Pompoko in Brighton and Hove

Authentic Japanese food, but you can only pay in cash and there is no waiter service, you have to order at the counter. Place with very little space to sit

Such a beautiful restaurant, lovely people and authentic food. Loved it all

Authentic Japanese restaurant experience. Really lovely and responsive staff, respectful and kind. The food was delicious and very reasonably priced! (BRING CASH!) they had lots of options and the atmosphere was cozy and charming, with seats squeezed in to utilise every area without being too cramped. Definitely worth going!

Cash only restaurant. Staff bring food to you within minutes of ordering. Great food and customer service.

I will now call it a day after 10 years. Today we went to Pompoko again, and the food was just bad. The chicken was re-fried from left over I think, and it was dry and so thin, barely any chicken. :( service was kinda rude and I kept hearing the staff said diarrhea. The prices have gone up and they are still cash so that it another thing. I think you better off going to kokoro instead.

After 10 years, I think I am done with Pompoko. Today drew the line. The chicken served were re-fried from left over, and hard, and small chicken portion with highest prices now. £9 per bowls, and still cash only? I think they are taking a Mickey now. Also, what happened to the staff there?? Why are they so rude!?

Going downhill! Food came quick only because it must had been under a not so hot hot plate, warm at best and greecy. Prices are creeping up, and cash only is just dodgy. The service is nothing to rave about. Used to be good, but for its current price and quality don’t go here instead go to Kokoro!

Laid back and humble little gem with absolutely moorish food, helpful staff, and very affordable.

On the list of Brighton Japanese restaurants, this one I think is probably second after goemon. It is cheap, friendly, and it is good quality food just done well. No offense meant when I say it's second,I did enjoy the meal I had here and thought it was very good value! Definitely recommended.

Great food and really cheap. Definitely recommend

Great tasting food at a reasonable price. Would definitely return when in town again.

A friend suggested this as a good drop-in place while we were mooching around town and I'm so glad he did. Quick, unpretentious, jolly, quirky - and yummy food. Will definitely revisit.

Amazing and very tasty food . Cash only but close to atm, so usually no problem. Very appiling prices, for 10-11£ you can have main dish and drink. 100% recommended 👌

Really lovely place with very reasonable prices. The portions are generous too so it feels worth it for your money. Would definitely recommend as there is a nice seating area outside too. Only thing to keep in mind is that it is cash only.

Came for dinner and had the sweet potato Katsu and yubamaki, both were delicious. Really good portions and very cheap and cheerful. Cosy little restaurant, very busy on a Sunday night. Staff were friendly and helpful. BYOB with a £2.5 charge each.

Popped in for lunch with 5 other people. Quick seating and service. Really good food, I had the spicy tofu donburi. Make sure to bring cash as it is CASH ONLY. My friends are muslim and they felt they had a good choice of what to eat, and my other friend is gluten-intolerant and was happy with the accommodations and food. Very good price for Brighton, about £8-£10 per main meal

Food was really bad and tasteless. Brought to you in less than 5 minutes so definitely precooked food microwaved with mushy texture. No service at all as you need to order yourself. It is a small space with barely seats available, people on top of you, very noisy. Not really a restaurant, just a fast food place.

Cheap but the food quality doesn't show it, a cute little place that has the charm of truly beautiful food

Worst Asian food I've had in a long time! The pork was tough and gristly. The place says restaurant but it's more a fast food place. They took only 5 minutes to bring the food after ordering which is not good, makes me believe they have everything prepared and are just using the microwave... Cash only - never a good sign. Atmosphere is bad, tables are too close and it can be noisy.

Used to go here when I was studying at Brighton uni. Was the first time I had Oyakodon, up and till this point I didn’t know much about Japanese food, but this dish was so comforting and familiar. This place is very relaxed, the food is tasty and homely.

Just the tastiest fastest food served by smiley people in a great location and SO cheap for what it is. You would be mad to not come here. Consistently brilliant for years. Recommend by this local

Chili Tori Don and there side dishes are my favourite. They served the foods pretty fast. The place is good for lunch and dinner. It can be very crowded.

I have only been there once, but the food and the vibes were amazing! It’s always a bit busy, but there is a second floor where you can find some more space to sit. They also do take away and have some benches outside. All in all the food was amazing and not that expensive for brighton, the main rice bowls were around 8-10£. I had some smaller starters like miso soup, which was great and even mochi ice cream at the end. They also gave us some sweets which was really nice. They only take cash so make sure to take some with you!! Definitely coming again (:

A good value Japanese at Brighton! Highly recommend - but cash only

Wasn’t Japanese at all. Typical Asian fast food you get in western world. Kitsu is better quality. Only cash. The fried pork of my wife was dark, way too long in fryer. People running these restaurant seem to be not Japanese

Food was fantastic. First time visiting but has been a regular firm favourite of my children. Very close to town centre a stones throw from the North Lanes so very accessible.

Really good simply japanese food, quick service good food at a very reasonable price

We ordered an oyaki don and a beef shouga yaki don. The food came within 5 minutes and was delicious! The staff are super friendly too! I highly reccomend it, especially given their prices :)

Fabulous little place. Small bit perfectly formed. Staff lovely. Service (order at counter) super speedy. Food fantastic. Great value!

Staff were very good and friendly. I got the chilli don chicken bowl. Was amazing and very affordable. Dumplings were amazing too would definitely go again!

I did not enjoy the food that I ordered. I find the pork a little dry and chewy. I always love a good noodle dish.

Very fair prices & friendly service plenty seating including outside. Superb for pre-drinks, theatre etc etc!

Great find! Really quick with the food. The teriyaki chicken was delicious. The mugi Cha was really interesting. Good sized portions. Buzzing atmosphere and good prices. BYO for £2.50 per person. Would definitely come again. Seating inside, outside and upstairs.

Fantastic, we really enjoyed it food and space, highly recommended!!

Noodles tasted nice till I pulled out a long black hair out of my mouth that was mixed in my noodles. Really nasty and they won't see me again. Was so disgusted about it that I didn't even want to get back to complain.

Visited this place 15 years ago, used to be reasonably good with the Japanese owners. Visited 1st time again in 15 years later, clearly it is now owned and runned by Chinese/Malaysian owner. The restaurant still look exactly the same, and it is getting dated with the same old decorations and furnitures. Price was OK, 1 starter and 2 mains came to £27. Portions are small, Yakitori Skewers are just a fraction bigger than the chopsticks, the smallest amount of meat I have ever seen and been served with, and there were some chicken skin and fat on the Skewers too. The WORST was the Katsu Don, the pork was obviously a few days old, and it was microwaved and served, the pork was tough, dry and stale, see photos. There is a very strange taste to it, and the rest was left untouched obviously. The Soy Sauce on the rice was too salty too. I have noticed alot of Luckyboat number 1 thick noodles left by the stairs area, usually these noodles are used for Chinese chow mein. The 2 chefs on duty on 27th June 2024 12:00pm were speaking in Malaysian Chinese, talking loudly in the kitchen and there was no evidence of any cooking from the kitchen, there was no aroma from fresh cooking or frying. This is not an authentic Japanese fast food restaurant, I strongly do not recommend this place simply because they are not fresh and they have not got a clue about cooking.

The quality of food is poor, not really relating to traditional Japanese cuisine. The takoyaki (octopus balls) were greasy and mushy. We ordered a chicken and prawn donburi which lacked flavour. The vegetables in the donburi was only iceberg lettuce. The gyozas were the best (steamed from frozen most likely). Tap water was served in flimsy plastic cups, and the restaurant only accepts cash. The décor was old and general cleanliness was not kept up. The service was good though. Waitresses were kind and helpful.

This shop has long been one of my go to places for a good Japanese meal. Super reasonable prices and they aren't stingy with the portions. You do have to pay in cash.

Lovely staff and nice atmosphere but the food wasn’t great. The yakisoba was not very nice.

Best Japanese restaurant in Brighton!! Cheap, good quality, fast service.

Last weekend I returned to my beloved Pompoko, a precious doll’s house of a restaurant across from the Royal Pavilion that has been delighting me with the same dish, the tofu chilli don, for way over a decade. The portions are perfect, the sides are delicious and varied, and the staff are unfailingly wonderful. My only wish is that they took card so I could have impulsively bought more, but whatever formula preserves the order for Pompoko’s continued existence must remain sacrosanct.

Overpriced for the quality / quantity. Far better places in the vicinity.

The best Japanese food I have had in the UK, it was amazing at a fantastic price

Love Pompoko. Good food, well made good people. What's not to love?

The food was very delicious and fresh and came out very quickly. The staff were very Libyans helpful. We forgot to bring cash so they reserved our table while we went to the cash point round the corner. I would highly recommend!

Friendly staff, super quick service, cosy and welcoming atmosphere with a great outside seating area. Delicious food, thanks a lot.

Queued for 30 mins or so for a table for 4 but in and out quickly once we got a table. Food is good, very quick. Remember its cash only!

The yakisoba was overly salty, masking other flavors. The rice bowl was too mushy and difficult to enjoy.

Nothing fresh, even the rice is mushy. Tastes like cheap frozen food.

This place is ok-ish for a 3.5 stars but not more as many of the things on the are from frozen and not made by them. As usual, look for places not on the main street. Assume that the top reviews are from those that usually eat at mcdonalds.

I had prawn kimchi udon, would be better with more portion for £14! It was delicious tho I preferred the teriyaki chicken I tried from my friend ! Udon (7/10) , Spring Rolls (6/10) , Gyoza (7/10)

Great place for a quick take away at a decent price. This was my first visit here and I sat in. The service is excellent and fast (food comes quickly and very hot). The atmosphere feels quite authentic, but I felt that the seating arrangements were a bit uncomfortable. They do have more seating in a back room I think but I didn’t get to see that. Overall the price to food amount/ratio is good. About £11 - £15 per person. £2.50 to BYOB if you want alcohol.

I don't really want to leave a review as it will get even more busy. This place is a gem. Love it!

Such good value for money, been one of my fave spots for years

Great food, cheap, and speedy service. Cash only. Lots of Japanese options including noodle and rice stir fry dishes. First come first served and gets very busy most days so you may have to wait for a table. There is upstairs available as well.

delicious food, no card payment though. not so nice staff …. and really small spot outside and inside

Coming all the way from London to Brighton for a day and seeing the great reviews and how the food tasted nice made me think to have a go at having dinner here. Well 1st, the welcome is a "Hello, eat in or takeaway" instead of an actual welcome (fast-paced restaurant so understandable) and then you're given a table right away which was good, but not as friendly as it seemed what is seen online. 2nd, It is CASH ONLY as they don't really tell people until you get to the counter, which they'll send you over to the Tesco a minute around the corner unfortunately to take money out. The food which I got was the Butterfried Chicken Curry whihcch was nice with the curry sauce, the rice felt quite mushy and dry and was covered with lettuce the size of half a ruler. It's now the evening and my belly feels odd so hoping it's just nothing major but have seen people become ill/sick a day after eating this food so will see how it goes. If you like cheap quick getaway food then I guess it's worth the try.

Food was amazing ; food arrived quickly

Best price-performance Japanese kitchen in Brighton. Same quality for years. Widely preferred especially by university students.

I really didn’t want to write this review as the staff were really lovely and the atmosphere was nice, however me and my partner came here 2 days ago and my partner has suddenly came down with food poisoning and has been really unwell for the past 24 hours with really bad nausea and diarrhoea and I am also beginning to feel unwell. He had the pork kimchi don so I am not sure if it was undercooked or something to do with the pork, however I had the fried chicken curry and it was only room temperature when served and the chicken was slightly pink inside also.

Amazing atmosphere, very very kind workers and food is very well priced and amazing! i especially recommend the prawn nanban.

Great spot if you are looking for a cheap option while keeping a certain level of quality. Food is ready within 10-15 minutes while being freshly prepared. Only takes cash and the chairs and place as a whole feels quite small in regard to seating and comfortability.

This place is a proper little hidden gem. The service is amazing, so happy we found it would definitely recommend. Food is very affordable, hot fresh and super tasty.

Sensational food, far beyond what I expected.

Could be a little place in Tokyo. Tasty donburi efficiently served with a smile. Looking forward to another excuse to pop in!

Very disappointing. Food lacks freshness or stand out flavour. Place and cooking lack soul. Unable to recommend this place.

What a great little find this place is, been busy every time we go but they always do their best to fit you in and the food is quality

I heard it's a good Japanese/Korean restaurant. Very friendly atmosphere. We are all squeezed into a very tight space. Very busy when we went at 6pm on a wet Monday night. The good was ok. The rice isn't the same as I had in Japan. It was quite wet and soggy, which I found disappointing. The pork curry was tasty though. The spare ribs were too sweet for my liking but my fellow diners thought they were very nice and tender.

Fast food, nicely priced, unpretentious but unique. Recomend the breaded pork, did not like the tea.

A very cozy little place, delicious and authentic Japanese food at a reasonable price. Highly recommend the Tori Chilli Don, it’s popular for a reason.

We are staying in Brighton for a couple of nights and were looking for something relatively cheap for tonight so we can have a fancier meal tomorrow, but still wanted something more exciting than the fast food chains. Pompoko was perfect! Such good prices! Our food arrived really quickly and was delicious. The atmosphere isn't the most amazing but is suited to what it is - a good value independent Japanese place with quality food.

We loved it. At first it is a place that does not invite us to enter, but on the recommendation of a resident there we decided to try to eat and it was a super right decision. There are more than 20 Japanese dishes that you can choose from, the ones we decided on were all very delicious and they were also served very quickly. For starters we ordered spring roll and gyozas and they were very delicious too. The plates are around £8 each. Highly recommended

The place was packed - a good sign, a few minutes wait - v reasonable lunchtime on a Saturday. The menu, prices, portion size, speed of service, everyone's dishes out at same time - can't fault our visit. Definitely will be back soon. Thank you Pompoko!

Authentic, so as you are aware, you live in the UK, you're in Brighton. Great food, great price, and simple, welcoming vibes.

Fantastic food, people are so friendly. Defo will visit again :)

Absolutely amazing restaurant - fantastic food and so well priced. Very busy for take out and eat in when we were there, definitely worth a wait if you want to eat in.

CASH ONLY - Great food, simple decor & large menu.

Love this place, a guaranteed quick and delicious dinner for a reasonable price. The staff are kind too. Thank you as always!!

Food was very good. Really liked the counter paying, very relaxed, super busy vibe. It’s not fine dining and don’t even t to be waited on, but that’s part of the charm. 2:50 pp corkage for BYOB but great to bring some cans in. Cash only btw

Love the food. My favorite is the Tori Chili don. It was so delicious!🤗❤️ Looking forward to going again next time. 😉👍

Simple and no frills but amazing food. Service is always super speedy and the food is delicious. Highly recommend the Kimchi Noodle dish that is a special, when it is on.

Ignore the 3rd review down, they obviously don’t get it…or were expecting 5 star for 2 star prices. This place serves tasty food, served quickly and with minimum fuss. Sure, there are no place settings and the dining furniture has seen better days but you don’t come here for that. The prices are reasonable, there are pictures to match the description (for the totally uninitiated ), the food is served within minutes…and it’s good! A heads up, this place is cash only and you can bring your own alcohol for a £2.50 corkage fee.

Had the worst food here literally paid £7.50 to eat plain rice. Ordered the Tori CHilli Don, and it was so bad. The chicken smelled weird and tasted like it was cooked 10 days ago!!! I'm seriously worried I will be sick tonight. (Will keep you posted) It was also so hard and could barely bit into it. Had to use my hands to tear it apart, but as said was definitely not fresh and had sort of a dull dark colour. I am not one to write bad reviews, but this was so so bad I just had to. In fact, I wrote this as was sat in the restaurant, hoping one of them would ask why I didn't eat any of the chicken but that was wishful thinking. I definitely won't be back. What a waste, though, because there were a few people coming in for takeaway and few to eat in, so there must be some good food somewhere in that kitchen. If the ToriChillii Don - chicken in a spicy tangy sauce - is not that popular that you have to use stale chicken, take it off the menu, please.

One of my favourite places to eat at in Brighton! Very quick yummy food.

Super fast food and so well priced.

Good place for a cheap and quick meal, cash only. The location is quite convenient. Very crowded inside but the atmosphere is actually not bad. Found one meal that I like and have been sticking to it for years. It’s the kind of place you go to if you don’t want a coffee shop sandwich but also don’t feel like a proper restaurant meal.

A cheap, no frills Japanese restaurant that’s CASH only. The food is filling and reasonably tasty without tasting like it’s riddled with artificial flavours and what not. Atmosphere is a little basic, but it’s to be expected. The upstairs has a nice large window looking down below which is pleasing to sit and eat by. Decent vegan options.

Lovely Japanese food. Fast service.

This place is great for Japanese food and is really quick!staff are friendly and it has lots of options of food.

This transported me back to somewhere east of Brighton. There is an authenticity in the cramped layout, hand written notes, busy menus, warm staff and prices. Sides are £3-4, mains are £6-9, desserts are £3-4. These prices will make you feel old for a short while, reminiscing about eating out 20 years back. Most importantly, the food is solid. Meat (or tofu) with rice done 40 ways. A couple of the dishes were short on sauce (honey soy tofu and chicken chilli don) and the edamame were on the tired side. However, overall a very tasty, memorable spot that I would frequent often if I lived nearby.

It is cheap, but food is not tasty

Food was so authentic and great value for money

Brighton's best hidden secret. Amazing food and great value.

Lovely service, food is always not too expensive and tasty!

I’ve been going to this place for the better part of a decade, the food has always been delicious and cheap, amazing friendly staff and fast service. Unfortunately it seems they have changed the recipe of a favourite of mine: chicken nanban don. This rice bowl used to have some of the best fried chicken I’ve ever had honest to god, but I had it recently and it has taken a serious turn. The batter to chicken ratio was terrible, thick undercooked batter surrounding slithers of rubbery chicken. I have genuinely loved this place for years, recommended it to countless people but I was very disappointed with my recent trip, I really hope that this was a one time mistake and not a change to the recipe, although my friend also had the same experience. Their other dishes are good too, but this is undoubtedly a very popular dish that has been ruined for me.

Great food, great value, no nonsense.

Not sure what the good reviews are about. Pretty awful food that I’m almost certain was microwaved (food came almost instantly and katsu breading was soggy/soft). Cash only is backwards in 2023.

Came here on my lunch break. It’s cash only, which I only realised once I was at the till. But pricing is reasonable. Was asked the door right on entry whether I was ‘eat in or take away’, which took me by surprise but I guess it was straight to the point. I was taking away during my work lunch break. I ordered the tofu chilli don and was handed my food within a few mins. Tasted really good, and was a large portion size, which means I have left overs. I will definitely be back. Would be good for a group setting, where you can order a few items and share!

I have been eating in Pompoko for many years and have never been disappointed. Service is always so quick. Unlike many takeaway/fast food places, they haven't signed up to the likes of Deliveroo and Just Eat so service is still speedy while rivals struggle managing eat-ins, in-person takeaway pick ups and delivery drivers. If you're looking for a filling meal that is served up to you as quickly as fast food, visit here! Speed aside, it is super tasty. I'm a big fan and I crave it every time I walk past - or even think of it.

Had a fantastic meal, arrived very quickly after ordering and tasted great.