Browns Bar & Brasserie

We arrived in Brighton for a concert and had just over an hour to kill before the show so decided to grab a quick bite to eat at Brown’s.
Having been to a couple of others in the chain I wasn’t expecting the experience to be as good as it was but I put my faith in you Unilocalers! The décor lent no clue to the fact it is a chain restaurant, it had the feel of a one off with a fairly large yet still cosy floorplan.
Service was good, we were given a choice of seating area and our waiter (Maz) was polite and attentive, suggesting accompaniments to actually suit our choices rather than sounding as though he was just trying to up sell on sides.
Food was good, again exceeding my expectations from other Brown’s outlets. Presentation was thoughtful and rivalled that of much more expensive places I have eaten.
All told a good solid 4* experience. Two mains with drinks came in at just under forty quid.

Been here quite a few times when in Brighton on business, and this is where we like to go when we have something to celebrate. The food is always good and the staff friendly and helpful. It is a little expensive but worth it for a special occasion.

Went here for a meal on a Friday night. Staff were very polite and helpful, and didn’t bother us too much! The food was lovely I had chicken in prosciutto and my friends had fish & chips and a burger. We all thoroughly enjoyed our meal however the burger was still pink. Atmosphere was great and would certainly go back again. Maybe next time for afternoon tea!

Gorgeous cocktails, but ruined by rude staff, and music so loud it requires shouting to be heard. Great location for a delicious cocktail before heading on somewhere else, but stay there any longer and you might find yourself increasingly frustrated by the quick tempered staff and painfully long wait to get served.

Been there a few times and like it. Food is good, service is good (usually)… a little on the expensive side, but it does reflect the quality.

Browns if my favourite restaurant in brighton. The staff are efficient and very welcoming. The food is great and good value for money. My home away from home… Keep up the good work.

Browns is one of those rare places where it’s impossible to go wrong with anything that you order. One of Brighton’s most well-​known restaurants, it has a well-​deserved, excellent reputation. Although slightly at the pricier end drinks-​wise at between £5-£8 a cocktail, the food offers undeniably brilliant value for money. At around £5−9 for a starter and £10-£18 for a main course, it’s not a particularly cheap evening out, but it is an excellent value one.
The interior of the place feels distinctly continental bistro-​style seating, lots of plants, a huge floor-​to-​ceiling window, specials written in swirly writing on chalk boards and incredibly friendly, well-​trained staff. I actually cannot fault the atmosphere of the place. It isn’t stunning, but it complements the menu and food pricing perfectly. In the same way as the food, you get what you pay for in atmosphere too.
You want a bit more detail about the food? OK then. As an apéritif cocktail, I ordered a chilled white port with Fever Tree tonic which was absolutely delicious and not bad value as far as the rest of the drinks menu goes at just £4.25. For starters, I had the goat’s cheese stuffed mushrooms (£5.25) which were served with a garnish of rocket. I’ve got to say they were gorgeous. I don’t know what the goat’s cheese was flavoured with, but it was marvellously sharp and tangy. As a main course, I went for the prosciutto-​wrapped chicken breast stuffed with telagio, accompanied by wilted spinach and butternut squash (£12.95) with a side of chunky chips (£2.95). It was to die for the strong taste of the telagio had spread through the entire chicken breast, which had been pan-​fried to make it go deliciously crisp. Mouth-​wateringly good. The chunky chips, which were hand-​cut and tasted almost garlicky, were so delicious I’m craving them again just writing this.
The service, although a tiny bit slow, was impeccable otherwise. Our waitress was lovely, and when my friends’ sparkling wine was served in a chipped glass (which she didn’t realise until half-​way through the drink), another brand-​new full glass was brought over in the blink of an eye. Top marks from me I’ve definitely got to go here again soon.

With a separate bar and restaurant a few doors along from each other, Browns caters to a variety of needs. The restaurant is nice, the food is good and the menu is — very broadly — British cuisine. They do breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner. We had dinner there a little while ago and our waitress who was clearly very busy still managed to serve us well. In my opinion the bar is comparatively the better to the two outlets; it does a large selection of affordable cocktails, and the décor with dark wood, black leather seating and mirrors all over the place is swish enough to make you feel like you are sitting somewhere decent, even though it is actually a chain and the drinks are comparatively good value. The bar isn’t very big though, and it does get very busy on weekend evenings.

Browns Bar and Brasserie is a bit of an oddity, a bar-​cum-​restaurant perched in the main Lanes district. It’s not necessarily the idea of mixing a bar and restaurant: it’s the sheer dullness of the whole set-​up. Part of a larger chain of bar/​restaurants, Brown’s is a bit of a sore thumb in Brighton’s independent drinking scene, especially in the middle of town like this. What is clearly supposed to look, sound and feel like a stylish, modern bar just feels a bit awkward and overpriced.
After a quick look through Brown’s website, it’s interesting to see how different the various branches across the country are. However, this just makes it far more disconcerting how much Brown’s stands out from the local competition. It’s like this place wants to be the best, the biggest and the most exclusive place in town: instead, the whole shop front and look of the place screams «unapproachable «.
When I did finally get up the courage to go in, I found Brown’s to be perfectly nice, if overpriced. The menu has all of the posh restaurant staples, and the prices certainly reflect that: the food is well cooked and worth it, it’s just not somewhere you’d want to go too often. The drinks are also a little on the expensive side: again, this isn’t a direct criticism, just a note.
I can’t really recommend Brown’s: too much about it is out of place and a little off. It’s very pricey for the area it’s in, and would fit much better into the New Road/​North Laine area. As it is, this behemoth seems to sit on its own, and as such seem uninviting. The food is excellent, just very expensive… And I’m not sure I’d want to go to a chain if I’m spending that much. No, no, not really for me, maybe for you?

For a long time I’d wanted to see what Browns was all about. Having been impressed by the exterior I was pleasantly surprised to find the interior equally pleasing. You’d never know it was a chain restaurant and even when you find out your impression of the place doesn’t diminish. It has plenty of character and plenty of style. For somewhere that markets itself as a high-​end bistro, however, it has a few shortcoming albeit minor ones. First of all out waiter seemed very unsure of himself and had trouble making natural-​sounding conversation whilst serving. His ability to hold four plates at a time was under no question but unfortunately he followed that by pouring champagne all over the table. There’s something about the atmosphere that makes you unsure whether you’re in a trendy bistro or a family restaurant and the lack of double table settings does seem to suggest that families bring Browns a lot of business. As such I’d recommend this place to anyone looking to enjoy a great meal with friends or family. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with the food, in fact I go as far as to say it’s pretty special. Don’t be fooled by the façade though, it’s not the ultra-​high-​end brasserie it wants to be so if you’re going to spend over £80 on a two-​person meal there are better options. That said, I’d would definitely eat here again.

In a city that prides itself on such statutes as originality, eccentricity and vibrancy Browns finds itself in an unfamiliar position. Having until recently thought of it as a solitary establishment, I was intrigued to learn that Browns has many other branches throughout the UK. What’s interesting is how this fact improves your opinion of the place. In this age of blind profit hunting it’s very impressive to see a chain that allows its branches to develop their own character. Brighton’s Browns has a clean, light décor that reeks of style and quality and their use of greenery makes the interior feel more homely than your average high-​end bistro.
On my visit I was treated to a perfectly cooked haunch of venison served with spinach and creamy parsnip mash. Whilst many places might neglect the details of such a simple dish, Browns executed this subtlety with perfection. The balance of flavours worked perfectly and I was left more than satisfied. I started with some wonderfully soft black pearl scallops served with a tasty lemon and pea risotto and drizzled in a tangy chilli dressing. With a larger helping this could have easily made it as a delicious main course however, it was just the preface I desired: light, warming and perfectly sized. However, if I was looking for a real high quality experience I’d be more willing to spend my money elsewhere. I may only be nitpicking but the service could be a bit better. Whilst friendly, the waiters seemed a little nervous and this came to a head when half a glass of champagne was accidently poured on the table instead of the glass.
The lack of double settings suggests they cater more for groups than for couples, which makes sense when you consider their slightly average price to quality ratio. For example, a group of people willing to split the bill would probably be more forgiving of Browns’ shortcomings. As a result it’s the perfect place to bring the family for a special meal. You can get a New Years Eve dinner for £35, a four course Christmas Lunch for £50 or just dine from the normal menu for about £30 per head.
All in all it’s a great place for food and drinks and well worth the visit. I’d certainly eat there again!

I came here for a Birthday celebration, there were 12 of us. The table we were given was well laid and the staff helpful. The menu was modern British with lots of pasta, soups and fish dishes. They also had all your burgers, steaks etc. All the food was well cooked and of good quality and there was a large selection of drinks. However, there is a 10% surcharge for bottles of wine ordered by parties of 8 or more! Why? The staff were very attentive and th décor very nice and light. Not as expensive as it could be.

I really like Browns. Next to Browns restaurant is Browns Bar where you can enjoy pre or post dinner drinks.
The restaurant itself is classy and relaxed. Is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Food is relatively basic but really tasty. Example dinner would be a gourmet burger with chunky homemade fries. Not budget prices but equally a meal there won’t overly break the bank. Great value.
The staff are always extremely friendly and will go out of their way to help. I left some birthday cards I had bought in there the last time I went — and it was no trouble for them to return them to me.
Definitley worth a visit.