Pizza in Brighton and Hove
From Neapolitan classics and wood-fired sourdough to the UK's finest vegan pizza
Brighton takes its pizza seriously. Since Al Duomo installed the city’s first wood-fired oven in 1979, the scene has grown into one of the most varied and accomplished in the south of England. Fatto a Mano serves genuine Neapolitan dough across three sites, Purezza was the UK’s first fully vegan pizzeria, and VIP Pizza at Shelter Hall brings five generations of Neapolitan expertise to the seafront. From the North Laine to the Sussex countryside, this is the Restaurants Brighton guide to the best pizza in Brighton, Hove and Sussex.
Donatello in the Lanes is one of Brighton’s most enduring and beloved Italian restaurants, a family-run institution that has been feeding the city since the 1990s and shows no sign of losing its appeal. The pizza menu covers all the Italian classics, from a textbook Margherita to the Quattro Stagioni and a generous Americana, all cooked in the restaurant’s wood-fired oven and served with the kind of warm, efficient service that has kept regulars coming back for decades. For large groups, family celebrations and anyone who wants a reliably excellent and well-priced pizza in the heart of Brighton, Donatello remains the benchmark.
Wild Flour Pizza in Ovingdean is all about quality, delivering artisan wood-fired pizzas that are consistently exceptional. The dough is light, crisp and full of flavour, providing the perfect base for carefully balanced toppings. The Simple One lets the ingredients shine with tomato, mozzarella and basil, while The Arty One brings depth with artichokes, olives and herbs. For something richer, The New York One layers nduja and pepperoni with bold, indulgent flavour. Every pizza is thoughtfully made, packed with character and widely regarded as some of the best around.
Cecconi’s Brighton, part of the Soho House group, brings its celebrated Italian menu to the Brighton seafront with a pizza selection that is rooted in classic Italian tradition and executed with the precision you would expect from the brand. The Margherita, made with buffalo mozzarella, tomato and fresh basil, is an impeccable benchmark. The Parma ham with rocket and burrata is a more indulgent option that works beautifully as a sharing plate. The plant-based Superstraccia, finished with basil pesto and toasted pine nuts, is one of the finest vegan pizzas in the city outside Purezza. The room is one of the most beautifully designed on the Brighton seafront.
Fatto a Mano is Brighton’s most celebrated Neapolitan pizzeria, operating across three sites in the city and winning the BRAVO Brighton Restaurant Awards for Best Family Restaurant and Best Value in 2026. The dough is made to a genuine Neapolitan recipe, hand-stretched and cooked in wood-fired ovens to produce a soft, pillowy base with a properly charred crust. We recommend the Margherita DOC, made with fior di latte and fresh basil, and the Diavola, which adds fiery Calabrian salami to devastating effect. Whether you visit the North Laine, Preston Circus or Hove sites, the quality is consistent and the welcome is warm. One of the finest pizza restaurants in the south of England.
Village Pizza Kitchen in Hurstpierpoint, fifteen minutes from Brighton, is one of the most accomplished pizzerias in Sussex. The long-proved dough produces a base that is light, open and genuinely flavourful. We recommend the Nduja and Honey, a beautifully balanced combination of heat, sweetness and salt, and the Burrata e Pomodoro, which lets the quality of the ingredients speak for themselves. The seasonal specials change regularly to reflect the best of local Sussex produce. A short journey very much worth making.
Purezza made history in 2015 as the UK’s first fully vegan pizzeria, opening in Brighton’s Kemptown before expanding to Camden on the strength of its extraordinary reputation. The housemade dough produces arguably the finest base in Brighton, and we particularly recommend the No Diavola and the Funghi e Tartufo, rich with truffle oil and cashew cream. Winner of Best Vegan Food at the BRAVO Brighton Restaurant Awards, Purezza is not merely a great vegan restaurant. It is a great restaurant, full stop.
Al Duomo holds a unique place in Brighton’s food history: in 1979 Dino Azzaroni opened the restaurant and installed the city’s first wood-fired pizza oven, a moment that changed the way Brighton ate. More than four decades on, the original method remains unchanged. The sourdough bases are made in-house and cooked in the same style that made the restaurant famous, producing a crust that is crisp, charred and full of flavour. We recommend the classic Quattro Stagioni and the Funghi Misti, both of which demonstrate why simplicity and quality ingredients are all a great pizza needs. The suntrap terrace overlooking the Pavilion Gardens is one of Brighton’s finest spots for an alfresco summer lunch.
VIP Pizza at Shelter Hall brings five generations of Neapolitan pizza-making expertise to Brighton’s seafront. The family behind the kitchen has been making pizza in Naples for over a century, and that heritage is evident in every detail: the pillowy, properly fermented base, the restrained use of premium toppings and the confidence of a team that has nothing to prove. We recommend the Nduja e Stracciatella, a beautifully balanced combination of heat and cool creaminess, and the Parma e Rucola, which lets the quality of the ingredients speak entirely for themselves. One of the most enjoyable places to eat pizza by the sea in Brighton.
Rockwater on Hove seafront takes a considered approach to pizza, offering hand-thrown sourdough creations alongside its broader seasonal menu. The bases are properly fermented, well charred and satisfyingly open in texture. The Margherita is a reliable benchmark we return to regularly, dependent entirely on an excellent tomato sauce and fior di latte. The Truffle and Wild Mushroom works particularly well in the cooler months. With floor to ceiling windows looking out over the English Channel, Rockwater is one of the most enjoyable places in Brighton and Hove to eat a pizza.
La Piazza Hove is a family-run Italian and Mediterranean restaurant in central Hove, just by the Floral Clock. Pizza is a highlight, with options ranging from a classic Margherita to the La Piazza pizza with chicken, pepperoni, rocket, parmesan and chilli oil, and a Mediterranean pizza topped with artichokes, peppers, spinach and basil. Set over two spacious floors, it offers a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere with daily specials, weekend bottomless brunch, and private hire available upstairs at The Blue Parrot.
Small, independently owned and consistently underrated, the original VIP Italian pizzeria on the Old Steine has been serving some of the best value authentic pizza in Brighton for years. The menu is concise and well executed, the atmosphere is warm and unhurried, and the Italian deli counter alongside the kitchen adds a genuine sense of provenance to everything on the plate. For those willing to venture a little further, the quieter second site in Saltdean, close to Saltdean Lido, is equally well worth seeking out.
Morelli Zorelli in Hove brings genuine Italian craft to the Brighton pizza scene, working from a 150-year-old Sardinian sourdough mother dough that gives the bases a depth of flavour and character rarely found at this price point. The menu is concise and well considered, focused on quality ingredients used with confidence and restraint. We recommend the Nduja e Mozzarella for those who want heat and substance, and the Prosciutto e Funghi for a more classic combination executed with care. A serious contender for the best pizza in Hove.
Pinocchio sits opposite the Pavilion Gardens in one of the most central and well-located positions of any restaurant in Brighton, making it a natural choice for pre or post theatre dining at the nearby Brighton Dome, Corn Exchange and Theatre Royal. Part of the same small group as Donatello’s, the kitchen delivers generous, well-priced Italian classics with a warmth and reliability that keeps it consistently busy. The pizza here is straightforward and satisfying, ideal for groups and families looking for a central Brighton location and a menu that covers all bases.
Marrocco’s on Hove promenade is one of the most beloved and long-standing Italian restaurants on the south coast, a family-run institution that has been drawing Brighton and Hove residents to the seafront for generations. The menu covers classic Italian territory with confidence and consistency, from fresh homemade pasta and a well-considered fish selection to a pizza menu that covers all the traditional favourites. The setting on the Hove lawns promenade, with the sea visible from the dining room, is one of the most pleasant in the city for a relaxed, unhurried Italian meal. Best known also for exceptional ice cream.
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Brighton has no shortage of excellent pizza restaurants, from authentic Neapolitan style to creative vegan variations. For many locals, Fatto a Mano is a first choice, serving fresh ingredients and soft, chewy Neapolitan pizzas straight from the oven across three sites in the city. For something entirely plant-based, Purezza made history as the first vegan pizzeria in the United Kingdom, right here in Brighton, and remains one of the most celebrated pizza restaurants in the south of England.
Yes. Fatto a Mano has a dedicated Hove site on Church Road, offering the same signature Neapolitan pizzas that have made the brand so well regarded across the city. Rockwater on Hove seafront also serves a strong sourdough pizza selection alongside its broader menu, with exceptional sea views to match. Morelli Zorelli and La Piazza are both well established Hove options for those looking for a more traditional Italian dining experience alongside their pizza.
Brighton, Hove and the wider Sussex area have dozens of pizza restaurants, ranging from family-run trattorias that have been serving the city for decades to modern wood-fired operations and specialist vegan pizzerias. The variety of styles on offer, Neapolitan, Roman, sourdough, plant-based, is genuinely impressive for a city of Brighton’s size and reflects the strength and ambition of the local food scene.
For generations, families have headed to Donatello’s in the Lanes, one of the busiest and most reliably enjoyable pizza restaurants in Brighton. Family-run and centrally located, Donatello’s is known for generous portions, friendly service and a warm, welcoming atmosphere that works equally well for large groups and young children. Pinocchio, part of the same group and located opposite the Pavilion Gardens, is another excellent option for families looking for a central Brighton location.
Brighton is home to Purezza, the UK’s first vegan pizzeria, located in Kemptown. The menu is entirely plant-based, featuring carefully crafted pizzas with vegan cheese, fresh vegetables and inventive toppings that demonstrate just how good dairy-free pizza can be. It is a genuine Brighton institution and a must-visit for anyone seeking the best vegan pizza in the city.
Yes. Village Pizza Kitchen in Hurstpierpoint is one of the most celebrated wood-fired pizzerias in Sussex and well worth the fifteen minute drive from Brighton. In Worthing, Tavola di Famiglia hand-stretches and stone-bakes its pizzas for an authentic and deeply satisfying Italian experience. Both are excellent destinations for a Sussex day out built around good food.
Most pizza restaurants in Brighton specialise in Neapolitan style pizza, with soft, open bases and fresh, high quality toppings. Others serve thin and crispy Roman styles, long-fermented sourdough bases, fully vegan menus and more creative variations drawing on seasonal Sussex ingredients. The range and quality of pizza available in Brighton and Hove is genuinely impressive and reflects the broader strength of the city’s food scene.
Larger venues such as Donatello’s and Al Duomo are well suited to groups, families and celebrations, with spacious dining rooms and menus that cater comfortably for varied tastes. Fatto a Mano across its three sites is an excellent option for more casual group dining, with a lively atmosphere and a straightforward menu that works well when people are ordering together. Many Brighton pizza restaurants also offer outdoor seating in the summer months.
