Brighton Restaurants: The Best Places to Eat

If you want the restaurants with the strongest public record, start with Maré by Rafael Cagali on Church Road, Hove, the city’s only Michelin star. Then come the four Bib Gourmands: The Flint House and Burnt Orange in The Lanes, and Palmito and Cin Cin on Western Road. Every entry below was checked against the venue’s own website on 23 October 2026.

We have not eaten at these places for this guide, and nothing here is a review. Each entry sets out what the restaurant says about itself and what it publishes about prices, hours and booking. It then adds what the public record shows: the Michelin Guide listing and the Food Standards Agency hygiene rating. Thirteen of the 17 hold the top hygiene rating of 5, three are rated 4 and one is rated 3.

The Michelin star and the Bib Gourmands

Maré by Rafael Cagali, Church Road, Hove

Maré is the Hove restaurant of Rafael Cagali, the chef behind Da Terra in London. It describes itself as “a new culinary venture” from Cagali and his partner Charlie Lee, with a menu “rooted in sustainability and crafted around local Sussex and British produce”. The Michelin Guide gives it one star, the only one in Brighton and Hove. Its menu page prices the Taste of Maré sharing menu at £95 a head, a set lunch at £45 and wine pairing at £65, with 12.5% service added. Open Wednesday 6pm to 9pm, Thursday to Saturday 12pm to 2pm and 6pm to 9pm, and Sunday 12pm to 2.30pm. Book through SevenRooms. Hygiene rating 5 (FSA, 5 March 2026). 60 Church Road, Hove BN3 2FP.

The Flint House, Hanningtons Lane

The Flint House is run by Ben and Pamela McKellar’s Gingerman group, which calls it “a modern restaurant and bar”. Michelin gives it a Bib Gourmand, its award for good cooking at good value. The Michelin inspectors note the red-brick and flint house was once part of Hannington’s department store. It opens Tuesday to Sunday, 12pm to 10pm. Menus and booking are on its website, or call 01273 916333. Hygiene rating 5 (FSA, 7 January 2026). 13 Hanningtons Lane, BN1 1GS. Our listing.

Burnt Orange, Middle Street

Burnt Orange describes itself as “a wood-fired Mediterranean restaurant and bar on Middle Street”. It holds a Bib Gourmand, and it belongs to the Black Rock group with The Coal Shed and The Salt Room. Open Sunday to Thursday 12pm to 10.30pm, and Friday and Saturday 12pm to 1am. The last food seating is 10pm, or 9pm on Sunday. Tables of one to six book online through SevenRooms; groups of seven or more use the group booking page. Walk-ins are welcome. Dogs are allowed outside on the terrace only, and the restaurant is cashless. Hygiene rating 5 (FSA, 15 November 2022). 59 Middle Street, BN1 1AL.

Palmito, Western Road, Hove

Palmito calls itself “a tiny, informal 20-seater restaurant located in a former takeaway near the Brighton-Hove border on Western Road”. It holds a Bib Gourmand. Michelin describes small plates in a style the kitchen calls “spice driven”. Dinner is Tuesday to Saturday, 5pm to 11pm, and lunch is Friday 12.30pm to 2.30pm and Saturday 12pm to 2.30pm. Food orders close an hour before closing. Book online, on 01273 777588 or at reservations@palmito.co.uk. Hygiene rating 5 (FSA, 28 October 2023). 16 Western Road, Hove BN3 1AE. Our listing.

Cin Cin, Western Road, Hove

Cin Cin describes itself as an “acclaimed modern Italian neighbourhood restaurant in Hove where fresh pasta is made fresh by hand everyday”. It holds a Bib Gourmand. The à la carte menu changes daily and is for tables of up to six. Groups of seven or more get a five-course Chef’s Menu. Dinner is from 5pm on Tuesday and Wednesday, and Thursday to Saturday it opens 12.30pm to 11.30pm. It is closed Sunday and Monday, apart from a few holiday Sundays. The restaurant says it offers non-gluten and non-dairy menus with notice. Hygiene rating 5 (FSA, 23 September 2026). 60 Western Road, Hove BN3 1JD. Our listing.

Tasting menus

The Little Fish Market, Upper Market Street, Hove

Duncan Ray owns and cooks at The Little Fish Market, which promises “simple, ingredient led, fish focused cuisine” for 22 diners. Michelin notes it sits in a converted fishmonger’s opposite the old Victorian fish market. It serves lunch and dinner on Friday and Saturday only, with tables at 1pm and 7pm. Lunch is a three-course set menu and dinner a six-course tasting menu. The sample menus on its food page run from £35 at lunch to £96 at dinner. Dishes usually stay on for four to six weeks. Hygiene rating 5 (FSA, 27 March 2025). 10 Upper Market Street, Hove BN3 1AS. Our listing.

The Set, Preston Road

The Set calls itself “the smallest restaurant in Brighton”: 12 covers, ten at the kitchen counter and two in the window. “There’s no menu,” it says. Michelin records a 2026 move to an open kitchen counter, with everyone served together, so arrive on time. Wednesday is M.A.D, an eight-course “Midweek Affordable Dinner”. Thursday to Saturday evenings bring the full Set Menu of 15 to 20 servings over about two and a half hours. Friday lunch is Ramen Friday: one flavour, 20 bowls. Hygiene rating 5 (FSA, 16 July 2026). 9 Preston Road, BN1 4QE.

Dilsk, Marine Parade

Dilsk is inside the Drakes Hotel on the seafront. It describes itself as “an elegant and relaxed fine dining restaurant”, with chef Tom Stephens and co-founder Maddy Riches. It offers two tasting menus, a shorter and a fuller one, with optional wine and non-alcoholic pairings. A set menu runs at lunch and dinner Monday to Thursday. Michelin explains the name: dulse, a red-brown seaweed. The menus are a PDF on its site. Hygiene rating 5 (FSA, 22 October 2024). 43-44 Marine Parade, BN2 1PE.

etch. by Steven Edwards, Church Road, Hove

etch. is chef Steven Edwards’s restaurant in a former bank, which Michelin describes with an open kitchen and bar at the centre of the room. Its menus page prices the seasonal tasting menus at £55 for four courses and £80 for six. The autumn menu runs to 31 October and the autumn and winter menu from 3 November. Pescatarian and vegetarian versions are offered. The kitchen says it cannot cater for fully vegan or dairy-free diets. Book online, on 01273 227485 or at contact@etchfood.co.uk. Hygiene rating 5 (FSA, 28 February 2025). 214-216 Church Road, Hove BN3 2DJ. Our listing.

Furna, New Road

Furna describes itself as “a modern european restaurant based in the heart of Brighton”. Michelin notes it is the first solo venture of chef-owner Dave Mothersill. It serves à la carte and tasting menus, plus a shorter set menu at Friday and Saturday lunch and until 6pm. A sharing menu, Table 35, runs on Wednesday and Thursday. Open Wednesday 5pm to 11pm, and Thursday to Saturday 12.30pm to 4pm and 5pm to 11pm. The kitchen says it cannot cater for coeliac, vegan or dairy-free diets. Hygiene rating 5 (FSA, 4 September 2025). 6 New Road, BN1 1UF. Our listing.

Bistros and neighbourhood places

Embers, Meeting House Lane

Embers says it cooks “absolutely everything over an open wood fire”, on what it calls a medieval-style fire cage in the middle of the room. Chefs Dave and Isaac opened it together; it calls the idea “Fire & Friendship”. It is in the Michelin Guide. Open Monday and Wednesday to Friday 5pm to 11pm, Saturday 9am to 11pm and Sunday from 9am; closed Tuesday. Tables of up to eight book online, and larger groups go through the events page. Hygiene rating 4 (FSA, 24 September 2025). 42 Meeting House Lane, BN1 1HB. Our listing.

Wild Flor, Church Road, Hove

Wild Flor calls itself an “award-winning Brighton & Hove neighbourhood restaurant” serving “well-cellared, classic cookery”. Michelin says a group of lifelong friends own it. Dinner is Tuesday to Thursday 6pm to 9.15pm, and Friday and Saturday 5.30pm to 9.15pm. Lunch is Tuesday to Saturday, with a Sunday Lunch Club once a month; the next is on 25 October. A seasonal three-course set menu runs alongside. Book through SevenRooms. Hygiene rating 5 (FSA, 4 December 2025). 42 Church Road, Hove BN3 2FN.

Stem, Church Road, Hove

Stem is from the team behind Dilsk. It calls itself “a Michelin Guide recommended chef-led British bistro and wine bar in Hove”. It serves seasonal British food with natural and classic wines, vinyl records and rotating art shows. Open Monday to Wednesday 5pm to 11pm, Thursday 12pm to 11pm, Friday and Saturday 12pm to midnight, and Sunday 12pm to 9pm. Contact 01273 435582 or info@stemhove.co.uk. Hygiene rating 4 (FSA, 28 May 2026). 41 Church Road, Hove BN3 2BE.

Tutto, Marlborough Place

Tutto is an Italian restaurant in a former banking hall opposite Victoria Gardens, and its motto is “bring everyone, eat everything”. It is in the Michelin Guide and belongs to the Black Rock group. Open Monday to Thursday 12pm to 10pm, Friday and Saturday 12pm to 10.30pm, and Sunday 12pm to 9pm. Online bookings take up to ten people; larger groups book separately. It takes cards only. Its hygiene rating is 3, “generally satisfactory” (FSA, 6 August 2026), the lowest on this list. 20-22 Marlborough Place, BN1 1UB. Our listing.

The Ginger Pig, Hove Street

The Ginger Pig is an early 20th-century inn at the bottom of Hove Street, a few minutes from the beach. It is Gingerman’s pub with rooms and is in the Michelin Guide. It says GQ listed it among the top ten pubs in the UK, and that it “always welcome[s] families and children”. Dogs are allowed in the bar area only; tell them when you book. Breakfast is 8am to 11am. Lunch is noon to 3pm and dinner 6pm to 10pm, Monday to Saturday. Sunday lunch runs 12.30pm to 8pm. Hygiene rating 5 (FSA, 13 July 2026). 3 Hove Street, Hove BN3 2TR. Our listing.

The long-standing names in The Lanes

English’s, East Street

English’s calls itself “Brighton’s oldest seafood restaurant”, with a restaurant, an oyster bar and an outside terrace. Its heritage page traces the site to a fishmonger and the Brazier brothers, 1880s oyster merchants. Clifford Leigh-Jones bought it from the English family in 1945, and his family still runs it. There is a children’s menu. Open Monday to Thursday 12pm to 9pm, Friday and Saturday 12pm to 9.30pm, and Sunday 12pm to 8.30pm. Book on 01273 327980 or at book@englishs.co.uk. Hygiene rating 5 (FSA, 26 March 2026). 29-31 East Street, BN1 1HL. Our listing.

Terre à Terre, East Street

Terre à Terre is the vegetarian and vegan restaurant that has served “organic, natural and English wines in the heart of Brighton’s Lanes since 1993”. Its homepage quotes the late AA Gill in the Sunday Times: “most probably the best vegetarian restaurant in Britain”. Its menus page prices the Sunday sharing menu at £35 for two courses or £45 for three. There is a children’s menu, Little Terrors, every day. It opens every evening, and at lunch Wednesday to Sunday. Walk-ins are welcome. Hygiene rating 4 (FSA, 12 February 2026). 71 East Street, BN1 1HQ. Our listing.

How we chose

This is a list of the restaurants people search for. It is chosen on records anyone can check, not on taste. We started with every restaurant on the Michelin Guide’s Brighton and Hove page, then added the two longest-running names in The Lanes. We left out Amari on Baker Street, which is in the guide but publishes only an Instagram page, so we could not check its hours and prices. Nothing rated below 3 by the Food Standards Agency was considered.

We checked every restaurant’s own website on 23 October 2026 for hours, prices, booking rules and any closure notice. Hygiene ratings come from the FSA register on the same day. Prices and hours change, so check with the restaurant before you go.

For more ideas, see things to do in Brighton and what’s on in Brighton this month. You can also browse every restaurant in our Brighton business directory.

Run a place that should be here, or spot something that has changed? Email newsdesk@brightontimes.co.uk.

Frequently asked questions

Which Brighton restaurants are in the Michelin Guide?

Michelin’s Brighton and Hove page lists 16. Maré by Rafael Cagali on Church Road, Hove, holds one Michelin star. The Flint House, Burnt Orange, Palmito and Cin Cin hold Bib Gourmands. Dilsk, Embers, Furna, Tutto, Amari, Little Fish Market, The Set, Stem, Wild Flor, etch. and The Ginger Pig are recommended without a star.

Which Brighton restaurants allow dogs?

The Ginger Pig in Hove allows dogs in its bar area only and asks you to say so when you book. Burnt Orange allows dogs outside on its terrace only.

What is the oldest restaurant in Brighton?

English’s on East Street calls itself Brighton’s oldest seafood restaurant. Its own history traces the site to a fishmonger and 1880s oyster merchants, and the Leigh-Jones family has owned it since 1945. Terre à Terre has served vegetarian food in The Lanes since 1993.