Halisco

Been meaning to go here for ages and it is really, really good. Great home made chips and guac (really good guac), then a great selection of small plates – we had chicken croquettes with orange and habenero jam, cactus and smoked cheese hash browns, and crispy pork belly. Then two crispy oyster mushroom tacos. All in the £9-£10 range, but very generous servings. Plus, the tequila and margaritas are amazing!

Verdict: Awesome

Location: 64 Preston Street

https://www.facebook.com/HaliscoRestaurant/

Bao Bun

A cute little place, with very nice dumplings, and tasty herby fries. But the bao buns were really pretty basic and just ok. Much better going to the Pond which is nearby.

Verdict: Ok

Location: 49 Gardner Street

Can’t find a website

Shelter Hall

Really cool location, with a “food hall” of currently 7 kitchens, the lineup of which does change at times. All ordering done online which is great, and we had amazing food from the Salt Shed (incredible bavette), Zest Hanoi Kitchen, and a temporary Santa Monica thing. Definitely worth a trip.

Verdict: Awesome

Location: Kings Road Arches, Shelter Hall

https://shelterhall.co.uk/

Tlaloc at The Old Pier

I struggled a bit with this one, as we enjoyed a lot of this. Nice joint, for one, not too cramped, nice but not too fancy. Good service too, and I appreciated that the small plates aren’t thrown at you all at once. But ultimately the food was a bit uneven. Some very enjoyable corn fritters and mushroom tacos, then middling fish tacos (great when you got the sauce, but not enough of it) and octopus tacos that didn’t hit the mark, and chicken parcels in a domineering sauce that was out of kilter with everything else.

Verdict: Ok

Location: 135 Kings Rd

https://www.tlalocbrighton.co.uk/

Bluegrass BBQ at New Unity

Had intended to go to the restaurant but babysitter cancelled so got Deliveroo. It’s a little spendy, but goodness me the meat is INCREDIBLE. I think the fries would be ok too but they’d clearly sat there before delivery. I want to go to the resto badly!

Edit: Have now been into the New Unity and had the food, and it was really great, and I think more affordable than over takeaway! Big benefit of eating in is you get a whole host of BBQ and hot sauces which makes a big difference too.

Verdict: Awesome (just don’t get fries delivered)

Location: 52-53 London Road

https://www.bluegrass-bbq.com/

Kusaki

A lovely venue with lovely people serving vegan Japanese. Outstanding cocktails too – I enjoyed sipping my lemon whiskey creation throughout my meal. Unfortunately the food itself is very uneven. Mushroom gyoza just ok, while tofu pockets were excellent; nigiri was great, but maki was just piles of rice. Wouldn’t really go back.

Verdict: Ok

Location: 5-6 Circus Parade

https://www.kusakibrighton.com/