La Choza in Brighton and Hove

I really really wanted to enjoy this place. I’ve only heard good things from people who’ve been. Lovely atmosphere and the interior design is beautiful. There’s plenty of vegan and gluten-free options. Service is okay and doesn’t take too long but the portions are tiny. Nachos were cold with barely any toppings, maybe a tablespoon of beans at most. The cheese had also hardened. It was quite cold. I told my server that I don’t eat meat and ordered my vegan burrito bowl. I was served a beef quesadilla instead. Luckily, I knew right away it was the wrong dish. My partner was brought the wrong dish and they didn’t correct it. If they ask if you want avocado, share one because they charge you around £4 each for it. We weren’t told this. We spent £61 in total for 2 mains, 1 starter and 2 alcoholic drinks. The drinks were tiny and mostly ice. Our mains were not filling or satisfying at all. It’s sad, I really wanted to like this place. It must’ve gone downhill in recent years. I think it’s overpriced for the quality and service of food. Otherwise the prices are decent. I think I could be convinced to give them another chance. Edit: La Choza very kindly offered a meal on the house for me and my boyfriend to rectify our experience. This was done over email and we agreed on a date and time. Sadly, this must’ve not been communicated to the staff on shift as no one had any idea about our reservation when we arrived. It was awkward. The staff are a lovely bunch, but there must not be enough communication from management, I don’t know. Anyway, I ordered my vegan food, James ordered his and once again…. I got meat. And James received the wrong dish, right protein. I was really looking forward to giving this “Brighton gem” another go but alas some things are simply just not meant to be. We cut our meal short and left without having dessert. I really do appreciate La Choza trying to fix things for us but how did I have the same problem twice?

Honestly not the biggest fan of Mexican food as it’s never my first choice but when because my friends really wanted to go. But I must say it was absolutely amazing, probably the best Mexican I’ve been in the country by a mile! I’m not from the town but would happily come back just to try different food items. Would highly recommend it!

So I’ve only been here once before today (must’ve been more than five years ago) and happy to say that the food is just as good. Most places you get calamari, it tends to be rubbery or chewy, but here it’s really tender and flavoursome. The raspberry margarita is heavenly, and you barely notice it’s got alcohol in it, so beware if you order a few 🥴 My partner had the fish tacos and I had the pulled pork burrito, both were really yummy and filling, well worth the money! I may have eavesdropped someone complaining about the burrito (honestly, either they’ve never had a proper burrito before or were just being really picky) but their server did a good job explaining how their burritos are done and were happy to offer them to choose something else in a very professional manner (they declined the offer) so big shoutout to the lovely staff too. If you’re in Brighton and have a hankering for some good Mexican grub l, then do yourself a favour and pop by La Choza! (Btw, the photo of the marg, was after I took a big sip from it… couldn’t resist)

Waited 45 minutes for food. I was told they had dropped the first order on the floor. The second one was missing half the ingredients. They tried to charge me for the extras I didn't get and when I flagged this I was made to feel like it was my fault. Really disappointing they used to offer good food and service. Staff are quite snappy with a vanerr of a fake smile.

AUTHENTIC MEXICAN! None of your tex mex rubbish. Every bite is a taste sensation and would highly recommend the roasted vegetable and black bean tacos, along with the goat quasidilla. Cocktails are yummy. The service is attentive and the quality of the food makes it very good value. Be aware there is no reservation l, walk in only.

Fantastic mexican food in a wonderfully decorated day of the dead aesthetic. Great music and really friendly staff. Had the birria quesadillas and would wholeheartedly recommend!

The food was great and the service was excellent

Oh my, La Choza in Brighton absolutely knocked my socks off! I went for their vegan chorizo burrito and a hazy IPA, it was the perfect pairing, cutting through the richness of the burrito with a crisp, slightly bitter taste that was just so refreshing. The whole vibe at La Choza is super welcoming too. It’s all bright colorus and cool decor; you feel a bit like you've stepped into a little piece of Mexico. The staff? Absolute gems. All in, it was a fab experience. Great food, great drink, great atmosphere. If you're in Brighton and fancy treating yourself, hit up La Choza. That vegan chorizo burrito has got me planning my next visit already!

The food tastes like a cook not a chef made it ! The salads was the same on different dishes. School dinners in México.

Greate place, great food and some great tequila

Great little restaurant. Cozy inside. Lots of gluten free options

Decent, tasty food, good service, clean and tidy. It was on the expensive side, however, just under £17 for a veggie burrito and a sparkling water (a service charge was added).

Worth going just for the level of service but food and prices were great too. Went with my partner and baby at the end of a day out and it was the perfect end to the day, also got great options for vegan and veggie, thank you guys :) x

You won't find a better burrito anywhere else. The flavours are amazing. The veggie and vegan options are all wickedly tasty. Classic margarita is a great choice.

This place is such a hidden gem! Well worth a visit if you're in Brighton!

Went in with my husband and a friend and ordered a takeaway, was told it would be a 15 minute wait after we explained we were in a rush. Waited for 25 minutes before chasing it up, was told it wouldn't be much longer, she assured me it would be 3-5 minutes as it was being packed, then another member of staff approached us 10 minutes later to inform us 'my manager didn't take the order to the kitchen, I need to refund you'. The 'manager' that took my order wouldn't make her own apology, she sent a member of staff to explain her mistake, she also seemed drunk!....disappointed to say the least, travelled a distance of about 30miles to try this place and left empty handed with a weak apology. Would give zero stars based on service alone.

Great food, great service and reasonable prices

Lovely spot serving authentic and delicious Mexican food. Great service and a good spot to sit and people watch in the middle of the Lanes.

Went about month ago and the service was pretty bad. Sat waiting for our plates to be cleaned for 45mins after we have finished. Even thought the member of staff was chatting to a friend on the table next to us. Was really sad about it at the time.

Amazing squash and feta quesadilla

Just wow. Blown my mind. The food is absolutely amazing and great atmosphere. Familiar and friendly are the vibes. I will go over and over again. We were assisted by Ben an extraordinary waiter that is friendly and charming. Jose the restaurant manager is a true leader and always looks at detail. The chefs are brilliant what a Gem!

Really really great quesadillas and service! Don’t bother with the chips though; they literally are just cheap crisps.

Busy restaurant so best to book in advance ! We visited on a busy evening and got them to text us when a table was available so went for a couple of drinks. We opted for burritos where you could choose your filling and then the salsa . Good choice of drinks and staff were very helpful and friendly ! Well worth a visit !

Great food and staff, thank you to Jose and Ben who were amazing. What more can you ask for!

If you want hair in your food and poor service, you’ll love it. Ordered two of the same plates and watched my friend pull a long, wiry black hair out of her meal, after eating about half of it. Obviously this put me off mine but was told as only one had food in it we had to pay “you eat it, you pay”. Gross. With so much competition it’s just not good enough.

La Choza used to be quite good, especially the one on Western Road which sadly closed some years ago. The place has a good vibe, shame that the food and service don’t live up to it. We ordered nachos as a starter and tacos as a main meal. We waited for quite a while and nothing came. When I reminded the waitress, she brought all together nachos and tacos. The taco salad didn’t taste fresh, was missing the usual citrusy taste, coriander and crunchiness, and was also scarce. I had the fish which was refried, soaked in oil and chewy. The only good thing is that they have pretty much kept their prices over the years, but as relatively low as they are, the food is not worth it anymore. Such a shame

The best burritos that you’ll ever eat! Wonderful lunch and great service with really tasty food! Hundred percent will return! Thank you

The food was absolutely amazing from the first bite, me and my friend knew it was going to be amazing, I do not think it's overpriced as 1) it's Brighton and 2) any other restaurant you'd be paying the same amount, sure maybe a little less but this is an independent restaurant in Brighton. The atmosphere was amazing and the service was also very good, I had a burrito and my friend had a burrito bowl and this filled us up for the rest of the day. As well as this I'm a vegetarian and I actually had more than one choice for once which I greatly appreciated, I genuinely think this is an amazing restaurant.

Cheap and cheerful. Food is disappointing and very greasy. We ordered the calamari and they more resembled pork scratchings, maybe they had been re-fried? Some pieces didn't even appear to have calamari inside - just stale batter. There are numerous better places to eat in the immediate surroundings, not even for much more money. Best avoided

Overpriced cocktails. Burritos caused food poisoning/diarrhoea 12 hours later. Rang the restaurant multiple times over 2 days to inform about the food poisoning, but no one answered the phone.

Honestly, there are several points for improvement! The service is good, but the service leaves a lot to be desired! I went on a Sunday and we waited approximately 40 minutes to receive the order, which was incomplete, (the attendant asked what exactly was still missing, as they were still going to prepare it) that is, almost 1 hour in total to receive 2 burritos and a portion of tacos. I don't recommend it.

Nice restaurant at the North Lanes of Brighton. Service and atmosphere were great. The food was nice. They serve the tacos with a doble tortilla which is a bit too much, but they do overfill the tacos so I guess the tortilla would break otherwise. They had a lovely hibiscus agua fresca and the margarita cocktails were lovely too.

Service was good and decent menu selection, unfortunately quite a few flies inside on a warm day. (Additional review) the place is not what it used to be. I visited this restaurant on a quiet Wednesday afternoon. The waiter was rude and insisted that I sit at a table in the scorching sun (even though the rest of the place was basically empty and didn't fill up for the duration of my meal) he didnt make an effort to be accomodating or hospitable. the rest of the staff were friendly enough. the burrito is definitely smaller than what it used to be and costs way more. also tasted like the rice was raw or undercooked. Paid way too much for a basic burrito and soft drink. it did not taste like authentic mexican food at all. the place is also visibly faling apart, with parts of the wall and furniture literally being held up by tape (pictures attached) which takes away from the pleasant music and colorful decor.

Great little find . Highly recomend.

Great atmosphere eating outside. Service was friendly and welcoming.

Fabulous mexican food bursting with flavour and colour. Exactly as you would expect. The soft tortillas with spicy beef were a hit and the Margarita with mezcal was delicious. Service was a little on the slow side, but it was a sunny day.

The restaurant was highly recommended to us by friends for an authentic meal in Brighton. The decor was great and the service impeccable. The food was ok but nothing spectacular. The abiding memory was how abrupt the owner was. She was quite condescending and even a little rude to her own staff. In terms of food the nachos were great, the chicken wings a touch bland. The soft tacos were not the best but the chicken and chorizo filling was excellent. Again surprises me that more owners / managers don’t realise that experience is so important. If you don’t like customers do something else.

huge and tasty burritos, delicious cocktails and lovely staff. will definitely return. was absolutely packed but was service like we were the only ones there. cannot fault. thank you!

£7 per taco is rather expensive. Recommend the cactus salad (£5).

Great Mexican restaurant, very authentic

This place is amazing. Amazing food and flavors, staff and atmosphere. Luis the manager is the best! I would recommend 100%.

Great food and atmosphere but the service really lets La Choza down. Have had slow service and downright rude servers on multiple occasions.

Fantastic little place! Food is wonderful, the staff are lovely, and the drinks are fab (we particularly enjoyed the Oaxacan Hold Up special cocktails). We'll definitely be back!

Great Mexican food! Excellent margaritas.

The food was okay. I hope you can offer quesadillas with corn

Lovely meal on our recent weekend Brighton. Friendly staff and delicious quesadillas

Such a vibrant place with decent price, great food and drink, the lady was so friendly and all around great vibes!

Wir sind nur zufällig ins La Choza rein gestolpert, aber haben es keine Minute bereut. Das Essen ist sehr lecker und es gibt auch genug vegetarische/vegane Optionen. Die Drinks sind top und auch die Einrichtung macht was her. Der Service war etwas langsam und unaufmerksam, daher gibt’s nen Punkt Abzug. Aber ansonsten absolute Weiterempfehlung!

Rude, pretentious staff that think they’re better than everyone and clearly look down upon most of their customers.

Absolutely amazing food couldn't recommend enough, my new favourite mexican

What a fantastic little place, I can totally see why it gets so busy as the food and the staff are fantastic, I even had Tequila after PTSD teenage memories. Definitely the next time I'm in Brighton it'll be my first stop!

Very tasty and filling food, nice atmosphere and very nice staff !! Thank you

very cute and nice environment food was delish and good prices !!!

had to wait about an hour to get a seat but my golly, was it worth it. 10/10 across the board the burrito was scrumptious.

Great service, Great portion sizes, Fun and inviting restaurant design with a good choice of menu options. I’d say priced accordingly due to the area.

Great food! Really enjoyed everything that we tried from the menu, as it is very popular and it gets very busy, we arrived and added ourselves to a waiting list, Luis was looking after so many customers and always with a smile and very friendly approach, thank you! Then when we got our table, the service was on a food timely manner. Highly recommend it. The fundido was so tasty

Loved this place. On a nice sunny Beighton day, you can sit outside and have some good mexican food. The food was delicious and the service was great. Highly recommeded

Closed already at 8.50pm on a Sunday - update your website and Google please!

Try to eat from a bowl and pay the bill in an organised fashion challenge (impossible!)

I love La Choza, I've been going there since they opened. The food is always great and the staff are helpful

Went for an early Sunday lunch - what a treat! Excellent and varied starters, and brilliant mains. The burritos are absolutely massive and delicious. As for the cocktails - wonderful! They also do a wide range of tequilas (not sampled on this visit), and the service is friendly and swift. Highly recommended.

Not as good as it once was, but still a good Mexican with extensive menu/specials. Bit overpriced, but then not compared with Wahaca say

I heard about this place from a lot of people saying how good it was i think it was over-hyped but my burrito tasted like I was eating earth because they had obviously put unwashed salad in my burrito . The waiter asked how everything was I told her it was not good and I will send it back and I wouldn't like anything else just the bill this was a few years by ago haven't been back since

Best Mexican food I’ve ever had! Will definitely be back every time I’m in Brighton. Mmmm those cocktails.

Amazing!!! Good a 10 plus. Nice staff. Good atmosphere. Still dreaming about those tacos !! Jummmm

Yesterday I visited this spot with charming decor and a great atmosphere. The food was good at the time, BUT unfortunately, I began to feel really unwell with stomach pains 12 hours later. I ordered a burrito, which was quite large, and I couldn't bring myself to eat anything else afterwards. Honestly, I wouldn't give it another try.

Lovely restaurant very cute, food was delicious however they did forget something on our order, and they did the same for the table next to us.. Other than that I'd recommend 👍

As a Mexican I can say this food isn’t authentic at all and the service wasn’t that great! The only thing I enjoyed was the beer 🍺

Amazing authentic food. Loved the goat birria. Can't wait to visit again

Loved this place 7 years ago. Now it’s Karen’s Diner cosplaying as a Mexican. Walked in about 5 minutes ago and the guy behind the bar stared at me. Said hello, and asked if there were any tables for this evening at all, to which he laughed through a ‘no’. Asked how long the wait time was and was told ‘she would know’ and nodded to another busy person. Left. 🚮

We Had such a lovely time . Such amazing food and great drinks and our waiter marco looked after us so well he was amazing and so friendly!!

I love this place and returned yesterday after quite a few years, a highly anticipated return. Sadly, it wasn't quite what I remembered.. it's just another mexican now, the food was ok but not great, it lacked love. I had goat tacos and despite a shared nacho starter, I was still hungry afterwards. Didn't get our sides, told after an hour that something was out and the last person got their food when everyone was finished. Think there was only one person working in service so she had a lot to deal with. Just felt like I needed to share my slight disappointment somewhere. The margharitas were great.

It was ok. I was disappointed with the tortilla chips on the nachos. They were generic salted packet ones, not the proper homemade ones. I could've gone to a pub! Service was not exactly unfriendly, but we were left for a while, and the 2 team members who served us seemed over it. Much better food at Casa Azul (but only open during the daytime) or go to Carlito Burrito as the vibe AND tortilla chips are way better.

Bustling place, great food and service. Got the ceviche, burrito bowl and quesadilla and liked all of them. Added a guacamole as well to the mix. Calamari was standout for us, better than the usual pale yellow batter-heavy stuff elsewhere. Worth trying !

Wow, what a great place! Really authentic Mexican food with a twist, and a landmark in Brighton, a real institution.

Great place Great food Great experience thanks to Luis Enrique

La Choza. Arguably a Brighton institution. Staff are really friendly and accommodating, service is fast and the vibes are good. In general the food is pretty good. As usual, for such cuisines outside certain geographical areas, a diagnosis of outstanding is hard to come by. Therefore, such a deduction would depend on what your opinion of good Mexican food is and what you’re used to. We enjoyed a cheesy nacho dip and the birria tacos. Regarding the cheese dip, I thought it was a bit pricey for what is was and I would have liked the onions to be chopped up. Flavour was good though. My thoughts are similar when it comes to the birria - the onions should have been chopped up though I did find it rather flavourful and I did drink the remaining broth. Though I would have liked an additional quesadilla as it comes with only two. I think it would also be nice to have a bit more cheese in the quesadillas. Overall good and I would go back.

Very tasty chorizo mince tacos and coleslaw and fantastic service from our server Luis who took care of us with some menu questions :) food quality a bit nicer from previous times

Wwnt on a Tuesday for lunch. Food was generally good, although one rice dish was clearly microwaved as it was so so hot in the middle. Unfortunately, the nachos never came as it was never put through to the kitchen. Secondly, there was a long delay in another one of the dishes arriving as it seemed it was also forgotten /missed. The waitress said they would take the 2 children's meals off as a way to say sorry, but when the bill arrived, they were still on there. They were removed after I pointed it out; the waitress handled it with no fuss It is a good atmosphere, and the restaurant has a lovely aesthetic.

I went here yesterday the waiters were so nice and helpful and the atmosphere was so colourful and welcomimg now onto the food the presentation was perfect I got a bowl of nachos and a pulled pork burito the nachos were full of flavour and were great the burito however was underwhelming I expected it to be so flavourful but all I could taste was cheese no beans no sour cream no pork just cheese overall I recommend 👍

Can’t comment on the food. Popped in for a quick bite. They were empty. Rude women behind the counter. V condescending . More interested in chatting to each other than taking our order. We left without ordering.

This is the first time we have been back since taking a break due to some very poor service and declining food quality. This place has a reputation as being way too cool and not in a good way! We asked a very simple question about a menu item and were responded to as if we were complete idiots. The person seemed to be someone in charge and left shortly after. This was a great place for good food and great atmosphere but the 'we are too cool' attitude of the staff and the general feeling that they think they are doing you a favour by serving you has driven us and all our friends away. There are plenty of other food outlets that treat you well and serve great food nearby. I'm afraid I don't think this place will be around for much longer and is likely to follow the same fate as their closed site on the other side of town. Stay away... its simply not worth your money or time.

Lovely drinks and very good food, sadly some of the menu items run out quite quickly it seems so need to get there a little early if you want the full selection

Excellent food, extremely quick service. My son wanted to change his salsa last minute, and they were very accommodating. Really excellent service, really excellent food. If I could give 10/5 I would!

friendly little place with options for everyone, and amazing margaritas

Still great Mexican food and wonderful staff

great food, plenty of options and not too long between courses. no booking under 7 people however if you find out kitchen opening times you’re guaranteed a space. a bit cramped where you’re pretty much sat next to other customers and service a little slow towards the end however all lovely staff nevertheless. would recommend and go back ☺️

Visited with son on day trip. Calamari, pulled pork quesadillas, tostadas with king prawn. It’s all perfect. Lovely friendly staff, fabulous decor and the food is always superb. This place is fantastic.

From the french students Thanks for the margaritha Have a good trip to mexico Love

A tiny little intimate taste of Mexico in the UK. It's little intimate atmosphere adds to its authenicity. Make no mistake, this is the real deal. Warm and welcoming, the food is magnificent. If one doesn't have the coin to travel to Mexico itself, then one should sample authentic Mexican food from this gem. 5 star! Special mention to Lilly - fabulous hostess

Amazing food, but incredibly rude over the phone to me - nearly cancelled my booking because of it, very condescending and unprofessional. But the food is tasty, drinks are not the best.

Amazing food amazing service would highly recommend this place Go for the goat soooooooo good Cocktails and shots are a must

Visited this establishment on the recommendation of my daughter, who accompanied me. I had the Beef Burrito and she had the Chorizo Quesadillas. Both were delicious and we're plenty to fill us up.

Could not recommend enough. Even though the restaurant was full to the brim the staff were really attentive and made us feel at home. We ordered three margaritas - one classic, one hibiscus and one passion fruit . They were on the table in a matter of minutes and all were delicious. My partner and I decided to get fish tacos and her sister got a chicken and chorizo burrito. All of them were great and left my partner doing her “food dance” while eating - which only happens with the best of scran. We weren’t sure which salsa to go with so we got extra dips for the table. My favourite was the habanero, which was really spicy and hot but not in a gimmicky “blow your head off” kind of way - full of flavour and well balanced. The others had the pipian and if I remember rightly a green tomatillo type salsa - both very tasty. The atmosphere was great. We’ll deffo be back.

Rudest customer service on the phone ever! Literally slammed the phone down on me saying they were too busy to deal with my request! I am a Brighton resident and so disappointed I was spoken to like a complete idiot!

Had a selection of tacos tostada and burrito. Lots of small portions with lots of flavours like all great street food. Lovely owner was very informative and attentive. Lovely colourful cantina decor. Highly recommend.

So glad we found this place. Great atmosphere and service. Great food! Always good and and fresh.

Delicious food, all of the family love it. Great vegetarian options and delicious (but spicy) pulled pork soft tacos. Brilliant experiance.

A wonderful Mexican street food restaurant. The setting is casual and laid back, food delicious, service is quality and the toilets very clean! Thank you for a lovely lunch!

Used to love the food here but gone downhill. Experience made worse by surly staff. And despite advertising that you can have a takeaway good luck with that! One staff takes your order then another says they’re too busy or when you turn up they can’t find it. Will be going elsewhere from now on.