My boyfriend and I have been trying to spend some time travelling England recently; he’s here for the whole summer and we don’t have the funds to travel further afield at the moment, so we’re taking advantage of places close to home. I had a couple of days off from work this last week and we headed to Brighton! I completed my degree at the nearby University of Sussex, and lived in the city for three years - it’s one of my favourite places in the world. We visited most of my BTN must-dos, and I wanted to mention them here.
Be At One
This isn’t really a Brighton institution because it’s a chain cocktail bar and there’s a ton of them all over the country, BUT it does have the best happy hour in the city (probably - to be fair I haven’t tried them all). This is mainly because they have one everyday, for several hours; on Sunday it’s literally all day. The menu is huge and split into liquor sections (i.e. whisky cocktails, vodka cocktails, rum cocktails etc.) so you’re always going to find something you like. However, the deal is 2-4-1 on cocktails and the cocktails have to be the same, so make sure you go with someone with similar tastes (thankfully, that completely works for my boyfriend and I)! We also had a really friendly bartender on our last visit, and I’ve actually never had bad service in there, so it’s an all-rounder really. Prices are from around £6.50 to £13.00 a drink; check out the website here. Other good cocktail bars to check out: Shuffle Bar & Kitchen; Twisted Lemon; and Koba.
Cafe Coho
Cafe Coho has won a multitude of awards, and have even become so popular that they now have a small unit open in the “high-street” shopping area of Brighton, Churchill Square. The original shop, however, is tucked down towards the sea front, and benefits from a full kitchen as well as their vast sandwiches, cakes, and pastries section. It’s everything I’ve ever wanted from a coffee shop - amazing food, consistently good coffee, and friendly service. Their produce is local and my mum swears their carrot cake is the best she’s had (and she eats a lot of carrot cake!). My number one recommendation is the pancakes with yoghurt, fresh berries, and honey - which I actually swap out for maple syrup. It always comes with a different variation of fruit, so you get the best of the season, and the pancakes are massive and beautifully fluffy. My boyfriend got the full English breakfast, which is a great option if you’re after something savoury. In the past I’ve also tried the bacon sandwich - which is a little more special than your bog standard sarnie, and their pastries are huge and fresh. Don’t be deceived into thinking there’s no free tables either; there’s additional seating in the back and upstairs. Also, for those (rare) days that the sun shines, staff hang blankets on the outdoor chairs and tables!
Address: 53 Ship Street, Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 1AF
Food: 9.5
Service: 7
Price: ££ (£=cheap as chips, ££=good for everyday, £££=special occasion, ££££=this better come covered in gold)
Look: 9.5
Website: here
Choccywoccydoodah
Choccywoccy is a Brighton institution - due in part to Good Food’s series documenting their bespoke cakes. Unfortunately, I think just recently they’ve become a victim of their own success (the show is in its fifth year and seventh series, so that’s pretty good going!). The shop and cafe are now housed together (they were once on adjacent streets) in a great location with the famous Brighton Lanes - a nice break from the jewellery shops! The shop sells a variation of chocolate goodies and Choccywoccy memorabilia (aprons, cookbooks, etc.), and upstairs is the “Bar du Chocolat”. Whimsically decorated and full of real-life examples of Choccy’s incredible cakes, it’s undeniably a fun environment to be in. Unfortunately though, Choccywoccy seem to be labouring under that strange illusion that many other companies are too: they can run efficiently with minimal staff. Although there is a sign saying “seat yourself”, people are often hovering at the top of the stairs waiting for empty tables to be cleared, and the whole experience can take a good hour (longer on weekends). Considering it’s essentially just a cafe, that’s not ideal. I was also disappointed to see that since I moved out of Brighton last year, they’ve retired a great deal of their choc-centric specialities in order to push the cakes. This seems a shame, as chocolate is their namesake and - in my opinion - superior to their cake. You can now only buy goodies such as their incredible popcorn bars in the shop, which demonstrates dramatically less value for money than the cafe used to. If you do decide to go - and many will; they get a lot of tourism traffic - go for a dipping pot, in order to really get a taste of their true speciality.
Address: 30 Meeting Place Lane, Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 1HB
Food: 8
Service: 4
Price: £££ (£=cheap as chips, ££=good for everyday, £££=special occasion, ££££=this better come covered in gold) *price rating is considerate of the fact it’s a cafe; it’s still not exactly expensive*
Look: 9.5
Website: here
Breeze Brasserie
Breeze is one of the first places I ate at in Brighton, when I went to look at the university, and it remains a firm favourite. It’s a British restaurant with a slightly European twist to the menu; think fancy meat and two veg. They consistently turn out perfectly cooked, incredibly tasty dishes, and every time I go I’m in awe at how much I enjoy myself and the meal. I’d highly recommend the pork belly, but the various chicken dishes are great too. On this last trip, my boyfriend and I sat outside and our waiter suffered - I think - from out-of-sight-out-of-mind syndrome, but normally the service is also excellent. There’s a good happy hour from 5pm to 8pm Sunday to Thursday, when cocktails are 2-4-1 (again, you have to get the same cocktail).
Address: 98 Trafalgar Street, Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 4ER
Food: 9.5
Service: 7
Price: ££-£££ (£=cheap as chips, ££=good for everyday, £££=special occasion, ££££=this better come covered in gold)
Look: 6
Website: here
JB’s American Diner
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| My boyf fitting right in. |
JB’s is an absolute classic, and I thought it would be hilarious to take my (American) boyfriend to an American diner. They’ve gone all out here, mixing so many cliches into one: fifties, sports, cartoons, vintage signs, locations, movies, music… That’s what I love about it, but a stick-in-the-mud might say that it destroys any kind of authenticity. Regardless, it’s worth a visit because it does American-sized portions and you can watch constant reruns of Tom & Jerry, listen to Elvis, and swig American soda all night. I’ve been known to indulge my breakfast-obsession and order pancakes at 7pm too. I used to work at an imported sweets shop and we have all of our reunions here; my ex-manager Claire consistently orders a stack of pancakes, regardless of the time of day! Oh, and somehow everyone I used to work with can fit in one of JB’s legendary milkshakes on top of a burger and fries…crazy.
Address: 31 King’s Road, Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 1NR
Food: 8
Service: 7
Price: ££ (£=cheap as chips, ££=good for everyday, £££=special occasion, ££££=this better come covered in gold)
Look: 9
Website: here
A few other things to add - make sure you get to the pier, which is obviously iconic (and 2p machines are still as much fun as they were when I was five). As for shopping, Churchill Square is where to head for big brands (there’s a huge Topshop and Urban Outfitters), but also make sure you wander to the North Laine. Misleading name, as this is actually an area of several small streets that house loads of independent shops and restaurants - pay particular attention to Kensington Gardens, which is completely pedestrianised. Keep an eye out for the awesome graffiti that decorates various walls too. Have a peek at Cybercandy’s ever-changing window display, and get lost in Snooper’s Paradise, a huge antique warehouse. The Lanes proper (or South Lanes) are worth a gander but are more given over to speciality jewellery stores. If you make it as far out as the London Road area, grab a coffee at Presuming Ed or a fry-up at LangeLee’s (unassuming but incredible) and browse the stalls in the Open Market.
We got a good deal (via Booking.com) on a room at MyHotel Brighton, which is in a great location in the North Laine, but I often stay at Motel Schmotel, which is always reasonably priced, brings you breakfast in bed, and is very central!
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