Restaurants in East Sussex
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A
Nasza
This friendly Polish eatery called ‘Our’ serves some of our favourite comfort food, including pierogi (dumplings stuffed with meat or cheese and potatoes), bigos, a ‘hunter’s stew’ of cabbage and pork, and golabki (stuffed cabbage).
reviewed
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B
Seven Dials
Housed in an imposing former bank, this formal and crisply set-out restaurant is praised for excellent seasonal fish dishes. It's almost a mile from the seafront but worth the walk or taxi fare for a special occasion or well-deserved splurge.
reviewed
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C
Pokeno Pies
Bang goes the greasy image of the great British pie shop: this is guilt-free comfort food at its best. The slick glass-fronted café-takeaway has cornered the local market in affordable and surprisingly healthy gourmet pies. There are over a dozen fillings, from richly flavoured Mediterranean lamb to Moroccan aubergine and feta.
reviewed
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D
English's Oyster Bar
A 60-year institution, this Brightonian seafood paradise dishes up everything from oysters to traditional scampi to lavish lobster thermidor. It's converted from fishermen's cottages, with echoes of the elegant Edwardian era inside and buzzing alfresco dining on the pedestrian square outside.
reviewed
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E
Riddle & Fins
We’re told that Gordon Ramsay called the fare served in this elegant oyster bar hidden in The Lanes ‘seafood as it should be’. We don’t care about that, but we’ll come back for our favourite bivalves (from £10 a half-dozen) and more bubbly.
reviewed
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Due South
Sheltered under a cavernous Victorian arch on the seafront with a curvaceous front window and small bamboo-screened terrace on the promenade, this refined yet relaxed restaurant specialises in dishes cooked with local, environmentally sustainable and seasonal ingredients.
reviewed
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G
Wai Kika Moo Kau
Say its daft name fast and you'll get a clue to the ethos of this primarily veggie-vegan café. It spills onto the pedestrian street outside so you can sip your soyachino or tuck into meat-free specials as the shoppers pass by.
reviewed
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Café Belge
A fabulous position near the pier with large windows facing the seafront, a ridiculous choice of seafood dishes with an emphasis on mussels, and three-score choices of Belgian beer make this a hard restaurant to resist.
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Fish Café
A contemporary renovation of an old antiques warehouse, furnished in calm shades with chocolate high-back chairs, this restaurant focuses on its modern local fish and seafood dishes, cooked simply but to perfection.
reviewed
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I
Al Fresco
Housed in a curved-glass structure with a huge, staggered outdoor terrace, the show-stopping feature here is the wide-screen vistas out across the Channel and along the seafront. The pizzas, pastas and Italian meat dishes make a tasty accompaniment to the views.
reviewed
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La Capannina
Many people say this is the best homestyle Italian restaurant in Brighton and we tend to agree. Pizzas (£5.75 to £8.80) are baked in a wood-burning stove and the gnocchi and raviolis are made in-house.
reviewed
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K
White Vine House
Fine dining in a fine setting can be had at this elegant vine-covered Tudor building, with an exquisitely painted dining room and a reputation for cooking the freshest local produce. It also has pristine rooms.
reviewed
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Food for Friends
This airy, glass-sided restaurant attracts the attention of passers-by as much as it does the loyalty of its customers with an ever-inventive choice of vegetarian and vegan food. Children are also catered to.
reviewed
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Meadow
Arguably the area’s finest restaurant, this elegant but relaxed eatery in Hove serves ‘new British’ cuisine, with meat, fish and produce sourced in Sussex and Kent.
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M
Simon the Pieman
Many local cream-tea cognoscenti assert that this traditional tearoom, Rye's oldest, does the best scone-cream-jam combo this side of Romney Marsh. Further foes of tooth and waistline tempt from the shop's window.
reviewed
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N
Nia
Rustic but chic, with solid wood tables, large windows and a chalkboard menu, Nia is one of the loveliest cafes in a town not at a loss for same. Set lunch starts at £7.25.
reviewed
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O
Lamb
About 1km inland, this atmospheric old pub is worth the walk for its creaky old dining room with a giant stone fireplace, laid-back service, low ceiling and lack of loud music.
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P
Terre à Terre
Even staunch meat eaters will come out raving about this legendary vegetarian restaurant. Terre à Terre offers a sublime dining experience, from the vibrant, modern space, to the entertaining menus, to the delicious, inventive dishes full of rich robust flavours.
reviewed
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Q
Bankers
While Brighton’s beloved chippie has a fancy restaurant attached, we always come for some of the best takeaway fish and chips on the south coast.
reviewed
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Old Borough Arms
For a proper old pub, head to this 300-year-old former smugglers’ inn with a truly lovely guesthouse and an excellent cafe.
reviewed
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R
Scoop & Crumb
The sundaes (over 50 types) stacked at this ice-cream parlour, belonging to the city's artisan ice-cream producer, are second to none. Freshly cut sandwiches and monster toasties also available.
reviewed
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S
Pompoko
Simple Japanese food in a small but perfectly formed little cafe. It's quick, cheap and delicious, with an emphasis on home-style curries, soups and noodle dishes.
reviewed
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T
Pomegranate
Take your taste buds on a trip to the Middle East at this fascinating Kemptown nosh spot where mains such as Kurdish-style roast lamb, stuffed aubergine and baked swordfish are dished up in a cosy setting. There are plenty of veggie choices as well as such lip-smacking desserts as revani (semolina cake) and stuffed figs with pomegranate paste.
reviewed
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Pilgrim's Restaurant
Misshapen beams, rough-plastered walls and a vaulted ceiling make this 15th-century pilgrims' lodging the most spectacular place to eat in Battle. The tasty food is prepared as much as possible using Sussex produce and plated up with panache. Staff can be flustered when things are busy.
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U
Piccolo's
Cheap, tasty pizza and pasta served in a frantic, friendly restaurant – just what everyone expects from an Italian eatery.
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