Keeping up with the Brighton restaurant scene is one of my favourite hobbies, which means I’ve always a great recommendation to hand when I’m asked for tips.
I’ve already written about the city’s most romantic, photogenic and cheapest restaurants, as well as my favourite places to eat in Brighton for every occasion. But this list of secret restaurants in Brighton is a little bit different – a round-up of the city’s best with unique settings and stories, and others that are simply fun to find. Incredible food goes without saying.
From Spanish tapas in a former home design shop to a supper club with live performances – these restaurants are perfect for those who enjoy finding hidden Brighton.
This post was originally written in 2018 and is updated regularly to keep it fresh as we discover more secret Brighton foodie hotspots, well-established and new.
1 Pearly Cow, a funky underground seafront restaurant
This stylish and buzzy new addition to Brighton’s restaurant scene lies underneath the city’s latest hotel, Guesthouse Brighton, inside a trio of beautifully revamped Regency seafront townhouses opposite the West Pier.
Its entrance can be found at the bottom of a set of pink-checkerboard steps to the right of the hotel entrance. The darkened door offers no clue of the inviting space that awaits behind it; a welcome sight when I visited on a windswept and stormy late November evening.
The decor is a fun riot of colour, pattern and texture with low-slung banquet seats scattered with cushions lending a bohemian feel. It’s a fun Brighton restaurant, the kind of place you want to get settled into for the night and great for all occasions: girly get-togethers, date nights, festive work drinks, or birthday celebrations, you name. it.
Food-wise, it’s all about steak and seafood with a few veggie options in the mix like beetroot carpaccio (pictured). Order a few small plates to share, or go traditional with a starter and main course.
I recommend settling in with a lobster taco, or two, and a glass of local Sussex Ridgeview fizz to enjoy while you wait for your perfectly cooked ribeye to emerge from the open kitchen.
Find Pearly Cow at 123 Kings Road, Brighton BN1 2FY
2 Unithai, tasty no-frills Thai food in a hove supermarket
It might look like an ordinary Thai supermarket, but the Unithai Oriental Market along Western Road near Brunswick Town hides a secret no-frills Thai restaurant.
Head through the supermarket and you’ll find it out the back. It feels like you’ve walked into someone’s home in Thailand.
The service is fast and no-nonsense and the food flavourful (my favourites are the pad Thai, chicken with ginger and mushrooms, massaman curry and morning glory stir-fried in garlic, er basically everything!).
It’s also BYO so come prepared with your favourite beer, wine or maybe even a Brighton Gin!
Find Unithai at 10 Church Road, Hove BN3 2FL
3 The gallery, ‘Fine dining’ in a North Laine college restaurant
This could well be Brighton’s best-kept secret restaurant so few people know about it. Hidden inside the Greater Brighton Metropolitan College on the fringes of the eclectic North Laine area is the The Gallery restaurant. It serves high-quality modern European bistro dishes for lunch and creative fine dining-level dishes for dinner.
The unique part is that everything is cooked and served by students training at the college to be chefs and learning the front-of-house ropes. At just £10 for lunch and £22 for dinner, it’s a winner.
Find The Gallery inside Greater Brighton Metropolitan College, Whitecross Street, Brighton BN1 4FA
4 Cellar bar and dining room, a secret seafront venue underneath Brighton’s oldest Hotel
Beneath Brighton’s oldest hotel, The Old Ship, is the setting for a clandestine cocktail party, wine-tasting session or candlelit dinner.
Known as the Cellar Bar and Dining Room, this atmospheric subterranean venue is located in what is thought to have once been a smugglers’ tunnel.
It’s mostly used for private events but occasionally opens to the public as the Cellar Cocktail Bar, details of which are usually posted on its Facebook page.
Find the Cellar Bar and Dining Room underneath the Old Ship Hotel at 32-38 Kings Road, Brighton BN1 1NR
5 La Tapa Loca, fine Spanish dining in A FORMER HOVE INTERIOR DESIGN SHOP
People would flock to Brighton just to visit the iGiGi General Store, a home design shop with French farmhouse vibes filled with rustic curios. It closed during the pandemic, but its atmosphere lives on at this excellent Spanish restaurant, La Tapa Loca.
A trip here feels like you’re dining in a perfectly curated relaxed home. Many of the shop’s original old features have been preserved, too, like the stripped front door and beautiful winding stairs. But let’s not forget the beautiful food which complements the setting.
The simple small-plates menu is designed around the seasons, every dish a winner. From Spanish classics like Padron peppers and fancier options local poached cod in pil pil sauce.
I come for the La Margarita Loca: a zingy mix of tequila, apricot, Padron pepper and lime and stay for the confit chicken with leek and artichoke and patatas bravas.
Find La Tapa Loca at 31a Western Road, Hove BN3 1AF
6 Bom Banes, a supper club with a Belgian twist on a kemptown sidestreet
Unless you know it’s there, Bom Banes is easy to miss – which is part of its appeal – tucked along a side street off colourful St James’s Street in Kemptown.
More supper club than restaurant, it serves up homely food with English and Belgian influences like meatballs cooked in cherry beer and sour cherries, amid a warm, curio-filled setting that feels like being in your eclectic friend or relative’s home.
What sets it apart, is the owner, Jane, who doesn’t just cook, but performs songs and poems throughout the evening, and regularly hosts nights of film, music and puppetry.
Look out for the mannequin head that usually presides over the window – taken down for refurbishment when I snapped this photo – which tells you everything you need to know about the spirit of the place.
Find Bom Banes at 24 George Street, Brighton BN2 1RH
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1 Comment
Such a delightful read—Brighton’s hidden culinary scene sounds absolutely enchanting! How do you recommend first-time visitors balance exploring these secret spots with trying the city’s more well-known eateries? Were there any standout dishes or unexpected gems that surprised you during your research? Also, do these restaurants tend to stay under the radar by design, or is there a best season to visit before they gain more attention?