13 Tasty and Cheap Places to Eat in Brighton
When I am out and about in Brighton you would usually find me in the North Laine or The Lanes. The only time I venture into Hove is to visit friends. This list is really just about central Brighton, it doesn't even include Kemptown. We have many great places to eat at in Brighton and I have decided to focus on only independent places even excluding small Brighton chains. I want to shout all the small businesses because some of these are run solely by one or two very hard working people who have a real passion for their job and they deserve to be recognised. This is a list of affordable, down-to-earth places ideal for a quick meal. I am often running around town hungry and need to grab something to eat real quick and these are some of my most favourite places to go to.
Disclaimer: I have never worked with any eateries on this list. I chose these places because I genuinely love them and I like the staff that work there. The order is RANDOM, these places serve different type of food so I cannot say one is better than the other!
1. Dutch Pot - Caribbean food
This is where you go for your Caribbean food. It is the best in town. The owner is the friendliest guy, his food truck is perfectly placed near North Laine and near Brighton station. They have all the classics such as mac and cheese and jerk chicken. Their dumplings are amazing and you can buy their home made jerk sauce to take home! Order or have a look at their menu here.
V - Veggie option available.
GF - Their Veggie Rundown is gluten free.
Do you though? I do, and I think they do the best one in Brighton. The service is fast despite it being crazy popular. If you come around lunch time expect a long queue. My favourite is their sweet potato halloumi one. Every day there is a special flavour so if you are unlike me and like trying new things you might enjoy it. I prefer to be boring and always get the same thing.
V - All vegetarian.
VG - Great vegan options.
GF - Available.
3. Helmston - vegan 'Indonesian vibe' food
Tucked away near the city college is a cozy, lovely cafe Helmston where I believe 90% of stuff is vegan and the owner makes the most delicious and still healthy cakes. Here you really get fresh, healthy and big meals for cheap. The place is charmingly small but there is a table in the back or you can sit right outside. There is also Pelham square park few steps away which makes for a lovely spot for lunch. There is so much to choose from. I like their rice box but I believe their most popular thing is SOME NUMBER salad box!
V/VG/GF - A lot to choose from. If you tell Andy your dietary requirements he will making something very tasty right for you.
4. Milk No Sugar -Vietnamese cafe
Never a bad time at Milk No Sugar, surprisingly quiet at times for what you get. It is so cheap and tasty and I am not sure why it took me so longer to discover them. If you order an XL RAMEN? it is massive, trust me. I usually go for medium and it is more than enough for me. Their rice pancakes are also incredible. It is open till late and they do coffee as well as food. See their menu here.
V/VG/GF - Options for everyone.
5. Casa Azus - authentic Mexican food
V/VG - Everything can be vegetarian or vegan.
GF - Everything on the menu except for one meal is gluten free.
6. Nowhere Man - pancakes
If this isn't everyone's favourite pancake place then I don't know where is. These pancakes are so good and truly made of good ingredients. Decor is missmatched, easy and they have a nice backyard that's perfect. They close their kitchen at 4pm both during the week and on the weekends.
There is both vegan and gluten free option.
V - Lots of options.
VG/GF - Everything can be made vegan or gluten free for £1 extra.
7. Sunbird's Deli - Meditarranean Deli
Lovely small Meditarranean place where I usually get a halloumi and roasted veg wrap and every time I get their baclava. It's truly amazing. Another popular things on their menu is Turkish coffee, mezze platers and baked goods. It is very cheap and honestly my favourite place on London road, it is right next to The Open Market. You might get lucky and score one of the few seats outside and when the weather is bad there is an indoor space too.
V/VG - Yes, quite a few options.
GF - Few GF options available.
8. Smorl's Houmous - vegan cafe
This is a very low-key place run by the lovelist staff, it is both a shop and cafe. They are famous for their delicious humous which you can also buy to take home with you. They use Lebanese tahini and organic chicpeas in their hummus so it is all very tasty and serious. They also sell their own famous hummus and few other bits. I usually go for their falafel in a pita pocket with extra garlic. There is a space to sit and have it at the market or you can get it to take away. You can find Smourl's on deliveroo and on toogoodtogo app. See their menu here.
V/VG - Everything is vegan.
GF - Plenty of GF options available.
9. Mange Tout
I should say that this place isn't cheap if you choose to go there for dinner but their brunch menu is very affordable. I have tried many different brunch spots in Brighton and often when I try a new one I find myself wondering why did I just not go to Mange tout? They won a third place in the Brighton restaurant awards but I believe they deserve first. They do brunch and dinners but because I am someone who always eats the same thing I always go for brunch. I like their eggs royale and pain perdu (french toast). Ideally both at the same time! See brunch menu here.
V - Few options.
VG - Nothing vegan.
GF - Nothing gluten free.
10. Pizza Me
I will always stay truthful to my favourite little pizza place near The Level, it is not a restaurant, only a take-away place and everyone who knows me will know what my typical order is: Nutella Calzone, a huuuuge calzone filled with Nutella, banana and mascarspone. They say it is to share but I don't want to share! There are many vegan pizzas on their menu and you can also buy a slice of pizza for someone else. You donate 2 pounds, write something on a little post-it note and ping it to their board, then someone in need can get a slice on you. I love that idea.
V - Many different veggie pizzas.
VG - They do 10 vegan pizzas.
GF - I don't think there is anything gluten free on their menu (let me know if I am wrong, please).
11. Wai Kika Moo Kau
My favourite place for breakfast is Wai Kika and I have dragged there pretty much everyone I know, it is a vegetarian and vegan cafe, the breakfast is served all day and aside from that they do chilli, burritos, eggs on toast and really good smoothies and juices. It is a pretty sweet spot on a nice street in Brighton where there are no cars and mostly independent shops. On a sunny day you can grab one of the tables outside and enjoy some good people watching. In the second picture you can see 'Mini Breakfast' - not that mini!
As I mentioned this is partly a vegan cafe so many vegan options and quite a few GF.
V - Everything is vegetarian.
VG - Quite a few different vegan options including vegan English breakfast.
GF - A lot of options.
This place is still a bit of a hidden gem even though it is on Sydney street, they are open only from 11:30-15:30 Mon-Fri and closed on the weekends. So you need to plan your visit ahead to make sure you don't miss out on their baos. They also do really amazing rice dishes, poke bows and noodles. Great for a quick lunch.
V/VG - Several options.
GF - Not sure.
13. Happy Maki
V/VG - Everything is vegan
GF - All ingredients apart from hoisin and teriyaki sauces are gluten free as their soy sauce is actually tamari! They also do gluten free teriyaki that they can sub in.
We all have our personal favourites now you know mine I would love to hear yours! Let me know in the comments or on instagram.
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