Riddle & Finns The Beach in Brighton and Hove

Thanks for a lovely evening, as was my wife birthday and we was looked after brilliantly by the staff.

A fantastic menu full of quality fish and shell fish a must for any seafood lover. We were very disappointed with the seating, as they are tables of 8 and you can end up sitting next to and opposite other people in very close proximity. We had the hot seafood platter to start. Full of flavour, cooked very well, bit lacked presentation. For our main, surf and turf, now o know my way around a lobster, but many don’t and for the price you are paying, I think the kitchen should have dressed the lobster. The steak was ok, but again for the cost, lacked in size. The restaurant was busy and it is apparent its busy, it’s just to small a venue and lacks that one or two little things, which I believe you should get when spending a lot of money of good food.

Riddle & Finns is small with high tables inside and normal seating outside. The atmosphere has a buzz but is not overly noisy. The staff are knowledgeable and attentive to all diners even when at full capacity. Seafood is fantastic and delicious 🥰🥰

Delicious food and amazing service!!! Highly recommend!!

Absolutely a must try. We loved the clam chowder. Very authentic and surf and turf was amazing 😍

From the moment we walked in until the moment we walked out, we received the best service from two individuals—one being Joel, and I didn’t manage to get the name of the other! My partner and I were celebrating our anniversary, and because we had such a lovely time in November, we decided to celebrate it at Riddle and Finns by the beach today. The individual who greeted us instantly recognised us, and since our table wasn’t ready, he seated us at the bar and was very attentive! The food was exceptional, with lots of dishes recommended, and they walked us through the dishes we chose. The atmosphere was amazing, and we even had a lovely chat with two other guests opposite us, as it was side-by-side dining. The vanilla brandy was delightful as well! It was definitely a great recommendation from the lovely guy who served us. I need to get a bottle before we leave Brighton, as I learned it’s a hidden gem here! Toward the end of the night, we were given a special anniversary plate with truffles, which made our night! Thank you to everyone—servers and chefs—who made it extra special. We will definitely be bringing friends and family next time!

We went this evening for my birthday (booked by my boyfriend) and we were treated like royalty!! Amazing service, delicious food, and a very generous drink on the house. Could not recommend highly enough. Can’t wait to come back with friends! PS- amazing pickle martinis!!!

Very posh place, great views and great location. Clam chowder was pretty good. The special of the day was a pork croquette with raw scallop and burnt apple spread, this was so interesting and flavorful. Definitely the highlight of the two dishes I tried.

Fabulous food and drink, but exceptional service from the team. Just wonderful.

Lovely experience! The food was delicious, and Giorgia, the waitress was very nice and gentle!

First time here in Brighton and what a GEM I found in this place… good food, drinks and with a wonderful view… lovely staff to take care of you (Ruby) and what you need in life… a WiFi may be… ;)

Located right on the coast, this oyster bar offers stunning ocean views and fresh, high-quality seafood. Staff were great and overall had a wonderful meal.

Visited for drinks then returned for lunch Both occasions were great John and Max and their lovely lady colleague (can’t recall name sorry) were excellent as was the food We will be back!

all in here is perfect！｛Pear lemonade｝loveeeeee

That was possibly one of the best meals I've ever had. We went here for our engagement dinner and the staff were fantastic (especially City who served us). The food, atmosphere and service was more than I could ask for.

We had an ultimate legend as our waiter sorry we don’t know his name but he had clear glasses and a kind smile. He was very knowledgable about the whole menu and he made our friends birthday a memorable on with a free dessert oyster!!! This made such a massive difference and honestly we had so much fun. This made us feel so valued as customers and we will definitely be back again!!! This guy deserves a pay rise or a promotion!! What a king <3

The best seafood I've ever eaten, and all the staff were diligent and friendly. A special shout-out to our server City, she made a special day all the more special.

Lovely food and in a great spot, friendly unpretentious service.

Excellent service great food lovely atmosphere

Me and my partner have just dined here for valentines day and i can say without a doubt it was the best date we've ever been on!! For starters, our waiter John was the most lovely person, he was so attentive and respectful throughout the entire meal. We had the clam chowder, lobster, calamari, and the most gorgeous mussels. The views and atmosphere were 10/10 and i truly recommend dining here; its 100% worth every penny!!

We were walking along the beach and came here by chance. It would have been hard to come up with a better choice that day. Super! Thank you.

Went here for a valentines day, the restaurant was absolutely packed full but our food and drinks still came very promptly and service was absolutely incredible, very attentive. Our server was John and he did an incredible job, especially considering the amount of people he had to serve. The food was absolutely exceptional. We ordered clam chowder, calamari and mussels as well as 2 half lobsters. The calamari was some of the best I have ever had and the lobster was absolutely delicious, especially the sauce. Cocktails were also absolutely stunning. Very impressive and good portion sizes. Free bread also came with the table. Do be aware that there is a 12.5% service charge, however this was very much expected and we were very willing to pay it. All in all it was a great experience, and we will be visiting again.

Good food, excellent service very very pleasant evening. Shout out Pauline and Jim for the good craic.

Great seafood and during the day, great views

A fantastic experience. Great food , great service and a fabulous time was had by all ten of us!! Will be back for sure and singing your praises to everyone I know. We had the group menu and the food was as good as I had had on Ile De Rae - it brought back some fantastic memories.

Although it is a smaller venue (shared, long tables), it has a bright and pleasant atmosphere, especially with an ocean view. The food was prepared by someone who must be trained as a chef, the various plates we ordered (smoked haddock fillet, smashed young potatoes on prosciutto, and a number of small plates) were visually appealing. The seaweed old fashioned (rum cocktail @ $14) was so fabulous, my husband had another. We will have to go back for dessert another time, because we were already satisfied. It's a bit pricey for us to go here on a regular basis, but special occasions will bring us back.

Lobster was good. Dover sole a little disappointing. Good service

Absolutely amazing experience. The staff are amazing and make you feel welcome and special. Food was delicious and fantastic attention to detail with the presentation. A wonderful place that we will definitely return to. Highly recommend if you love seafood and what a special experience.

If you love sea food ,the best place to be .

Exceptional! Our host Maxime was extremely welcoming and even though the restaurant was extremely busy, was super attentive and warm. A true asset! Food is light and very fresh, the watermelon hot sauce on the oysters to die for and the the attention to detail is spectacular, would highly recommend!

My dad and I went for lunch today at riddle and Finns and were blown away by not only the delicious food but the outstanding service. The atmosphere was lovely paired with pleasant sea view. Would highly recommend to any seafood lover.

Thank you to Johnathon for looking after us today. Most enjoyable lunch, service was great!

Lovely friendly & helpful staff. Food was great too.

It used to be great, been our go-to place to host friends in Brighton. But it’s lost consistency in taste, don’t always get what’s expected. Generally it’s still a great restaurant but I need more courage to bring friends here.

Had a lovely trip to Brighton and was recommended this Seafood Resturant. We did arrive 10 mins early and was seated straight away so good start. Our server was attentive and explained the menu. So we had all the prices so knew that this was going to be pricey, but you get what you pay for right ? ..... Wrong ! Scallops x 2 for starters £30 , okay well they were nice , but not wow nice , okay on then to mains 1/2 lobster thermador 35.00 chips x 2 12.00 plus 1 whole Lobster 68.00 Dessert platter 15.00 and 2 non alcohol cocktails so with added service charge this total bill came to 223.00 . Now my lobster 1/2 I'd say was worth 35.00. The whole lobster on the other hand was an absolute insult , it was not even worth tackelling for the meat !! 4 bitesize mouthfulls and its gone ! And the taste was very underwhelming. We did tell the server who replied that some maybe smaller than others ! Well then I would suggest charge accordingly for size so patrons do not end up being charged 68.00 and very dissatisfied with your menu. So all in all, would I return ? 100% no It was overated , overpriced and after spending the amount we did still ended up leaving hungry , I've had better surf and turf in my local and paid less.

2 lovers who love seafood shared: Oysters, Caviar, Scallops, Chowder and Crab washed down with an English Sparkling Wine.

Well, I’m sorry but I’ve been very ill from food poisoning as soon as I got home, and today I have high fever and have been throwing up quite a bit. Not what I was expecting.

Great service fabulous food ..staff were awesome 👌

Very welcoming, knowledgable and warm staff - front of house was delightful and really made it a special occasion for us. Many thanks

We are Brighton locals that have visited Riddles for over 13 years, but sadly our last visit will be our last. The menu is not as extensive as it’s been in the past, the bread and condiments has been paired back (no mackerel pate) for the same price. We were there for a special birthday and two mains were delivered undercooked and cold. Replacement dishes were promised but everyone lease had finished their food before the replacement dish was delivered. One of our party gave up. Riddle cannot afford to cheese off locals that keep it going throughout the winter. We were so disappointed we left a half full loyalty card on the table, and will never return. Riddle is not cheap and dinners deserve better.

Staff are great - very welcoming and knowledgeable, and the food is delicious. My favourite place to come for lunch.

They got free bread for everyone. I ordered seafood risotto and chips and broccoli. The seafood risotto served with small portions, even my cats eats more than that apparently, also the seafood is not that fresh, it’s kinda sour.

A perfect visit every time. Possibly the best service, from start to finish. The food is exceptionally good, too. But the service. Outstanding. My 9yr son ordered the linguine. Whilst it was great, it was too picante. Our waitress, replaced his dish, with the same, shellfish linguine (No Chili) within minutes. I thank you again.

Years ago, I randomly walked into Riddle & Finn after finding it in an alleyway, and had a smashing dinner experience. So when meeting up with a friend in Brighton, there was only one choice I was interested in, but this time, we booked a table at their beach location. Would definitely recommend their scallops as a starter which melt in the mouth, but sadly, their New England Clam Chowder left more to be desired. The potatoes were too chunky and browning, and although the broth was delicious, there wasn't enough of it compared to all the vegetables, with bacon overriding any clams actually found in the dish. The half lobster was worth the price, and the desserts provided a fantastic end. I HIGHLY recommend their elderflower vodka sour as we ordered about 5 of them, and staff were exceptional!

Really enjoyable seafood restaurant. Small restaurant witj counter style tables to sit next to each other. Everything was fresh and tasted great. Service was attentive and engaging, nothing was too much trouble.

Always superb from start to finish

Great food, lovely views, friendly staff.

We had a wonderful pre-concert meal last Friday. Sitting down at 5.30 we took in the surroundings which are perfectly set out for the space. The food was excellent and all serving staff were super friendly and helpful with advice on the menu. The only very minor point was the lack of beer options. A small tankard of black velvet for £17 is a bit steep and the only other option was a can of Guinness. That was fine for me, but others would probably appreciate a couple of other options. I love West Coast IPAs with a seafood platter as an example. We had the classic seafood platter which was good for 2 hungry people, along with a portion of fries and the warm beetroot salad. Everything was amazing and well presented. Not cheap, but we would say very good value. We will definitely come back.

Georgia, our server, went above and beyond to give us an amazing time. Riddle and Finn, take note, she is an asset to your restaurant. Thank you so much for excellent service and food. See you soon.

The view is great, the restaurant is beautiful, and the food is delicious. The seafood is very fresh, and the risotto is highly recommended 🐟

The food was absolutely delicious, and the staff and manager were incredibly friendly. I will definitely go back for sure!

Lovely restaurant, service and food, we visited twice in two days. Highly recommended

Fully lived up to expectations - the food, service and venue were incredible. The scallops and tiramisu were absolutely tremendous and the staff even had a birthday dessert as a surprise for my partner which was a lovely touch, 10/10!

7 of us went. my friends from Greece always want to go there. It never fails us. Good food great service. Hard working chefs. Thank you riddle

Super Sea food 😋 great location overlooking Brighton beach. Friendly service. We 👍

We were here last week for the Octoberbest menu. While the selection of food and flavour was great, the service was far from good. We arrived 5 minutes early to our booking and were seated immediately. We then had to wait an hour and 20 minutes before our first course arrived after being promised multiple times that the food was “seconds away”. Normally I wouldn’t mind this since the place was busy, but about 5 other couples who had arrived 20 to 30 minutes after we did were somehow already on their second course. It also didn’t help that we had gone through our 3 drink pairing before any of the food arrived. When the food did arrive, it was delicious and the courses were generous but being starved half to death due to the wait definitely put a damper on things. The soup we had for our starter was the highlight of the meal. All in all, good food but pack a snack to munch on while you watch everyone else eat before you.

Riddle & Finns offers an outstanding outdoor dining experience, where the combination of exquisite seafood and a charming atmosphere creates an unforgettable meal. The quality of the dishes is exceptional, with each one showcasing fresh, beautifully prepared ingredients that highlight the best of seasonal seafood. Dining outside enhances the experience, allowing guests to enjoy the lively surroundings while indulging in their expertly crafted menu. The staff are attentive and knowledgeable, ensuring every aspect of the meal is catered to with professionalism and warmth. For those seeking top-tier seafood dining in an elegant outdoor setting, Riddle & Finns is an excellent choice.

Outstanding food, service at atmosphere…. Oysters were sublime, razor clams and new favourite and the lobster Thermidor was just Devine!

Excellent service, friendly, attentive without being intrusive. Jersey oysters excellent, langoustines excellent. Convivial atmosphere with shared tables. One complaint. My 9 year old nephew had the fish goujons which were over salted. I’d allow the customer to salt their own food, especially with the children’s menu, which is why I knocked one star off the food score.

This was our first visit, but certainly not our last. The seafood platters, both cold and hot, were fabulous. Everything was cooked to perfection, and the service was excellent as well.

You can't miss this one @ england

Unfortunately we never had the opportunity to try the food so can’t comment on that. However, service was appalling! We were seated and drink order taken which started out OK. Then we waited (with our menus sitting in front of us) for about 20 minutes before a server returned. We finally flagged down a server and placed our food order. Once again, we waited with no visit from anyone to ask if we wanted another drink, water, nothing. We finally opted to leave the restaurant. When we spoke with the host about why we were leaving, he was extremely rude and told us to leave and ‘don’t come back!’ I cannot recommend this restaurant when there are so many other options in the area.

Nice view by the side side, oysters and shellfish are excellent quality and nicely cooked

Great food - tasted really fresh. The team were so welcoming and attentive without it feeling too much- a hard balance! They were also all really kind to our kids which meant the world to us.

Outstanding. Great quality food and very friendly service. Fantastic view of the beach and pier

Delicious!!!!! If you like fish it is the place to go - wide variety, fresh, and mouth watering.

Went for lunch and sat outside as it was a lovely sunny day. Everything was excellent. The seafood platter was amazing and very fresh. Service was very efficient and friendly. Lovely relaxed atmosphere.

The food was very good, everything was so freshly made with lots of butter and herbs. Though the mussels had sand. We ordered the hot sea food platter, sea bream, langostine, half lobster and halibut fillet. We were offered if we want to sit on the terrace, which was a great experience because the weather was beautiful. The service was super slow, though, maybe because it was busy, but we waited for long time to get the sea food platter and mains and the dessert. Front of house guy was great, very welcoming and knew what he was doing. However, our waitress was super moody and unprofessional , did not smile, barely talked to us, and every time we wanted to order something she was nowhere to be seen or ignored us straightaway. Just arrogant. It could have been an amazing experience overall but because of that, it wasn't. We didn't catch her name, but she had braids. The whole time, her attitude was rude. So the moment we saw the front of house guy we just ordered to him and he was delightful. I noticed something when we were leaving, usually at sea food bars/restaurants when sea food is served you get some sort of wet wipes, or some warm water with lemon because your hands are going to get dirty but we never received anything like that. When we were leaving we noticed that every table on the balcony had bowl with wipe and lemon, which to be honest made me feel kind of let down because we just paid over £30 for service which seemed like it wasn't well deserved. Prices are high, and service is unadequate. I'm not sure we will be back there, to be honest.

Beautiful venue above the beach. Seafood specialities choices were excellent. Gracie took my order. She is a credit to the restaurant. Attentive and very friendly

The food is fantastic, but the waiter's attitude is quite rude for a restaurant of this caliber. The service felt worse than what you'd expect at a casual fish and chips spot, leaving me not inclined to return. Leave me a comment that the restaurant acknowledged this and I will delete this post. Thanks

Had a wonderful meal and dining experience. From watching a beautiful sun set to after dinner petit four.

Outstanding, friendly, and engaged staff! The lemon sole fresh fish of the day was impeccably prepared with herb oil. We went for my wife's birthday and had a wonderful time … thank you!

Exquisite food. Fabulous setting and view of the beach. Impeccable service from Rebecca, who gave recommendations for the specials which really were awesome. The mullet with seafood aioli and a tomato and olive salsa was so delicate and fresh. A truely exceptional dish. The scallops with mango and chilli salsa were cooked to perfection and I could've eaten another plate they were so moreish. My partner had the seafood risotto which had such depth if flavour and succulent seafood. Outstanding meal.

Over priced and tiny portions. Left there feeling hungry after spending over £150 on dinner for 2

Beautiful views over Brighton. Fresh seafood and attentive service. A bit pricey but good for a special lunch on a sunny day

Went for a special occasion and was not let down. Friendly staff, great food and a super excellent time was had.

The view so beautiful but the stuff is so rude

Shame for stuff so rude we always go there they said we dont have a free table

Yesterday I enjoyed a memorable lunch outside at this super restaurant - delicious food in a perfect setting under a blue sky. My waitress was very helpful in explaining the choices available. While consuming the bread with dips I chose the calamari starter followed by the fish curry as the main course and finally the passionfruit posset and can thoroughly recommend all three. The meal was complimented by a couple of limoncello spritz. The service was exemplary with the courses being presented to me with the right time in between and although busy I felt very relaxed in spending as much time there as I wanted to.

An excellent venue for lunch that has both interior and exterior seating. Food is good, table staff are friendly and a good wine selection.

Great food by the beach. Great staff and the food was excellent. Fresh seafood. Great value for the price. Kids menu meals are great too.

We had a wonderful late lunch at Riddle & Finns The Beach. We risked a walk in at 3pm on a Tuesday and were fortunate enough to get the last unoccupied table. Sitting outside in the sun, watching as the waves lapped against the beach the location couldn’t have been more perfect. Our drink orders were taken and shortly after we were given a bread basket with all sorts of yummy accompaniments to taste. For mains we ordered half lobster pad Thai slaw and Thai lobster ravioli. Both dishes were fresh and truly delicious. An absolutely wonderful meal, on a great setting with lovely staff. We will definitely be back and have recommended to our friends.

What an amazing restaurant in Brighton. Food was amazing and our waitress Sophie was super charming, helpful and nice.

You can see the sea and the atmosphere is very nice 😚 The food is seafood and usually delicious 🍽️ The service from the staff was not bad and they had nice smiles👏

Honestly, stuff is not credible at all. They first check what you wear and then give you a table. I suggest to change this culture. Very toxic. Specifically the blond man with a moustache shouldn’t be welcoming people. Told us there are no table for a few hours, then we saw another couple get a table right after us.

Great seafood restaurant by the sea. Wide range of shellfish and fish! Nice friendly service. Bit of a funny atmosphere with the pricey seafood paired with the pumping music from surrounding bars and clubs - but all part and parcel with the Brighton pier atmosphere I suppose!

Lovely spot on the beach. Consistently great food, lovely atmosphere, service mostly efficient but always pleasant.

Oysters and the Langoustines were just unbelievably AMAZING 🤩 Perfect restaurant and perfect sea food 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

Food really average, seafood linguini flavourless, seafood risotto same,.with a rice cooked too quickly. Service very bad, we had to get up and ask for the menu, we ordered champagne that took 20mn to come... until 1 waitress took care of us, the only one who seemed to know her job. After paying £220, we left, without anyone seeing us to day bye, that's how much they were not focused on customers! For a place that pretends to be high-end restaurant, that's a failure!

Great food and excellent service.

Very nice place. Beautiful appearance,Delicious food and good prices. Nice place place when you Like good food

Simply fantastic! Great food..Excellent views of the sea and above all superb friendly service!

We recently ordered a hot seafood platter, but to our surprise, it arrived cold. When we informed our waitress, Sofi, she responded with a sarcastic and dismissive "hilarious," which left us speechless. I have never experienced such unprofessional behavior from a waitress before. The service was disappointing, and the food was tasteless. We expected much better, and unfortunately, this experience fell far short of acceptable. Would not recommend this place based on our experience.

Absolutely love both venues in Brighton. There were a couple of things out of stock when we last visited which was disappointing but we loved the food we had, the staff were really lovely and it was an amazing atmosphere overlooking the beach, helped by a beautiful sunny day!

My wife and I came here first on a 3 course starter tour (3 sets of starters from 3 restaurants, highly recommended). The Oysters were unreal, I had a lovely little champagne guiness cocktail to wash them down. The pate bread plate was a must aswell. My only slight knock would be that our drinks came last, but it was very busy. Otherwise full marks.

Absolutely fantastic food, atmosphere literal perfection!! Will definitely return, and Max thanks for the lovely table!

Amazing food, excellent customer service and extra attention to detail! Favourite restaurant!

I can't remember a better birthday! Planning g with Courtney was a delight. all six of us were divided as to where to go, the wind being gusty. You had a table for us just inside the door, and held it for us a good time. My 82nd birthday, and they wouldn't let us eat outside to the East, even though you offered to create a table there. the quality of attention was very special. I felt I'd known you for years. Perfect setting. No need to hunt for service, you were always there when needed. what ..."Copy review

We came to this restaurant for a celebratory dinner and to be honest the manager's bad and weird attitude put a bit of a dampener on it. We arrived early hoping to have drinks at 4pm on a Tuesday afternoon, which although it was the summer shouldn't be unheard of. We were told they could not accommodate our group of 7 even though there were spare un-reserved tables available that were large enough for us. To be honest his strange explanation to why they couldn't seat us was patronising and frankly bizarre. Additionally only the manager appears to have the authority to greet people at the entrance, so we were left standing for a fair amount of time until he was back from his break/errand. When we came back for our reservation, luckily we found the food was delicious, but when we asked for more bread, that we were happy to pay for, we were told that we had eaten our allocated amount and there was no more bread available. Although the food was tasty, the price tag and our experience does not warrant another trip back to this restaurant for us. I'm sure this restaurant will continue to be popular due to its location, but I would rather spend my money elsewhere.

Popped out for a quiet afternoon lunch. It was exquisite. Quality food and great service very friendly from start to finish.