After a hard day’s shopping and sightseeing or before a romantic date-night dinner, one of the pleasures of living in – or taking a trip to – Brighton is enjoying a cocktail, preferably in a darkened, candlelit corner.
Forget noisy bars where you have to shout to be heard. To get your night off to a relaxing, tipsy start, here are 11 of the best cocktail bars in Brighton I highly recommend, with cosy atmosphere that are made for settling into, from tiny neighbourhood spots to clandestine drinking dens.
Best for: grown-up cocktails and stylish surroundings
Where: Kemptown, a stone’s throw from the pier and centre of town
Hidden along a seafront side street, this stylish reservation-only cocktail bar with a sultry decor is one of Brighton’s original cocktail bars that keeps going strong.
To me, it’s a breath of fresh air – dare I say it – in an area of less good-looking drinking establishments. Inside, there is no shortage of nooks and there’s even a private drinking parlour where you could easily lose all the hours.
Signature cocktails are twists on classics with fun names like Rum Plum Negroni: plum rum, tonka bean, sweet vermouth, winter spice and cocoa. When I visited last, the Fear and Loathing laced with mezcal, roasted pineapple, and guajillo chilli hit the spot.
Best for: low-lit date nights and Sri Lankan small plates
Where: Portland Road, Hove
This intimate neighbourhood cocktail bar has the best bar name in Hove. It’s also nicely located away from the bustle of central Brighton, if you’re down for a quiet night. With low lighting, simple decor, and an unpretentious vibe, it’s perfect for a low-key date night.
The cocktail menu is consise, featuring classics with twists like the Oolong Whiskey Sour made with whiskey, oolong tea and lemon. I highly recommend The Naked & Famous combining mezcal, yellow Chartreuse, Aperol and lime.
If you feel settled, order a Sri Lankan small plate from Chef Kanthi Thamma’s Spice Circuit Kitchen. Everything is made using family recipes.
Attention bookworms! If you detest loud bars and love reading, this place is your friend. The clue is in the name. The Archives is Brighton’s only cafe-bar aimed at readers, thinkers – and anyone after a quiet drink.
Half the fun here is enjoying a tipple while browsing the shelves of second-hand books you’re free to swap. There are power sockets on every table if you’re in the mood to do some work, too. It’s also great in that all the cocktails come in classic, low-alcohol or alcohol-free versions, too – surprisingly rare!
It’s designed as a neurodivergent-friendly, low-sensory space, too. This means lighting is low and music soothing. And other than Curio below, it’s one of the few bars that’s as good for a solo evening as a first date or catch up, for those seeking calm.
Find The Archives at 103 North Road, Brighton BN1 1YW
Best for: solo spicy margs and a low-key neighbourhood vibe
Where: London Road
I write about and visit Curio a lot. It’s one of my favourite places in Brighton for so many reasons, and their margaritas are one of them. It’s a small, all-day Euro-style cafe-bar with decor to match and tables that spill out onto the pavement.
It’s more casual neighbourhood local than high-energy occasion spot. People are welcome in for a quick cocktail or to linger longer over a couple of small plates, too. You can drop in and out as the mood takes you. It’s also one of the few on this list where I’m completely comfortable flying solo for the evening.
The cocktail list is short and sweet – with just four on the menu including an epic spicy marg served with a slice of dried lime. Perfect on a summer’s evening with a plate of scorched padron peppers. As well as cocktails, they do 30 wines on tap making it another reason to visit.
Best for: a late-afternoon cocktail with Paris vibes
Where: The Lanes
Plateau is a buzzy and sleek natural wine and cocktail bar opposite the Town Hall serving seasonal French small plates. It’s good for all occasions and moods with ringside seats at the bar or upstairs in the peaceful rustic dining room for cosy date nights.
Personally, I like to linger at a table on the pavement outside; my go-to spot for a late-summer afternon cocktail before dinner to watch the tourists float past.
The cocktail list is short and thoughtful, big on classics with a focus on quality ingredients rather than endless novelty. Martini fans wills love their take made with ramsbury gin, fino sherry, cocchi americano, lemon oils.
Best for: tropical cocktails and a secret tequila den
Where: Central Brighton, close to the seafront
Despite living in Brighton for years, I’m embarrassed to say I only recently found out about Bar Medusa. It’s one of the city’s oldest bars, open for more than 30 years and counting on Preston Street.
It’s become my favourite place for a drink before dinner at Bincho Yakitori on the same street. Fairy lights hang everywhere inside the whimsical plant-filled interior. It specialises in cocktails with a tropical twist and exotic rums and they also serve wine.
Grab a seat on the small front patio to watch the world go by. Or head downstairs to discover a little basement speakeasy tequila bar.
Find Bar Medusa at 20 Preston Street, Brighton BN1 2HN
7 Alphabet
Best for: classic cocktails and vinyl
Where: Seven Dials
This is my favourite Brighton cocktail bar for a Dirty Martini because they come with a giant Perello olive. Yum. I also love the setting in a reimagined Grade II listed former girls’ school, turned chapel and then nightclub.
It calls itself an ‘audio-led venue and hi-fi pub’ – but I’d say don’t let the hipster description put you off. Yes, there’s a serious sound system discreetly built into the decor, but to me, it’s less pub, and more bar
It has an old-money, cigar-lounge feel: low ceilings, low lighting, rich mahogany everywhere, upholstered booths. It’s easy to forget you’re in Brighton and to make a whole night of it here. Finish your drink and head upstairs to the second floor mall, where you’ll find an exclusive live music venue.
Best for:Hidden-away cocktails without the hefty price tag
Where: The Lanes
This Brighton cocktail bar is set in a former fisherman’s cottage. It’s been open since I moved here in the Noughties, in the same spot at the end of a narrow, yellow-painted alley. It’s a proper little hideaway – the kind of place you’d walk straight past if you didn’t know it was there.
It has two cosy floors and a cute little courtyard garden away from the shopping crowds. Inh contrast, the cocktail menu is enormous. This makes choosing tricky for indecisive folk like me. If in doubt, I’ll go for either a Dirty Martini, a Margarita or a Lemon Tree, a Chambord-infused signature depending on the weather.
They serve simple bar snacks like pizza and toasties, too. It’s worth noting its generous daily happy hour which makes it an easy, affordable choice. And if you’re with a group, its sister venue, Twisted Lime, is up the same street for later nights.
Find Twisted Lemon at 41 Middle Street, Brighton BN1 1AL
I’m not a whisky fan, per se, but I love this cool Brighton spot specialising in the spirit for its dive bar vibes. I also love the friendly staff, its hidden underground drinking den and the fact you don’t have to be a whisky connoisseur to enjoy a drink here.
It’s a tiny space packed with over 400 varieties. Beautifully labelled bottles, from rare Japanese varieties to dusty American rye, fill shelves lining graffiti-covered walls.
There are lots of ways to enjoy it: as a wee 25ml dram, as a boilermaker, a shot of whiskey in beer or in a cocktail, like the Cherry Shakewell: ‘take a whiskey sour, throw some big cherry and vanilla flavours in there and you’re winning!’
Best for: pre-theatre cocktails and people watching
Where: on the fringes of the North Laine near the Royal Pavilion
Find the doorway next to Spanish restaurant, Tinto Taperia, opposite the Pavilion Gardens. Head up the stairs and you’ll emerge into this small, bright cocktail bar with an upbeat atmosphere.
The decor is a little dated, but the cocktails are delicious. Choose from classics, signatures and its hall-of-fame list. If it’s summer, I’ll go for the fun-sounding Conversation Starter: an earthy mix of Vida Puebla mezcal, benedictine red bean orgeat, pineapple juice, lime juice, coconut milk and matcha foam.
Grab a seat up on the balcony for a healthy dose of people-watching and a distant view of the Royal Pavilion peeking through the trees.
Where: In the basement of a historic seafront hotel
This place is mostly used as the setting for private events and occasionally open to the public for cocktail nights is this intriguing and stylish bar and dining room set within a series of old smugglers’ tunnels underneath Brighton’s oldest hotel steeped in history.
1 Comment
Oooohhhhh I want to go back to Brighton now! Think my favourite would be the Black Dove! Hope you are happy and well Ellie, Vikki Xx