72,911 votes cast in Brighton’s biggest food awards
Brighton, it’s time to celebrate. The BRAVO 2025 winners have just been revealed, and this year’s awards have smashed all previous records, firmly cementing the BRAVOs as the city’s favourite way to champion local food and drink.
Now in its eighth year, the Brighton Restaurant Awards Vote Online (BRAVOs) saw an incredible 72,911 votes cast by food lovers from across Brighton, Hove, Sussex and beyond. That makes 2025 the biggest BRAVO yet and a true celebration of the talent, passion and creativity within our city’s hospitality scene.
Since the winners were revealed on April 3rd 2025, the BRAVO results pages have seen over 100,000 visits in the first week alone – a clear sign that the public are already discovering their new favourite places to visit in 2025.
This year, 724 venues took part across 18 categories, with 190 different venues placing in the Top 20s.
That’s a huge number of brilliant businesses being recognised – from hidden gems to firm favourites – all nominated and voted for by the people who love them most: their customers.
Top of the tables this year are Burnt Orange, who reclaimed the title of Best Brighton Restaurant, and CrabShack, who held on to their crown as Best Sussex Restaurant.
Starfish & Coffee took the title of Best Cafe, Blossoms Cocktail Bar was voted Best Cocktails, and TERRA Restaurant Sussex at Tottington Manor Hotel was recognised as Most Sustainable.
A New Look and Record Engagement
In 2025, the BRAVOs moved fully online, marking a significant step towards sustainability. Printed voting cards were replaced with unique QR codes for each venue, making the process simpler, greener, and more accessible. The result? Record-breaking engagement. The campaign brought in over 83,500 unique visitors and saw more than 202,000 page views in just 39 days.
To complement the fresh format, BRAVO 2025 was given a bold new visual identity by local illustrator Kirsti Davidson. Her helter-skelter inspired design, drawn from Brighton’s iconic Palace Pier, was seen across the city and brought a playful, instantly recognisable face to this year’s awards.
Choose Local and Keep Choosing Local
This year’s message was simple: Choose Local. The BRAVOs encouraged residents and visitors alike to show their support for the independent restaurants, pubs, cafes, and takeaways that give Brighton and Sussex their unique flavour. You can see how local everything is also on the new BRAVO Winners map which is new for 2025.
It’s a message that goes far beyond awards season.
Sustainability in Focus
This year, the Most Sustainable category required venues to complete a new Sustainability Checklist, created in partnership with the University of Brighton. The aim was to ensure real impact, not just recognition. The winner, TERRA Restaurant Sussex, stood out for its commitment to local sourcing and environmentally conscious dining.
Thanks to Our Sponsors
The BRAVOs were made possible thanks to the support of local and national sponsors, including headline sponsor Uber Eats.
Their involvement helped us shine a spotlight on the people and teams who keep the local food and drink scene thriving.
A Heartfelt Congratulations
To everyone who voted, shared, and championed their favourite venues – thank you.
And to the winners of BRAVO 2025 – congratulations. This year has been a record-breaker, and a reminder of just how much Brighton and Sussex loves to eat, drink, and celebrate local.
Explore the full list of winners and Top 20s just here.
