Seven Dials – or ‘The Dials’, as locals call it – is Brighton’s prettiest central residential neighbourhood. Perched on a hill overlooking the city, this is where you’ll find the Montpelier and Clifton Hill Conservation Area which hides some of Brighton’s most elegant architecture.
It’s also one of my favourite places to spend a few hours: grabbing a coffee, wandering the leafy streets aimlessly and – window shopping for houses I can’t afford!
It’s sophisticated but laid-back at the same time, and rooted in the local community with lots of small, independent cafes, restaurants, bars, pubs and shops.
It surprises with a cultural side, too, including several galleries, a quirky museum in a shop window and an open-air theatre.
Seven Dials, Brighton: A Neighbourhood Guide
Of all the Brighton neighbourhoods, its walkable location is one of its biggest draws: five minutes to Brighton station for day trips, 10 minutes to the bohemian North Laine and seafront for strolls to eclectic Kemptown in the east and chic Central Hove to the west.
If you’re planning a trip to Brighton soon, I hope my guide to Seven Dials featuring insider tips on where to eat, drink and things to do comes in handy.
To help you get your bearings, I’ve also included a handy map at the end of the post. Let’s explore!
This post was originally written in February 2023 but has since been updated to keep it fresh.
Things to do in Seven Dials, Brighton
Start with a self-guided Hidden Seven Dials walk
If you’ve never been here before, a good way place to start is to follow my self-guided hidden walk around Seven Dials. It’s part of the popular Hidden Brighton Walks series I put together during the pandemic people went wild for on Instagram.
The walk takes you through the Montpelier and Clifton Hill Conservation Area, one of the first places I ever wrote about on this website. At the time, I nicknamed the area ‘the Notting Hill of Brighton‘ because of its elegant architecture and colourful front doors.
Despite how beautiful this city-centre neighbourhood is, I’m always surprised that it remains off most people’s radars as a place for a wander and to hang out. You can do this walk either way around, but I tend to start on Dyke Road then zigzag my way south.
Follow my self-guided hidden walk around Seven Dials, here and check out the whole series here.
find Brighton’s smallest art gallery
The diminutive Dog and Bone Gallery is set inside two once-abandoned, now beautifully restored and preserved tomato-red London phone boxes.
You’ll find them tucked away on the edge of leafy Powis Square in the Clifton Conservation Area, surrounded by white-washed townhouses. The exhibitions are curated by local artist, Amber Elise, and change regularly.
The gallery is also available for hire if you’ve something to shout about.
Read my full story on the gallery here.
Discover Anna’s Museum in a shopwindow
Anna’s Museum is a mini natural history collection in an old Victorian shop window. It’s one of my favourite secret Brighton discoveries that I always recommend visitors seek out.
The display changes regularly – think taxidermy seagulls, bones, eggs, and even includes several letters from fans.
It’s also steps away from the Nowhere Man cafe, with its bright-yellow shopfront you can’t miss and 70s-style decor, known for its pancakes heaped with toppings.
Read the full story about Anna’s Museum here and find it at 44 Upper North Street, Brighton BN1 3FL
Brave the Booth Museum
Stepping into the off-beat Booth Museum of Natural History on the leafy fringes of Seven Dials is like walking into a giant musty Victorian attic of a compulsive collector.
Lining each wall are 300 dioramas of every British bird – from seagulls and owls to hawks and starlings – each one stuffed and on display in its natural habitat. Also on display are insects, fossils, features, butterflies and bones.
Find the Booth Museum of Natural History at 194 Dyke Road, Brighton BN1 5AA
Catch a show at the Brighton Open Air Museum
While everyone queues up to watch a play or concert at one of the city’s main venues in the city centre, those in the know head out to the fringes of Seven Dials, to a disused bowling green in Dyke Road Park, one of Brighton’s prettiest green spaces.
It’s now the setting for a quirky cultural venue, the Brighton Open Air Theatre. Known as BOAT, this cute amphitheatre hosts shows every night in summer. It’s unusual in that it’s the only outdoor theatre venue in the city – and unique in that it was funded by private donations.
Find the Brighton Open Air Museum at Dyke Road Park, Dyke Road, Hove BN3 6EH
Other things to do in Seven Dials include: exploring nearby Dyke Road Park and St Anne’s Well Gardens.
Where to eat in Seven Dials
Brusco
On the same leafy street as Anna’s Museum is Brusco, a cosy neighbourhood restaurant that celebrates Italian aperitivo culture.
I stopped in my tracks when I first saw its pink façade and dining room with polished plaster walls. I knew it would be a good choice for a date night, or a cocktail before dinner.
Drinkswise, it’s all about Lambrusco, vermouth, rare Campari and negronis. Basically, my favourites served alongside beautifully made light antipasti dishes like bresaola, burrata, polenta fritta, butter beans, and cantaloupe melon.
Find Brusco Bar at 16 Montpelier Place, Brighton BN1 3BF
The Canopy
For an elevated brunch experience away from the city centre hustle and bustle, make tracks for The Canopy. This spacious smart spot on Dyke Road with exposed brick walls, pink velvet chairs and a shady back garden is open for coffee, brunch, wine and cakes.
I’d recommend the hearty homemade BLT or the ‘Canopy Hash’: crispy homemade hash browns with poached eggs topped with things like smoked salmon and sauteed spinach or smoky romesco and crispy kale.
I’ll admit that whenever I visit, no matter what I order, I’ll add on a portion of Korean chicken bites: buttermilk fried chicken, tossed in house Korean sauce and served with sesame mayo.
Find The Canopy at 87 – 93 Dyke Road, Brighton BN1 3JE
Red Snapper
The Red Snapper is a small, buzzy BYOB Thai place on the main road through Seven Dials with a colourful dining room. When I say buzzy, I mean it gets noisy. This works if you’re with friends, not so much on a date or with family.
That said, the food is cheap and consistently good, especially the Thai green curry. Thai Pad Thai a few doors away is a much quieter option.
Find The Red Snapper at 90 Dyke Road, Brighton BN1 3JD
Murasaki
This tiny local-favourite Japanese restaurant opposite The Red Snapper has a minimalist, soothing décor – natural wood floors, clean white walls – a handful of tables and always feels relaxed.
They serve Japanese classics for lunch and dinner like katsu, tempura, sushi, nigiri, and bigger portions of noodle and rice dishes, everything designed for sharing.
You can’t go wrong with the aubergine miso yaki: chunks of aubergine with crispy tofu in a tangy miso sauce to start, prawn tempura and mixed sashimi.
Find Murasaki at 115 Dyke Road, Brighton BN3 1TJ
Latina Deli
For a quick bite with Portuguese flavour, Latina Deli is the place. A tempting selection of savoury pastries like rissoles and croquettes filled with tuna and salted cod are displayed in a big glass cabinet at the front of the shop. They also do salads and sandwiches – the Piri Piri chicken baguette is a must.
Family-run Ricci’s Deli opposite the Post Office is another option which stocks lots of local products like Real Patisserie Chewy Brown Bread that I go on about a lot and sandwiches to take away.
Find Latina Deli at 104B Dyke Road, Brighton BN1 3JD
Shakespeare’s Head
Called the Shakies for short, this small, laid-back pub is a nice place for a drink whatever the weather.
Foodwise, it specialises in classic English favourite: sausage and mash. There are 11 sausage varieties, seven flavours of mash and six gravies to choose from.
“That’s 560 meal combinations,” according to its website.
Find The Shakespeare’s Head at 1 Chatham Place, Brighton BN1 3TP
Where to drink in Seven Dials
Puck Coffee
Brighton is full of coffee shops, and like fish and chips, where to get the best is hotly and regularly debated among Brightonians. Puck is one of my absolute favourites.
The coffee is consistently good, and the staff are friendly. It’s also unique in that it hides a tiny record shop upstairs and serves bratwurst.
I love its setting right by the Dials: in the morning, it’s fun to sit on the front terrace and watch the neighbourhood coming to life. There are some tables inside, too, hidden to the right of the counter.
Find Puck Coffee at 19 Chatham Place, Brighton BN1 3TN
Stoney Point
At this cool coffee shop on the same strip as Brusco, the espresso changes according to the crop, sesason and flavour profiles.
I enjoy coffee but also like stopping here for a hot chocolate on my way to the beach. I also love that, according to the owner, it’s supposedly named after an old folk tune originating from America’s Appalachian Mountains.
Find Stoney Point at 15 Montpelier Place, Brighton BN1 3BF
The Crescent
A laid-back community pub in a beautiful Regency building on the corner of Clifton Road and Clifton Hill away from main roads.
It’s also one of the stops on my self-guided hidden walk around the area and makes a great discovery no matter what time of day or year you happy to visit.
There’s a roaring fire inside for winter, and a suntrap paved terrace for sipping Pimm’s on sunny summer days. On the menu: pub staples, like burgers and fish and chips, as well as plenty of veggie options.
Find The Crescent at 3 Clifton Hill, Brighton BN1 3HL
Where to shop in Seven Dials
Hi Cacti
Hi Cacti, is easily one of my favourite shops in Brighton for its unique spirit and colourful aesthetic. It’s run by the lovely Sabine Palermo from Austin, Texas – which explains the Southwestern vibe.
Until its recent refresh, Hi Cacti stood out on Dyke Road with its bright-yellow facade as Brighton’s only shop specialising in cacti and easy-care houseplants.
Nowadays, it’s more of a coffee shop with an orange facade (picture coming soon!) – you can still buy cacti and the upbeat vibe remains.
Find Hi Cacti at 83 Dyke Road, Brighton BN1 3JE
The Feminist Bookshop
This is the newest and most radical Brighton bookshop and it’s located in the founder, Ruth’s, front room.
She originally started it as a feminist book club, as a way to make new friends and share a love of feminist literature, held in members’ living rooms around Brighton and Hove.
The community snowballed which gave her the confidence to open her shop in 2019. As the name suggests, every book it stocks is either written by a female author or takes a feminist stance.
Inside, the décor is simple – white walls with colourful furniture – and there’s a café for coffee and cake.
Find The Feminist Bookshop at 48 Upper North Street, Brighton BN1 3FH
Kate Langdale Florist
There are plenty of florists in Brighton but none more special than Kate Langdale. She’s been crafting beautiful bunches of flowers for all occasions for 35 years out of her pastel-pink Wes Anderson-movie-worthy studio, which she opens as a shop occasionally.
It’s here she makes bespoke designs for weddings and events, and hosts appointments and flower workshops. She’s friendly and lovely to work with and always nails it with the vaguest of briefs and the tightest of budgets.
Find Kate Langdale Florist at 84c Dyke Road, Brighton BN1 3JD. Open by appointment only (email katelangdale@hotmail.com)
Treasure and Trash
Next door to Kate Langdale’s studio is this tiny single-storey antique shop with an enticing faded maroon shopfront and gold-painted sign.
If it’s not raining or closed, an enticing jumble of vintage furniture haphazardly spills out from inside onto the pavement.
When you step inside and realise how tiny it is, it’s hard to imagine how everything fits in, from sideboards to chairs, to lamps and picture frames. The mind boggles.
Find Treasure and Trash hidden at 27 Bath Street, Brighton BN1 3JD
Seven Cellars
There are several things to love about this local wine shop: the pleasing sage green old shopfront (I have a thing for old shopfronts), remnants of its former life as an old butcher’s shop, the old tiles and hatch from which are visible behind the counter (see above).
I also love that it feels like you’re in Aladdin’s cave of wine. Floor-to-ceiling shelves on either side wall and crates lining the middle shop floor creak and bulge with the stuff. It makes browsing even more fun. Staff say hello and ask if you need help but leave alone. They also host the occasional tasting night.
Find Seven Cellars at 104 Dyke Road, Brighton BN1 3JD
Other shops in Seven Dials worth stopping by are Salvage and Sawdust vintage clothing and Tinkers hardware.
Where to stay in Seven Dials
Seven Dials isn’t really a hotel neighbourhood, but that’s part of its charm. Most visitors tend to stay in Brighton hotels closer to the seafront or station and wander up here for brunch, shopping and to see the architecture.
Staying in the area itself though means you get to experience one of Brighton’s most attractive neighbourhoods, with independent cafés, excellent local restaurants and elegant Regency streets on your doorstep, and within easy walking distance of the station, seafront and city centre.
This lovely apartment in the heart of the Montpelier and Clifton Hill Conservation Area is a great option.
How to get to Seven Dials
Seven Dials is centred around the busy roundabout of the same name, about a five-minute walk from Brighton station.
It’s easy to reach on foot from the city centre, North Laine and seafront, while several bus routes pass through the area.
If you’re driving, on-street parking is limited and permit-controlled in many surrounding streets.
Seven Dials Map
Find a useful map of things to do, independent shops and nearby addresses of note below and here.
If you want more inspiration, my secret guidebooks will take you off the beaten path.
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