The Perfect 22: Brighton Finest Dining Spots

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Finest Dining

Brighton is a city on the south coast that means different things to different people. You can be anyone you want to be in this so-called London By Sea. It’s a place for Pride, sand skiing, thrift shopping, heavy partying, being weird, caring about the environment, and a traditional British beach vacation all at the same time.

The best restaurants in Brighton and Hove are exciting places where people of all tastes can find something they like. They have food for every price range and event. However, it can be hard to tell the difference between the good and the great places since there are so many of them.

There you have it: our IDEAL 22 list of the best restaurants in Brighton. We’ve done the hard work, walked the lanes and beaches, and gained and dropped multiple pounds in the process.

The Preston Street Bincho Yakitori

Great for getting some of the best yakitori this side of Okinawa…

Bincho Yakitori

 

A busy Brighton road that leads down to a pebble beach isn’t exactly where you’d think to find a dark and shady Japanese izakaya on a backstreet. Then again, this city always surprises you.

So, here we are, sitting at a bar, drinking warm sake and eating skewers over and over again. You can be sure that everything on the yakitori part of the menu has been kissed by coals, whether it’s Bincho’s tasty crispy chicken skins, the restaurant’s tasty cubes of pork belly, their chicken hearts, or just a half cob of sweetcorn.

The name of the restaurant comes from the binchō-tan coals that are used here and in izakayas all over Japan. These coals are famous for being able to burn for a long time, keep the temperature stable, and not give off any smoke or smells that people don’t want.

If you want to eat something that isn’t straight from the grill, though, you can always check the offers board for treats. The tempura-fried sea bream with pert seaweed mayo is one of my favourites.

When you’re done, the good news is that Gung Ho, one of Brighton’s best cocktail places, is right across the street from Bincho.

Church Road, Uni Thai

Great for getting the best Thai food in Brighton…

As you leave the middle of Brighton and head west along Western Road, you’ll reach Church Road, which feels like the beginning of Hove “proper.” Instead of going to a full-fledged restaurant, which are plentiful on this strip, go to a simple grocery store. Out back, locals have known for a long time that the best Thai food in the city is served.

You can walk down a narrow path lined with strange dried goods and, yay! Every Wednesday, new, rare items are sent in from the Kingdom. Take a moment to look at the new makrut lime leaves, holy basil, and fresh grachai. As the noise of the woks gets louder, know that the bowl you’re about to get will sing with the freshness of the ingredients. If you can find a table, that is. The back of this grocery store is very cosy.

For some reason, the sound of Thai talk and the distinct pok pok pok of the pestle and mortar may make you feel “authentic.” Or maybe it’s the great boat noodle soup (kway teow rua) with springy pork balls, the freshly made, spicy af pad grapao (you have to have a runny egg), or the fish cakes that have that all-important “factory bounce.” We’re sold either way, or maybe because of all of those things.

64° North, Meeting House Lane

Great for fancy dinners without all the extras…

Bincho Yakitori

 

This restaurant, 64 Degrees, is one of the most renowned in Brighton and is definitely one of the 22 best in the city. It strikes the perfect balance between fine dining and fun, between classy and fancy, which seems fitting for the city it’s in.

You may know cook Michael Bremner from the BBC show The Great British Menu, where he had a lot of success in 2016. He opened this restaurant. It would be too easy to say that this brought him more customers, because he was already packed to the rafters before and after his two prime time TV appearances.

The restaurant only has 20 seats and only serves the tasting menu (except on Sundays and Mondays, when a “greatest hits” menu of smaller plates is served). The food is both precise and playful, as shown by the savoury “ice cream” cones served as an amuse bouche, the beautiful beef tartar with smoked yolk emulsion from a recent set menu of sharing plates (a steal at £50), or the delicious desserts.

Finally, finish off with a 64 Degrees signature: a whisky bottle candy. Then, walk into The Lanes feeling very full and hydrated.

This is the Chilli Pickle on Jubilee Street.

Perfect for coming up with new ways to cook Indian food…

There’s no doubt that The Chilli Pickle is not your normal neighbourhood curry house. It sets the standard for how British people should make Indian street food.

The cooking here is exact and strong, and the use of sharp notes (from the pickle that gives the restaurant its name, among other things) gives the food a real sense of freshness and life. This is probably most clear in the delicious gol gapa from the starters and small plates area. The tamarind and coriander chutneys take it to a whole new level.

If you like meat, you should definitely get the Nepali Chicken Wings. The cumin and salt rub gives the dish body, the Szechuan pepper adds a long-lasting and interesting backnote, and the chilli sambal that goes with it is nuanced and complex.

The menu changes often, but if it’s on, the new beef keema is another must-order. The roasted bone marrow that comes with it (scoop, mix, and groan) makes it impossible to say no. Tandoori butter chicken is always a safe bet, but this version is pleasantly quick and fresh thanks to a lot of lemon juice.

The long lines show that people in Brighton love this place too. So do the food critics at Michelin, who have given The Chilli Pickle a Bib Gourmand for several years in a row.

Even better, The Chilli Pickle has been one of our IDEAL 22 places for the same amount of time.

Canada’s at The Windmill on Upper North Street

Great for the best-fried chicken in Brighton and a lot more…

Since the start of Alberta’s lockdown, Scottish chef Ali Munro has been quietly leading a change with his brand. He used to work at Wild Flor, which is another one of our IDEAL 22. Munro’s goal is to change the way fast food looks in Brighton, where he now lives. His piled-high, decadent sandos and lavish, world-spanning menu of deep-fried and ribald treats have earned him a cult following.

Yes, this food is meant to be eaten with beer. That’s why, when we heard that Alberta’s was opening in our favourite backstreet bar, The Windmill, after a successful run of pop-ups across the city, we rushed to get in (with our pints) before the first popcorn chicken had even left the pass.

During the week, those beautiful sandos are the star of that pass, with lots of toppings piled high on Alberta’s fluffy, rich Japanese milk subs. For us, the ham, egg and chips is the best. It has chunks of ham hock held together with chopped egg salad and a pile of straw fries for crunch. The sweet mustard ties everything together.

This is Alberta’s already famous roast on the weekends, and almost everyone orders the deep-fried whole chicken that tastes like it came from the Deep South. The beautiful bird comes golden from the frier and has Dijon mustard-spiked mayo spread across its breasts in a cross pattern. There was a thick, shiny gravy, grilled whole cobs of sweet corn and a strong-tasting cauliflower cheese on the side. Oh no. You can get two or three for £24 each, but you need to order this guy ahead of time by 5pm on the Thursday before the Sunday.

What’s the best part? The word “dirty” is never used to describe food at Alberta’s. We need to stop a trend because this is just delicious, rich food from a real master of his trade.

Upper North Street, Easy Tiger

Perfect for a blissful evening in a Desi pub…

Easy Tiger at the Hampton, a pub that’s only a minute’s walk from the Windmill, is another very famous backstreet bar with a chef residency that makes our list of the best restaurants in Brighton. Yes, people from Brighton are really getting spoilt here!

The name “Easy Tiger” comes from the British tradition of the “desi pub,” where curries and beers go well together. Chef Sabu Joseph is in charge of the diner. He has a lot of experience and a real love for authentic Indian food.

Sabu is originally from Kerala in southern India. He has had a successful career as a chef in both Brighton and London, working at The Chilli Pickle and The Curry Leaf Cafe, two of Brighton’s best Indian restaurants, as well as the five-star Jumeirah Carlton Tower Hotel in central London. Yes, that is some serious pedigree, and it shows in Easy Tiger’s tempting, laid-back menu of Indian street food classics. They go perfectly with one of the locally brewed IPA beers on tap at the Hampton, a real local bar that has been tastefully updated while keeping its original charm.

Do not miss the Kerala Fried Chicken. It is a boneless chicken thigh that is covered in garlic, ginger, spices, and rice flour and then hard-fried until it is golden brown. A bowl of these and a pint of Cloak and Dagger Hazy Pale? Is there anything better paired together? We haven’t found it at all.

Made by Hand, North Laines

Perfect for making authentic Neapolitan pies…

The first Fatto a Mano opened on London Road nine years ago. Since then, the team has opened two more pizzerias in Hove and the North Laines, as well as two more in London, in Covent Garden and King’s Cross. Every store (yes, we’ve been to all of them) seems to be packed every day of the week, so taking over the world seems like the only next step.

The pizzas at Fatto a Mano are pillowy because they are wood-fired in just 90 seconds at 450°C. If you poke that canotto, it will bounce back up at you. That answer promised a wonderfully easy-to-digest dough, and these pizzas do give it. The toppings are mostly refined and revered, with only a few of the freshest foods being treated with care. The margherita buffalo is the best example of this simple idea come to life. It’s a light, natural pizza that sings of simplicity.

We say “on the most part” because Fatto’s menu has a few more pizzas that people don’t agree on. When it came to Brighton, the lasagna pizza has caused a stir since it was added to the menu late last year. Some have said it is heresy. Some people have just stuffed it right into their faces. We definitely agree with the second opinion. The small amount of ragu used was just right, making the pizza not nearly as heavy as it sounds.

The name comes from the Italian word for “handmade,” and that’s how it feels inside. Everything is made from scratch with love, and it shows. Even if you don’t like pizza, Fatto has great starts and sides that will please even the pickiest eaters. The nduja arancini really hits the spot.

All three of the Brighton and Hove branches are great, but the North Laines branch is our IDEAL 22 because it’s close to the station and has a lot of friendly people. Of course, the ones in London Road and Hove are also great.

Upper Market Street has a small fish market.

Great for fancy food on Upper Market Street…

This small but classy 20-seat restaurant has been named Brighton’s best restaurant many times, even though it’s actually in Hove. Chef and owner Duncan Ray has made a wonderful tribute to all things seafood. Be aware that it’s only for dinner from Tuesday to Saturday, and you’ll have to book early to get a place you want. However, the work is well worth it.

That’s because they only use the freshest, best fish that comes from as close to home as possible and is cooked with the care it needs. If you want to taste some of Britain’s best fish, you’ll have to pay around £95, which is a fair price. The tasting lasts for several hours and follows a set menu. With three AA rosettes already to their name, a Michelin star can’t be far behind.

The restaurant specialises in fish, but keep an eye out for the “Little Meat Market” events, where chef Ray cooks a menu of, you got it, meat dishes with his usual grace and accuracy. Seats sell out quickly for the next one, which takes place over four nights from November 1st to 5th.

Church Road and Wild Flowers

Perfect for cooking French food with confidence in the middle of Hove…

The highly praised new restaurant Wild Flor is one of the best additions to Brighton and Hove’s growing food scene. One of the best things about Brighton is that you can settle down for the evening with their confident, classic French food and great wine list. You’ll always leave feeling very full and squiffy.

It’s nice to find a more serious restaurant in a city that is pretty much ruled by “casual” eating. The restaurant recently switched to a simple à la carte menu, with starters priced at around £13 and mains not going over £30.

The last traces of winter are still on the menu, but things are definitely moving in a springlike direction (springing forward? nah), with lots of new, bright foods that are a welcome change from the browns and beiges of winter.

We loved the rabbit meat wrapped in wild garlic that was served with a mix of spring vegetables that still had a lot of bite to them. The mustard and hogweed dressing tied everything together perfectly. Even better, golden sweetbreads that were both crisp on the outside and soft on the inside went perfectly with the first asparagus of the season and a pool of glossy chicken jus. For me, spring isn’t really here until the toilet starts to smell like sulphur.

For the fish-eaters at the table, the salt cod agnolotti with a sharp emulsion spiked with lemon and the bread pangrattato were also very good.

Wild Flor also has a ridiculously cheap spring set menu that costs just £22 for two meals or £25 for three. If you go to the restaurant, you should definitely try the trio because you can’t miss the pastry work. The area that cooks with a confidence and generosity more akin to a Parisian patisserie or a Lyonnese bouchon than a Hove thoroughfare. Deep-fried rice pudding package with rhubarb compote is a great example of this way of thinking and fits in with Wild Flor’s seasonal cooking. It tastes just as good as it sounds.

Western Road, Cin Cin

Great for getting the city’s best pasta…

In London, you can’t walk more than the length of a fettuccine without coming across a pasta bar. But in Brighton & Hove, it will be much harder to find a place that serves newly rolled strands of the good stuff.

In fact, we think Cin Cin is the best place to get pasta here, and they could easily compete with any of London’s best pasta restaurants. In 2021, Cin Cin chose to test this theory, and their Fitzrovia branch opened to national acclaim right away.

The restaurant’s original location in North Laines, Brighton, has closed, but the newer, bigger site on Western Road, just before you reach Church Road, is just as tasty.

A horseshoe-shaped counter and a few seats look out over Cin Cin’s open kitchen, where seasonal small plates, fresh pasta dishes, and a few grilled bits are lovingly made in full view of the customers. This is dinner and a show in the Hove style. If you start your meal with the restaurant’s popular arancino, which we had last time (brown crab), and then move on to a pasta dish from the specials board, you’ll be asking for more.

Luckily, Cin Cin’s treats change with the seasons and are always delicious. Whether you choose a holiday panettone bread and butter pudding with marmalade ice cream or a summery Amalfi lemon tart, you won’t be let down.

Bartholomews Plateau

Great for natural wine, good times, and small plates with style and care…

Plateau is another great bar with a chalkboard. It serves the best and most thoughtful low-intervention wines in the city. They also serve some pretty special sharing plates with their natty juice. The plates are made with seasonal vegetables from in and around Sussex, mostly French ones.

When you have a drink of wine, their bread, pâté, rillettes, cheeses, and pickles go really well. Plateau also does fish well, which is always nice when you’re close to the water. When we went there last, they served a dish of hake that had been grilled until the skin had holes in it. It was served with leeks and walnuts, and it was beautiful.

For a heartier meal with a playful spirit, wild venison pierogi with fermented chilli is technically perfect. The dumplings have the much-desired bounce, and the iron-rich taste of the venison shines through. You can’t go wrong with the rich beef tartare either, which is always on their seasonal menu for a good reason.

Overall, Plateau is a cool and stylish place to hang out. Since some tables were recently added that spill out onto the street, it looks even more like a classic Parisian wine bar.

Middle Street and Burnt Orange

Made so that you can enjoy the taste of the grill in every bite…

Razak Helala, a local chef who also runs the Coal Shed and the Salt Room (also on this list), has opened his third restaurant, Burnt Orange. It has been billed as “a new adult hangout for Brighton.”

Some of the best reviews Burnt Orange has gotten so far come from a national newspaper and, most recently, the Michelin Guide’s Bib Gourmand award. The restaurant has only been open for a little over a year.

The second one means “good value and good quality,” and these rather dull, automatic descriptions don’t do Burnt Orange justice. With a big wood-fired oven and grill in charge, the food is of great quality, and the menu has a Middle Eastern feel to it. Charred flatbreads, grilled prawns with Zhug herbs, chermoula monkfish cooked over a fire, smoked lamb shoulder cigars… There are words on this page that show the wood-fired grill has been used.

They just recently added a weekend brunch, making the place even more open to people in the city. And everyone in Brighton knows that brunch is the best way to win their heart. Also, they make a mean drink…

The Meeting House Lane and Embers

Great for a meal that has smoke added to it in a clever way…

A place in the Lanes that specialises in cooking over a wood fire and has a slightly Middle Eastern feel to it (Zhoug? Check). Check for labneh. Dukhah? Check.) and some really great drinks? Brighton’s food experts might have wondered if all of this was really necessary when Embers opened almost exactly a year ago, since Burnt Orange was right around the corner and just a paragraph ago.

But if you look deeper, you’ll find a very different offer—one that is pleasantly different from similar ones nearby. Everything here is cooked in a specially designed multi-rack grill that sits pretty in the middle of the dining room. It was the brainchild of two well-known chefs in Brighton, former Terre a Terre head chef Dave Marrow and former chef-patron of Isaac At Isaac Bartlett-Copeland. The glowing embers crackle and flare up as fat and glaze drip invitingly.

The soot-covered cook is always moving the racks on the grill, which is controlled by a pulley system in the style of Etxebarri. It makes a fiery statement. The huge pile of logs under the pass makes the point even stronger.

All of this would be a bit fake if the food didn’t taste fully seasoned by wood, smoke, and fire. But at Embers, the flames are expertly controlled, and the result is some truly stunning dishes. The best of these are big sharers, which are called “centrepiece dishes.” The smoked spatchcock chicken (or grilled brill or mushroom parfait, too) comes out splayed out and smoking, making the table look like a bed while people take pictures. Take off a leg that is well-buffed and shiny from the fire, drag it through the aching, glowing honey and mustard mayo, and act like a caveman.

East Street, Terre à Terre

The best veggie food in the city can be found here…

It seems rude and even weird to spend a line or two introducing the idea of Terre à Terre because it is such a well-known restaurant in this city. Terre à Terre has been a Brighton institution since the early 1990s, offering delicious food. It is thought to be the best place for vegetarians to eat in Brighton, if not the whole country, thanks to its varied menu and lively atmosphere.

The name of the restaurant means “down to earth,” but the only thing that makes the menu rooted is the fact that it is vegetarian. The dishes are inspired by food from all over the world and have a lot of weight and punch.

Giving Terre a Terre the old ‘you don’t even miss meat’ line is kind of insulting. No matter what your food needs are, you’ll eat very well here. The menu descriptions are pretty wordy—sometimes they’re even longer than a paragraph—but the tastes are amazingly clear and easy to understand.

We wrote more about Terre à Terre in our list of Brighton’s best vegan and veggie restaurants. Please check it out sometime.

Kings Road: The Salt Room

Perfect for getting a taste of the sea in a lively and stylish setting…

Room

 

The Salt Room’s website calls it “Brighton’s best seafood restaurant.” That’s a big claim, but it’s not too far off. This restaurant is part of a group of four, including The Coal Shed in Brighton, one with the same name in London, and the one we already talked about, Burnt Orange. All of these restaurants serve great fish and use sustainable ingredients. This time, we like that the food doesn’t try to be too worldly.

The room is surprisingly big, and the staff are young and enthusiastic. The restaurant is organised well, with lots of different rooms and places that let the noise travel through the restaurant without being too loud.

We’re here to talk about fish, right? The grill gets a lot of use, which makes it better. This is good news for the whole fish that will be charred and burned on it. Still, the fish tempura with a tartare sauce that has bits of seaweed in it might be the best thing on the menu. It tastes as salty and spicy as it sounds. A shared surfboard is full of grilled and steamed prawns, squid, scallops, and other seafood. The aioli that comes with it is pretty good, even though it’s a little runny.

It’s interesting that The Salt Room now has “bring your own” Mondays, where the corkage fee is only £5. We think this is a great reason to enjoy some delicious fish cooking!

You can no longer eat in at Nanninella on Preston Street.

This place is perfect for getting ridiculously good Neapolitan pizza and a warm welcome…

The city already has a lot of great places to eat, but the new kid on the block is making a lot of news. Nanninella is one of Brighton’s newest pizza places, but they’ve already made a great name for themselves by making classic pizzas that are blistered, burnished, and just the way they should be.

Along with the brightly coloured walls and view of the hot pizza oven, the inside feels like a friendly and fun place to spend time. Plus, the staff is lovely. We love the provola e pepe pizza the most. It has smoked mozzarella and freshly ground black pepper, and it’s our best pizza in all of Brighton. Any pie they make with their fresh burrata is great. We already love Nanninella more than any other pizza place in Brighton.

*Please be aware that Nanninella’s offer has changed a bit since the beginning of 2024. It’s no longer open for business, but the same people are now running a takeaway place ‘with a few chairs for quick eating inside’.

Do not worry, this place still sells pizzas that are made by hand with love by the great owner Sergio. You can pick them up or have them delivered through Uber Eats three nights a week, on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 6pm to 9:30pm. We think the fact that they are only available on those nights makes them even more desired. I also really like the meals that the new deli serves.

Seven places to eat in one? With lots of places to sit outside right next to the beach? What? You say there’s live music?

I’m sorry, what did you say? The music is too loud for us to hear you.

Anyhow, please include us!

Because of the global pandemic, Brighton’s first food hall opened in stages. To fill the void until the real thing opened in April 2021, Shelter Hall Raw opened last summer.

Since it turned three years old not long ago, the Shelter Hall has really hit its stride, with many restaurants and chefs trying out their ideas here, some for a short time and some for good. There are some well-known Brighton players, some unknowns from further away, and some ambitious newcomers from the area right now. We think this is the perfect mix for the place.

Local pizza shops that are similar to Neopolitan ones For a few years now, VIP have been doing their thing under the Kings Arches. They are still here. It’s easy to see why—their beautifully decorated pizzas taste even better when they’re hot from the wood-fired oven, and the excellent fior di latte that VIP gets from Italy shows off its best side. These pizzas are great for sharing because they are cut in a square shape. This is a good thing since the place looks like it’s ready for a party.

Little Bao Boy from Leeds was also just added to the lineup. Their sweet sriracha chicken bao has become our new “dangerous addiction.” You can wash it down with a classic Mexican torta from Conchita’s Mexican Kitchen, which is hard to find in Brighton. Because it’s that kind of place, you can dig back into the souvlaki, burgers, and sweets like a kid in a very grown-up candy store.

There is also a bar that only serves local craft beers, and on the first floor, there is a new bar called Skylark that only serves cocktails. The atmosphere here, as in the rest of the place, is always and definitely loud, and the service is quick and good. What’s not to love?

If you want to get the best seats (first-floor balcony, if you’re asking), you should book ahead of time on the weekends. During the week, you can just show up and have a good time.

Little Pois, The Lanes

Perfect for a French food vacation in Brighton…

Petit Pois is proud to serve traditional French food and is widely considered to be one of the best places in Brighton overall.

So, get ready to be amazed by snails swimming in a strong garlic and parsley butter. Next, try the famous fisherman’s stew bouillabaisse, which here is full of fish, shellfish, and even sea lettuce from the waters around Sussex.

Petit Pois is only a stone’s throw from Brighton Beach, so seafood seems like the right thing to order. However, our favourite dish here is the baked Crottin du Perigord from the “Légumes” part of the menu. This small wheel of goat’s cheese is cooked until it melts, and it’s served with a salad of beets and candied walnuts, which are very sweet and go well with the strong cheese. The salad is well-thought-out and sure of itself, just like the rest of the place.

It’s easy to see why Petit Pois is one of Brighton’s most popular French area restaurants. They serve a great Sunday lunch menu and have a long wine list.

Western Road and Palmito

Perfect for spicy food from all over the world…

It would be too mild to say that the beginning of Palmito didn’t feel brave. Even though it was a tough time for businesses in the middle of 2022, the restaurant chose to open in a spot that real estate agents would only describe as “cosy” on a boring part of Brighton and Hove’s Western Road. They also chose to serve a menu that hasn’t been seen much in this part of town before. It was a mix of Indian and Ecuadorian coastal foods.

I think it would be too simple to say that the risk paid off. From Tuesday at 5 p.m. until Saturday at 11 p.m., when the last order is taken, that tiny dining room is full to the brim.

Palmito has been a huge success, which shouldn’t be a surprise since both of the chefs-owners have worked at well-known Brighton restaurants like Easy Tiger and Chilli Pickle (which is also on this list). The atmosphere here is similarly breezy, and the shellfish dishes are especially good.

Even though Palmito is still fairly new, it is already making a big splash on the Brighton shore. It has already gotten a great review in The Times and is listed in both the Good Food and Michelin books.

Everything, Marlborough Place

A great place to get perfectly cooked Italian food from the most popular restaurant chain in Brighton…

It looked like Tutto, a modern Italian restaurant in Brighton, would be a big hit from the start. It’s part of the Black Rock restaurant group, which also owns Burnt Orange and the Salt Room on this list.

But things didn’t quite go as planned. There were delays in the building process and problems with the general vision of the restaurant, so the opening wasn’t exactly smooth.

Luckily for the many pasta lovers in Brighton and Hove, things have improved a great deal since those early nerves. Tutto now cooks a new menu with confidence and accuracy, which was recently marked by an early listing in the upcoming Michelin Guide.

The restaurant is right next to the water, so it’s no surprise that they are great at cooking fish. The wood-fired gamberi rossi with paprika is perfect for late summer, as are the grilled sardines with fried bread and salsa verde.

As with the main course, the pasta courses are all about the same theme. The agnolotti is served in a rusty soup and filled with finely diced lobster, crab, and scallop.

Serve Tutto’s chocolate and hazelnut torte with maraschino cherries and vanilla ice cream to end your meal. This dessert has become a signature dish and we think it’s the best way to end any meal.

Casa Azul Taquitos, Brighton Open Market

Perfect for the best tacos in Brighton…

Brighton Open Market

 

The Open Market in Brighton, which is tucked away off London Road, is a great place to feel like you’re in a city that doesn’t belong to any big stores.

Visit Taquitos Casa Azul, a family-run restaurant run by local hero Gabriel Gutierrez, while you’re here and enjoy some of the best tacos in town. The tortillas are freshly pressed and the shredded pork cochinita or chicken tinga is delicately spiced and wonderfully spicy. Take a seat at their one table outside the shopfront and start talking.

Also, don’t forget to try Gutierrez’s Salsa Chipotle, which is sold on the shelves to the left of the cash register, before you pay your bill. Hops and dried apricots make it smell great, and you’ll be hooked. We now put it on everything; it’s really cool stuff.

Shop for Bonsai Plants on Baker Street

Bonsai Plant Kitchen is the last of Brighton’s IDEAL 22 restaurants. It was opened by Dom Sheriff and Amy Bennett, who met while working at Food for Friends, a Brighton veggie institution. With Dom’s experience as a head chef and Amy’s as a head pastry chef, the two decided to combine their love of cooking and vegan food to open Bonsai Plant Kitchen, a creative plant-based restaurant with a menu that is mostly South East Asian and always very fun to eat.

After that, it got great reviews and awards, like a recent 5-star review in the Guardian and an award for having the best vegan food in the city at the BRAVOs, which are Brighton’s biggest restaurant awards.

One of the best things about this place is that they cook over coals, and some of the foods are even cooked on a Binchotan grill. As a result, there’s a smooth smokiness to everything, from the sweet potato skewers drenched in miso butter, lime juice, and slivers of parmesan to the perfectly browned napa cabbage that comes from the grill. In the wrong hands, all of this would be too much, but here, the tastes of the campfire are just right. The restaurant has a great collection of pickles that make things go more smoothly and make people feel better.

The cocktails are also great, and all of the syrups and infusions are made in-house, making them a real celebration of products at their best. We love it.