Restaurant Brighton's guide to

Fine Dining in Brighton and Sussex

Our top picks

Fine Dining Brighton and Hove

Dilsk Brighton is a contemporary, stylish and relaxed fine dining restaurant located in Drakes Hotel, offering an elegant tasting menu with a focus on sustainable practices and seasonal produce. The restaurant, with its 28-cover capacity, provides an intimate dining experience, highlighted by its impeccable attention to detail and masterful culinary flair. Chef Tom Stephens and Madeleine Riches are committed to sustainable practices and quality, sourcing ingredients largely from within Sussex and operating a zero waste policy in the kitchen. Dilsk also offers a tantalising cocktail menu and a handpicked wine flight from Sussex, Kent, and other international vineyards.

Steven Edwards was the winner of MasterChef: The Professionals in 2013, his first restaurant, etch., was opened in Hove in 2017. The fine-dining tasting menu features only two main ingredients per dish and is prepared without any spice, not even pepper; instead, flavours are intensified, purified and distilled through concentration and extraction. The result is a menu that is closer to alchemy than cookery. etch. already holds three AA Rosettes, a score of Five in the Good Food Guide, a top 100 position in the National Restaurants Awards, a Michelin Plate. Best restaurant winner of the public voted BRAVOs in 2019 and always finishes in the BRAVO top 4.

Furna restaurant Brighton offers diners the opportunity to experience a unique, evolving nine-course menu using the very finest seasonal produce. The first solo venture from chef-patron Dave Mothersill, formerly of The Salt Room, Coal Shed London and The Gingerman, the menu is inspired by Dave’s personal gastronomic history. Furna’s friendly, contemporary dining experience leaves behind some of the conventions of fine dining. However, there is no doubt that the dining is very fine indeed. New to Michelin in 2023 with ‘precisely crafted dishes.’

Overhead shot of a plate of food at the Little Fish Market in Hove. Fine Dining Brighton
Photgraphy: Xavi Buendia

The Little Fish Market opened in early 2013, with chef-patron Duncan Ray (Previously Pennyhill Park and The Fat Duck) manning the kitchen while a small team of consummate professionals look after diners, delivering an unforgettable experience all around. The tightly run operation serves up predominantly a fish and seafood taster menu in the simply styled 20-cover restaurant. With three AA Rosettes, a score of five in The Good Food Guide, consistent appearances in the National Restaurant Awards top 100 and a Michelin Plate, The Little Fish Market really is one of the city’s best fine dining restaurants. Voted best restaurant in Brighton, at the 2020 in the BRAVO awards.

Fourth and Church  is a neighbourhood Hove restaurant and wine specialist offering superb quality on relaxed drinking and dining. They run both a la carte and seasonal set menus, with the latter leaning towards a more fine dining experience. The team at Fourth and Church build up loyal relationships with their suppliers and make regular trips to discover new wines. Everything they deliver passes their own exacting standards so that you can be effortlessly guided through a relaxed modern dining experience. Winner of 2023 best wine list at the BRAVO awards.

Wild Flor’s sophisticated and relaxed Hove restaurant invites its guests to unwind and indulge in first-class hospitality. The menu is beautifully curated and boasts a diverse selection of seasonal dishes. From modest comfort food to more luxury items, such as; terrine, croquettes, slow-cooked meats to rare-breed meats and fine cheeses. The wine list is second to none, and while presenting some of the finest worldly grapes and blends, it does so at great value and quality.  Well known for their food and Brighton wine tasting events. Expect wonderful service and incredible food to match. 

Pioneering vegetarian cuisine in Brighton since 1993, Terre à Terre set out to make vegetarian dining fun and indulgent. Innovation and creativity have seen them not only survive but thrive over the decades. Today, they are still celebrated as one of Brighton’s leading dining destinations – vegetarian or otherwise. Fuss free, but most certainly fine, a dining experience that’s inclusive of families old and young. Dishes range from a la cart to sharing platters that champion the exquisite flavours of local ingredients and present them as contemporary masterpieces. You can indulge on the dishes, sup the best organic wines and sample cocktails that are created with equal flair and expertise.

When you arrive at Carne restaurant in Hove, you will be greeted by a team of highly trained staff who will take care of you throughout your visit. Dark wood, cushioned leather seats, and eye-catching features, such as the stunning quartz sculpture in the bar, are found throughout the opulent restaurant. Unwind in the cocktail lounge with a pre-dinner drink before starting your culinary adventure.  Carne specialises in local and ethically sourced produce. The highest quality British beef plays a starring role on the menu and is always prepared and finished exceptionally. 

Petit Pois on Ship Street offers the highest quality French bistro cuisine at unbeatable prices in Brighton. Head chef David uses only the best seasonal produce and most of the menu is homemade in the house other than bread from The Flour Pot Bakery and macaroons from Julien Plumart. Expertly cooked fish, meat and vegetarian main courses are on offer, alongside classic French starters, sharing boards and puddings. Sunday roasts and set lunch menus are also popular amongst guests. Book here.

One of the most talked-about restaurants in Brighton, the Coal Shed is a different take on the ‘Fine Dining’ experience. Here they cook the very best steak and seafood over a specially imported charcoal oven, to produce quality food with exceptional taste. Using ethically reared Highland Beef, locally caught fish and offering some very tasty vegetarian options, there is something on the menu to suit everyone’s taste. Arguably the finest steak restaurant in the city and moving to new premises in 2024. Part of the Black rock Group of restaurants which includes The Salt Room, Tutto and Burnt Orange. 

Holding its position as one of the finest establishments in Brighton over many decades is a source of pride for the team at English’s. Close to silver service, the front-of-house is friendly, professional and discreet. A seasonal, seafood-led menu boasts delicious, traditional dishes with modern flourishes, executed to a reliably high standard and the wine list is legendary. This combination of style and substance has ensured that the historic dining room with its painted freeze, starched linen and leather banquets has hosted a steady stream of celebrities, dignitaries and politicians over the years. If it’s good enough for Churchill…

Featuring in many ‘Top’ restaurant lists, the Gingerman in Norfolk Square is a wonderful dining experience. Priding themselves on creating ‘uncomplicated, full flavoured dishes made from the freshest and highest quality seasonal produce’, it is unsurprisingly a popular choice for many. It is intimate and cosy, whilst sophisticated and classy at the same time. A meal here feels very special indeed. ben McKellar and his team have been leading the way for great food in Brighton for over 25 years. 

International Fine Dining Brighton

Italian fine dining Brighton. Hailing from the mighty Black Rock Group lineage, Tutto Brighton is set to impress. Tutto delivers fine-dining plates and champions an informal, relaxed atmosphere that’s built on authentic Italian culture. Set in a beautifully restored 1930s bank on Marlborough Place the historic building provides old-fashioned grandeur through original features, which have been infused with Italian style. There is a sharing plate and al carte menu that includes raw and crudo dishes, pasta, meat and fish from the wood-fired grill and desserts. There is also the choice of a set menu, vegan menu and gluten-free menu. You’ll find an extensive and impressive wine list, a good variety of Italian-inspired cocktails and superb al fresco dining spaces at both the front and rear of this central Brighton restaurant.

Fine dining and fine cooking in Sussex

Experience an exquisite fine dining experience at The Fig Tree in Hurstpierpoint, just a short 15-minute drive from Brighton. Located in the charming village, this family-run Sussex restaurant offers a warm and inviting ambiance with exceptional service. Indulge in their thoughtfully crafted menus, including a seasonally led six-course tasting menu, showcasing the best of seasonal and local produce. With seating for up to 38 guests, it’s an ideal venue for private celebrations and parties. Open for lunch (Thursday to Saturday) with enticing two and three-course menu options, The Fig Tree promises a memorable and elegant dining experience.

Rathfinny Wine Estate was established in 2010 by entrepreneurial couple Sarah and Mark Driver. In 2018, The Tasting Room restaurant was added to the vineyard and offers the ultimate dining experience.  Overlooking vineyards in the valley, the stylish glass window fronted restaurant offers tranquility by the bucket load and is the perfect escape from the city.

Celebrated head chef Chris Bailey runs the kitchen alongside local talent, and between them a menu showcasing the best local produce has been curated.  A lunchtime menu consists of two or three courses whilst dinner is a five-course set menu, arranged either as meat, fish or vegetarian

Although not technically in Brighton, we think Restaurant Interlude deserves a mention on this page that highlights the best fine dining meals in the area. Located inside the mansion house at Leonardslee Estate just outside Horsham, Interlude’s chef brigade is lead by foraging enthusiast Jean Dalport. In the first year of opening Restaurant Interlude was awarded a Michelin Star. He and his team create much of the menu with produce grown and found within the estate gardens, making up their innovative and unique ‘Estate Experience’ and ‘Garden Experience’ 14 and 19-course tasting menus. Check out their Estate sample menus here.