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Dining in Europe > Brighton Brighton could be described as England's answer to Miami Beach (well nearly!). A hang-out for the young and funky, this seaside city provides an equally welcoming environment for families and pensioners. Not so long ago, Brighton was written off as a seedy seaside resort. Not so today: It has an excellent and broad range of restaurants, bars and, for those who still have some energy left, nightclubs playing music to suit all tastes and ages. Every palate is catered for in Brighton, with the added bonus that everything is within easy reach. The main gourmet/drinking areas are mainly located in The Lanes, right at the heart of old Brighton. The Lanes are predominantly pedestrian, with a few intersecting roads, and they are your best choice for both daytime shopping as well as evening outings. The choice of dining ranges from Mexican to Gourmet, but has a surprising number of (very good) vegetarian restaurants. Vegetarian restaurants can have a bit of a "cheap and cheerful" lunch venue feel to them. Not so in Brighton: The veggie restaurants here are classy and stylish enough to rival most of the carnivorous alternatives. Terre à Terre has a nationwide reputation as one of the best British vegetarian restaurants. It is fully equipped with all the Conranesque trimmings, but suitably candle lit for a more intimate occasion. Just make sure you book well in advance. This is one of Brightons most popular restaurants. Equally divine, but infinitely cheaper is the excellent Food For Friends. It is also located in The Lanes, but is more of an informal venue for a night out with your (cash-strapped) friends - thus the name, presumably. Just a stones throw away from The Lanes, is another vegetarian gem: Trogs, part of the small and welcoming family-run hotel the Granville. You can dine in the formal dining room or in the far more laid-back bar area. The food is truly yummy, making a healthy food choice seem a very rewarding choice. But vegetarians aside, omnivores are also amply catered for in Brighton. Most of the chain-restaurants, found in London and nationwide, are all there: Pizza Express (the American Hot can surely not be beaten), ITS Pizza, Browns and Café Pasta are all represented. So you will never feel far from home. If what you're looking for are more individual restaurants, you will not be disappointed. Brighton has an interesting selection of both cosy and elegant restaurants. With the increasing popularity of the town and the just-over forty minute commute from London, new restaurants are springing up all the time. But some of the best choices are well-established and have delighted Brightonians for many years, like Englishs Oyster Bar and Seafood restaurant. It feels like throw-back to the turn of the century Parisian dining rooms, though in a miniature format, and it serves some superb fish and seafood. Definitely a must for fish-lovers looking for a classy dining experience. If gourmet dining is not within your budget or taste, why not enjoy some candy floss, fresh donuts, and ice cream, all available in large quantities on the towns trademark Brighton Pier. Being the only operative pier out of the two in Brighton, the nearby West Pier undergoing some much-needed re-construction, Brighton Pier is an amusement park all to itself. You don't even have to be under twenty to enjoy it - the roller-coaster (which seems far to rickety to be safe) would probably even make Bruce Willis scream with fear! It is definitely not a venue for gourmets, but fish and chips, beer and meat pies are plentiful. Waterside dining is more elegant at the nearby Brighton Marina, which has a number of small and cosy Italian eateries as well as the towering Jacksons Wharf, where you can both eat and drink whilst watching the yachts glide home after a day of sailing or the sun setting across a gleaming sea. The restaurant itself seems to have decided to provide cuisine to suit everyones palate, with a menu ranging from pastas, salads, and hamburgers to Thai green curries. Other forms of entertainment to keep you at the Marina include ten-pin bowling at Bowlplex and a vast UGC Cinema duplex. And if it all becomes too much, the summer season sees the Volks Railway drive you along a tiny track back to central Brighton. Just don't look to closely at the strip of beach alongside you - it is a designated Naturist Beach, making the Full Monty seem like a Disney movie. You have been warned! The choice of nightlife in Brighton is wide and varied. On any night of the week there will be a club night to suit most people including reggae, 70s & 80s, jazz, dance, indie and soul amongst other genres. Most pre-club drinking happens along the sea front on the Kings Road or in the Kings Road Arches right by the beach. Sumo, just off the Kings Road, is one of the latest 'in' venues, with a trendy basement bar, which stays open well after the normal pub closing times. Its one of the chicer bars in Brighton. Close to Sumos is the fabulous Plaza Bar and Restaurant for the more mature crowd. It is a great choice for a delicious meal, but is equally apt for a quick cocktail. There are several clubs along West Street, but the real buzz happens at the Kings Road Arches, just across the road and down the stairs onto the beach. It is hugely popular during the day for light snacks accompanied by a pint or two, as it is to the evening when this area really comes to life. The Gemini Beach Bar, amongst others, attracts a lively, and quite bohemian crowd. On second thought, perhaps Brighton is more Britains answer to seventies San Francisco than Miami. . . U Marshall Entertainment in BrightonIf you're looking for hip, cosmopolitan and relaxed then look no further than Brighton - not for nothing is the south coast resort regarded as London-by-the-Sea, although Brightonians prefer to look on London as Brighton-by-Land. This place is big on entertainment, and a renowned weekend getaway. Famous names who've made the move permanent include Fat Boy Slim and Chris Eubank. The Fat Boy can sometimes be seen at the decks of the Big Beat Boutique club, while Mr Eubanks cannot be missed chugging through the city in his customised articulated lorry, number plate KO-1. Check out The Lanes for some out of this world buys and who could forgo a visit to the pier for that stick of famed Brighton Rock! Clubs To show just how seriously Brighton is taken as an entertainment venue, the legendary mega club Cream have chosen it as the location for its first club outside Liverpool. The 2,000 capacity super-club will open along the seafront within the year. Outside London, Brighton has one of the most vibrant clubbing cultures in Britain, easily rivalling Leeds and Manchester. For a big night out its definitely worth visiting some pre-club bars around The Lanes, near the seafront - The Fish Bowl, Ali-Cats, The Prodigal, The Western Front - and then depending on your tastes, a visit to Kings Road Arches down by the beach or West Street which spreads down from the Clock Tower in the centre of town. The West Street vibe is more young and populist, while Kings Road Arches more your discerning clubber. West Street has the Event II which puts on major gigs in town as well as huge club nights and travelling road shows. Theres also the Paradox opposite which has serious house and garage nights as well as retro during the week. The smaller clubs down this end end include Steamers. For Kings Road Arches look to The Zap probably Brightons best known club which plays hosts to the big names in DJ club culture weekly. Just along from the Zap is The Beach, another draw for the big names record spinners, while down at the other end of the beach strip, the Honey Club puts on equally well attended, pumping nights of club anthems. Or else look to Phonic: Hoop at The Enigma, The Escape, Casablanca, the Jazz Rooms or The Joint in central Brighton. Music The live music scene isn't half as bad either! With regular showcases each month entitled Brighton Rocks! @ the Concorde 2 theres an explosion in indie-based sound, while venues such as The Freebutt and Sussex Arts Club cater for the hip-hop crew, alt punk rockers from abroad, electronic wizardry, folk and the more mainstream pop has to offer. The Event II puts on the bigger gigs along with Paradox and the Brighton Centre. For a touch of classical, theres the Brighton Dome, St Barts Church, the Old Market Theatre, St Peters Church, Sallis Benney Theatre, the Pavilion Theatre and Glyndebourne (near Lewes). Look out for the best in classical orchestras around the time of the Brighton Festival (May). Art Brighton is brimming with artistic talent, its a creative town and one of the leading lights in multi-media digital arts. The Lighthouse company based in the Brighton Media Centre organise many digital arts exhibitions which are put on usually at the Fabrica Gallery, renowned for its trail-blazing shows: recently the gallery was turned into a virtual reality home, another show given over to the costumes and work of performance artist Leigh Bowery. Other galleries leading the way, include the relatively new White Gallery which has an excellently laid out interior, perfect for viewing contemporary works. Theres the George Street Gallery, Gallery 73, the Gardner Arts Centre, the University of Brighton Art Gallery, the Phoenix Arts Centre with artists working in studios in the same building where the contemporary exhibitions and sales are held. Hove Museum and Brighton Museum and Art Gallery house more established works but also play host to notable national touring exhibitions. Brighton Museum recently had the Carnivalesque expo, depicting works of carnivals down the ages by Bruegel and Goya among others - widely rated as the best exhibition outside London at the time. Cinema Brighton is blessed with all manner of cinematic delights including the oldest indepenedent cinema in the country, The Duke Of Yorks. Come here for your low budget, independent films as well as themed festivals and art films. Beautiful art deco interior! For all your Hollywood blockbusters, theres the Odeon multiplex along the seafront and the UGC multiplex at Brighton Marina boasting more than 10 screens. Theres also mainstream showings at the Gardner Arts Centre; the Sallis Benney Theatre shows occasional films as does Ali Cats bar. For art films and cult classics theres the Cinamatheque which is a small 60-seat cubby-hole in the Brighton Media Centre. Comedy Brighton is awash with good stand-up comedians. The place to see them varies but the Komedia is as good a bet as any. Here you can see the Thursday Smartbomb or The Krater Club, both brilliantly conceived comedy showcases and also Screamers a gay comedy night put on monthly. Further afield theres a comedy night at the Constant Service pub. Gardner Arts Centre puts on big-name acts to rival the Komedia, with the likes of Simon Munnery, Lee Mack and Jo Brand. Theatre Theatre is well catered for in Brighton from the big west end shows to the more experimental cutting edge affairs. The Theatre Royal is the place to see the bigger performances, Oscar Wilde, Shakespeare even Ben Elton! Komedia, the Sallis Benney, the Pavilion Theatre, the Corn Exchange and the Gardner Arts Centre also put on nationally acclaimed performances as well as those shows just breaking through. Theres a wealth of smaller and more locally based drama to be found at the New Venture Theatre, the Marlborough Theatre, the Little Theatre, Ray Tindle Theatre or the Sussex Arts Club - if you wanted you could probably take in a performance a night! Prices are far from the heights of the West End and if you're prepared to go stand-by you can pick up a ticket for less than a fiver. Dance Dance is a Brighton speciality. The Gardner Arts Centre, The Komedia and the Sallis Benney Theatre have regular dance shows. These are often experimental in nature and feature world renowned companies like DV8 physical Theatre or The Cholmondleys. Museums Brighton has a number of museums from the mainstream Brighton Museum in the centre of town, currently undergoing refurbishment, to the more specialist Booth Museum of Natural History, the Fishing Museum and the British Engineerium which looks at machinery down the ages. Theres also the old Museum of Penny Slot Machines along the seafront. All these operate a free entrance policy. So there you have it; a guide to what there is to see and do in Brighton. Whatever your age or interest, come rain or shine, day or night, there is always something new to do in Brighton. Dining in Europe > Brighton
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