Hove: A Local's Guide to Eating and Drinking
Brighton's best food has quietly moved west. Here is where to eat, drink and walk in Hove, from a Michelin star to brunch and the seafront.
By Only Brighton Editorial
Hove is where Brighton's best eating has quietly moved. Church Road alone has Maré, the city's only Michelin-starred restaurant, plus Stem, Wild Flor and etch., all in the Michelin Guide, and Jo & Co, voted best brunch in 2026. On Western Road you will find Cin Cin and Palmito, two of the city's four Bib Gourmands, and down the hill there is the Little Fish Market, a 22-seat fish restaurant. Add coffee at Small Batch or 44 Poets, pizza at Fatto a Mano and a walk along the seafront, and you have the perfect Hove day. Everything was checked in October 2026. Yes, Hove, actually. Locals will tell you it was always the nicer bit.
Church Road: dinner
Start at the top. Maré by Rafael Cagali, at 60 Church Road, won a Michelin star in 2026: seasonal Sussex produce cooked through Cagali's Brazilian and Italian heritage, served for dinner Wednesday to Saturday, lunch Thursday to Saturday and Sunday lunch. Stem, at 41 Church Road, was added to the Michelin Guide in 2026: a bohemian bistro with a cocktail bar and vinyl at the front, blackboard steaks and fish at the back, and a well-priced, natural-leaning wine list, according to Michelin's inspectors. Wild Flor, at 42 Church Road, is a relaxed modern British bistro run by old friends, open Tuesday to Saturday. Further west, etch., at 214 to 216 Church Road, is the tasting menu night out, with its Ink cocktail bar alongside. And Fatto a Mano at 65 to 67 Church Road does Neapolitan pizza from £9.50.
Western Road: the Bib Gourmands
Cin Cin, at 60 Western Road, has held a Michelin Bib Gourmand since 2018: sit at the horseshoe counter by the kitchen and order the handmade pasta. Palmito, at 16 Western Road, is a small neighbourhood room with a Bib Gourmand for spice-driven small plates borrowing from Asia and South America, such as scallops with ancho chilli butter; it takes bookings by phone. Both close on Sunday and Monday.
The Little Fish Market, Upper Market Street
The Little Fish Market, at 10 Upper Market Street, is chef Duncan Ray's 22-seat fish restaurant, open on Fridays and Saturdays only, with a three-course set lunch and a six-course tasting menu at dinner. It is in the Michelin Guide. Book well ahead.
Brunch
Jo & Co, at 115 Church Road, won Best Brunch and Most Family Friendly at the 2026 BRAVO awards, with Antipodean-style plates and build-your-own pancakes until 4pm. Oeuf, at 8 Third Avenue, does breakfast and brunch from 9am to 4pm daily, with Benedicts and a secret garden; it is closed from 19 to 23 October 2026 for a refurbishment and reopens on Saturday 24 October. Nord, at 83 Western Road, does Scandi interiors and pistachio pancakes.
Coffee
Small Batch's original home is at 70 Goldstone Villas, right by Hove station. 44 Poets, at 44 Rutland Road, roasts its own beans and serves pourovers, cake and sandwiches through a hatch when the weather is good. WOLFOX Lab, at 109 Western Road, is the elegant option.
Pubs
The Better Half is one of Hove's oldest pubs, recently done up, with home-cooked pub classics. The Robin Hood, on Norfolk Place on the Brighton and Hove border, gives its profits to local good causes and was voted third-best pub in the city in 2026. The Farm Tavern is known for Margarita Thursdays, and Carne, on Church Road, does a Sunday roast that came sixth in the city in 2026, plus a heated garden.
The seafront
Hove's end of the seafront is calmer than Brighton's, and the promenade is made for a slow walk with an ice cream. Rockwater, on the Hove seafront, does sourdough pizza with views out over the Channel, and Marrocco's on the promenade is a long-standing family restaurant also known for its ice cream. The Restaurants Brighton pizza round-up covers both.
A Hove day
Coffee at Small Batch off the train, brunch at Jo & Co, a walk down to the seafront and along the promenade, ice cream at Marrocco's, a pint at the Better Half, then dinner on Church Road, either Maré if you have booked well ahead or Stem if you have not. Hove and Brighton are one city, joined by the seafront, so you can easily do both in a day.
