English’s of Brighton

The food was amazing and the stuff really polite and willing to help. The oysters and lobster thermidor were extremelly good.

Bön restaurant de poisson au coeur de Brighton. Le service est bienveillant et très professionnel.
En entrée, une copieuse salade chèvre-​tomates rôties a ravi mes papilles. Côté plat, du saumon accompagné d’une salade au fenouil m’a bien plu aussi. A table, tous sont satisfaits. Seul bémol, les accompagnements (olives, pain), les boissons (une bouteille d’eau plate et un verre de vin) font rapidement grimpé l’addition, prudence donc.
La petite place où se trouve le restaurant est très animée et sympathique (musiciens, passants).
La terrasse semble être rapidement bondée, pensez à réserver.

The best fish and chips I’ve ever had!!! way better than the ones in Palm court in pier one~(btw that restaurant has the worst fish and chips in UK…
Cheese Haddock was a little too salty though~

I went here on Saturday night and had a pretty lovely time. This wasn’t a Unilocal recommendation, my brother in law said this place was good, and he was right! It is predominantly sea related creatures on the menu, so if you’re not a big fan, this wouldn’t be the place for you.
I had the chorizo scallop fritters to start which were fantastic. I then had the fish pie for main, which was pretty heavy but delicious too. My partner in crime for the evening had the monkfish which was super good. Portions were hefty (you probably don’t need sides, even though they will encourage you to do so). Good bellinis, good house white wine, good service with friendly (but not overly invasive) staff.
Missing one star for me because the atmosphere was a bit lacking — it could do with better lighting (it’s very «glary» in here), and maybe some background music. We got there at 7 and were in a very empty room until a big table turned up.

I was delighted by this restaurant as I had been told I would be. Excellent service, pristine and delicate portions. Left satisfied by not overly full. I would love to take any one from out of town here. Nice treat.

Mother’s Day crowds gave us a 2 hour wait at neighboring Fishy Fishy, and so my friend and I hastened to the nearest, nicest, emptiest restaurant: English’s. We were seated very promptly, and not even made to wait until the other two people in our party arrived.
Being visitors from London and unsure as to whether English’s was actually a stodgy-​looking tourist trap, we made some observations of the other diners. They seemed happy without being inordinately happy (ie the first time they’ve ever had the fish and the chips).
Next, I did something I tend to stay away from, and ordered from the fixed menu: marinated mussels for a starter and English’s fish cake with curry sauce for a main. We also ordered a lobster croquette starter, which came out a bit late (with the rest of the starters instead of before), which was fine – though the server was clearly experienced enough to have higher standards for herself, and voluntarily told us she’d leave it off the bill. I’d say the croquettes were worth the money that we didn’t have to pay, so this was a nice bonus.
The mussels could have been a little fresher, but were seasoned nicely. The fish cake was extremely good – perfectly crisp on the outside and tender on the inside, evading the usual trap of soggy outside and mushy inside, and there was a poached egg with a good runny yolk perched on top.
I’m not sure if Fishy Fishy could have done any better than this – from serendipity came one satisfactory lunch!

It would be good to rave about English’s as a real Brighton institution, haunt of the rich and famous and provider of great food. And in some cases this place in the Lanes is Brighton’s best restaurant. In some other senses it is a bit of a let down. The food, fish and the like, is excellent, I have never been diappointed. The mackeral pâté in particular is a delight. The wine list is good, I enjoyed a light Chablis last time I was there. But it is a bit down at heel. The inside is a bit shabby and the toilets are a bit manky.

Been living in Brighton for over 10 years, and this was the first time i’ve been here, wish i hadn’t waited so long.
The place reminded me of an old theatre, a little cramp inside, but full of charm and charachter. Plenty to choose from on the menu, you can spend as little and as much as you like, the 2 courses for 15 quid is pretty good value, though i ordered a couple of sides as well.
And you’ll never know who youre gonna see while your in there, 3 ex England cricketers came in while i was there.

Une vraie institution à Brighton ! Un restaurant d’au moins 300 ans !
Un des rares restaurants fruits de mer de cette station balnéaire à se fournir de poissons des eaux de la région.
Les plateaux de fruits de mer sont un poil chers mais sont excellents et copieux.
Le personnel est très accueillant et la déco «grand restaurant» de très bon goût.
Une terrasse l’été devant le restaurant peut être vraiment agréable.
Attention à né pas louper le restaurant, car vous pouvez facilement passer devant sans le voir car il se trouve dans un petit renfoncement.
Parfait pour un dimanche midi pour déguster de bons fruits de mer et profiter du «vrai» Brighton et de locaux qui mangent au bar.

I loved the interior of this restaurant, with it’s warm red walls and regency paintings. Our food was absolutely gorgeous and my husband and I argued over whose was the nicest. I would definitely recommend the southern fried cod. I’m not usually a fan of deep-​fried food but the batter was light and crispy and the sort of salsa relish that comes with it matches perfectly. While the restaurant is quite posh, they have an excellent sent menu so if you’re watching the pennies, you can still enjoy a three course meal for £20. The only real downside was the trek to the ladies, which was in the attic!

After a fairly disappointing meal the previous evening at the London Unity curry pub we decided to head into the heart of Brighton and play it safe last Saturday night with an old school restaurant experience.
We rolled up around 6pm, hungry after an afternoon spent strolling along the prom, and English’s was already packing them in my advice would be to book well in advance at the weekend.
We were offered the choice of a table in the ground floor dining room, there are few rooms where you can take your supper, or a table on the terrace which forms part of a busy, bustling square. Although the weather was quite nice the hordes of stag and hen do’s roaming about were already getting a little noisy so we decided to dine inside. However, on a sunny afternoon the terrace would be my first choice.
The downstairs dining room is very cosy and most of the tables will only accommodate a couple sitting side by side. The décor was probably quite trendy, in a French romantic type of style, when it was done in the 70’s or early 80’s now it’s just quaint and very retro.
We kicked off our meal with a nicely chilled glass of Tio Pepe and half a dozen Carlingford oysters. These were just lovely fresh, slightly creamy and a big mouthful of sea-​like goodness. God’s own food.
After much debate we decided to go with the set menu which offers plenty of choice and great value for the centre of Brighton (during the week you get 2 courses for a tenner which is a couple of pounds less than the fish and chips in my local pub!!). B started with the lemon sole goujons and I went for the scallop with roasted squash and harissa; both were very tasty and skilfully executed.
Trying to get rid of the memory of my dodgy curry from the night before I went for the fish and chips in the hope of restoring my faith in classic ««British» cooking; thankfully this was most certainly a proper job. A tasty, thin crispy batter, fresh haddock and a well fried chunky chips. B was being a little more daring with her choice of the Indian spiced sea bream, which looked and smelled very good. It lasted no more than 10 minutes on the plate which tells its own story.
On the wine front there is a decent selection but you will struggle to find much worth drinking under £20 we decided on a Voignier which was fine and went well with the fish.
Part of the pleasure of dining in this restaurant is the people watching and you will find plenty of folk to keep you entertained should the conversation flag. On our visit we had a bunch of highly amusing toffs on our right, an orange looking Northern lass and her lad on a weekend mini break to the left, a few coffin dodgers dotted around the room and a couple of seriously overweight, picture postcard, ladies to the fore. Blighty in all its late summer, seaside glory.

Loved it!
It’s a bunch of small room cobbled together. It’s fusty and a bit musty and tattered here and there but don’t let that distract you from why you’re here:
to eat, and well, hopefully.
Seated side by side, my partner and I gazed over to the couple across the way and saw the man look up and frown at us. Subtle, that.
The menu offerings are amazing, the preparation are excellent, the service flawless.
Probably the best place to eat in town. Come and enjoy.

Excellent food, and the service was as you would expect it from such a posh restaurant. I took my parents there in the past and they enjoyed it so much that we went back there the next time they came to Brighton. The interior is a bit too old fashioned and conservative for me to feel as cosy as some of the elderly visitors probably did, but the staff certainly didn’t seem to discriminate.
I’d go there again if I could afford it because I thoroughly enjoyed the food, but will have to leave that either for when I become rich, or for when relatives who are financially better off than I am come for a visit.

A nice little fish restaurant near the university. Not so expansive, but really tasty!
;)

I’m coy to admit that despite being a Brighton native, and having lived in our great city for most of my life, that I have never been to this Brighton legend until last week. English’s is known by many as the city’s number one fish restaurant: they’ve been serving for more than acentury. Favoured by stars like Olivier (and others according to the menu blurb) and much praised by the cognoscenti, it’s as high end as Brighton gets. But I worry it may be trading on past glories.
I have no complaints about the food. Smoked Mackerel pâté with bread was nice. I had potted shrimps and they were lovely too. But the portions were skimpy. And English’s isn’t cheap. I loved my grilled plaice and chips. In fact, the chips were divine. The meal was crisply accompanied by an excellent Italian white wine. On a clement evening it was charming to sit outside and it’s a good location, in the heart of the lanes, to watch Brighton pass by.
But it’s a bit shabby inside. They have some dodgy wall paintings and, frankly, the toilets are a bit squalid for an establishment that wants to claim class as one of its selling points.

The best Fish Restaurant in Town
Übersichtliche Karte.
Frisch und perfekt zubereitete Speisen!

I was tempted into English’s by the appearance of potted shrimps on the menu. Inside the restaurant is fab, very traditional looking with crimson velvet banquette seating, wall murals depicting the Edwardian era and white linen table cloths. They have made clever use of a small corner by having tables for two where you sit next to your companion rather than opposite them. It’s quite nice, although it does mean if there is a couple sitting on the table opposite yours it’s hard not to stare right at them. We were greeted by a gentleman who offered to take out coats and then shown to a table. The waitress asked us if we would like a drink — we ordered red wine which I think first planted the seeds of doubt about us into her mind, especially seeing as the steak and kidney pudding was off the menu.
There was only one other couple in there when we arrived. They were Swedish, and when the woman who was looking for the toilet accidentally headed towards the kitchen, the waitress made eye-​contact with us, as if to say, ‘what is that weirdo doing?’ It turned out these sort of conspiratorial looks were a speciality of hers; whenever someone said something that she obviously though was funny or strange she would look at us again like ‘get a load of this.’ I think we disappointed her however when we ordered two starters (scallops and potted shrimps) and then side of lyonnaise potatoes and spinach. She looked at us like we were totally crazy and asked, ‘perhaps you would like something cold instead? A salad maybe?’ before recovering her composure and saying ‘It’s up to you of course, spinach, yes, great.’ In spite of her inability to hide the fact that she thought everyone was totally loony, and we were the worst of all with our red wine and hot side orders, our waitress was actually very sweet. We finished with cheese and coffee, the meal came to just under £50. This is not a cheap place! But very atmospheric, and a great place to go for something a bit special.

English’s is the poshest meal I ever had in Brighton, its proper seafood restaurant selling all the usual pricey specialties like Lobster Themador and Oysters. The delicacies on the menu and the caliber of the chef is reflected in the price, but the cost is completely worth it.
It has the feel of a converted house with narrows stair cases leading to small homely dining rooms, but it all adds to the atmosphere, they also have outside seating with heaters through out the summer.

I do get annoyed with some of the restaurants in Brighton as they can often charge high prices but deliver average plates of food. Englishs is somewhere you can guarantee you and your dinner guests are going to love.
First of all, the location is fantastic — especially in the summer due to the fact you can sit outside and listen to the street performers (usually jazz or skiffle) strut their stuff. After your meal you’re right on the button to start exploring the Laines.
Last time I was there I had the Dover sole, it was literally melt in the mouth standard and seasoned to perfection. My favourite part of the restaurant is the oyster bar, a little more secluded than the main area and ideal if you fancy sharing a bottle of wine (the wine list is fantastic! Try the Sancerre) and some fresh, locally shellfish.

I’d never eaten here before, despite English’s reputation in Brighton for being one of the classic restaurants to go to, partly because of its heritage having been here so long.
My first impressions were that it had a cosy, quintessentially British feel, which was immediately followed by noticing that everyone in the joint (lunchtime on a Wednesday) was 65 or older.
We sat down, ordered Plaice and Chips and some fizzy water and bread.
The service was fine, and the food arrived reasonably quickly and I thought it was nice. Tender, soft fish with yummy tartare sauce and posh mushy peas. And a reasonable cappuccino to finish up.
I wouldn’t say it was incredible, or even very good, but it was nice and OK.
Definitely a good spot to bring clients or family that are looking for an old fashioned ‘Brighton meal out’ (as there are much better contemporary options) but good enough.

If your celebrating a special occasion or just want to treat yourself then Englishes is the place to go. Situated at the start of Brighton’s famous Lanes, its a great location in the bustling summer months and cosy winter evening alike. It offers outdoor seating adjacent to the East Street square where there’s often street performers and a stalls particularly at the weekend.
Famous for its lobster Englishes is pricey but you get what you pay for. When dining with a large party we were given two free aperitifs each which certainly softened the blow. The Scallops St Jacques are absolutely fantastic.

English’s of Brighton is a popular seafood restaurant in Brighton. I’m quite surprise there were no reviews about this place. They have been serving fresh seafood for over 100 years.
It’s situated at the Lanes district, the old town Brighton. A bit tricky to find. From the name, seafood is their specialty. I ordered fresh battered fish & chips and the thermidor lobster. The lobster was to die for. It’s flamed with brandy, cooked with cheese and mustard sauce. Fresh battered fish is up to the caliber too!
While all of us were sampling different dishes. Overall, it was a good experience and the food is fresh. It’s a 2 floor restaurant, during the summer time. They have an open air dining out on the square.
Reservations is recommended. And yes, it’s going to be pricey.

I can’t understand why I am the first to review this restaurant as it is always so popular ! The restaruant is usualy packed and — in the summer — they have an overspill of tables onto the pedestrianised area outside.
Whilst the food is usually very nice the atmosphere of the restaurant is stuffy and old fashioned. I would expect that this can be loved or loathed (and to be honest I am probably in the latter category). The menu is expensive.
If it is a fish restaurant you want then there are far cheaper — and in my opinion, better — choices just a stone throw away.
Nice place to take an elderly relative for a posh dinner !

An old established Fish restaurant at the higher end for A La Carte, but often offers set meals which are good value, don’t be afraid to ask about them if they are not on show.
My favourite ploy is to sit outside on a sunny Sunday, when usually a jazz band is playing nearby.
Good food, efficient service, inside is a little dated. There used to be a Wheeler’s nearby, which closed a couple of years ago.
Can be booked.