Port Kitchen in Brighton and Hove

Took my mum, who is in a wheelchair, out for breakfast. Arrived before 11:30 but had to wait for them to clear the lift of stock before we could get seated. Once seated no one came to give us a menu or take our order. After going back downstairs to get two menus, back up to get my mum’s order and back downstairs to order I was told that it had past 11:30 and we couldn’t order breakfast! When I pointed out that the lunch menu doesn’t start until 12 she said “we’ve got cake”. But I don’t want cake. She shrugged. I said “we’ll have to go elsewhere then.” To which she said “Fine” and turned away. I’m only glad that they are obviously doing well enough to lose customers over a couple of minutes!

The sit down area of the restaurant wasn't open, just a serving hatch for some reason. After checking the menu we ordered a couple of beers, only to be told they couldn't serve beer. Very odd. We then ordered a couple of drinks and a sausage roll. The service was not friendly, I felt rushed and like I was bothering them even though there was nobody else waiting to be served and 4 members of staff in the kitchen area. After about 10 or 15 mins I asked how my sausage roll was coming along. At first I got blank faces, then I was told "we'll start it now". When it turned up it was a soaky microwaved mess. Feels like they don't know what they are doing and don't care.

The Port Cafe had its ups and downs. I asked for toast, but they said breakfast was over and lunch would start in 30 minutes. Luckily, the chef agreed to make toast when asked. However, the service from the lady was quite rude, and they served peppermint tea instead of breakfast without an apology. The cafe is situated next to a noisy dry dock and doesn’t offer a pleasant view. It’s also worth mentioning that the cafe is owned by the port authority, which can lead to unfriendly interactions, especially regarding parking. On the flip side, the beach cafe (Carats) is a much friendlier option, and you can enjoy sitting on the beach there. I won’t be going back to the Port Cafe.

Stop off on our bike ride for a quick beer. Then on seeing the menu decided to have a club sandwich, chips and a lovely prawn cocktail. Very satisfying and can’t wait to try out some other lunch time dishes.

Stopped off after waiting at the lock for several minutes went to order food and waited in a small queue but at 3.03 when served were told the kitchen shut at 3 and we were 3 mins too late! A couple a couple of minutes quicker were served. Feels very jobs worthy and several people were turned away. Had cake instead which was nice.

Popped in for lunch when visiting family in Portslade. A lovely spot for breakfast or a spot of lunch whilst on a stroll. The place was well set up, with a good, wide-ranging menu of reasonably-priced food and a good selection of hot and cold drinks. I had the club sandwich which was a great pick-me-up for the windy conditions!

This is a great place to come to. It was really busy which is a good sign, but the service was great. We came twice for breakfast and lunch. Both were good value. Good coffee with a great machine. All the food tasted fresh. I'd recommend finding a seat, grabbing your table number and then queuing up as there was sometimes a queue to order. However, the drinks and food didn't take long at all to come out. A really good place with good values, would visit again

Avoid this vile establishment. My daughter, young baby and I drove over especially for breakfast. The reception we received was rude and curt. Arrived at 11.15 am and paid to park . The chap thrust menus at us announcing we were too late for breakfast.Found ourselves a table and politely waited for a slow server to clear it and clean. We sat down , looked at menus and went to counter to be told , kitchen closed till 12 for lunch orders. What sort of a shamble show is this. We thought about just having a drink and cake as e has made the journey especially but decided against it. Every member of staff was sullen and completely disinterested. As we left I spoke to the staff member. No apology and nothing to say of any value. How can you close a service early just on a whim and then no food for40 mins . I was fuming and upset to be spoken to and treated in such a way. However reading the previous review, why am I surprised. A bunch of chimpanzees could do better and definitely be more friendly. Do not bother .

Shocking service - poor customer service and woeful IT systems - AVOID!!! Shocking service - they need to sort themselves out! Service is shocking, completely disorganized, no one knows what you're supposed to do when coming in - do you grab a seat or join the queue? The small sign is ambiguous and no one wanted to loose their place in the queue so as know one knew what to do, we did the British thing and we just queued, lol. Staff don't know what they are doing or what is going on. If there's a problem with staff or kitchen, have the decency to tell people who are patiently queuing so they know why and can make an informed decision. Lots of frustrated people and parents trying to keep their kids going while standing in a great British queue. So while one of our party queued, the rest sat at a table and waited......and waited......you'll soon wish you'd brought a cushion as they have the most uncomfortable seats we've ever sat on! So you queue for 40 minutes+ to order and then wait over an hour and a half for food, no apology, no updates, no free tea/coffee while waiting......no nothing. We then started to hear them telling people coming in that it was a 90+ minute wait, but as we were nearly there we thought we'd wait another 20-30 minutes as it would take longer to get a refund and find somewhere with space. While sat their we did wonder if there was a service charge on the bill - I hope their wasn't! What happens if there's no space to sit once you've ordered.....do you hover over everyone already sat at tables? They really need to get this sorted! And it gets better...... apparently their "new" IT system hasn't taken our order.........it no problem taking our money but not the order.......over an hour and a half of patiently waiting, we did ask how long and were told it was coming, the youngest kept popping his head in to check there was actually food being prepared. Only after noticing others who had come after us (but still had over an hour wait!) had received their food, did we start to ask more questions and being told not to worry, just a few kitchen issues today.....and then finally we pleaded as to what was taking so long and low and behold we find that our order hadn't been taken, just the payment had been processed and a "we're so sorry" lame apology! We were told that their IT systems are known to have constant problems but the owners wont pay for a Sunday support so it goes wrong every so often! Even knowing this, they have no processes to check your order has gone through. Our kids had been so patient, they were taking me there for a father's Day breakfast, they were in tears, so upset!!! So many better places to eat that value their customers and provide decent service. The staff didn't know what they are doing, there didn't seem to be anyone in a supervisory role, they didn't offer anything to entice us to come back and show us what they could do in future, just a refund that still hasn't appeared in our bank. Quite simply a horrible, shocking, very disappointing experience, we won't be going back and suggest you don't either!. Avoid!

Lovely food and venue. Menu offers a good choice - I can recommend the fish finger sandwiches that come with salad. Sadly the place is only scoring 3 due to the “inclusive” toilets. Why not have a male, female and inclusive

Busy on arrival today, Easter holidays I suppose, but we easily found a table and waited a short while for the queue at the counter to wind down a bit. Quite a few customers were in for takeaway. I had the small fish and chips for £12. It was a good lunch portion and the fish was nicely cooked with crisp batter. The chips were a bit soggy but ok. I liked that the meal came with a salad. Service was prompt enough for me and my friend. Nice environment and on a better weather day good location Over all an enjoyable experience. Look forward to next visit.

We hadn’t been here before today but a friend recommended this for lunch. We had an excellent lunch that was extremely good value. I had a small portion of fish and chips which was just right for lunchtime. I wish more places had smaller portions for those without a huge appetite. Service was very quick. Granted we arrived after main lunch time, but the place was still quite busy when we arrived. We are indoors as it was a cold windy day. I think that we’ll be heading here often in sunnier weather to watch the boats going through the locks whilst enjoying the sun. It is dog friendly too. Another bonus.

I agree with the reviewer who commented about the acoustics. But haven’t experienced the long delays described by others. The last time we came my friend ordered the fish pie on my recommendation, the pie itself was lovely possible a bit heavy on the potatoes. Unfortunately the vegetables did not do it justice, dried out and rock hard! It’s a shame as everything else has been lovely

It was a dry Sunday, late morning, (12th March 2023) busy but not rammed, I joined what looked like a short que, circa ten people in two groups. A guy then appeared and told us anyone from the group in front of me backwards who wanted breakfast we were too late. They were stopping to get ready for lunch and it took 30 mins to switch over to lunch cooking apparently?? Ok we (wife and I) were just having coffee. The lady behind me asked if she could swap with the group in front of me so she could order breakfast. They were not very helpful and just looked at her, the customers not the staff. They had told the guy they were having lunch. The group had been handed a small gay pride flag which they held looking slightly awkward. I was in the port visiting a ship for work so while in the que whilst my wife and dog sat at a table I sent a few emails so had not noticed how long it was taking. I then offered the lady if she wanted to go in front of me so she could order breakfast, She was very grateful as she explained she had her father with her who she was taking out for a treat as he was due to go in for an operation. When she finally got to the front and it took thirty minutes. She was told the group with the flag (now the flag made sense) were the last of the breakfast orders. They told her we are already running late etc etc, well that is not the customers fault is it?? She explained about her ill father. That buttered no parsnips with these staff they all agreed with much nodding it was too late and pointed at the gay pride flag 'look they have the flag'. It was then I noticed a little sign that informed me they employ staff with issues and please bear with us............OK great good to hear this. I was under some provocation bearing with them by this stage to be honest. Clearly bearing with as requested does not work the other way around with lady and ageing ill father. That lady left very cross. Then it was my turn, two coffees ordered card charged, then the lady said it will be fifteen minutes is that ok? Well if it REALLY takes that long to make two drinks I don't have a choice you have my money and I bet they could not do a refund!! They did not disappoint it did take 15 minutes almost on the dot! Great area, great idea, don't try and park ( we didn't) and allow.......ages and ages to get served, staffed by people with issues or not this is ridiculous, I could have walked across the lock got a burger at Carrots and come back with time to spare for my coffee. Please respond to me and assure me you are sorting this out. I am in the port Monday for work but not be going here until I know it is sorted.

I've dined at Port Kitchen a few times because it's a nice atmosphere, decent food and one of the only options in Southwick for families. It's a pleasant experience but as others have said, NOT if you're in a hurry. The service here is laughable. Untrained, young staff that have no clue about how to be attentive or how to use their initiative. On one occasion, I actually saw a man waiting outside in the cold for a coffee at the window and he left after waiting about 15 mins to be served – I was the only person in front of him and had been served (a simple chai latte) but it was taking ages to come, despite nobody waiting inside. Most recently, I went for a coffee with my husband – we weren't in a rush and knew service would be slow. A few young girls were behind the counter – not really doing anything. After waiting about 5-10 minutes, I simple said "hey, is anyone serving" a lovely polite girl stopped making smoothies and said "sure, the girl that's serving has disappeared" and took over – which was appreciated, but meant some poor person was then waiting a really long time for their smoothie. It's teething stuff I'm sure but SO frustrating as this place has potential! Train your staff, invest in a decent manager and you'll notice a huge transformtion, I am sure.

Nice setting but terribly slow service. Waited 50 minutes for our coffee having eaten the cake we bought to have with it! When enquiring about them was told still sixth in the cue. Shame as otherwise it was alright.

This newly built restaurant in Shoreham port is in a very interesting location and has excellent food. We were here on a very wet day, so all doors etc were closed and it was full of families. Typical of lots of modern architecture, no attention...