting in “six meals, including terrific breakfasts, in three days!”).

This “lovely thatched country boozer” with a pretty beer garden and great views of the South Downs is highly popular in our annual diners’ poll as an “absolute go-to place for the most excellent, innovative and delicious pub food”, in “a lovely quiet spot”. It’s the country cousin of the high-quality Gingerman group in Brighton, seven miles away – and does a roaring Sunday lunch trade.