Sure, fish’n’chips on the pebbles, perhaps with a plastic pint in hand, is a great way to spend an afternoon in the quintessential British seaside town of Brighton. And yep, poking around in a polystyrene tub trying to spear that last pickled cockle…we love it just as much as you do.
But variety is the spice of life, and sometimes it’s nice to perch your bum on a proper seat or stool, clink a glass of wine and enjoy something a little more hearty and warming. If you’re craving Italian today, you only need to step inland just a little, and there’s heaps of the good stuff. Here’s where to eat Italian food in Brighton; the best Italian restaurants in Brighton, IDEAL for the best pizza and pasta in Brighton.
Cin Cin, Western Road
Ideal for a modern Italian menu showcasing the best of seasonal Sussex produce…
Though the trend for daily, freshly made pasta with refined but generous sauces has taken over London completely, it’s yet to permeate the UK’s other foodie cities in quite the same way. Brighton, though, is rightly proud of Cin Cin, the premier purveyors of the good stuff here, and a more than capable match for any of London’s top pasta slingers.
In 2021, the restaurant did indeed decide to match those pasta slingers, and opened a branch of Cin Cin in Fitzrovia, which has quickly received acclaim in the national press. Sadly, it has now had to close; a sign of the times rather than the standard of Cin Cin, which is reliably excellent wherever their double zero is stashed.
Back in Hove, and you can expect some of the finest bowls of pasta you’re likely to find outside of Italy, alongside some excellent housemade charcuterie, gorgeous desserts and the odd creative starter, too.
The restaurant even boasts a grill for a couple of larger plates in the evening. On our last visit, of which there have been many, a ragu of lamb sweetbreads with rigatoni was sublime.
Bring a fellow pasta enthusiast with you, sit at the bar and order a couple of small, seasonal starters, then share a pasta or two and drink plenty of wine. And if the marmalade bread and butter panettone pudding is on the menu, order it and you’ll leave a very satisfied duo.
Address: 60 Western Rd, Hove BN3 1JD
Website: cincin.co.uk
Pronto In Tavola, Waterloo Street
Ideal for authentic, homestyle Italian cooking in an endearingly chaotic setting…
Tucked away just off Western Road as you descend down hill towards the beach, this tiny one-man restaurant has been serving up some of Brighton’s most honest Italian fare since 2009. While bigger, glossier Italian establishments have come and gone, Pronto in Tavola has quietly built a devoted following among locals, who are as enamoured with chef-owner Nino, a Calabrian native, as they are faithful to the actual food.
The atmosphere here is refreshingly genuine; it’s the kind of place where candles drip leisurely down wine bottles, Italian folk music crackles through old speakers, and Nino’s enthusiastic conversations with regulars float over from the open kitchen (it feels real nice when he starts calling you by your name). The biggest compliment we could pay to Pronto is that it’s more like popping round to an Italian relative’s house than dining in a restaurant – if said relative happened to be a dab hand with pizza dough. It’s a really special place.
Speaking of which, while they may not have the wood-fired ovens of some of their competitors, the pizzas here are genuinely delicious. The dough, made fresh daily, achieves that perfect balance of crisp and chewy that marks out a proudly Italian pizza. Their Granducato, topped with homemade sausage, mushrooms, ricotta and garlic, is a particular triumph. But it’s not just about the pizza. The pasta dishes shine just as brightly, especially the fresh tagliatelle with its rich, long-simmered bolognese sauce.
For the full experience, let Nino cook you something off-menu (he’s always happy to oblige with advance notice), accompanied by a bottle from their thoughtfully chosen wine list. End the meal with his wife’s homemade Torta della Nonna, a traditional ‘grandmother’s cake’ filled with lemon-scented custard and topped with pine nuts. It’s impossible to resist, much like the whole place in general.
Address: 43 Waterloo St, Hove BN3 1AY
Website: prontointavola.co.uk
Fatto a Mano, Various Locations
Ideal for reliably delicious and affordable Neapolitan pizza …
Some nine years after the original Fatto a Mano opened on Brighton’s London Road, two more outposts have opened (one in Hove and one in the city’s North Laines) and now there are several successful London branches too, in King’s Cross, Covent Garden and Bethnal Green. World domination seems the only next logical step.
Each restaurant is packed every day of the week and it’s easy to see why. The pizzas are as authentic as they come; wood fired quickly, so the cheese remains delicate rather than singed, the dough soft and pillowy not burnt and crispy, with a blistered crust and restrained, respectful toppings, true to the Italian tradition. The name translates as ‘handmade’ in Italian, and that’s certainly the vibe here; everything is made from scratch and with love, and it shows. It’s great value, too, with their sprawling pizzas starting at just £8.50.
Even if pizza isn’t your thing (how have you got this far into the article, by the way?), Fatto a Mano has some excellent starters and sides to see you well fed; their aubergine parmigiana, in particular, is ace.
Address: Various locations
Website: fattoamanopizza.co.uk
Nanninella, Preston Street
Ideal if you’re looking for the most traditional Neapolitan pizza in Brighton…
Having evolved through several iterations over its five years on Preston Street, Nanninella has found its sweet spot as a traditional trattoria with pizza at its heart. The restaurant’s journey – from pizzeria to takeaway, then panini specialist and back to its roots – speaks to its resilience and commitment to finding the perfect format to showcase their exceptional Italian cooking.
What sets Nanninella apart is their unwavering commitment to quality. The pizzas here are nothing short of exemplary; blistered, burnished, and traditional, just as they should be. The interior, with its brightly colored tiles and the warm glow of the pizza oven, creates an atmosphere that’s both authentic and welcoming, while Sergio and his family’s hospitality makes every visit feel special.
Our favourite pizza here – and in the whole of Brighton, in fact – is the provola e pepe, which uses smoked mozzarella and freshly ground black pepper to create something truly magical. Any pizza featuring their fresh burrata is equally wonderful. The quality of ingredients shines through in everything they serve, with premium, imported Italian products taking centre stage.
Make sure to start your meal with some street food snacks for the table. The deep-fried smoked scamorza, served with a rich, nduja-spiked tomato sauce for dipping, is a particular highlight that shouldn’t be missed.
Address: 26 Preston St, Brighton BN1 2HN
Website: nanninellapizzeria.co.uk
Tutto, Marlborough Place
Ideal for ingredient-led Italian cooking in an impressive setting…
It felt inevitable that Tutto, the Italian arm of Brighton’s all conquering Black Rock restaurant group, would be a success.
After all, this is a team that had already brought us some of Brighton’s best restaurants, whether in the superb steaks at the Coal Shed, the Salt Room’s premium seafood, or the Middle Eastern inflections of Burnt Orange.
To say that Tutto’s opening didn’t quite go according to plan would be an understatement. Firstly, following a soft launch beset with organisational issues, the restaurant decided to ‘re-group’, with Black Rock boss Razak Helatat candidly writing that the ”concept and consistency of the food and service have not aligned to my original vision”.
After Tutto’s reopening, things got worse, with a disastrous national review from Grace Dent in The Guardian declaring that ”there are chefs here who can’t cook pasta”. For an Italian restaurant with big ambitions, there could be no more damning indictment.
Fortunately for the Italian-food lovers of Brighton, things picked up significantly after those early challenges, with Tutto now cooking a freshly configured menu with confidence and precision, a fact that was recently recognised by an inclusion in the Michelin Guide.
A must order if it’s on the menu is the lasagne croquette; think layers oozing with rich ragu and creamy bechamel sauce, breadcrumb, deep-fried and then sprinkled with aged parmesan, all served with a tangy tomato sauce. Finish with Tutto’s chocolate and hazelnut torte, which has become something of a signature dish here, and, in our view, is the ideal end to this – or any – meal.
Oh, and if you’re all about vibes, we should mention that the restaurant occupies a former bank which has been transformed into a modern and rather gorgeous dining room. Vibes-ahoy!
Address: 20 – 22 Marlborough Pl, Brighton, BN1 1UB
Website: tutto-restaurant.co.uk
Marrocco’s, King’s Esplanade
Ideal for the best gelato in town…
Just beyond Hove Lawns and right on the oceanfront along the gorgeous Kingsway promenade is Marrocco’s, an Brighton and Hove institution. It’s pretty old school looking from the front, with Tricolore themed signage and a few al fresco seats. Open since 1969, it feels as though nothing has changed since, and that’s all part of the charm.
Though the menu includes a Norwegian breakfast, burgers, and fish and chips amongst other globe-trotting delicacies and alongside seafood pasta and pizza, we’re here for the superb, daily changing selection of gelato, which is some of the best in the city.
Sure, the word ‘legendary’ is thrown about on menus a little too liberally these days, but Marrocco’s ice cream sundaes feel genuinely worthy of the acclaim, and are, indeed, legendary. Proper old school Italian at its best, this.
Address: 8 King’s Esplanade, Hove BN3 2WA
Website: marroccos.co.uk
Semola, Church Road
Ideal for a no-frills Italian dining experience…
Brighton is home to some excellent high-end Italian restaurants. Cin Cin has already proven that it can keep up with London standards and we wouldn’t be surprised if Tutto followed suit by opening a branch in the capital soon.
Sometimes, however, you just want homely Italian comfort food, without all the bells, whistles and price tags sometime associated with it. Enter Semola; the ideal spot for a midweek meal without all the fuss and frippery of going to a fancy restaurant.
At Semola, they cook the simple things well. The pasta here is handmade and the house wine is super affordable, with the cheapest bottle clocking in at around the £20 mark. While the food may not blow your socks off, it’s certainly satisfying. If you’re a local, it’s a restaurant that you’ll end up coming back to, time and time again.
Address: 6 Church Rd, Hove BN3 2FL
Website: semola.co.uk
