The Best Restaurants in Brighton and Hove

The north of the city is a less-frequented bit of Brighton, but it presents a great opportunity to get away from the beach and its crowds. It’s also home to this welcoming, brightly painted restaurant that celebrates all things Spanish. The concise menu will likely feature your favourite dishes from croquetas to Basque cheesecake via suckling pig, while the wine and sherry lists are similarly Iberian in their outlook. Service comes from a friendly, chatty team.

Tucked away near The Lanes, you could easily miss Burnt Orange when strolling past; but once you’re inside, you won’t want to leave. It’s open from lunch until late and you could easily pop in for a quick bite and then find yourself whiling away the hours over the shareable small plates and extensive cocktail list. Wood-fired dishes form the core of the menu, with ingredients from sea bream to aubergine given the open flame treatment. The colourful cooking is nicely complemented by friendly service and the stylish surroundings.

With homemade pasta, harmonious flavours and an absolute steal of a lunch menu, it’s easy to see why Cin Cin is such a hit with the residents of Hove. The classic Italian formula of keeping things simple is key, with fresh ingredients smartly combined and allowed to shine. The aforementioned lunch menu is the cheapest way to dine, but there’s also an à la carte and five-course chef’s menu if you want to sample as many dishes as possible.

Parts of The Lanes – Brighton’s famous passageways filled with restaurants, shops and jewellers – date back to the late 16th century. Among them is this restaurant run by two friends who aim to serve accessible, straightforward dishes with a focus on big, bold flavours. Wood-fired cooking is their main method of doing this, with everything from pork to potato getting a dose of smoky flavour. Dishes are mostly small plates, with a couple of sharing ‘centrepiece dishes’ on offer as well. Don’t forget to kick off with a cocktail too!

Since its opening in 1998, thanks to subtle tweaks and reinventions along the way, Gingerman has been at the vanguard of Brighton’s neighbourhood dining scene. Prime ingredients underpin the cooking, with nothing being overworked – resulting in a welcome depth and harmony to the flavours. Thanks to the success of this original restaurant, the group now has eateries all over the Brighton area, including The Flint House in The Lanes, The Ginger Pig in Hove and The Ginger Fox in Hassocks.

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You would be hard pushed to find a better location for a seafood restaurant than this: a former fishmonger’s shop just a few minutes’ stroll from the seafront. As you would expect, the tasting menu here is a feast of fish and shellfish that uses top-quality, sustainably caught produce as its base. Some of it is simply served, other dishes have a creative edge backed up by the skill and knowledge of the kitchen. Complete the package by accompanying your meal with a well-chosen wine flight.

The ‘by Rafael Cagali’ part of the name makes this instantly enticing, given that Cagali is the chef behind Two-MICHELIN-Star Da Terra in London. Lured coastwards by the fresh sea air, he’s now set up this neighbourhood-style spot in Hove, with cooking that bears several of his hallmarks. Influences from his native Brazil can be found, along with a streak of creativity and a love of globetrotting flavours – look out for Italy, Mexico and Japan among the inspirations. Holding it all together are technical mastery and first-rate ingredients.

A particularly vibrant member of Brighton and Hove’s eclectic dining scene, Palmito is a cosy 20-seater restaurant on the busy Western Road. Their charcoal grill is the ideal way to bring out the spicing of the small plates, which take their inspiration from around the globe. It’s a great place for sharing, with a larger party meaning you can try more of the flavoursome, sometimes original, dishes like hand-dived scallop with cauliflower and ancho & dulse butter. It's all great value too, making ordering another plate all the more tempting.

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Another restaurant hidden away in The Lanes, The Flint House – so called because of its flint stone exterior – is a relatively new addition to the area. It’s set over two levels and offers an array of well-priced small plates that display some international influences, with the likes of romesco and chimichurri popping up on the menu. It’s a lovely spot for a drink too, with a cocktail menu and every wine on the list available by the glass – grab a seat on the terrace to enjoy them in the sunshine.

Brighton might be the bigger, more famous destination, but Hove is home to more true neighbourhood restaurants. Wild Flor certainly fits into that camp, run by a group of friends who make natural hosts, taking the time to chat and engage with their guests. They have a knack of attracting skilled chefs to their kitchen too; the seasonal, flavoursome dishes are modern yet underpinned by strong classical technique. The team also show great enthusiasm for wine, with a list that mixes some heavy hitters with lesser-known names.