Il Bistro’s origin story reads like the opening crawl of a seductive European art film. Founder Michael Garman fell for Italian and French cooking while drifting through Provence and along Italy’s western coast, returning to Brighton armed with a head full of sun-drenched flavours and a mission to feed imagination as much as bellies. That was the hazy mid-’70s; today, his son Abe keeps the flame very much alive.
It’s the sort of backstory us food writers would kill for. Joyously, this one comes with a table reservation.
Yes, Il Bistro is tucked into a slightly rickety fisherman’s cottage in The Lanes. True, it is charming. And sì, it has stayed gloriously true to its purpose.
What You’ll Love
- A true Brighton institution with decades of history behind it
- Classic Italian cooking done properly with quality local produce
- A warm, charismatic front-of-house team led by Abe and Gabriel
- A cosy, characterful dining room tucked away in The Lanes
- Standout dishes like ribeye, porchetta and beautifully simple starters
The Abe and Gabriel effect
Forgive a moment of fangirling, but the front-of-house double act deserves it. Abe is a warm host; Gabriel, all smooth assurance and quiet persuasion, will have you ordering like you’ve not eaten in weeks. Together, they are a dangerously effective combination.
The décor follows suit: understated but deeply cosy. Crisp white tablecloths, soft tones, that elusive balance of modern and quaint. It all looks effortless, which usually means it isn’t.
From Portofino, with love
We began with grilled butterfly sardines – rich, saline, and gleaming with drizzles of parsley butter and lemon. It’s a dish that tastes like it’s been sunbathing. Close behind came a gloriously oozy mozzarella from Puglia, crowning marinated tomatoes, flickered with very green basil. Simple things, done properly, rarely need improving.
Gabriel steered us towards a Chianti Classico, and he was on point, because of course he was.
Sundays, the Italian way
Il Bistro’s menu is pleasingly succinct: pasta, carne, fish and riso, each given proper thought and respect. There’s an admirable commitment to local suppliers, with British dry-aged beef sitting happily alongside Italian staples. A chicken and blue cheese dish, pairing local Brighton Blue with Tuscan rosemary potatoes, is a reminder of the Italo-Brighton blend.
We, however, were powerless in the face of a 9oz ribeye. “Prime cut, grass-fed, 28-day dry-aged British beef,” it promised – and delivered. Perfectly seared, blushing at the centre, and drenched in a glistening peppercorn sauce that knew exactly what it was doing. Add triple-cooked Parmesan chips and a steady supply of Chianti, and it was amen to Sunday luncheon.
Il Bistro’s roast menu brings porchetta: slow-roasted pork belly with crisp crackling and a garlic-herb stuffing, served with mash and mushrooms. It’s a dish a true Italian nonna would serve proudly (if perchance she were a trained chef). Even the Yorkshire pudding was given the respect it deserves.
BRAVO, indeed
A winner of a BRAVO Award for Best International Cuisine in 2025, Il Bistro makes a compelling case. It feels unmistakably Brighton while remaining resolutely Italian – a rather lovely trick.
Take out-of-town guests, by all means. But better still, go as a local and remind yourself that some of the city’s greatest pleasures have been quietly getting on with it for decades – and doing it extremely well.
For classic Italian cooking, warm hospitality and one of the most characterful dining rooms in Brighton, Il Bistro is well worth booking.
