Eating in Brighton: the back story

About Eating in Brighton: the back story

By the ULTIMATE Brighton Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

Brighton has always eaten from the sea, and today the city is also one of Britain’s most inventive places to eat. In the 2026 MICHELIN Guide, Maré by Rafael Cagali on Church Road, Hove, holds One MICHELIN Star, and Cin Cin, The Flint House, Palmito and Burnt Orange hold Bib Gourmands. Church Road in Hove has become a street of chef-led restaurants, from etch. to Wild Flor and Stem. Brighton also has a long vegetarian and plant-based tradition: Food for Friends, Terre à Terre and Purezza are among the city’s best-known names.

Fish and the sea

Seafood is the city’s oldest tradition: English’s, on East Street, is the classic oyster house, and the Salt Room and Riddle & Finns face the sea on the King’s Road.

The 2026 MICHELIN Guide

In the MICHELIN Guide Great Britain & Ireland 2026, Maré by Rafael Cagali (60 Church Road, Hove) holds One MICHELIN Star. Cin Cin, The Flint House, Palmito and Burnt Orange hold Bib Gourmands, which MICHELIN gives for good food at moderate prices. Many more are listed in the guide, including Embers, Dilsk, Furna, etch., The Set, Stem, Wild Flor, Amari, Tutto, The Little Fish Market and The Ginger Pig.

Book ahead for weekends, especially in summer and during the Brighton Festival in May.

Church Road, Hove

Hove’s main street has some of the best cooking in Sussex within a few hundred metres: Maré, etch., Wild Flor and Stem.

Vegetarian Brighton

Food for Friends has served vegetarian food in the Lanes since 1981, in its own words; Terre à Terre on East Street is a long-established vegetarian restaurant, and Purezza in Kemptown serves plant-based pizza.

Our advice: eat fish by the sea at lunchtime, and book a Hove tasting menu for the evening.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Eating in Brighton: the back story before you go.