OctoberBest is back and it’s got a tasty new look

The Brighton & Hove food scene is kind of a big deal, and not just in our opinion, either. Every year, the Brighton's Best Restaurants team vote on the cream of the city's indie restaurant crop and then the award-winners then bring us affordable fixed-price menus. This year is no different in that respect: OctoberBest is back! Yes, the much-loved two-week foodie festival has been around for an entire decade and for 2026, it's bringing us more great limited-edition menus from almost 40 of the city's top restaurants in, you guessed it, October. There are eight restaurants who're taking part in OctoberBest for the first time and 30 regulars making a welcome return. Things are a little bit different this year, though, with a new Dome rating system introduced for ranking the city's top 30 independent restaurants. Named after the Pavilion's iconic structures, restaurants can snag a one, two or three-dome rating or win a 'Local Favourite' award, replacing the old Top 30 list and individual awards for Best Chef, Best Front of House, and so on. Followers of BBR and local journalist-founder Andy Lynes' newsletter Serving Up were able to nominate restaurants for consideration, which were then voted on by an expert panel made up of discerning foodies – including several journalists – with direct, frequent experience of eating at those restaurants. Here's what the domes mean: Three domes go to restaurants with "the best cooking in the city", two to those with "a high level of attention to detail in all areas: food, service and ambience and deliver a top-quality experience" and one dome for those voted to have "reliable, good value, delicious food cooked from scratch". Meanwhile, a Local Favourite is a neighbourhood-style restaurant with "reliably delicious food and drink, often at affordable prices". The restaurants each choose what they'd like to showcase and at what price point. Menus start at £15 and go up to a maximum of £35, making it a much more affordable way to have a really nice meal out – and support the indie restaurant scene at the same time. As well as the Dome winners, restaurants voted 'Local Favourites' and others, like Babble, were also invited to take part in the festival. This means there's a huge level of variety on offer for diners, with some restaurants offering wine pairings at special prices too. You'll find the full winners list at the bottom of this article. But not everyone who received an award was able to take part this year: No No Please, known for their brilliantly creative takes on a theme, are noticeable by their absence, and Brusco couldn't make it work this year either. Back to the menus: they were released on Thursday 24th September at midday sharp to a flurry of button-pressing fingers eager to get their bookings in. Don't worry, though, many of the restaurants are also offering walk-ins if they have space, which is great news for those of us who can't decide dates in advance. And restaurants sometimes release additional spots too so it's worth keeping an eye on Brighton's Best Restaurant's Instagram page for all the latest. Some places sold out their offerings almost instantaneously, but there are still heaps of highlights, like The Set's 'Bullet Menu' for £35, The Crazy Goose's homage to 'birds and bubbles', Palmito's transformation into an intimate Taqueria with a £30 menu, relaxed fine-dining spot Furna's £35 three-course menu featuring their much-adored bread and some delectable sticky toffee pudding Madeleines, and a nine-sharing-plate feast at Kitgum for £35 a head. But whatever you opt for, you can't really go wrong. We're lucky to have so many brilliant indie restaurants in the city and this is the perfect opportunity to enjoy their food at a fraction of the normal cost. Here's the full list of award-winning restaurants, by category Dilsk - three domes Furna - three domes Etch - three domes Maré - three domes Amari - two domes Burnt Orange - two domes The Chilli Pickle - two domes The Coal Shed - two domes The Flint House - two domes The Little Fish Market - two domes The Set - two domes Baby Bao - one dome Bincho Yakitori - one dome Brusco - one dome – not taking part this year Fourth and Church - one dome Ginger Pig - one dome Kindling - one dome Kitgum - one dome Namo - one dome No No Please - one dome - not taking part this year Palmito - one dome Plateau - one dome Riddle & Finns - one dome Salt Room - one dome The Spice Circuit Kitchen - one dome Stem - one dome The Crazy Goose - one dome Vine House - one dome Voya - one dome Wild Flor - one dome Bonsai Plant Kitchen - local favourite Embers - local favourite English’s of Brighton - local favourite Halisco - local favourite Petit Pois - local favourite Reading Room - local favourite Terre A Terre - local favourite Tutto - local favourite OctoberBest runs from Sat 10th to Sun 25th Octoberbrightonsbestrestaurants.co.uk/octoberbest

EAT + DRINK

OctoberBest is back and it’s got a tasty new look

£25 octoberbest menus you can still try

£20 octoberbest menus you can still try

get a free lunch at the coal shed

SHARE YOUR BRIGHTON