[This story was published on September 14, 2015 on WOW24/7. Read the original story at wow247.co.uk/2015/09/14/cheap-eats-in-brighton.]
If there are two things I’m good at, it is eating and being stingy. That comes with the territory of being a perpetual student. So have a look at the top 10 cheap eats you’ll find in good old Brighton
Ranging from traditional tea shops to Falafel restaurants to sushi joints, Brighton offers a vibrant array of delicious options for food lovers to enjoy that won’t put you out of pocket.
Emily Turner takes you around ten great locations in ‘The Queen of Watering Places’ for cheap eats.
Iydea
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Producing great food freshly made from natural raw ingredients, served in the most environmentally friendly packaging available, the vibrant Iydea vegetarian cafeterias can be found at two locations in Brighton. Not only is the food great for you and for the environment, it also doesn’t cost a pretty penny, with meals priced from £4.70.
The lunch menu changes daily, but a typical day might see you choosing between aubergine and goats cheese stacks, fruity harissa cous cous filled aubergine and enchilada, adding Cajun potato wedges, sesame roasted root vegetables or sweet chilli sautéed savoy cabbage, and topping it all off with hummous, tzatziki, or beetroot chutney.
105 Western Road, BN1 2AA, 01273 965904, and 17 Kensington Gardens, North Laine, BN1, 4AL, 01273 667 992, iydea.co.uk
Ella’s Yummy Delights
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For a fantastic slice of cake, visit Ella’s Yummy Delights. Situated near the train station, this establishment offers a great pot of tea for a mere £1.70. With consistently amazing service from the lovely staff, an eclectic mix of crockery, and delicious cakes made on the premise (along with a selection of breakfast, brunch, and lunch options), this comfy café deserves some attention.
51 Queens Road, BN1 3XB, 07540 892697, ellasyummydelights.co.uk
Foodilic
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A cracking ‘all you can eat’ Mediterranean buffet awaits you for only £6.95 at award-winning restaurant Foodilic, located on Brighton’s lively North Street. Pile your plate up with homemade cottage cheese and Mascarpone Feuilleté pastry, red cabbage with apple, carrots and sweet and sour dressing, giant cous cous with homemade almond pesto, organic pui lentils with garlic and cumin powder, and Mediterranean vine ripened tomato salad. Nutritious and delicious.
60 North Street, BN1 1RH, 01273 774138, foodilic.com
Café All’angolo
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Head down towards the beach, where the Café All’angolo sits a stone’s throw away from the seafront. The restaurant, the name of which means ‘Café on the Corner’, offers a chilled, comfortable atmosphere with good food for a great deal. Particularly delicious is the Italian cooked ham and cheese Panini, which can be snapped up for under a fiver. This place is great for lunches, as well as late dinners. As the welcome board says, buon cibo, buon vino – good food, good wine.
3-4 East Street, BN1 1HP, 01273 777312, cafeallangolo.co.uk
Scoop and Crumb
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Located next door to Café All’angolo, Scoop and Crumb is the place to go for ice cream. With flavours ranging from marvellous mango, fresh berry burst, banana chocolate crunch and cherry choc chip, there’s sure to be something that’ll tickle your tastebuds – and for the modest sum of £2.40 for a one-scoop sundae. Not only a great place for families, with its bright, friendly atmosphere, wide selection of ices and funky music playing in the background, Scoop and Crumb also offers a tidy 15 per cent off for students, which is great for the busy University city.
5-6 East Street, BN1 1HP, 01273 202563, scoopandcrumb.com
Il Bistro
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Built in the 18th century in the reign of George I, Il Bistro is a charming space which offers, aside from seafood, scotch steaks and prime cut meats, some great value breakfasts – all of which are served until 12.30pm. The ‘original bistro’ of Brighton’s Lanes, at this continental restaurant/brasserie you can grab toasted scotch pancakes, drenched in maple syrup, for a great £2.65. Also recommended is Il Bistro’s warm French butter croissant with jam, honey or marmalade for £2.65, or an English breakfast with free range fried egg, two grilled back bacon, mushrooms, tomato, sausage and farmhouse toast for less than a fiver.
6/7/7A Market Street, The Lanes, 01273 324584, ilbistro.co.uk
That Little Teashop in the Lanes
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Covered wall to wall in crockery, 50s advertising, kitsch paintings and antique holiday magazines featuring Brighton in days of yore, That Little Teashop in the Lanes is the archetypal homely, welcoming Brit café. Keep an eye out for the sign of the traditional ‘nippy’-uniformed waitress when visiting the Lanes, grab yourself a table and people-watch while partaking in the café’s well-priced drinks and grub. A quirky place for afternoon tea.
17 Meeting House Lane, 01273 774000, facebook.com/ThatLittleTeashopInTheLanes
Filfil
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Filfil serves delicious vegetarian falafel, a traditional Arabic food originating in Egypt. Located in the centre of the always-interesting North Laine, this family run business produces their falafel on site, and it’s served fresh to order in soft pitta bread. It’s certainly a great place to grab a cheap, but filling, bite to eat – a big plate of veg, sour cream and chickpeas along with three falafels will set you back a mere £4. The Kalaji special, with toasted Lebanese flatbread filled with haloumi and dried mint leaves, might tickle your fancy for £4.95.
21 Gardner Street, North Laine, 01273 696289, fil-fil.co.uk
Itsu
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Although Itsu, a Japanese counter-service and takeaway restaurant for sushi, salads and noodle dishes, is part of a chain with stores also in Chelsea and Notting Hill, this interesting shop offers something a little different for a tasty yet well-priced breakfast in Brighton.
For a health kick first thing in the morning, try the probiotic frozen yoghurt with strawberries and superseed mix, or the raw veg cleanse smoothie, comprised of spinach, coriander, apple juice, avocado, cucumber and a kick of ginger, blended with ice for you on site.
68-70 North Street, BN1 2RE, 01273 830900, itsu.com
The Regency
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Located right next to the seafront, this regal building offers a similarly nice price for a great dining experience. Offering a huge variety of locally sourced sea fare and shellfish along with grills, roasts, pasta and a side buffet, The Regency not only offers value for price – this avocado pear with prawns dish was under a fiver – but is also an interesting historical site.
131 Kings Road was the seafront home of Harriott Mellon, at her time the richest woman in Europe, widow of banker Thomas Coutts and wife of the ninth Duke of St Albans. It became a restaurant in the early 1930s and was later established as The Regency restaurant in 1965. Just goes to show that you can enjoy a posh evening out that won’t break the bank.
131 King’s Road, BN1 2HH, 01273 325014, theregencyresturant.co.uk
Emily Jessica Turner 