Amarillo in Brighton and Hove

A “wow” experience. Most certainly the best restaurant in Brighton and well beyond. Exquisite food, beautifully presented, top service, class surroundings; Amarillo deserves a Michelin star!!

Chef Ian Swainson, previously of Samling fame, is simply superb. Delightful in himself - but his gift in bringing together flavour, texture, sight together with perfect & varied wines is stunning. A wonderful evening with our guests. Manager, Bastian was superb at representing the food, directing the wines with the chef Ian, & in welcoming us - as both of them did. It was the sort of dinner that one would drive from London specifically to enjoy & then stay at Drake’s hotel. Haven’t enjoyed a meal so much in years.

Wonderful dining experience with a great atmosphere and fantastic food. A very special occasion for my daughter’s graduation.

We visited for my husbands birthday during our stay in Brighton. We visit Brighton a lot and we can safely say this is one of the best dining experiences we have had in Brighton so far. The service from Bastien the restaurant manager was first class. My initial email before I booked was answered so quickly and nothing was too much trouble for Bastien. He organised everything I had requested as well as being extremely professional and knowledgeable during our meal. Chef Ian took the time to come out and speak to us to check how we were enjoying things which was a lovely touch as we appreciated that he must have been very busy in the kitchen. The food was excellent along with superb presentation. Fresh colourful well thought out ingredients combined in a unique way. Thank you to the team at Amarillo for an enjoyable evening, we will definitely be back and we highly recommend you give it a try.

Excellent food with each dish beautifully constructed and presented. Great knowledgeable and friendly service. Highly recommended.

Fantastic! Exceptional! You have to go to this restaurant. The food was astoundingly good: fine dining from a chef with flair and passion. Plus a great location and atmosphere. I am blown away by how amazing our evening was at Amarillo and can’t wait to go back. Highly recommended.

We visited whilst away in Brighton. Amazing food, beautifully presented by attentive staff for whom nothing was too much trouble. We aren't regular high end eaters but staff talked us through each course and suggested wines and cocktails for each course. It was a wonderful night

We hugely enjoyed the tasting menu at Amarillo on a Saturday night. Exceptional service and attention to detail really enhanced the experience. Food is delivered by a chef and team who really care about both the produce and the customer, delivering food that looks beautiful and tastes delicious as well as being intriguing and different. Highly recommended!

We celebrated my husband's birthday in this lovely restaurant. Each course of the tasting menu was beautifully presented and we thoroughly enjoyed it. We were surprised there was only two other people dining on a Friday evening. Perhaps more people could enjoy this restaurant if there was another menu alongside the taster one.

As usual Ian produced a fantastic meal, great flavour and fine ingredients all beautifully cooked. The welcome and service is perfect, thank you Bastian, and I love the intimacy of the place. Not to be missed.

Lite undangömt på The Drake Hotel, i källaren. Trevlig inredning, men lite mörkt. Men maten och servicen. Det går inte att beskriva alla smaksensationer, vi njöt verkligen av deras avsmakningsmeny. Fanns inget vinpaket men vi fick tips på hur vi kunde beställa glasvin och halva glasvin för att få ihop det som ett vinpaket. Enda missen som blev var rekommendationen till Sparris där Rieslingen vi fick först hade enligt mig passat bäst även här. Men som sagt helnöjda.

delicious diner, perfectly declared while serving a bright variety of flavours, perfect👍 i can highly recommend a visit in this restaurant

I went with my parents for my birthday meal and had the 6 course taster menu. Every course was exceptional with the Mutton and chocolate dessert as favourites. Definitely returning next time we’re in Brighton.

This was our first visit, to Amarillo. We were served by Sebastian the terrifically well informed waiter and Ian head chef. Every course was perfectly executed, combining key English ingredients like oysters, asparagus, and lamb. Courses were beautifully curated to be fabulous on their own but wonderfully linked together. It was an indulgent menu and was quite simply the best meal we have had for many years. We wish the team every success for the future.

Nous avons passé un très très bon moment. La cuisine est de haute volée, avec une belle cohésion dans le mariage des saveurs et une grande précision des cuissons. Les plats sont vraiment remarquables. Le service est agréable et maîtrisé, les suggestions des vins judicieuses. Il ne manque juste qu'une seule chose à ce restaurant : une étoile Michelin !!!

We stayed at Drakes for a birthday treat and booked into the Amarillo restaurant for an evening taster menu. Before arriving at the hotel we were contacted by Ian explaining that there had been a bit of an issue with staff cover in the restaurant, when he heard it was a special evening he told us not to worry and as long as we didn't mind being served by the head chef he would make sure our night was special. We were the only couple in the restaurant that night but had an absolutely lovely night. Each of the taster courses was brought out by Ian and his soux chef, they explained the provenance of the ingredients and how it was cooked, so we ended up having a fantastic night with beautiful food and understanding much more about the hard work and detail that goes into bringing this wonderful food to our table. The food was tasty, authentic and beautifully presented and if we have an opportunity to dine there again we certainly will. This standard of food is definately worthy of a Michelin Star.

Anniversary taster menu. Fabulously presented. Very helpful and friendly staff throughout. Highly recommended :)

We had tried pop up Amarillo in the past and were excited to visit in its new home. We had the most spectacular tasting menu. From amuse bouche at the start through each course we absolutely loved it. Each course was spectacular. Beautifully curated taste sensations. French waiter was wonderful at explaining every dish to us. Service was professional and flawless (as you expect from the French who see serving food as a profession). Wine choices were great. At least half of the wine list can be bought by the glass - which personally I love. Also happy to let us try a mouthful to check that we liked it. Food was beautifully presented. My partner had the vegetarian taster menu. Clearly as much thought had gone into this as the meat menu - and the risotto and cauliflower dishes were both amazing. In addition to that, it’s a quiet restaurant. No booming music or people shouting over each other. We could actually have a normal conversation! Loved this place. Will definitely go back again soon. Best I’ve been to in Brighton. Defo 5 star experience.

This was my first tasting menu and the best experience. The food was full of taste, beautifully presented and also very filling - art on a plate with lovely flavour combinations. The duck and hake were outstanding and the deserts exquisite. The service was discreet...

The tasting menu was a joy. It took around 3 hours to go through it and it punctuated a very enjoyable evening with beautifully cooked dishes with imaginative combinations. The service form the waiting staff was perfect. it was a wonderful evening, thank you.

We were happy to return to Amarillo again, this year. The service was very good. The Tasting Menu was superb.

Went first time to Amarillo with my friend and we absolutely loved it! Food was outstanding, great service and very nice atmosphere. We are really looking forward to come back there soon!

Excellent tasting menu and wonderful service in this discrete and tasteful restaurant. Thank you for a very enjoyable evening

Service was great, food was amazing. We had the vegetarian tasting menu and my hubby eats meat but chose to have the same as me and it was fabulous. Every single one of the 6 courses was delicious.

We had the six course tasting menu which was excellent. The truffle risotto made with truffles from Australia was very good indeed and the pudding laced with nutmeg amazing. Wine list was interesting and we were served by Bastien who was very helpful with a...

This is a small restaurant with great decor and really good food. There was a choice between a standard or vegetarian tasting menu and my husband and I had the 6 course standard. We both cleared our plates for every course as the food was...

Hard to criticise anything really. Some of the decor needs a little bit of an uplift, but given they've been forced shut for the last year or so it's hardly fair to mention a slight lack of spending. The food was absolutely superb. Really good...

Went for dinner on a Wednesday evening with my husband. Chef Ian Swainson is producing some of the best food in Brighton - fine dining in a really relaxed atmosphere, beautifully crafted dishes focussing on the best ingredients, simply but perfectly cooked. Stand-out dishes included...

The concept of a hybrid tapas/tasting menu is slightly strange but do not feel that you have to choose something from every course. There is a limited two dish choice from each category - and we chose two dishes to share from the pinchos/ tapas...

Special anniversary dinner we were very impressed with Amarillo’s it’s only been open a month and it’s offering is unique and good value for money for a taster menu, They recommend around 6-7 dishes between two the menu is small because the idea is that...

Before we arrived, we did not know the restaurant concept of serving every dish a s a sharing plate, and to be honest, I was a little put off by the idea. I need not have been concerned. We had six plates or courses, each...

I had lost track of Ian Swainson after he moved on from The Pass where we he demonstrated his creativity, attention to detail and the whole experience of Dinner at the Chef's table. So I was really looking forward to dinner for two at Amarillo...

Wow what can I say apart from I cannot fault one dish out of 7 dishes we shared. I wasn't expecting it to be a taster menu but wasn't disappointed, loved every single one! Particularly the duck, I will be thinking about this for quite...

We’ve literally just left Amarillo after our first visit. As Brighton residents, we’re pretty spoilt for choice for places to eat in Sussex. But my goodness me, this place is something else. Each dish is so perfectly distinct and individual. That moment when you take...

We were really looking forward to experiencing Amarillo and the food really didn’t disappoint. All the dishes we had were amazing and the wine we selected was perfect. However we felt that Amarillo are selling themselves short by being in Drakes. The restaurant is so...

Fantastic meal. Service was excellent. Enjoyed the chef coming out to explain a few courses. Ambience & setting lovely. The food itself was exceptional. Perfect for a couple to share and enjoy a wide variation of dishes together. Great wine selection too.

Visited Amarillo for dinner last night, and boy did they deliver!!! Cannot recommend this place enough. The tasting menu style makes an evening here as much a experience as it is a meal. The menu has been beautifully crafted, each dish was amazingly balanced with...

We have eaten twice before at Drake’s Hotel, before Amarillo took over the restaurant and well before lockdown. This is the first time we came away disappointed. We liked the decor and the ambience of the restaurant - much better than before. BUT we’re disappointed...

A few weeks ago when I learnt about Amarillo reopening after the lockdown, and it has a new home at Drakes Hotel, I was so happy for chef Ian Swainson. So when I saw the opportunity to go to Brighton for dinner, I had no...

Love this new restaurant at Drakes hotels. I loved the old one, but this feels a little more modern and trendy. They’ve done a great job of making it COVID secure. The tables are nicely spread out, lots of hand sanitiser, and face shields worn...

Located in the wonderful Drakes Hotel, stylish place with an intimate feel, busy and had a nice atmosphere. Our sever Marva was a delight and nice touch from the chef in that he came out and explained what each of his creations were. The food...

We enjoyed fantastic food, great service and the relaxed way in having Michelin star level dishes. Amazing what Ian and the team provide from the small kitchen. Thank you for a great evening.

A great evening treat. The idea of sharing plates doesn't always appeal, but the formulation and execution of the dishes lends them well to this concept. From pinchos to dessert, the taste and flavour combinations were excellent. I felt there was a good mix of...

We visited Amarillo on the recommendation of a friend who knows his stuff. We weren’t disappointed. A lovely concept of dishes to be shared. A couple of choices each for fish, meat and vegetarian. I’m not eating meat at the moment so we shared all...

We visited Amarillo for valentines night and it was absolutely fantastic. We were warmly welcomed and seated at a table that’s not too close to the other tables but close enough to feel cosy. Sally front of house was friendly and attentive to a level...

What a find for our visit to Brighton Exquisite food - beautifully presented, fabulous flavours - what a menu. We choose nearly everything - and shared it as a tasting menu. Lovely service and attention to detail.

The review will say that we were here in January - but this was actually our 3rd visit having been in November and December as well. We first experienced Ian's cooking at The Pass at South Lodge as part of a wedding anniversary treat a...

What a delight! Unlike too many 'taster menu' places, you get a choice for each course. And more importantly you won't leave hungry. There were six of us so among our group we sampled most everything. All agreed it was excellent. Will definitely be back

Small plates restaurant with high quality food. As a couple, you will most of the menu, but it is worth it! The taste (and therefore the care from the chef) was excellent. Also, wine by the glass means you can adjust to the food you...

Found this place by accident wandering round the lanes looking for dinner. So glad we did. Love the concept of small plates and every mouthful was delightful. From the minute we walked in we were made welcome. Guidance was given with food and wine choices...

My husband and I had a delicious meal at Amarillo last week, the food was exceptional and the front of house service provided by Sally was friendly and efficient and we felt at ease straight away. We tucked in to a couple of Pinchos to...

I’d been wanting to visit this place for a little while after seeing reviews & photos from local foodies. It didn’t disappoint. My friend and I shared 7 plates - a couple of them we could have had one each but really wanted to try...

Amazing food, service and the Chef Ian is a very friendly and great guy. Love the food. A very beautiful experience tonight!!! Recommended 100%

Can’t praise this place enough - the food is sensationally good, and offered at very reasonable prices for this quality of food. It has become one of a very short list of our ‘go to’ restaurants in Brighton, and we intend to continue eating there...

Sublime food, great service, great wine, fantastic value, great idea. I have already diarised going every single time the menu changes and probably several times in between. Go, you will not regret it.

We had a fantastic meal at Amarillo on Friday, the brill with the deep fried oyster was the stand out dish, but everything we ate was really delicious. It was the second time we have been to this restaurant and I am looking forward to...

超好吃的食物！非常幸運在Brighton 遇到這間dim sum 卻是英式食物的餐廳，食物設計衝擊著味蕾，搭配的非常的好！店裡的氣氛也很安靜 溫馨！非常推薦 What a wonderful experience, The food is just lovely, you would enjoy every mouth and full of flavour, all fresh and tasty. Thank you for the Chef Ian and the team, we will be back soon and strongly recommend.

My husband and I visited a couple of weeks ago, we got a last minute reservation due to a cancellation and we are so glad we did! From the warm, friendly and knowledgable service to the out of this world food..I can’t praise this place...

We ate here as a party of 4 on Saturday night. I can't remember how we even came to hear about the place - just got lucky. The pop-up concept works extremely well, and the fact that they only open on Friday and Saturday evening...

Since its opening in August 2019, I have already been to this place 3 times (and it's about 1.5 hours drive each way for me as I don't even live anywhere near Brighton). Only opening on Fridays & Saturdays for dinner at Lost In The...

The food was quite simply delicious. Incredible flavours and way, way nicer than I anticipated. We ate at the 3 Michelin Star Alain Ducasse restaurant in London earlier this year and we both enjoyed Amarillo more. A relaxed atmosphere but with a sense of intimacy....

I wish I’d known quite how good this meal was going to be before we went! It was quite honestly astonishing. Every dish was perfectly balanced and refined, without being intimidating or fussy in the slightest. Highlights for me were the blue cheese pinchos, and...

Better than Michelin - relaxed/casual environment and amazing food. The chef is really passionate and came out to describe the dishes. Truly lovely!!!

Amazing Michelin quality food in Brighton. A great experience, have tried it the first time, and have been there a number of times afterwards.

We loved it here..... every now and then you find a restaurant like this...a restaurant that serves the type of food you enjoy,apparently it’s still a pop up (certain evenings only) but we asked the question and apparently it’s going to be here a while...and...

What a wonderful experience! I've been fortunate enough to sample Ian's food before and has always been outstanding. This really really is astonishing. Between the three of us we had pretty much every dish on the menu and each morsel was a taste explosion. Beautifully...

Wow, what can I say about my visit to Amarillo last Friday. It was a wonderful experience from start to finish. Ian Swainson's food was exquisite with delicate flavours, wonderful combinations, and beautiful presentation and all at such a reasonable price. I highly recommend visiting...

Fab weekend dinner pop up in the lanes. Interesting menu, perfectly executed and beautifully presented, with friendly service. Go it’s great.

We visited on a Friday night for dinner and were warmly welcomed. The restaurant is a cafe by day, but doesn’t feel at all like one in the evening - warm lighting, a great buzz and a view of the open kitchen makes for a...

Amarillo is a great find tucked away in the south lanes of Brighton. It has a relaxed and friendly atmosphere with the chef coming over to introduce himself and talk us though the food. The restaurant had a nice buzz of life about it. Between...

We came to try something new in Brighton and were delighted by an extremely welcoming experience. The food was really special and the nature of the sharing plates meant we all tried something new tonight- in fact it meant we could try nearly everything on...

Excellent food from a Michelin stared chef at a fraction of the cost. We are talking about small plates, ideal for a tasting menu, limited wine list but what is there is good and reasonably priced. Will come back soon!!!

Went for Dinner on a Friday night to Amarillo and enjoyed it immensely. After a busy week this experience started my weekend off perfectly. The location is central in Nile Street. The food is artistically presented and tastes amazing. We had a selection of Pinchos...

Tried out this new pop-up last week. Nearly missed it as I walked past, as it is very understated - located in what is the cafe/coffee shop “Lost in the Lanes”. We started by trying each of the three pincho sharing starters - very tasty...

Brighton seems to be attracting some bright culinary sparks as of late; Ian Swainson does not disappoint with his menu of gorgeous small plates and delightful wine list. Just a pop-up enterprise at the moment, but i hear murmurings that this may become a permanent...

We went to Amarillo last night and we were surprised by the professionalism of the staff, the cozy vibes that the place presents and the attention to detail in to the food. If you want to taste international food, while having a chill time with...