A locals guide to cheap eats in Brighton: Food for less than a fiver
As much as I LOVE going out to eat in Brighton, one thing that really gets me down is spending a lot of money on food. There are so many fantastic brunch and lunch places to choose from in the city but most of them usually set me back at least £10 if not more and that means that going out to eat with friends is becoming an expensive habit.
Recently I’ve been really working on finding cheap eats in Brighton: Places where I can get food for under £5 so that I have money left for more important things like travelling.
Here are a few of my favourites.
We Love Falafel
37 Sydney Street, Brighton, BN1 4EP
One place that I’ve been meaning to go to for years in We Love Falafel on Sydney Street in the North Laine. This cheap eats falafel place has been in Brighton for as long as I can remember and one thing that’s always guaranteed is a queue out the door so I figured it had to be quite good. This week I joined the queue and found another food favourite to add to my list and the best thing is, you can get lunch for less than £5.
I can’t explain just how good the homemade falafel is at this all vegetarian cafe and with prices starting from just £3.90 it’s the ideal place to grab lunch when out and about in Brighton.
There’s quite a few options to choose from, most of them falafel based (surprise surprise) like the falafel box or melt wrap with cheese. I decided to go for the falafel salad wrap with vegan yoghurt. This substantial wrap came with falafel, houmous, red cabbage, carrot, gherkins, chilli sauce and yoghurt garlic sauce and what’s best was it only set me back £3.90. If that’s not a good excuse to go there twice as much then I don’t know what is.
There are four different types of falafel to choose from; Original, beetroot, sweet potato and the special of the day. I really wanted to try them all but I figured I should start with the original.
Since I first went I’ve been back and have tried both the beetroot and the sweet potato (although the original still gets my vote as number one!) Absolutely everything looked fantastic from the falafel boxes to the melt wrap with cheese ( both £4.50).
Jack and Linda’s Brighton Smokehouse
197 Kings Road Arches, Brighton, BN1 1NB
When I was younger my parents use to take me to Jack and Lindas’s smokehouse for a treat in the summer holidays. Even now I think it’s hard to beat the enjoyment that I get from biting into a hot buttered roll with smoked kippers and lemon juice in.
I don’t think that this place, located right by the sea, would have changed much since it first opened 20 years ago as it still serves good, wholesome and cheap food today with lunch prices around £3-£5. Granted it’s not very vegan friendly but if you’re after nothing more than some fresh seafood that won’t cost a fortune then this is the place for you.
Wai Kika Moo Kau
11A Kensington Gardens, Brighton, BN1 4AL
Ok not everything in this vegetarian restaurantt is super cheap but it’s fairly affordable and there are quite a few lunch options costing less than a fiver. I’d recommend the bang bang tofu vegan wrap which consists of tofu, peanut, sweet chilli, coriander and red onion, the falafel and houmous pitta/ wrap or the halloumi pitta/ wrap, all of which come in at just £4.95.
V.I.P Pizza
19 Old Steine, Brighton, BN1 1EL
I actually find that one thing we lack in Brighton are authentic independent Italian restaurants however V.I.P pizza is one of the exceptions. Tucked away near the pavilion V.I.P (Very Italian Pizza) has not only some of the best artisan pizzas in Brighton but also some of the best fresh pasta dishes that I’ve had outside of Italy.
With sourdough pizza bases made out of extra virgin olive oil and 00 flour cooked in a wood burning oven, the pizzas in this place are only what I can describe as a taste sensation. Whole pizzas and pasta dishes start from £6 however you can grab a pizza slice to go or tuck into panuozzo (a giant food fired sandwich from Naples) for less than £5.
The Sunbirds Deli
108 London Road, Brighton, BN1 4JG
I’ve yet to actually eat in this place but I stopped off there for a coffee a few weeks back and although I’d just had breakfast I was so tempted to order something because it all looked so good. If you’re visiting Brighton then you might not find this place as it’s a few minutes outside of the centre near the Open Market but this little deli is a fantastic option if you’re looking for a filling lunch for less than £5. There’s quite a few options to choose from such as the roasted veg and halloumi wrap (£3.99) or the hot daily specials. What I really want to try are one of the vegan or vegetarian Mezzes which look so colourful and tasty and cost just £4.50. 
Smorl’s Houmous and Falafel Bar
Open Market, Brighton, BN1 4JU
It’s tragic that I’ve only been here once but if you’re down near the Open Market then another good lunch option is Smorl’s Houmous and Falafel Bar at the far end of the market. You can pick up a pot of their homemade houmous to bring home or stop there to eat. A half pitta costs £4.50 (it’s very big) or a whole one just £5.50. A lot of their rotational specials hover around the £5 mark too and both the houmous and falafel are something to shout about!
I hope that this blog post was helpful. If you know any more cheap eats in Brighton (or Hove) then be sure to let me know!
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