The Salt Room

*The restaurant is currently closed for refurbishment. Due to reopen in spring 2026.* Seafood cooked over fire is a USP to grab the attention of any self-identifying foodie – and it gets even better, because the Salt Room occupies a spot overlooking the English Channel. It's a shame about the busy road out front, especially if you're lucky enough to have nabbed a table on the terrace, but this is Brighton and you're not here for the tranquillity, right? Crittal-style floor-to-ceiling windows serve up seaside views indoors too (depending on where you're seated). There's an energy to the place which suits the city – it's big and loud. The menu favours seafood but meaty and veggie things are not discarded, perhaps Himalayan salt-aged ribeye, or tempura king oyster mushrooms. If you're diving into the seafood, and have a willing accomplice, the blackboard reveals the market fish of the day, cooked over hot coals: Brighton sea bass or Cornish brill, say, filleted or on the bone ('so you can divvy it up yourself'), arrives with potatoes, vegetables, lemongrass and seaweed consommé. Mackerel 'nduja is a first-course rillette with tangy salted ricotta and pickled shallots, or there might be tuna crudo with spicy ponzu. A main-course cod, cooked just-so, comes with cauliflower multiple ways and a shellfish bisque of proper depth, while Cornish monkfish gets the barbecue treatment and a stew of white beans and 'nduja (again). Desserts include a board of seaside-themed treats, but the highlight for one reader was a choux bun with passion fruit and mango crémeux. The wine list kicks off with a selection called 'Coastal Whites', which sails from Kefalonia to Cape Aghulas; bottles start at £25, with plenty of options by the glass and carafe.