7 Best Places to Eat in Brighton
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Brighton eats well above its size, and the honest first-timer list is seven places, not fifty. Start with Terre à Terre for the city’s defining vegetarian meal, Bardsley’s of Baker Street for proper fish and chips away from the pier, and English’s of Brighton if you want a sit-down seafood dinner in a genuinely old building. Book a table for dinner on a Friday or Saturday, Brighton fills up fast on weekends, and if you haven’t sorted a room yet, check rates on Booking.com for somewhere walkable to North Laine, most of this list sits within 10 minutes of it.
The seven, at a glance
| Place | Known for | Price band |
|---|---|---|
| Terre à Terre | Vegetarian/vegan tasting menu, Michelin Plate | ££-£££ |
| Purezza | UK’s first vegan pizzeria | ££ |
| Bardsley’s of Baker Street | Fish and chips, family-run since 1926 | £ |
| English’s of Brighton | Old-school seafood, 18th-century building | £££ |
| Riddle & Finns | Oysters and Champagne, no reservations | ££-£££ |
| The Chilli Pickle | Pan-Indian, Bib Gourmand | ££ |
| Café Coho | Weekend brunch, expect a queue | £ |
Terre à Terre and Purezza: Brighton’s vegetarian and vegan strength
Brighton’s vegetarian and vegan food is not a niche here, it is the main event. Terre à Terre has been meat-free since 1993 and the menu today is almost all vegan; it holds a Michelin Plate and won the 2026 BRAVO Award for Best Restaurant in Brighton, voted on by 71,285 public votes across 724 venues. It is designed to convert skeptics, not just serve people already looking for veggie food. Purezza, the UK’s first vegan pizzeria when it opened in Brighton in 2015, does sourdough bases and vegan mozzarella that hold up against any regular pizzeria in the city.
Bardsley’s of Baker Street: proper fish and chips
Skip the chippy stalls on the pier front. Bardsley’s of Baker Street has been family-run since 1926, four generations in, and it is where locals actually send visitors: a sit-down annex with a sun roof plus takeaway. It’s typically open Tuesday to Saturday, lunch and dinner sittings, closed Monday and Sunday, so check hours before you walk over. If you want fish and chips with a sea view instead, The Regency Restaurant opposite the beach is the sit-down alternative.
English’s of Brighton and the Lanes seafood scene
For a proper sit-down seafood dinner, English’s of Brighton is the oldest seafood restaurant in the city, housed in an 18th-century building in The Lanes, old-school fine dining rather than anything trendy. Riddle & Finns, an oyster and Champagne bar with branches on Meeting House Lane and the Rotunda on the promenade, has been trading over 20 years and does not take reservations, so arrive hungry and be ready to wait at peak times. The Salt Room, on the seafront, holds AA Rosettes and Good Food Guide recognition if you want the view to match the plate.
The Chilli Pickle: Brighton’s most-awarded curry house
Pan-Indian street food and regional curries on Meeting House Lane, a Brighton institution since 2008. The Chilli Pickle holds a Bib Gourmand and two AA Rosettes, and it has won British Curry Awards, which is rare company for a restaurant that still feels like a neighbourhood spot rather than an event.
Is it worth eating on Brighton Pier?
Mostly no. Skip the pier’s own food stalls, the quality doesn’t match the price. The one exception is the doughnuts, made fresh to order by a family-owned stall that’s been on the pier for 30-plus years; queue for those and eat everything else elsewhere. Check brightonpier.co.uk for current stall hours, and see our pier guide for the rest of what’s worth doing there.
Brunch, coffee and budget eats
North Laine is where Brighton actually drinks its coffee, and it has almost no chain coffee shops, a genuine point of difference from most English city centres. Café Coho on Kensington Gardens has a legendary weekend brunch queue for a reason. Trading Post Coffee Roasters roasts on-site and has a rooftop terrace. For budget meals, Pompoko on Church Street does Japanese noodles and donburi for under £10, cash only; Roti King on Ship Street covers Malaysian and Singaporean food; and Brighton Open Market, a 15-minute walk off London Road, packs 50-plus traders including Mexican, Greek and Indian stalls into one indoor hall, open daily except it closes earlier on Sundays.
Where do locals actually eat in Brighton?
Bardsley’s for fish and chips, not the pier stalls. Trading Post or Café Coho for brunch and coffee. Brighton Open Market for cheap, varied street food. These three come up again and again in local recommendations, and none of them are on the seafront where the tourist-priced cafes cluster.
If you’re building a full trip around Brighton’s food, book your stay somewhere walkable to North Laine and The Lanes, both areas put you within 10 minutes of everything on this list. Check rates on Booking.com for that area specifically, and see our where to stay guide for the full neighbourhood breakdown. If you’d rather have a local show you around the food scene, a Brighton food tour is a solid way to hit several of these in one afternoon.
One practical tip: reserve ahead for Terre à Terre and English’s on weekends, but don’t bother for Riddle & Finns, it’s walk-up only and the wait is part of the experience. For general visitor information and any seasonal opening changes, visitbrighton.com is the official source.