Amalfi Italian restaurant in Brighton and Hove

Booked here based on Google reviews and the first few photos of the food online. We have learnt a valuable lesson tonight never to do this again. Pretty dreadful experience right through from the cobwebs on the walls to the haphazard service, long waits and very poor food quality. 20 mins after ordering, we were told my main wasn’t available so had to change. Waited for drinks. Waited for wine. Waited for water. We waited for everything. 45 mins wait from being seated to starters arriving. Mushrooms floating in a watery cream sauce. Failed to pick up the garlic anywhere. Polpette half the size of the photos. Hard and very average according to the Italian I dined with. Asked for bread. Waiter ran to get some and never returned. Mains fared no better. Poor quality carbonara with guanciale not rendered out so just lumps of soft unappealing fat. Egg and pecorino cheese mixture through the pasta and poor effort to make an actual carbonara sauce. Half eaten and left. Likewise the amatriciana was just a tomato sauce without any hint of chili. And again lumps of guaniciale fat not rendered. Extra parmesan requested and arrived with waitress in bowl with teaspoon who proceeded to shake literally half a spoon on the carbonara and ask ‘Enough?’. She wasn’t going to leave it with us. Didn’t realise parmesan cost the same as gold. Both times the waiter came to clear the plates, asking ‘Good?’. We just mumbled words to get rid of him, not wanting to break his spirit. Table across from us got £50 off their bill as they waited so long for food (over an hour just for mains, no starters) and complained also about the quality of the food. So the experience was not just unique to us. We weren’t just unfortunate or unlucky. Amazed places like this stay in business so long. Whoever is giving them great reviews must have very low standards. After paying the £76 (incl 12.5% service), we vowed never to go back.

Good Italian food, family run style. Simple decor, excellent service. Small, pleasant, not grand. Good menu, reasonable wine

Went for our 11th anniversary Starters were fine but my fillet of Cod in rich sauce had 6 bones in it .. really difficult to detect, eat and just ruined the meal (with me having to fish out the bones in mouth leaving obvious fishy fingers Just not on these days to serve a fillet of fish with bones in

Amazing place great food as always! Staff is so kind and polite and the place as an amazing italian feeling. Definitely will be back a gem in st james

This is a beautiful authentic Italian restaurant. The staff were very lovely and food was gorgeous. Lovely experience!