Restaurant in Brighton and Hove, United Kingdom
Serious cooking, neighbourhood price, no fuss.
Gingerman has held its position as one of Brighton's most reliable serious restaurants since 1998, earning Michelin Plate recognition in both 2024 and 2025. The fixed-price menu delivers precise, regionally sourced modern cooking in an intimate room near the seafront. Best for couples and small groups — book ahead for weekends.
If you want a proper sit-down dinner with skilled cooking, regional ingredients, and a room that feels grown-up without being stiff, Gingerman is one of the most reliable options in Brighton. It suits couples marking an occasion, solo diners who want something better than a brasserie, and food enthusiasts who care about technique but don't need theatre. It is less suited to large groups who want flexibility or anyone looking for a casual drop-in — the format is fixed-price, the room is intimate, and the booking rhythm reflects that.
Gingerman has been trading at 21A Norfolk Square since 1998, which makes it one of Brighton's longer-running serious restaurants. The founding venue of what has grown into the Gingerman Group, it sits a short walk from the seafront in a room that reads Scandic in its bones: buttoned leather banquettes along one wall, exposed brick, and a quiet confidence that comes from knowing exactly what it is. The group now includes a country pub, an urban pub with rooms, and Flint House, which takes a sharing-plate approach if that format appeals more.
The kitchen runs a fixed-price carte of two or three courses alongside a tasting menu with optional wine pairings. Dishes draw on regional sourcing , Sussex Medita cheese, Southdown lamb, Devon crab , and the cooking style is modern without being restless. Expect confit treatments, dashi-based broths, and combinations like pan-roasted stone bass with coco beans and tempura oyster. Desserts show the same precision: dark chocolate with Kahlua and espresso alongside morello cherry sorbet is one example from the current repertoire. The vegetarian tasting menu is treated as a full offering, not a workaround. Wine starts at £29 a bottle (a Languedoc-Roussillon), with the list covering broad ground and offering appealing options by glass and carafe.
Michelin has awarded Gingerman a Plate in both 2024 and 2025, a signal that the inspectors consider the cooking worth seeking out. Google reviewers rate it 4.7 across 527 reviews , a figure that holds up over time rather than spiking around a single moment of press attention. For the food enthusiast comparing this against Brighton's other serious tables , Embers, Furna, or The Set , Gingerman sits in the bracket where the credential is earned and the cooking is the point, not the concept.
Gingerman's intimate room is a factor worth understanding before you try to bring a party here. The banquette layout and modest scale mean it is well suited to tables of two or four, and the fixed-price format works cleanly for small groups with aligned tastes. If you are planning a larger gathering , six or more , the logistics require more thought. The venue's position as part of the Gingerman Group is relevant here: if a private dining setup or a larger room is the priority, it is worth checking directly with the restaurant about their current capacity and whether the room can be configured for group use. For a big celebration dinner where a private space is non-negotiable, the group's other venues may offer more flexibility. Contact the restaurant ahead of time; don't assume the main room can absorb a large party without disruption to the experience.
For two to four guests marking a birthday, anniversary, or a significant meal, the main room functions well as a semi-private experience. The buttoned banquettes create enough separation that conversation stays contained, and the unhurried pace of service supports longer evenings. In this size bracket, Gingerman is a more considered choice than most of what Brighton offers at £££ pricing.
The fixed-price carte changes to reflect seasonal and regional availability, which means the specific dishes in circulation now will differ from what any single review describes. Heritage tomatoes and gazpacho are a summer note; Southdown lamb and richer confit preparations read across autumn and winter. If you are visiting with a specific ingredient in mind, it is worth checking the current menu before booking. The tasting menu route is the safer bet for a full seasonal read on what the kitchen is doing at any given moment.
Compared to destination restaurants elsewhere in the UK , CORE by Clare Smyth in London, L'Enclume in Cartmel, or Moor Hall in Aughton , Gingerman operates at a different scale and ambition. It is not trying to be those restaurants. What it does well is deliver cooking that punches above the neighbourhood-restaurant label at a price point that remains accessible within the £££ tier. For a Brighton-based or visiting diner who wants something more considered than a gastropub but is not planning a full destination-dining exercise, it fills that gap more reliably than most. If you are travelling specifically for a serious meal and want to understand the full spectrum of UK modern cuisine, places like Hand and Flowers in Marlow or Gidleigh Park in Chagford are different propositions , but that is not the competition Gingerman is in.
The vegetarian tasting menu is specifically flagged as a considered option rather than a token alternative, which suggests dietary needs are accounted for in menu planning. For specific allergies or requirements beyond vegetarian, check the venue's official channels at 21A Norfolk Square, Brighton BN1 2PD, as hours and contact details are not publicly listed in this record. Do not assume accommodation without confirming in advance.
It is a fixed-price operation, so expect a structured two- or three-course carte rather than a free-ranging menu. The address is 21A Norfolk Square, a short distance from the seafront. The room is small and the feel is neighbourhood restaurant rather than grand dining room. Gingerman has been running since 1998 and carries Michelin Plate status (2024 and 2025), so the cooking has a track record behind it.
Groups of two to four are the natural fit here. The intimate scale and banquette layout mean larger parties will feel the room's limits quickly, and there is no indication of a dedicated private dining space. If you are organising a group of six or more, check the venue's official channels before assuming availability. For a large celebratory group in Brighton, a venue with a dedicated private room will be a more practical choice.
Cin Cin is the closest comparison for precise, ingredient-led cooking in Brighton with a different structural format. Burnt Orange suits diners who want a more casual, sharing-plate setup. Palmito is the option if plant-forward cooking is a priority. Amari and Dilsk offer different cuisines but are relevant alternatives depending on whether you want to stay in the modern European lane or broaden out. If you want to stay within the Gingerman Group's own style, Flint House offers a sharing-plate version of the same ethos.
At £££ with a fixed-price carte format, Gingerman delivers more cooking ambition per pound than most of Brighton's modern cuisine options. The Michelin Plate recognition in both 2024 and 2025 confirms the kitchen is doing something consistently right. If you want a la carte flexibility or a looser, sharing-plate format, Flint House (also part of the Gingerman Group) is the better fit. For a considered dinner with regional ingredients and clear technique, the value holds.
Yes, with a caveat on scale. The buttoned leather banquettes, exposed brick, and intimate room make it feel occasion-appropriate without tipping into stiff territory. Two or four people celebrating something low-key will find it well-suited. Larger parties should note the modest room size before assuming it can flex around a big group. The tasting menu with wine pairings is the format to book for a proper celebration.
The wine pairings are described in the venue's own materials as good value, which is a reasonable signal that the tasting menu format is where Gingerman puts its best foot forward. If you are choosing between the fixed-price carte and the tasting menu, the tasting menu is the stronger case for a special visit. The vegetarian version is noted as a genuine option, not an afterthought, which makes it usable for mixed groups.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
