The Chilli Pickle

This place ROCKS.
I don’t think I will ever be able to enjoy a curry that isn’t from here. They’ve ruined me for life.
We ordered a MASSIVE amount off the menu (go hard or go home, kids) and demolished the lot because its so good! We had the lamb, the salmon, chicken, dosa and loads of sides and naans and things. The staff are exceptional here and I would seriously recommend it just based on the staff, even if the awards and food do speak for themselves.
100% the best curry in Brighton. Don’t go anywhere else.

Took my gf here for NYE dinner. We split the Tandoori Kesar Paneer and the Chettinad Chicken Biryani. The Chettinad was just a touch dry but still delicious, and the Paneer was crazy good. Eaten with the honey drizzled Peshwari Naan, it was out of this world.
The chili pickle mix was just a small tin of nuts and bits – my bad. Don’t order it as an app, it’s more like a bar snack.
Also, it was cold and wet outside (surprise) – they could use a coat rack or something.
Looking forward to going back for the king thali at lunch :)

If I had to choose one favourite restaurant in Brighton I would probably have to go with the Chilli Pickle. It just ticks a lot of boxes for me — excellent service, nice comfortable setting with interesting things to look at, menu changes regularly and I know that anything I order will taste amazing. They do really nice soft drinks as well as cocktails and great quality beers and wines. I think the price is good for the standard you are getting.
At lunch you can get a King Thali and they are huge with so many different little treats and sauces it’s quite exciting really and always really impressed friends when I take them there. They are so filling so be warned, go there hungry. All the meals are a good size I can’t have starters and a main it’s too much. Last time me and my friend shared the starter of duck dumplings then one King Thali and it was plenty enough for lunch for 2 people.
I keep meaning to try the dosa as it looks brilliant.
For evening meals I have had the lamb shank meal before which was super as well as the fish meals and mixed grills. It’s all good.
Another good thing is it’s next door to the myhotel bar so you can go for a cocktail before dinner or after.

Very very good food. I visited after a day out stumbling around Brighton. The food was very tasty, authentic and inexpensive, the staff were also good fun and didn’t mind that we had had a few drinks prior! I will definitely be visiting again should I get the chance!

King Thali is the way to go! For 13.50, you get a complete meal with various vegetables, riata, naan, rice, dal, and even dessert on top of a main dish of your choice. I had a late lunch (around 1:30) and still got through perhaps ²⁄₃ of the dish because of so much food. The spiciness of the dishes were dialed down one notch, however. My simmered chicken with one chili pepper had almost no kick to it. Nonetheless, it was delicious to eat with the vegetables, rice, and naan.
I love the space as well — very open and conducive to natural lighting everywhere.

Love this place. We’ve been a number of ties and it’s our fave curry place in Brighton city centre. The restaurant is well designed with lots of space and the food is out of this world, with lots of flavour. I love the dosa’s. There are some great deals on Thalis at certain times of the week which is a good way to try a range of what is on offer. The Chilli Pickle does seem to be getting busier every time we go, so remember to book!

I am basing this solely on the last takeaway I had from The Chilli Pickle.
Which was good.
But that is all.
«Good» does not justify the cost in comparison to other takeaway services.
The takeaway box it comes in is pretty handy.
The poppadom/​dipping sauce ratios are way off (you end up with loads of extra sauce and become desperate for more poppadom).
The quality of the food is good, but not exceptional.
Worth a try.

In Brighton and my sister had heard a lot of good things about this place so we checked it out for a very late lunch.
Even though we turned up at 2.50 (lunch finished at 3) they were more than happy to accommodate us. Both of us ordered the Grand Thali for just £10 (special price on a Monday!) and were way too stuffed to finish it all. You get a choice from a menu of 9 – 10 different curries and there was great variety. The Chicken Kurchen was my choice and it had a great level of spice sitting in the background that crept up on you when it felt like it was getting too weak.
Alongside the curry there was a plethora of different little treats such as lentil dal, bhaji, pakora, rice, dhokla (like a savoury sponge cake), pickle, raita and a ‘mini’ naan that was anything but that.
Would definitely recommend this place for Indian food and will be back again.

I’ve been to the darling, bustling Chilli Pickle twice now, it’s time for some words to get done written on this high concept Indian diamond.
SO.MUCH.FOOD. Both times I left regretting the last few bites but then I think «no regrets!» and I have a few more and then I’m loosening my belt as I walk out because I want to basically lie down in the street and snooze my way through the digestion process. Needless to say? The portions are quite generous, and tasty as well.
Service = stellar. I lunched with colleagues weekday, and on a recent weekend trip to Brighton headed back with my infant son and husband. Both times we were met with wonderful welcomes, great hospitality start to finish. High class, very polished and friendly.
Everything I sampled was great. I can’t even remember because I had a food induced brain coma of sorts, but I loved it all. The specials/​combos are great and allow you to try a few different things and all the sides are also good. The garlic naan = perfection. Not hard to see why I was leaving so full now, right? Oh and pour a chai on top of that too. And a Bloody Mary. Ok now I’m mixing up my visits, but suffice it to say if you’re after a good meal with some great drinks in a festive atmosphere, Chili Pickle is a great bet.
*Pro-​tip on the kid menu — the kati roll is HUGE. I was thinking it was going to be a smaller portion but its massive. If you’ve got smaller kids you can easily split one for a few of them.
*Kid-​friendly: high chairs available, they’ll store your buggy out of sight and a changing table in the loo. Bonus.
*Would be good for groups, it’s spacious — make a booking.

Meh. Chili Pickle is a bit too bland for me. Cutesy décor, but caliber of food doesn’t reach Dishoom. Chai was clearly a powder mix. Mango lassi was good. Pani puri was OK. Would not order it again. Best puri I had was at Vic’s in Berkeley. The dosa was the best thing we ordered at Chili Pickle. It was yummy but the the outside wasn’t uniformly cooked, with a few spots of thick, raw batter. The potatoes inside were very yummy. I’ve been spoiled after having amazing dosa at Vic’s and at Dosa in San Francisco. Gosh I sound like a hater, but after reading the reviews I had expected much more.

The Chilli Pickle serves some of the moat authentic indian dishes I’ve ever eaten. They are passionate about flavour and the food is seriously tasty! Love that you can see into the kitchen, buzzing atmosphere and the staff are spot on. Ive been with friends, family and work-​its a big place so good for big groups.

I was actually taken to Chilli Pickle on a business lunch and was worried as I really don’t eat spicy food. I have the buttered chicken and it was really good! A few of the little dips caught me out as they were too spicy for me. The waitress was helpful and polite and did explain all the dishes unfortunatly there were just so many on my plate I forgot which had the heat :-S … Great food great service. Recommended

this is one of my favourites in town. I was put off by the place at first, because it’s high-​end and I don’t always want to spend a lot on lunch or dinner. But it is worth the bit extra. The staff is friendly, room for buggies, kids welcome, and great food. I always go for the dosa — and my son will eat the less spicy kids’ version. I have tried the thalis (yum) and little dishes (amazing). I wish I could cook like this at home. For gluten free dining, they will substitute naan with gf options, which is good for us as well. Worth booking in advance.

British curry is no joke. The Brits take their curry so seriously that they host the annual British Curry Awards — affectionately dubbed the curry Oscars — fully decked with a red carpet, celeb presenters, and only the best Indian fare for their foodie-​studded audience. Spoiler alert: The Chilli Pickle earned an award from the ‘academy’ with wins in 2010 and 2012 (for Most Innovative Restaurant and Best Casual Restaurant, respectively). Oh yessiree, they’re the real McCoy!
As soon as I finished devouring the best Indian meal of my life, my woes began. The Chilli Pickle is located 5,385 miles away from my home! Sorry, San Francisco friends — but you can’t Postmates this goodness.
On a soggy Wednesday we headed to The Chilli Pickle for a late lunch and were greeted with a bright and modern setting and a menu packed with tantalizing items. I was torn between ordering the Paneer Pasanda and the Cochin Chicken Curry, but in the end, the lure of almond gravy, saffron, cream, and green chilli won.
So Paneer Pasanda it was, and soon there were fireworks… in my mouth. Though you might balk at the prices, my entrée came loaded with all the accoutrements — I’m talking pilau rice, dal, veggies, chutney, salad, raita, and naan. Well worth the splurge; you’ll taste the difference!
The only sour part of my meal was 45 minutes in, as we approached the end (sob). Even after I got back to London, my experience at the Chilli Pickle was top of mind — so much that I ordered Indian takeway the very next night. Big mistake, because even though that next meal was good, there was no comparison to the magic I gleefully consumed in Brighton.
Multiple British Curry awards, a current 5-​year streak of Michelin Bib Gourmands, and a well-​earned 4.5 star rating on Unilocal.These guys are doing everything right.

Dosa does as dosa does.
Well, something about dosas. Absolutely amazing, authentic south Indian Masala Dosa as long as my arm, as warm and hot as needed on a cold November afternoon, and as spiced and fragrant as you could want.
I have a thing about dosas. My yoga friends and I used to take a Sunday morning ashtanga class, followed by a midday masala dosa (the Indian-​in-​Britain equivalent of a Sunday Roast lunch) that would keep us full till dinner time. And if you go Mysore to practice Ashtanga, a dosa would be the street food you’d eat every day. To say I’m emotionally attached to them is an understatement.
As for The Chilli Pickle. Well, I met a few people in Brighton over one day who all told me Chilli Pickle was their favourite place to eat in Brighton. So when it turned out to be right next to the coffee shop we were in, it seemed like the stars had alligned. My two dining companions had thali platters that looked wonderful: many many small dishes, perfect for the foodie who likes to try many different flavours.
The coconut chutney, sambar and wee curry that came with my masala dosa were all delicious too. It’s worth noting they only do one type of dosa (masala dosa, which is potato) so no meat-​option. But that’s traditional.
It’s a big restaurant inside, yet they keep it feeling warm. Our waiter was so friendly, polite and able to help us choose what we wanted from the many, many delicious options.
Chilli Pickle serves very good, very authentic Indian food and next time I’m in Brighton I think a dosa will certainly be on the menu.

Absolutely the best Indian food I have had at a restaurant in a very long time. The flavors are authentic Indian with improvisation and cutting down or increasing spice level does not change the flavor. We tried Kenya mix, fried Skate, Tandoori platter, Cochin chicken curry, pulao and sweets and I cannot forget the taste of anything. I just wish this was in USA so that I could eat more frequently

I don’t particularly like Indian food, but this place may just have the power to turn that around. It was pretty decent, lots of options + has an amazing Thali on Mondays. The waiter took the time to explain everything we had in front of us, which was nice. The dessert was easily the best I’ve ever had.

Oh my goodness. Have you ever had a meal that you just never wanted to end. This was that kind of meal. One of my girlfriends recommended this place to me since we were going to be in Brighton and I’m so grateful she did.
It was difficult to settle on just two dishes from the menu but finally decided on the Persian Chicken Biryani and the Himachal Chickpea, Squash Curry. Oh. My. God. Seriously. I can’t even put into words how fantastic our meal was. We were both stuffed when we finished yet still wanted to order more because we didn’t want the happiness to end.
This was, by far, the best Indian meal I’d had in all of England… or Canada… or I’ll bet, should I ever go to India, there too! Absolutely fabulous.
The chicken in the biryani was tender and juicy, the rice perfectly cooked. The sides supporting this dish were incredible especially the chutney! The chickpea/​squash curry was to die for. I don’t think I’ve ever had a dish more flavourful than this one. Every mouthful ended with a satisfying sigh.
This meal was worth the trip the Brighton.

The Chilli Pickle… Excellent food, excellent service, book ahead of time if you have no alternative in mind.
The king thali is the star of this establishment. They are superb. This is my favourite place to eat in Brighton & we will be back time & time again. If you like fragrant, fresh, interesting food then come here. If you’re expecting to be dished up what you would usually order from an Indian restaurant, then you’ll be disappointed (but then really excited because what you get is soooo much better).
The smells and flavours are sensational. I miss the spice of the Indian food that I’m used to but it’s okay to have a night off from the chilli once in a while.
I really need to get involved with the rest of the menu, but since I started with the king thali it’s really hard to not have one. The husband has had the chilli fries with chicken and that was also amazing (but my thali was better, shhhh).
If you don’t know what a thali is, it’s a collection of small Indian dishes all put together on a large tray. I think you get about 13 dishes in total, including naan, popudom, various chutneys and dips, and even a small dessert.
Talking of dessert. we don’t usually order dessert but the ones here are stunning. The rice pudding, the milk balls, the ice cream (I’ll look up the names at a later date). I think the milk curd balls are my favourite (don’t be put off by the description).
The staff here are great & they explain what all the thali dishes are when it arrives. They are always about to answer questions.
They also have a lemon and lime water drink that comes sweet or salty, for between £2 and £3 and it’s delicious. Comes in a big jug & it’s all you need to accompany the amazing food.
I’ll add some photos when I can’t — they are a feast for the eyes. Everything looks great as well as tastes great.
Yum!

I came to the Chilli Pickle on a busy Saturday night crossing my fingers that they’d have a table available. But of course, all tables were booked. However when we asked if we could sit outside, the staff set up a table within a few minutes and we immediately were looking over their diverse menu. What surprised me the most during this evening was how we were given the same amount of attention outside as the other customers indoors. Food was great, the set menu is hard to resist.
Overall I had a good experience here and will come back again!