Restaurant in Brighton and Hove, United Kingdom
Reliable seafront pub; book same week.
A Michelin Plate holder for 2024 and 2025, the Ginger Pig delivers reliable Modern British and Mediterranean cooking at ££ in a century-old Hove inn with bespoke cocktails and bedrooms upstairs. With a 4.5 Google rating from over 1,000 diners and easy booking, it is the most complete pub-restaurant package in its price bracket on the Brighton seafront.
The Ginger Pig is the kind of pub-restaurant that Brighton does well but rarely does this consistently. Sitting just back from the seafront in Hove, this early twentieth-century inn has held a Michelin Plate in both 2024 and 2025 — not a star, but a recognition of solid, honest cooking that punches reliably above its price point. At ££, it competes on value with the likes of Burnt Orange and Cin Cin, and for a venue that also offers cocktails, bedrooms, and a full British and Mediterranean menu, the breadth here is genuinely hard to fault. If you want a pub that eats like a proper restaurant, book it. If you want pure culinary ambition, look at etch. by Steven Edwards instead.
Imagine arriving on a grey coastal afternoon, the kind Brighton produces with cheerful regularity. The Ginger Pig on Hove Street has been absorbing those afternoons for the better part of a century — its early twentieth-century bones give it a weight that newer openings in the city simply cannot replicate. Walk in and the room does what a well-run inn should: it settles you. The energy is convivial without being loud, the kind of ambient hum that makes conversation easy rather than effortful. This is not a place that tries to manufacture atmosphere with a DJ or a neon sign. The mood comes from the building and the staff, and on both counts the Michelin assessors have noted something worth noting: attentive, warm, on-the-ball service is called out explicitly in the award commentary, which is rarer praise than it might seem.
The menu sits across British favourites and Mediterranean classics , a combination that in lesser hands produces a confused identity but here appears to work as a genuine crowd-pleaser without pandering. The ££ price range keeps the Ginger Pig firmly in the accessible bracket for Brighton, where the dining scene spans everything from grab-and-go seafood shacks to the tasting-menu precision of Dilsk at £££. The cocktail programme adds a dimension that most pub-restaurants at this level skip, and the upstairs bedrooms mean the Ginger Pig functions as a full short-break destination , a meaningful differentiator on the south coast.
Two consecutive Michelin Plates are not an accident. That recognition, across 2024 and 2025, signals a kitchen operating with sufficient consistency to satisfy inspectors who visit without warning. It does not imply the technical fireworks of a starred kitchen , for that you would need to look further up the Modern British register, toward venues like CORE by Clare Smyth in London or hide and fox in Saltwood , but it does imply that what the Ginger Pig promises, it delivers. A Google rating of 4.5 across more than 1,000 reviews reinforces that pattern: this is not a venue coasting on heritage charm while the kitchen underperforms.
On the question of whether food travels well from here: the Ginger Pig's format , a full inn with sit-down service, room-length atmosphere, and bespoke cocktails , is built around the in-room experience. British pub-restaurant cooking of this register rarely improves in transit. The sauces that work beautifully plated at a table lose structural integrity in a takeaway container. If you are considering the Ginger Pig primarily for delivery or collection, the calculus shifts; you would extract better value from dining in and staying for a cocktail than from treating it as a takeout option. The venue's real product is the full evening, not the food alone. For Brighton visitors planning a night or a weekend, the combination of bedrooms, bar, and Michelin-recognised kitchen is a more complete proposition than most alternatives at this price point along the seafront corridor.
In a city with strong competition at ££ , from the Mediterranean focus of Amari to the neighbourhood feel of Wild Flor , the Ginger Pig's multi-format offer (restaurant, bar, rooms) sets it apart structurally. Booking is easy by Brighton standards, which makes it a reliable fallback when tighter tables like 64 Degrees are full. It is worth checking availability at the Ginger Pig before defaulting to a less considered option, particularly if your group is large or you want the option of staying overnight.
For context on where the Ginger Pig sits within the national Modern British picture: it operates well below the technical heights of L'Enclume or Moor Hall, and that is not the comparison to make. The better frame is the quality pub-restaurant with genuine kitchen credibility , think Hand and Flowers in spirit if not in accolades , and in that frame the Ginger Pig holds its own. Two Michelin Plates, 4.5 stars from over a thousand diners, accessible pricing, and bedrooms above the bar: the case for booking is clear.
Booking difficulty is easy by Brighton standards. The Ginger Pig does not operate on the kind of demand cycle that requires planning weeks in advance, which makes it a reliable choice when you need a confirmed table without the usual south-coast seasonal scramble. Walk-ins may be possible, but a reservation is always the safer move, particularly for larger groups or weekend evenings.
| Detail | Ginger Pig | Burnt Orange (££) | Dilsk (£££) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price range | ££ | ££ | £££ |
| Cuisine | Modern British / Mediterranean | Mediterranean | Modern British |
| Michelin recognition | Plate (2024, 2025) | Not listed | Check Pearl |
| Rooms available | Yes (bedrooms upstairs) | No | No |
| Cocktail bar | Yes (bespoke) | Yes | Check Pearl |
| Booking difficulty | Easy | Moderate | Moderate |
| Google rating | 4.5 (1,051) | Check Pearl | Check Pearl |
For broader planning, see our full Brighton and Hove restaurants guide, hotels guide, bars guide, wineries guide, and experiences guide.
Yes, at ££ with two consecutive Michelin Plates and a 4.5 Google rating from over 1,000 diners, the Ginger Pig delivers consistent value. You are paying for a Michelin-recognised kitchen, bespoke cocktails, and attentive service at a price point that undercuts most comparable experiences in Brighton. For the same budget, alternatives like Burnt Orange or Cin Cin offer strong cooking but lack the full-service breadth. The Ginger Pig wins on overall package at the ££ tier.
It works well for low-key celebrations , a birthday dinner, an anniversary that does not require a tasting menu, or an occasion where you want warmth over formality. The bedrooms upstairs make it a practical overnight option for couples. For a high-formality occasion where the cooking itself is the event, etch. by Steven Edwards at ££££ or Dilsk at £££ would be more appropriate choices.
The inn format , with its early twentieth-century footprint and multiple spaces , is generally group-friendly, and easy booking availability means coordinating a larger party is less fraught than at tighter, more in-demand venues. If your group needs a private room or a bespoke set menu, contact the venue directly to confirm arrangements, as specific private dining details are not published in available data.
The Ginger Pig has a cocktail bar as part of its offer, and bar dining is consistent with the pub-restaurant format. For solo diners or pairs who want a more casual setting, eating at or near the bar is a reasonable option , though specific bar-seating policies should be confirmed directly with the venue. The bespoke cocktail programme makes a bar-side meal here more appealing than at a standard pub.
Solo dining at a pub-restaurant with a bar and easy booking is generally comfortable, and the Ginger Pig's format suits it better than a formal tasting-menu room would. At ££, the spend per head is manageable for a solo visit. The atmosphere , convivial but not rowdy , means you are unlikely to feel out of place eating alone. 64 Degrees is an alternative worth considering if counter dining is your preference.
At ££, Burnt Orange offers a strong Mediterranean alternative and Cin Cin delivers focused Italian cooking. For Modern British at a higher price point, Dilsk at £££ or etch. by Steven Edwards at ££££ both take the cuisine more seriously in a tasting-menu context. Wild Flor is a good neighbourhood option if you want something quieter and less pub-oriented. See our full Brighton and Hove restaurants guide for the complete picture.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ginger Pig | Modern British | ££ | The whole package is here at The Ginger Pig: an early 20C inn near the seafront; a restaurant offering an extensive choice of British favourites and Mediterranean classics; bespoke cocktails; charming staff who are attentive and on the ball; and, finally, comfy bedrooms upstairs for those wishing to make a night of it.; Michelin Plate (2025); Michelin Plate (2024) | Easy | — |
| Palmito | Asian | ££ | Unknown | — | |
| Burnt Orange | Mediterranean Cuisine | ££ | Unknown | — | |
| Cin Cin | Italian | ££ | Unknown | — | |
| Dilsk | Modern British | £££ | Unknown | — | |
| etch. by Steven Edwards | Modern British | ££££ | Unknown | — |
Comparing your options in Brighton and Hove for this tier.
Yes, and it suits groups better than most comparable Brighton pubs. The early 20th-century inn layout gives enough space to avoid the cramped feel that dogs smaller gastropubs, and the broad menu of British favourites and Mediterranean classics means mixed-preference groups will find something. For larger parties, contact ahead rather than assuming walk-in availability — the restaurant does fill, particularly on weekends.
Bar dining is part of the format here — this is a functioning inn, not a restaurant that happens to have a bar. If you want a bespoke cocktail and something to eat without committing to a full sit-down meal, the bar is a reasonable option. It works particularly well for solo visitors or pairs who want a lighter visit.
Workable for a low-key celebration, less so for a landmark dinner. Two consecutive Michelin Plates (2024, 2025) signal consistent quality at the ££ price point, and the option to book a bedroom upstairs makes an overnight occasion straightforward. If you need something with more formality or ambition, etch. by Steven Edwards is the Brighton area's stronger case for a genuinely occasion-grade dinner.
Yes. The bar provides a natural solo perch, and the attentive-but-not-overbearing staff described in Michelin's notes make solo visits comfortable rather than awkward. At ££, it is also one of the more affordable ways to eat at a Michelin-recognised room in the area without feeling like the price is punishing a table of one.
For more adventurous cooking at a similar price, Burnt Orange on Middle Street is the sharper choice. Cin Cin does Italian small plates with more focus and a tighter wine list. If you want to step up in ambition and budget, etch. by Steven Edwards is Brighton's most credentialed kitchen. Dilsk is worth knowing for seafood specifically, and Palmito suits plant-forward diners who want something brighter and more modern.
At ££, yes — straightforwardly. Two Michelin Plates in consecutive years confirm the kitchen is doing something consistently right, and the combination of food, cocktails, and the option of rooms upstairs makes it good value relative to what you get. It is not trying to be a destination restaurant, which means expectations align with delivery more reliably than at pricier Brighton alternatives.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
