English's of Brighton

This is a first-rate, old-fashioned fish restaurant. We went for late lunch on Sunday 4th February 2007, were warmly welcomed on arrival, and as we were 20 minutes early we sat at the small bar for champagne and oysters while waiting for our table to be ready. Bread rolls, butter, crab pate and olives were immediately produced to get us started. The restaurant itself has a Parisian feel with large murals around the walls and red velvet banquettes, and is narrow and cosy, somewhat resembling a railway carriage. Service was on the ball and the food - starters of prawns fried in butter with chillies and crab salad, mains of grilled dover sole and halibut were top-rate. Good wine list. Pricey - West End levels - but worth it. For us visitors from London, English's was a real find.
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Anthony Lambie
Monday, February 05, 2007

If you want to visit a lovely restaurant in an old and attractive building, experience old-fashioned good, friendly service and superb seafood, this is a must. Am puzzled by negative previous reviews - and no I don't have to convince myself we've had great meals here.

Situated in The Lanes, by the Sussex pub, with eating inside and out (weather permitting), this fine restaurant has an excellent reputation for fine dining. In the summer, the outside tables are regularly entertained by a dixie style jazz band, which can be great fun.

It is fairly pricy, but you are paying for what you get - the highest quality fare. If funds allow, it is our restaurant of choice, whatever time of the year, lunch or evening.

If you are into seafood, you can't go wrong. From fancy to plain, there is plenty of choice. I nearly always have scallop meuniere, which is simply scallops cooked in lemon butter. But oh what scallops! Tender, plump and tasty, my mouth's watering now at the memory! Oysters are a speciality; on my birthday a couple of years ago, I was even allowed to try an oyster for free! Although not to my taste, it was very fresh and tasted of the sea. Halibut, seabass, lobster, crab etc are all available and all of the best quality. If, like my husband, you're not a fish person, they offer a delicious Scotch fillet steak and also steak & kidney pudding.

I can't tell you what the desserts are like - we never have room!
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Anne Bond
Thursday, January 18, 2007

Having read some of the previous reviews, I felt I had to put the record staight. English's is traditional and, maybe, a litle formal. So, if eating in summer attire (shorts?) is your thing, English's is, thankfully, not for you.

Housed in a lovely old building, the atmosphere is intimate and relaxed. If you want cavernous surroundings, I would suggest you go to one of the many impersonal modernist eateries that, alas, seem to be proliferating in Brighton.

On my numerous vists, the food has been superb. I can especially recommend the mussels which are accompanied by a sauce which is worth coming back for in itself. On top of this, the wine list is extensive and includes items unavailable in lesser establishments.

The service is exemplary and the maitre D's have always been welcoming and delightful.

So, if you are looking for intimate surroundings and a traditional and peaceful atmosphere, English's is a must. If not, please stay away and leave it to those who appreciate quality when they experience it.
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Paul Tyrrell
Friday, June 02, 2006

My wife and I like to experiment with eating out, and fortunately for us we dont have to worry too much about the cost. This, however, doesnt excuse any abuse of customers` pursestrings.

One thing we have learned on our travels, is that price isnt always an indication of quality.

One recent reviewer suggested to a previous reviewer that he would maybe feel better served at a local Fish and chip shop?

Well, my wife and I decided after our recent visit to English`s that we would have been better served doing just that.

Suffering cracked elbows from being stuffed into a corner table with other diners on either side of us, buttocks to buttocks so to speak, didnt lend anything to the atmosphere of an old traditional restaurant. It just made me feel uncomfortable.

My wife`s salmon was barely warm, and my own lobster was rather rubbery.

The wine was grossly overpriced and warmer than the salmon!

I will grant one concession to English`s, it was certainly an interesting visit, and the £135 I spent for two people was definitely a reminder that it is possible to commit piracy or highway robbery ... without a musket.

An abysmal meal, in abysmal surroundings, and my guess is that the people who offer positive reviews, do so because they have to convince themselves it was a marvellous experience for fear of acknowledging the fact that they were well and truly "turned over" to use the parlance.
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Arthur Gittings
Friday, May 12, 2006

The food at english's was fantastic. The best Oysters I ever ate then some really first class crab. Would have been a lunch altogether were it not for the poor service. The waiter took our food order and had returned with our starters before we were able to get drinks. He then forgot our vegetables with the main course and finally, took 30 minutes bringing our coffee. When lunch costs £70 a head, this is just not good enough! The head waiter was on hand at all times to put things right but it turned what woudl otherwise have been a wonderful meal into something far less than that.
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Tuesday, May 02, 2006

A good place for quality fresh fish served simply and well. Despite previous review a place without pretention, and with an excellent Maitre D'. If you are self-conscious you may prefer one of many fish and chip outlets in the area.
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Simon
Saturday, April 01, 2006

I went to English's for my birthday with my girlfriend as I'd heard about their fresh Lobster, we reserved one in advance.

The meal was great, I had Oysters to start then a lovely Lobster Thermador with a nice Rose' I found the staff very polite and helpful.

I find the comments on the crpamed ness and the cutlery below silly as the place is an old victorian restaurant and I like the way it seems very from the period and makes a change from bland magnolia walls and stripped wood, the atmosphere is nice and I would definitely recommend.
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Andrew
Monday, March 13, 2006

I visited this restuarant on a Saturday while visiting brighton with my boyfriend. I found the staff, friendly and attentive without being too pretentious. Although expensive, our seafood platter was lovely, more than enough for two and all the fish was cooked to perfection. I enjoyed the surrounding and the old - fashionned theatre style decor. The only grubble was that it was slightly too cold to sit around for too long.
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gemma
Thursday, February 09, 2006