The best restaurants serving French food in Brighton and Hove South East

My wife and I have been fans of Stephen Edward’s food for many years. We have eaten his food previously at Cromwells in Small Dole, Whites in Steyning and the Camelia at South Lodge. I was therefore happy to book a table at Etch to celebrate our Wedding Anniversary. I did this via The Fork app and it was clearly stated that we wanted the ‘Michelin tasting menu’ in the restaurant. We paid the deposit and received confirmation. However, late morning on the day of the reservation, I was contacted by a restaurant employee to ‘confirm our booking in the cocktail bar’. I explained that we had booked the restaurant, but was told that they didn’t have that information and had no availability. The lady said that she would be contacting all diners to confirm their tables and would call me back if anybody cancelled, however I received a deposit refund as soon as I put the phone down and a message from ‘The Fork’ saying the restaurant couldn’t accommodate us! I’m sure the food is as great as ever, but it is the dismissive attitude of the staff over their mistake that leaves a bad taste in the mouth

I’ve only been for coffee and croissant but I’ve been more than once and whether you like records or not it is one of those places where everyone will join in a conversation. The focus is music as they sell Vinyl but the chef is French and the cost for food and drink very reasonable. The cafe/restaurant is in a parade of shops in a residential area so you can park outside although it is on a bus route. Some Saturday evenings and Sunday lunch times it becomes a pop up restaurant where you can BYO. Not for the romantic meal for two as this is a small venue with tables quite close together but I’ve been told by a friend who went there for dinner that everyone talks to everyone else and it has a good vibe. I image booking is required in the evenings but for breakfast; lunch or just a coffee and a browse just pop in and see.

We just had the most amazing dinner here - it was so good, I can't wait to go back and try the rest of the menu! We shared the crab won tong to start, then my friend had the chicken supreme for main, which was succulent and was served with a lovely potato fondant. I had the lamb rump, served medium rare, on a bed of babaganoush, and with a side of an enormous platter of tagine, unctuous with stewed lamb, which I shared with my friend. We didn't really have room for dessert, but with food this good, we didn't want to miss out, and my friend's crumble + ice-cream and my lemon meringue tart didn't disappoint. All washed down with a carafe of the house red, a full-bodied Merlot. Wow! Just wow!! Get there quick before everyone else finds it!

Lovely spot for a brunch, coffee or lunch. Great food and such attentive service 😊. Will definitely be back! Thank you ☺️

Yo y mi amigo fuimos allí para el domingo asado y lo pasamos muy bien. El asado estaba lleno de sabor y estaba delicioso y delicioso. yorkshire era enorme y la carne era muy suave y había cargas en el plato.

Excellent in all respects...good food,varied menu,first class service,lovely atmosphere,great training ground for the students.

Excellent food and staff made us feel welcomed. From amuse-bouche to dessert each dish was delicious and very well presented. We would recommend the Christmas menu to anyone looking for a special meal around the festive period or any other time.- comments from a Frenchman!

No hay nada que culpar acerca de esta pequeña pastelería linda cerca de la estación en Brighton. Croissants perfectamente cocinados, café perfecto, servido por un personal encantador. ¡Esta recomendación se da sin reservas!

Domingo 15 de diciembre una pareja de ancianos (de 80 y 84 años) estaban cenando aquí. Habían disfrutado de sus entrantes y platos principales sin quejas. El propietario del establecimiento se había marchado 15 minutos antes y la anciana preguntó inocentemente (pero incorrectamente con mala elección de pronombres) por el miembro del personal que la había estado sirviendo. No es raro de una persona de años avanzados, ella no era consciente de las normas y expectativas sociales actuales y el Gerente respondió de una manera que nos dejó a mí (y a ella) horrorizados y disgustados. Su comportamiento fue impactantemente sexista, etáreo y discriminatorio. En lugar de ignorar en voz baja su pregunta, o cambiar de tema como un profesional, él le gritó a ella y a su esposo: "FUERA, ALLÍ ESTÁ LA PUERTA (haciendo gestos vigorosos, VETE AHORA, NO NECESITAS PAGAR", ALLÍ ESTÁ LA PUERTA (repetido). La señora se disculpó sinceramente y trató de explicar que en vista de su edad / generación había cometido un error grave. La respuesta fue agitar más vigorosamente los brazos y "AHÍ ESTÁ LA PUERTA" delante de todo el restaurante (¡es bastante pequeño!). Qué horror. La reacción exagerada de los gerentes es una desgracia. Quizás el estallido fue influenciado por la bebida o las drogas, quién sabe. De cualquier manera, su falta de medida y profesionalidad no era lo que esperaría de un restaurante como este. La pareja de ancianos dejó 72 libras en efectivo en la mesa a pesar de que se les dijo que no pagaran. ¡Bien hecho! A pesar de su inocente error y de su posterior trato humillante, se comportaron correctamente. Me pregunto si el gerente (que limpió la mesa él mismo) puso el dinero en la caja o en su bolsillo. [En muchos años, y 3200 informes de TripAdvisor, nunca he tenido que dar una opinión tan negativa]

Really nice and flavourful latte (that didn't just taste like milk) although a little smaller than I had hoped for. I had a nicely flavoured veggie omelet and the salt and pepper mills on the table were a perfect touch for freshly ground pepper!

Food and service good but restaurant still freezing cold as per previous reviews. Shame because we would have stayed but had to move on to get warm. Pictured, Avo on Toast with extra bacon, Chilli Pineapple Margarita

This place is the most amazing fabulous place in Brighton! I love cheese and my girlfriend surprised me here and it’s the absolute best place ever! Portions are so big and food is so nice and raclette is so raclette (writing this right after food) Staff are so nice! (Hi I promise I didn’t use chatGPT to write this one!)

Delicious food and friendly service

such a lovely place, with amazing customer service. as a coeliac, i felt safe eating and the kind staff made it so easy to speak to them about my queries, such as recommending the buckwheat option (gluten free and vegan) and on cross contamination by using a separate hot plate. 100% recommended to anyone with a highly sensitive gluten allergy, felt absolutely fine after eating and will definitely be returning, thank you so much!!!