This is where we’ll fill you in – in brief – on recent and future food and drink happenings (most recent at the top) you need to know about, from new openings and deals to the hottest tickets in town.
Try Fatto A Mano’s new pizza for free (providing you bring a pineapple)
Yep, that most controversial of pizza topping is popping up at Fatto a Mano for a limited six-week period. Apparently, it’s been Fatto’s head pizza master Antonio Braccio’s dream to create a special pineapple-topped pizza and now – despite some resistance – the brilliantly named Bella Disgrazia is on the menu for the next six weeks (from 17th February). And here’s the free bit: if you bring an actual pineapple with you, you’ll get to try the pizza for free at any of their pizzerias.
Get 20 percent off at Nanima in February
Family-run pan-Asian Kemptown eatery Nanima are turning five in February. To celebrate they’re offering 20 percent off absolutely everything. Yup, food, drinks, their epic homemade pickles, and everything in their shop. If you ever needed another excuse to get over there to sample their excellent goods (top-notch freshly made dishes and one of Brighton’s warmest welcomes), this is it.
nanima.co.uk
The Coal Shed launches vegan set menu
Whether or not you’re trying Veganuary, the new Coal Shed is already a great bet for excellent plant-based dishes, which have been consistently good in our experience. But they’re even better now, as the restaurant has just launched an incredibly affordable set menu (two courses for £20 or three for £25) with an array of new delicious-sounding coal-fired dishes. It features sweetcorn fritters with jalapeño sauce, kettle-baked aubergine with spiced pimento and lemon gremolata, burnt leeks and vegan stracciatella with truffle honey dressing, coal-roasted celeriac, one-year Acquerello baked rice and apple crumble.
coalshed-restaurant.co.uk
Get a whopping 50 percent off food at Anakuma
Anakuma announced a bit of a switch-up just before Christmas, deciding to bring some of Halisco’s Mexican flavours – and crucially, vibes – into their original Asian menu creating a cracking fusion menu packed with Mexican and Asian baos, mixed small plates and their trademark juicy flavours. To celebrate the new focus and new dishes, they’re offering 50 percent off food (bookings only) until 23rd January.
Book here
The Gingerman intros new menus to offer more choice
Brighton stalwart The Gingerman is embarking on a new chapter in its long foodie era. The restaurant is moving away from its tasting menu to offer diners more choice. They’ve introduced an à la carte menu and a curated chef’s selection menu that’s designed to showcase the kitchen’s finest creations across meat, seafood and plant-based options. Dishes worth getting excited over include mushroom parfait, squash velouté with walnuts and Brighton Blue, roasted cod fillet with confit leeks, clams and chorizo, and braised feather blade of beef, as well as generous meat and fish sharing options. To celebrate, they put out a hefty 50 percent-off-food offer, but this sold out in a day (unsurprisingly!) – we’ll let you know if they announce anything else like this and, in the meantime, it’s worth keeping an eye on their socials.
gingermanrestaurant.com
Get £10 off your bill at Kindling
Here’s another January offer to get stuck into – sign up to steak restaurant Kindling’s newsletter on their website and you’ll get 10 percent off your bill when you spend at least £30. The deal’s valid all day Mondays to Thursdays until 13th February. The Wagyu beef steak and pulled beef brisket rolls were our highlights in case you’re wondering.
kindlingrestaurant.com
Get 20 percent off food at Furna
Want to lift the January blues with a spot of fine-dining fabulousness with a less hefty price tag? Head to Dave Mothersill’s Furna for dinner on a Wednesday or Thursday or lunch on Thursdays and Fridays and you’ll get 20 percent off your à la carte food bill. The offer’s available to the end of February. Happy feasting! And if you fancy dining on a different day, they’ve also got a sweet three-course lunch menu on the go for just £35.
furnarestaurant.co.uk
Burger & Lobster open Brighton restaurant
London’s Burger & Lobster (clue’s in the name) are opening their first UK eatery in eight years and the first outside the capital, and it’s in Brighton! The seafood and burger restaurant is particularly well known for its decadent (wild Atlantic) lobster rolls with lemon and garlic butter and Wagyu burgers, but there will also be an exclusive-to-Brighton brunch menu. Check them out at 15 Market Street from 14th February.
burgerandlobster.com
Have lunch for a tenner at Lost in the Lanes
In honour of everyone typically feeling less than flush in January, Lost in the Lanes have launched £10 lunches. Available from midday weekdays until 24th January, the dish of the week is a January blues-easing roasted cod loin with celeriac puree, nduja butter and samphire. Looking for something to wash it down with? They’re also offering 50 percent off glasses and bottles on their 2024 wine list – while stocks last!
lostinthelanes.com
Burnt Orange goes vegan this January
Burnt Orange has always been a pretty good choice if you’re after a plant-based meal, but they’re upping the ante this January with a brand-new Veganuary experience menu (from 6th January; £30pp sharing) featuring the likes of orange and black cumin cauliflower, buffalo-style harissa parsnips and heaps more. And they’re embracing the low- and no-alcohol movement with the launch of a non-alcoholic and low ABV cocktail menu, that also features some half-sized measure alcoholic cocktails.
burnt-orange.co.uk
Pompoko opens second site
Much-loved Japanese eatery Pompoko has expanded – they’ve brought their authentic well-priced dishes and cosy vibes to a second, larger site in Kemptown. Find the new restaurant at 10 Manchester Street. If you order a main meal in the new spot before 10th January, you’ll get a starter for free. It’s a win-win.
pompoko.co.uk
Thai restaurant Chilli opens Brighton site
Hove Thai favourite Chilli has opened a second restaurant – Red Chilli – in the heart of Brighton. You can expect the same friendly vibes, great food and cocktails, as well as some dishes exclusive to the new site. They’re opening on Wednesday 18th December. Find them at 6 Prince Albert Street.
chillirestaurants.com
Stylish steak and seafood restaurant Pearly Cow opens
Over-delivering on style AND substance, the Brighton Pearly Cow is the third in the UK stable (after York and Margate). Executive chef Andrew MacKenzie (ex The Salt Room, The Restaurant at Drakes and Gleneagles) is cooking up an absolute storm in the kitchen with creative and indulgent dishes celebrating local Sussex produce. Must-trys include the restaurant’s namesake Pearly Cow (beef tartare with Exmoor caviar and oyster cream), a succulent 45-day salt-aged fillet steak with bone marrow butter, and a light-as-air raspberry, pistachio and white chocolate trifle, easily the best we’ve ever eaten. Veggies and vegans aren’t forgotten, either, the wild mushroom and farro risotto with British truffles, for example, is a decadent delight. Their Taco Thursdays are worth checking out too – tuck into two tacos and a margarita for £15. Find them at 123 Kings Road.
pearlycow.co.uk
The Reading Room reopens as cafe
After being out of action for years, the historic Reading Room on Brighton’s seafront has finally reopened as a cafe, and it’s fair to say it’s a thing of beauty. Part of the Black Rock renovation project, the lovingly restored refectory blends the building’s Regency past with an exciting dining experience, gorgeous interiors and vast floor-to-ceiling windows that allow you to soak up those stunning sea views. Read more about it here. Find them at Black Rock on Madeira Drive.
The Reading Room

Mexican restaurant El Bolillo opens
Chef Greg Clarke (ex Midsummer House, The Ledbury, and a host of other Michelin-starred establishments) has opened El Bolillo restaurant in Hove with his partner Matty Salvetti. Offering a creative take on the bold flavours of Mexican dishes, the 30-cover fine-dining eatery – it’s more than a taqueria – has an exciting selection of small plates, well-made cocktails and a top-notch wine list. This is fine-dining without the pretension. Choose from the set menu (from £55) or pick and mix from the a la carte list. Btw, El Bolillo is Mexican street slang for ‘white boy’. Find them at 60 Church Road in Hove.
elbolillo.co.uk
The Coal Shed moves to swanky new site with expanded menu
Popular Brighton steak restaurant The Coal Shed, part of Brighton’s Black Restaurant Group, has moved to a new, larger venue in North Street, upping the style stakes and almost tripling its capacity. The restaurant is a thing of beauty with multiple spaces to dine in and a destination bar in case you don’t fancy eating (although you should). It seats 142 people across a mixture of booths and round tables, and there’s three gorgeous private dining areas – one of which makes the most perfect party room. As their name suggests, they’re continuing to champion the type of food they’re best known for – heritage meat and South coast seafood cooked over coal and exceptional local produce – but in a more elevated fashion. Executive chef Lee Murdoch has also included far more plenty vegan and veggie offerings, and there’s some seriously good cocktails to enjoy at the sexy round bar. Find the new site at Clarence House, 30 – 31 North Street in Brighton.
coalshed-restaurant.co.uk
Halisco team and chef Ian Swainson open Spanish eatery Amari
The Halisco and Anakuma boys teamed up with Amarillo (RIP) chef Ian Swainson to open Amari, a Spanish tapas restaurant on Baker Street, off London Road. Taking over the spot most recently vacated by vegan pasta eatery Pastan, you can expect flavour-packed food, fun vibes (‘fun-dining’ rather than fine-dining, they say) and affordable prices. Find them at 15 Baker Street in Brighton. Oh, and just nine weeks after opening, they made it into the Michelin guide. Get down there while you can still get a table!
Amari
There’s a(nother) new cafe in town
Ease opened its North Laine cafe – decked out in gorgeous shades of green and blush – on Tuesday 9th July and we’re looking forward to popping in for a cup of the hot stuff. Find them at 27 Gloucester Road
Ease
Fine-dining eatery Furna brings back à la carte options
Furna offered a selection of individually priced dishes when it opened its terrace last year and it went down a storm, so they’re bringing it back, bigger and better for 2024. As owner and head chef Dave Mothersill says: “It’s the menu that we, as industry professionals, want to eat on our days off”. You can’t get better than that! The new menu includes an excellent selection of smaller plates, sharing cuts and epic desserts – all available to eat on the sunny terrace or inside. If the tasting menu is what you’re after, don’t worry, you can still order that, too.
furnarestaurant.co.uk

The new supper club you need to know about
Calling all roast lovers! There’s a new supper club that’s offering relaxed home-cooked Sunday lunches once a month. It seems like every other restaurant plays host to a supper club these days, but Hove-based friends Lauren and Ben are bringing back the OG home-dining vibes with new venture The Sunday Joint. Celebrating community and the leisurely Sunday lunch in Lauren’s home, there’s no table turning or sneaky add-ons if you fancy a bit more gravy here. Don’t miss the next editions in 2025 – read the full article here.
French-style cafe opens in hilly Hanover
Frankie and Chiara have opened French-style bistro Cafe des Couleurs at the bottom of Islingword Road in Hanover (so no need to trek up muesli mountain). Taking over the site that used to be Fanny’s (and then The Mighty Seed), they offer a wide selection of home-made cakes, tasty brunch options – we’d recommend the generous Croque Madame – and excellent coffee in a beautifully designed space. And they also run weekend bistro nights!
cafedescouleurs.co.uk
Honey bar and cafe Apiary opens
Husband-and-wife beekeeping team Alistair and Noemi Bell have opened Apiary, a cafe and cocktail bar inspired by all things honey and bees.The bee-loving couple opened the new dog-friendly venture on the site of what was Velvet Jack’s bar on Western Road in May and are serving coffee and small plates by day and speciality cocktails by night. Read more about it here.
New kitchens open at Shelter Hall
There’s change afoot at Brighton’s beachside food hall! Four new kitchens opened on the first May bank holiday weekend – nostalgic ice-cream bars from Happy Endings, epic pizza slices from Yeastie Boys Pizza Club, Crudo Mexican are bringing their street food over from Worthing and Rudi’s Burgers are serving up deep-filled burger joy. They’re joining the beautiful bao buns at Little Bao Boy, Greek-Australian The 3 Little Pigs Souvlaki and London fried chicken supremos Coqfighter. From Friday 3rd May.
shelterhall.co.uk

Med relaunches with new open kitchen and new menu
Another BOTI fave, Med have changed things around a bit, moving towards more of a bar-with-food vibe. Over the bank holiday weekend, the buzzy restaurant in the Lanes got a brand-new open kitchen and ditched the fixed-price set menu in favour of a more flexible selection of small plates that they’ll change up regularly. New dishes include pork belly, crispy mussels and maple apple ketchup; BBQ salmon, crab and calamansi; and tomato, blood orange and kaffir lime. The restyle really opens up the space and there’s the added benefit of being able to watch the chefs at work while you sup on one of their excellent seasonal cocktails. Not a cocktail fan? They’ve also got a well-curated 60-strong wine list that includes some low-intervention options. New summer hangout here we come!
medbrighton.co.uk
Alberta’s launches seafood residency Bonito
The team behind the brilliant Alberta’s at The Windmill (best Sunday lunch, no less) have launched Bonito by the Sea at refurbed beachside pub The Tempest (you know, the one with the caves). Think burgers and seafood with a twist, with the menu featuring surf and turf, fresh oysters, BBQ mullet curry, pepper squid bao buns, and plenty more, including veggie and vegan options, such as bhaji burgers and tofu and chips (opened on Friday 26th April). Don’t miss the Bonito (hash) browns!
Bonito
Kindling reopens as steak restaurant
Kindling has been relaunched as a steak restaurant by its owners, restaurateurs Ramin Mostowfi and Minky Lee, with Ewan Cullen heading up the kitchen. A bit of an about-turn from its previous concept as a small-plates restaurant, the 50-cover eatery is now open seven days a weeks with a short and sweet menu that focuses on “high-quality premium steaks cooked over live fire… and vibrant, melt-in-the-mouth sides with homemade sauces”. The decision to switch focus was driven by what the owners saw as a gap in the market for a “more casual, reasonably priced dining option”.
kindlingrestaurant.com
Caccia and Tails opens Brighton cafe
A few weeks earlier, Brighton got an offshoot of the popular Lewes venue Caccia and Tails. The bijou bright pink cafe (on the former site of Kitgum’s Haraka, RIP) serves up their trademark moreish focaccia, excellent cockails and other Italian delicacies, with late openings Thursday – Saturday and regular music nights on the agenda too.
cacciaandtails.com
Music-driven restaurant from Riddle & Finn’s opens on seafront
NOW CLOSED. Drifter, restaurant specialising in vinyl music, natural wine and wood-fired small plates opened on the beach on 11th April. Read more about it here.
No No Please opens on Preston Street
This bar-restaurant is where restaurant meets lounge bar with Asian-inspired small plates and small-batch cocktails on the menu. Read more about it here.

Aegean-inspired cafe opens in Kemptown
And there’s another new cafe! Over in Kemptown, brightly coloured June opened its doors in April, serving fresh and tasty Aegean-inspired salads and sarnies, and friendly smiles. You can’t miss the lemon exterior and hanging fruit in the window!
June
Lost in the Lanes launch evening menu
Lost In The Lanes launched an evening menu in early April – they’re now serving into the evening from 6pm – 10pm, Thursday to Saturday. We’d recommend the rosti with ox cheek ragu, parmesan and chives and the always-excellent gin-based Switch Up cocktail (lychee, elderflower, ginger, bitters, lemon).
lostinthelanes.com
Munchies swaps craft for cats
Munchies in the Lanes has switched tack and has transformed into a cat cafe and tapas bar. They’ve got around eight resident cats and will, in future, be offering them up for adoption. We’re guessing it might not be quite so dog-friendly any more…
munchiescraft.co.uk
Cat Burglar Doughnuts launch ‘doughnut hole’
Yep, the purveyors of doughy goodness have opened a doughnut hole at Yeastie Boys’ Pizza Club main joint on George Street in Hove. Open from Wednesday to Sunday; 8am to late – get there early to avoid missing out. They’re also now delivering the goods by post if you can’t make it over there.
Cat Burglar Dough Co
Namo X finds a new home
Namo X (the offshoot of Namo Eats) have brought their delicious Thai small plates to The Avenue on St James Street on Tuesday to Saturday evenings (5.30pm – 9pm). Run by Thai-born Bookie (who’s also the executive chef at No No Please), the delicious dishes are packed with authentic flavours.
namoeat.co.uk
Kemptown’s got a new bakery and gelato parlour
The abandoned space previously occupied by The Bronze on St James Street in Kemptown has turned into a spacious bakery and ice-cream parlour, Palladino’s. The gianduja gelato is bloody good.
Know of a new opening, offer or a must-attend event we should be featuring? Drop us a line at hello@brightontheinside.co.uk