Isaac At

Young chef Isaac Bartlett-Copeland is the brains behind this tiny Scandi-style restaurant in Brighton and both him and his cooking are a hit, with one reader praising him as “a pioneer of genuinely local food, wines and craft ales”. Bartlett-Copeland and his crew work wonders in the kitchen, creating “maximum flavours from minimal ingredients”.

High levels of concentration and “passion” are needed to hone the delicately constructed, exquisitely presented plates of food, which provide valuable content for Brighton’s Instagram accounts. The multi-course tasting menu is super-seasonal and hyper-local (the number of food miles is listed for each ingredient), with the kitchen team sourcing ingredients locally on a daily basis. That means that the menu is constantly evolving, so you can expect dishes with lots of on-trend grace notes: celeriac with egg yolk and apple, lamb with Brussel sprouts and shallots, and haddock with cauliflower and parsley.

Meanwhile, foraged pickings come into their own when it comes to sweet treats such as bramley and chervil sorbet, or pear, cobnut and lemon thyme. The waiting staff are “brilliant on the wine front”, so ask for their advice when it comes to the all-Sussex list, which includes superb sparklers from Nyetimber and Ridgeview, whites from the Albourne Estate and even a fairly decent Pinot Noir from Davenports. Alternatively, opt for a Brighton Gin and Regency Tonic.

As well as the signature seven-course tasting menu, guests can instead opt to dine from a shorter four-course menu, while there is also a four-course pre-theatre menu available for guests who are heading to see a show at The Theatre Royal. For non-meat eaters, a vegetarian or vegan tasting menu can be requested. With its hi-spec, inclusive menu and welcoming atmosphere, we wholeheartedly agree with the fan who says this is “a real find” – “one of the best meals I’ve had outside London in a long time”.

Leading the charge for Brighton’s modern British scene, Isaac At is a modern British bistro right in Brighton city centre, well-known among locals for innovative tasting menus. The Gloucester Street location puts the restaurant just north of the Brighton Lanes, and makes it easy to get to from the station as well as the city centre.

Inside the restaurant is sleek and minimal, living up to the modern bistro in every sense of the word. Wine bottles line the shelves on the walls, and the restaurant is decked out in tidy wooden tables. Food buzzes out of a central open kitchen, where you can watch chefs busying themselves and plating at the heart of the restaurant.

The menus at the restaurant are inspired by the agricultural bounty of the Sussex Downs, and the team here source everything possible from Sussex and the surrounding area. Although Isaac At offers a shortened three course menu, the main offering is a seasonal tasting menu that uses the best of local produce. Dishes on the tasting menu at the time of writing include Bramley apple granita with black pepper and basil, monkfish with lacto-fermented onion, wild garlic and roast chicken jus, and celeriac churros with toffee celeriac puree. Although the tasting menu does feature some meat and fish, the majority of the offering is plant-led, either featuring vegetables as the star of the dish (as in the roast carrot with chicken skin crumb dish) or out-and-out vegetarian food. There is also an alternative tasting menu for vegetarians and vegans.

Tasting menus are available with a bespoke wine pairing as well, and the drinks menu features a wide range of English sparkling wine from Sussex vineyards, as well as reds, whites and local beers.