Today, in the first instalment of my Brighton and Hove neighbourhood guide series, we’re getting to know London Road, an overlooked area of Brighton no one thinks to visit, but should.
It isn’t as well-known outside the city as other neighbourhoods are like Hove and Seven Dials, but its distinct personality makes it well worth exploring.
There are pretty Brighton neighhourhoods and there are more ‘gritty’ ones. London Road is one of the latter. Often described as ‘edgy’, it’s not the most attractive neighbourhood in Brighton. But what it lacks in charm and looks it makes up for in personality.
It’s unique for its big student community, the largest concentration of charity shops in any of the Brighton neighbourhoods, and a covered outdoor market promising a global feast under one roof.
London Road, Brighton: A Neighbourhood Guide
You’ll find it south of Preston Park, Brighton’s biggest and most beautiful greenspace home to a hidden garden and waterfall, between an area of new blocks of flats known as the New England Quarter and The Level, another favourite city greenspace that’s well-known for its skate park. Let’s explore…
Things to do in London Road, Brighton
Watch a film at the Duke of york’s Picturehouse
At the north end of London Road at Preston Circus is a historic building that stands out from the crowd with its set of stripy can-can legs sticking out the roof. You can’t miss them. This is the Duke of York’s Picturehouse, known locally as The Duke’s.An independent cinema that opened in 1910, it’s thought to be the oldest surviving purpose-built cinema in the UK. It once had 800 seats but now has 278 including a balcony with sofas.
Find the Duke of York’s at Preston Road, Brighton BN1 4NA. Check the listings here.
Find The mysterious London Road Stone Circle
London Road in Brighton is home to the starting point – or end depending on which way you approach it – of an art installation hidden in plain sight. If you live in Brighton, you may have walked over countless times without realising. Next time you’re in the vicinity, take a moment to look down and you might just spot one of 50 numbered stone paving slabs, set in a circle around the area as wide as the road is long, known as the London Road Stone Circle.
Read my full story about it here.
Discover Queen’s Place
Unless you do yoga at Studio IO, you might know not this tiny hidden Brighton street of six black flint cottages exists. Discovering it feels like you’ve stepped back in time to another era when Brighton was a little fishing village. Going on a hunt to find it makes a peaceful detour away from the noisy end of London Road near MacDonald’s and Aldi, on your way into the centre of town.
Discover all of Brighton’s hidden streets here.
Catch a gig at the Rose Hill Tavern
This is a secret Brighton venue, in that few people know about it, due to its off-beat schedule of events and the fact it’s hidden on a residential street – you wouldn’t walk past it unless you were taking a quiet route in and out of town. I love the old facade which you might assume looks closed down, but it’s actually a thriving hangout, recording studio and arts hub in the former Rose Hill Tavern. It’s run by artists and musicians and opens most days of the week for live music gigs, spoken word and other events.
Find The Rose Hill at 70-71 Rosehill Terrace, Brighton BN1 4JJ
Where to eat in London Road
Café Rust
With its rustic facade, Cafe Rust stands out from the crowd of utilitarian shops on unpretentious Preston Road. It’s decorated like a French farmhouse: think worn wood floors, light-washed walls, tiny vases of dried flowers on rustic chairs and tables, and the odd string of fairy lights for good measure.
It’s open for breakfast and lunch and serves beautifully presented food – even a Full English comes dressed like a work of art. I love the salad bowls come with different toppings like spicy chicken. Chunky homemade cakes – think orange and rosemary – decorate the counter. Order a mimosa at brunch if you’re feeling fancy.
Find Cafe Rust at 50 Preston Road, Brighton BN1, 4QF
The Open Market
The covered Open Market is a global feast under one roof: there’s tasty Korean at Korpan, heart-warming bowls of Greek stews at Kouzina, fresh Mexican tacos at Taquitos Casazul, home-cooked Bangladeshi and Goan dishes at Mohammad Spice of Life.
Meanwhile, you’ll find flaky, buttery croissants at French-style bakery The Little Loaf, handmade confections at Rainbow Chocolates, homemade houmous and falafels at Smorl’s, speciality sausage rolls at This Little Piggy and local honey at Green Valleys.
Find Brighton Open Market at Marshalls Row, Brighton BN1 4JU
Mogu Mogu
London road has edgy charm but this dainty, postage-stamp Japanese café-style restaurant newcomer is a welcome break from all the grunge. Before it opened, I spied its newly painted peach-coloured brick façade and knew I was going to like it. It’s tiny but packs in seats for 12 people including a few stools in the window. Despite its diminutive size, they do take reservations. Pop in for coffee and cake, lunch or dinner.
Alongside regular coffees, they do beautifully presented signature matcha, black sesame and hojicha lattes. For lunch and dinner, expect small plates like pumpkin croquettes and big steaming portions of udon noodles, topped with either beef, seasoned chicken, mushrooms or pork and also rice bowls. I come here for the karage – fried chicken – and a plate of cat pudding: a delicious novelty cat-shaped Japanese milk dessert.
Find Mogu Mogu at 81 London Road Brighton, Brighton and Hove BN1 4JF
KitGum Kitchen
This postage-stamped size restaurant, Kitgum Kitchen, near The Joker started life as a pop-up in The Signalman Pub nearby. Thankfully it survived Pandemic challenges, proving just how good its small, shareable plates of East African, Gujarati and Ismaili food are.
Don’t miss the Daal palak – warming split and washed moong daal, spinach, spices served with a spinach purée, and carrot pickle; and the Kitgum Fried Chicken: coated in spices served with masala dill pickles and masala ketchup.
Find Kitgum Kitchen at 9 Preston Road, Brighton BN1 4QE
Bardsley’s Fish and Chips
I’ve been raving about Bardsley’s – Brighton’s back-street chippy open since 1926 – since I started the Ellie & Co website in 2016 (here and here), well before The Guardian and others started talking about it. It has a quirky dining room filled with old music hall memorabilia and the staff couldn’t be more welcoming.
The secret to their success is in the freshness of the food. Everything is cooked to order, served crispy, golden and piping hot – and you can order wine! It’s worth reserving a table at the weekend.
Find Bardsley’s Fish and Chips at 23A Baker St, Brighton BN1 4JN
Where to drink in London Road
Curio
Finally, the French cafe-bar concept has come to Brighton! Curio, a hip spot in a green-canopied corner building right next to the Duke’s, is just what Brighton, and London Road, has been missing. With Nostalgic food advertising posters, yellow cafe chairs, wooden floors, and paper shades, it oozes an 1960s Paris feel.
It’s open from 8am until as late as 11pm on some days, for coffee, cakes and sandwiches, followed by wine, cocktails and small plates. Menu favourites: the sticky Japanese honey toast, the garlic roast chicken sandwich, egg breakfast buns and Parmesan sprinkled croquettes.
Find Curio at 1 Clyde Road, Brighton BN1 4NN
L’Atelier du Vin Wine and Cocktail Bar
On the same row as this flamboyant Mexican restaurant, is a mysterious shop with a black facade that stands out for its preserved signage. It’s home to L’Atelier du Vin, a Prohibition-era-style cocktail bar with a peaceful candlelit ambience.
I tend to stop here for a pre-dinner refreshment stop on my way into town. And I love that they nurture indecisive types: name your favourite spirit and mood, and they’ll build you a perfect tipple. They’re usually spot-on, too.
Find L’Atelier du Vin at 10 St George’s Place, Brighton BN1 4GB
Where to Shop on London Road
Atelier 51
Tucked behind Costa Coffee on Providence Place is Atelier 51, a unique artists’ studio and shop, started by local printmaker, Sarah Young, and her partner, Jon Tutton.
It hosts five resident artists in its studio spaces, whose work you can browse in ‘The Hand Made Shop’ at the front. A nice spot for escaping the shopping crowds on London Road.
Find Atelier 51 at 51 Providence Place, Brighton, BN1 4GE
London Road Charity shops
London Road may have the highest concentration of charity shops in any Brighton and Hove neighbourhood, thanks to its big student population. In the quarter-mile stretch of street starting near the BRZN Arms (see above) alone, you’ll find 12.
Here they are in no particular order: British Heart Foundation, Mind, Martlets Hospice, Oxfam, Cats Protection League, The Sussex Beacon, Age UK, Scope, Chestnut Tree House, British Red Cross, PDSA and DEBRA UK.
The Smallest Bookshop in Brighton
Brighton’s Open Market is home to a lovely bookshop which claims to be The Smallest Bookshop in Brighton. Only true Brightonians know of this diminutive bookseller I discovered quite by chance one Saturday on a wander through to pick up croissants from an amazing hole-in-the-wall French bakery, The Little Loaf.
The bookshop is the size of a market stall and my new favourite place to browse. They stock second-hand books at reasonable prices including plenty of classics as well as more obscure cult reads.
Where to stay in London Road
Most Brighton hotels I like to recommend are located nearer to the centre of the city, but there are a few nice unique Brighton AirBnBs nearby worth considering.
The closest to London Road is this sleek yet cosy and peaceful apartment set inside an old Victorian corner shop very close to my favourite vintage cinema. It’s great if you like to be on the fringes of the city-centre action, a good night’s sleep and local neighbourhood life.
Alternatively, a little further away near Preston Park are these options: this detatched home for two full of character is your best bet if you like to leave the city behind at the end of the day and access the countryside, or this secluded garden flat in a Victorian terrace. Both are good choices for regular visitors who enjoy the feel of staying in a leafy suburb.
Final tips
London Road in Brighton is a small neighbourhood and easy to walk around, so pack some comfy shoes. It’s 10 minutes from the North Laine shopping area, Brighton station and central Brighton, and 20 minutes from the seafront.
You’ll find a useful map of London Road independent shopping and nearby addresses of note, here.
If you want more inspiration, my secret guidebooks will get you excited.
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