Withdean Restaurant Guide

It’s “unexpected for a local, suburban boozer sitting next to a school”, but “Brighton’s seafood gastropub” marches to the beat of its own drum, turning out “exceptional” dishes (“emphasis on shellfish”) plus craft beer “brewed in the premises” downstairs, “which adds to the fun”. Taking into account the “upscale” setting, too, you’ve got all “the ingredients for a Perfect Sunday!” (when the idiosyncratic venue pays tribute to paella).

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”).

2024 Review: 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!)”

“Ambience is not key when you just want to stuff your face!” – you “just get a great dirty burger” at these tongue-in-cheek diners, whose signature offering is the ‘Dead Hippie’. Founded 16 years ago from the back of a truck by Scott Collins and Yianni Papoutsis, at the time a technician with the English National Ballet, it now has 15 London outlets and a national delivery operation.

“Duncan Ray delivers a top seafood menu from a tiny kitchen” at this “wonderful and intimate spot tucked away behind a busy Brighton street”, where just 20 guests enjoy an “unbelievable menu in a single sitting per night”. Even a reporter who felt “the food didn’t quite live up to some sublime experiences in the past” still felt that “there were some great dishes, we love what LFM does, and it’s well worth a visit”.

2023 Review: Decked out with neon lights, graffiti, sugar skulls and vivid flowers, this ten-year-old cantina has also spawned a (larger) Hove spin-off. Such feedback as we have says its “great value, with really enjoyable food” – more reports please!

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”.

2022 Review: “A fire before lockdown, followed by Covid restrictions, mean it's been a tricky time for this well-loved Brighton institution”, but the “fabulous” North Laine veggie and vegan café is happily once again back in business. “Beyond-delicious food, lovely people and a great atmosphere” ensure that it's “definitely worth a visit even if you’re not vegetarian”.

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…”)

“Outstanding pizza that’s super-light and oozing Italian style” (“not usually a pizza fan but really enjoyed the food”) has made the name of this “buzzing and hilarious” but also “good- value” Neapolitan joint. It’s now part of a five-strong chain, spanning two London outposts (the most recent in chi-chi Covent Garden), a newly refurbed Hove branch and this, the original, where “sitting outside to people watch is also great – it’s Brighton after all!”.

“Looks and feels like a proper yakitori place”, and the food is “sooo good” at this 10-year-old “Asian gem” that is “clearly no longer hidden from locals” – so the small space is often packed. Founder David Miney spent three years as a chef in Tokyo developing the expertise he now deploys in “authentic dishes at very reasonable prices” – “sit at the bar and watch the chefs in action”. “The sake selection is also on point and not outrageously expensive, like it is at other locations in this country”.

2023 Review: This “little” Victorian boozer on a North Laine corner is “a bit away from the centre but not far from the station, so perfect when arriving at lunchtime” – “the menu’s not massive, which is usually a good sign, and you’ll find Sunday roast, fish ’n’ chips, and classic pub dishes”.