Best Dinner Date Restaurants in Brighton for Every Budget

Brighton is an easy city to plan a dinner date in because most of the places you are likely to consider are fairly close together. You can eat in North Laine, walk down through Pavilion Gardens, have a drink in The Lanes and still be on the seafront without needing a taxi. Some Brighton restaurants are perfect for a casual first meeting. Others make more sense when dinner is the main event and you are happy to spend £100 or more between you. If you are meeting one of our Brighton escorts, these are some of the restaurants we would look at first.

Fatto a Mano, North Laine

Address: 25 Gloucester Road, Brighton BN1 4AQ
Allow: roughly £20 to £30 each for food and a drink

A good Brighton date for around £20 to £30 per person. Fatto a Mano on Gloucester Road is an easy choice when you want somewhere decent without turning dinner into a big occasion.

The pizzas are the reason to go. Prices are reasonable by central Brighton standards and the atmosphere is busy enough that there is none of the awkward silence you sometimes get in quieter restaurants. It is also in a useful part of town. North Laine has plenty of pubs and bars if you decide to stay out afterwards, while the Pavilion and The Lanes are only a short walk away. This is probably the strongest option on the list for a first date or an early evening meal before heading somewhere else.

Permit Room, East Street

Address: 32 East Street, Brighton BN1 1HL
Allow: around £25 to £40 each, more if you stay for several cocktails

Best if you want food and cocktails in the same place. Permit Room is on East Street, close to The Lanes and a few minutes from Brighton Pier. The menu is built around Indian dishes that work well for sharing. You can order a couple of smaller plates, add a curry or biryani and see how hungry you are rather than committing to a long three-course meal. The drinks menu is part of the appeal too. If the conversation is going well, there is no need to rush off as soon as the plates are cleared.

For a central Brighton date where you want some atmosphere without spending heavily, it is a useful middle ground. From here you are already in one of the better parts of Brighton for carrying on the evening. The seafront is at the bottom of the road and most of the bars around The Lanes are within walking distance.

Bincho Yakitori, Preston Street

Address: 63 Preston Street, Brighton BN1 2HE
Allow: about £30 to £45 each for food

For something less predictable than pizza or pasta. Bincho is one of the more interesting choices around Preston Street. It is Japanese yakitori rather than formal restaurant dining, with skewers and small dishes arriving as they are cooked. That makes it a good place to order a few things, share them and add more as you go.

The room itself is compact and fairly lively. If you are looking for white tablecloths and a quiet corner, this is probably not the one. If you would rather have good food in a place that feels informal, it makes much more sense. Preston Street also puts you almost on the seafront, close to the i360 and West Pier. Book ahead on a Friday or Saturday. It is not a huge restaurant.

The Burnt Orange, Middle Street

Address: 59 Middle Street, Brighton BN1 1AL
Allow: roughly £45 to £65 each for a fuller evening

The Burnt Orange is the one we would pick for a date that needs to feel a little more considered without going all the way to fine dining. It is on Middle Street, tucked just behind the seafront. The cooking centres on fire and sharing plates, so you will usually end up ordering several dishes for the table rather than separate mains. The restaurant gets busy later in the evening and has more of a bar feel than some of Brighton's traditional dining rooms. That works well if you want to have a drink before eating or stay at the table after dinner rather than immediately moving on.

Food alone can be kept fairly sensible, but once you add cocktails or wine the bill climbs quickly. It is also a good location if your plans include an overnight stay. Our guide to escort-friendly hotels in Brighton covers options nearby as well as hotels around the station and further along the seafront.

The Salt Room, King's Road

Address: 106 King's Road, Brighton BN1 2FU
Allow: around £50 to £80 each for dinner, depending heavily on what you order

If you specifically want a restaurant by the sea, The Salt Room is one of the obvious places to consider. It is opposite the beach on King's Road, next to the Hilton Brighton Metropole. Seafood is the main draw, although there are meat and vegetarian dishes on the menu too. This is better suited to a proper evening meal than a quick bite before going out. Fish, shellfish and drinks can take the bill comfortably past £100 for two, particularly if you start ordering larger seafood dishes.

The location earns its place on the list. You can walk along the promenade before dinner, head towards The Lanes afterwards or stay around the seafront for drinks. If you want the restaurant without the full evening bill, it is worth checking the current lunch menu too.

FURNA, New Road

Address: 6 New Road, Brighton BN1 1UF
Allow: around £95 each for the full tasting menu before drinks

FURNA is a different proposition from the other restaurants here. It is on New Road beside the Theatre Royal and a short walk from the Royal Pavilion. The full tasting menu is around the £95 per person mark before drinks, so this is one to book when you have already decided that the meal itself is going to take up most of the evening. The setting is smaller and quieter than somewhere such as Permit Room or The Burnt Orange. You are also committing to a longer meal, which is worth bearing in mind when deciding whether it suits the date.

If you are going to the theatre or starting the evening around Pavilion Gardens, the location is especially convenient. FURNA also runs shorter or lower-priced menus at certain times, so check what is available on the date you are booking.

Terre à Terre, East Street

Brighton has no shortage of vegan and vegetarian restaurants, but Terre à Terre has been part of the city for decades. It is on East Street, between The Lanes and the seafront. The menu is entirely vegetarian and is much more ambitious than the usual collection of meat-free substitutes. You do not need to be vegetarian to enjoy it, which makes it useful if one person eats meat and the other does not.

It is also in a particularly easy spot for a date. You can have dinner, walk down to the pier or turn back into The Lanes for a drink.