IL Bistro - (Near East Sussex, South East)

5 /5 Harrison: This is a great find in Brighton, it serves Italian food at a good price. I have seen other reviews saying that this place is pricey but it is average price for a meal in Brighton. The food is tasty and homemade. The owner Abe is very kind and makes you feel at home. The vibes are nice between Abe and everyone else. Try to visit this place immediately!

5 /5 Fi Squire: I wanted to share a fantastic experience we had for our Christmas lunch. By pure luck, I found Il Bistro a family-run restaurant that’s been around for over 60 years. Even though they don’t usually open for weekday lunches, they opened just for us, which shows how accommodating they are. Abe, the owner, was absolutely wonderful and made us feel so welcome. The staff were attentive, and the food was exceptional and nothing like the bulk-prepared meals you get served in these big hotels or pubs. We had the choice of a two- or three-course meal (I went for three, of course!), and it was reasonably priced and delicious. This is a place I’ll definitely return to. It’s also great to support a family-run business rather than a corporate chain. If you go, you must try their homemade limoncello. I highly recommend the limoncello martini as I had a few, lol! And if you buy a bottle of, try making a limoncello Spritz. Do yourself a favour and visit Il Bistro as you won’t regret it.

5 /5 G E N E R A L: Finally we had the chance to visit this wonderful and lovely restaurant. The overall experience was fantastic. A very attentive and friendly owner who has done the service by himself. We felt very welcome and cosy. The food, wine and atmosphere was just perfect and on our next trip to Brighton, we definitely come back again. Thanks for a wonderful evening.

2 /5 Taylor Thunderbear: The service shouldve been rated 5 stars however overall a 2 and half wouldve been more appropriate. When we asked for the bruschetta to be bought out at the same time as the rest of the food, it wasnt. It took nearly an hour to send out our mains and only 15 minutes to send out a starter. So about a 50 minute wait for food for some people Sent the pork back for being 75% fat, the sirloins texture felt like it had been in the oven since last Sunday and the bruschetta used overripe salad tomatoes instead of some decent tomatoes to make it just a little tasty. The chicken was average and the gnocchi was just boiled potato pasta. The chips were decent. The bloke was very nice about the whole thing however a restaurant needs good timing, good food and good service, this place had one. Couldve had a better meal at a closed down burger king.

5 /5 J & J Lux Travel: My partner had the shrimp starter. They were tagged jumbo shrimp but were definitely just normal sized. They were served in a garlic butter sauce that had a hint of chili flakes and bread on the side. The mussels were extremely fresh, they had come in that day. That did mean they were a bit gritty but the flavor was really delicious. They came in a bold, white wine sauce and a generous portion. I had the Tomato Basil salad. This caprese with mozzarella was very straightforward with a nice seasoning on top. I followed that with the chicken Parmesan. It could have used a touch more tomato sauce, but the lemon to squeeze in it along with the jamón serrano and cheese made it very delicious. It was a very generous helping and also came with a side of hand cut fries. I would strongly recommend this or the mussels. I had a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and it had a particularly fruity hint to it that I quite liked. We were the only ones there as it was lunch. They had a two course meal option which I believe was 25£ so we went with that. Our server was very attentive and I believe also handling the bar. He was very friendly and helped ensure we wrapped our meal quickly since we had an engagement following. Really good all around. Definitely worth stopping in! Check us out on IG: jjluxtravel