Hove is the other half of Brighton & Hove, and it would like you to remember that. “Hove, actually” isn’t just a joke — it reflects a genuine distinction. Where Brighton is loud, chaotic, and a bit rough around the edges, Hove is wider, calmer, and more polished. Regency terraces line tree-shaded avenues. Front gardens have actual plants in them. It’s still the seaside, but the volume is turned down a few notches.
What It’s Known For
Church Road is the main artery. It runs west from the border with Brighton and has transformed over the past decade from a fairly ordinary high street into one of the best independent food streets on the south coast. You’ll find restaurants covering everything from modern Japanese to Neapolitan pizza to proper French bistro cooking. The quality is high, the pretension is low, and there’s enough variety that you could eat your way along it for a fortnight without repeating.
Photo: VisitBrighton
The seafront in Hove is different from Brighton’s. The lawns stretch back from the promenade, the beach huts line up in rows, and the whole thing feels more spacious. Families with young children gravitate here. So do joggers, dog walkers, and people who want a stretch of coast that doesn’t involve dodging hen parties.
George Street and the Western Road corridor add more independent shops, delis, and cafés. Hove also has the better parks — Hove Park and the recreation ground are proper green spaces, not just a bench next to a busy road.
Hove was a separate town until 1997. It merged with Brighton to form the unitary authority of Brighton & Hove, and locals on the Hove side still maintain a polite distance from their noisier neighbour. The town developed later than Brighton, expanding significantly in the Victorian era with wide residential streets and the seafront lawns that remain its most recognisable feature.
The Brunswick area — the grand Regency terraces facing the sea — was built in the 1820s and 1830s as a rival to Kemp Town on Brighton’s eastern side. The architecture here is serious. Grade I listed crescents, stucco facades, and the kind of proportions that make estate agents use the word “elegant” without irony.
Getting Around
Hove is flat and spread out. Cycling is comfortable along the seafront cycle path and through the residential streets. The 1, 1A, and 6 buses run frequently along Church Road and the seafront, connecting to Brighton city centre in about fifteen minutes.
Driving is easier here than in central Brighton — there’s more parking, wider streets, and less one-way chaos. Church Road can get busy at weekends. The station (Hove Station) has direct trains to London Victoria and is less crowded than Brighton station.
The Business Mix
Church Road is the showcase. Independent restaurants, wine bars, delis, and a few lifestyle shops that cater to Hove’s slightly more affluent demographic. The chain presence is there — Sainsbury’s, Boots, the usual — but they don’t dominate. Western Road toward the Brighton border is more mixed, with supermarkets and service businesses alongside the independents.
Hove’s night-time economy is restaurant-led rather than pub-and-club. People eat here and then either stay local or cab into Brighton for later-night options. There are excellent pubs — the better ones tend to be on the side streets — but this isn’t a destination for a big night out.
Living Here vs Visiting
Hove is primarily residential. Families, professionals, and retired Brightonians who want a bit more space make up the core population. It’s a good place to live: close to the sea, well-served by independent shops, and within reach of Brighton’s energy without being in the thick of it.
Visitors should come for Church Road. Plan a long lunch, walk the seafront afterward, and spend an hour browsing the shops on George Street. It’s a different pace from central Brighton, and that’s entirely the point.
Church Road and Western Road
Church Road is Hove’s spine. It runs from the border with Brighton westward through the centre of Hove, and it’s where most of the cafes, restaurants, pubs and shops sit. Think of it as Hove’s equivalent of North Street, but with better food and less traffic.
Western Road starts in Brighton and becomes increasingly Hove as you head west. By the time you pass the clock tower and keep going, the feel changes. The bars get more neighbourhood-focused. The shops lean residential.
Between these two roads, you’ll find most of what makes Hove worth visiting. The side streets off Church Road are where the residential charm kicks in. Regency townhouses, quiet squares, tree-lined avenues. Some of the most beautiful domestic architecture in Sussex is tucked along these streets.
The Cafe Scene
Hove’s cafes are brilliant and you can usually get a table. That alone sets them apart from their Brighton counterparts.
Oeuf
Oeuf - Cafe in Hove on Third Avenue, off Church Road. Eggs are the speciality. The weekend brunch queue tells you everything, but midweek you’ll walk straight in. The menu is tight and well executed. Dog-friendly. Outdoor seating. Closes at 4pm. The food is worth the wait, even when the wait tests your patience.
Salvage Cafe
Salvage Cafe on Western Road does the scruffy-charming thing without making a performance of it. Mismatched furniture, reclaimed wood, and a soundtrack that’s never too loud. Good brunch options, proper coffee, and cakes that actually taste homemade. Locals use it as a regular, and first-timers tend to come back.
WOLFOX Lab
WOLFOX Lab - Speciality Coffee on Western Road takes its own roasted beans and turns them into carefully pulled espresso. Clean, modern, no snobbery. Opens at 7:30am on weekdays. Counter seats for solo stops, tables for catch-ups.
Small Batch Coffee Goldstone Villas
Small Batch Coffee Goldstone Villas is the Hove Station branch of Brighton’s Small Batch family. Commuters grab flat whites on the way to the platform. The rest of the neighbourhood treats it as a living room with better coffee. It opens at 7am on weekdays.
For more coffee recommendations across the city, see our coffee guide.
Hove Pubs
The Farm Tavern
The Farm Tavern on Farm Road is a proper locals’ pub on a quiet side street. Small, warm, full of people who actually live nearby. Cask ales rotate. Dogs are welcome. When the sun’s out, drinkers spill onto the corner. No food gimmicks. No big screens. Just a good neighbourhood pub.
The Neptune Inn
The Neptune Inn does live music most nights and has a seafront location that people build their evening around. The gig room is small enough that you’re three feet from the guitarist. Dogs welcome, card payments. Check the listings before you head over.
The Gin Tub
The Gin Tub on Church Road has over a hundred gins behind the bar. Small and low-lit. Tell the staff what you like and they’ll steer you right. Not a gin person? There are cocktails too. Friday and Saturday only, running late.
The Lion & Lobster
The Lion & Lobster on Sillwood Street sprawls across multiple levels with snug corners, framed pictures on every wall, and a worn-in feel. Good for a quick pint or a long afternoon. The rooftop beer garden fills up fast when the sun’s out.
The Bee’s Mouth
The Bee’s Mouth on Western Road is a late-night bar that feels like someone’s eccentric living room. Belgian bottled beers. DJs, spoken word, life drawing, live music most nights. The basement has more comfortable nooks than you’d think possible. Opens late, stays open later.
Check our pub guide for more options across Brighton and Hove.
Live Music and Culture
The Brunswick
The Brunswick on Holland Road is Hove’s best-known live music pub. Everything from acoustic solo sets to full band gigs, most nights of the week. The quality is better than you’d expect for a neighbourhood pub. On non-gig nights it’s a solid local. Outdoor seating fills up fast in warm weather.
The Old Market
The Old Market just off Western Road does comedy, theatre, live music and spoken word. TOM to regulars. The programming is sharp. Touring acts stop here alongside local performers. It’s independently run, LGBTQ+-friendly, and wheelchair accessible. The good nights sell out fast.
The Southern Belle
The Southern Belle on Waterloo Street doubles as a small hotel. The pub puts on live music and events regularly. Good for a drink after a walk along the prom, or check their listings for a gig without trekking into Brighton.
The Regency Town House
The Regency Town House on Brunswick Square is a Grade I listed townhouse with active restoration work happening alongside finished period rooms. It’s a heritage project rather than a traditional museum. Volunteers and specialists are peeling back layers of 1800s domestic life. Access through open days, tours or events.
St Ann’s Well Gardens is one of the best parks in Hove. Clock tower, scented garden, bowling green, tennis courts, and enough mature trees to make you forget you’re in a city. The cafe is handy for a coffee stop. In summer, people spread out on the grass for hours. There’s a playground at the Nizells Avenue end.
The seafront between Hove Lawns and the lagoon gives you wide-open green space right next to the beach. People play cricket, walk dogs, fly kites. On summer evenings the barbecues come out.
Brunswick Square is worth a look even if you’re just passing through. The Regency architecture here is some of the finest in the city, and the gardens in the centre of the square are a calm place to sit.
Food Worth Knowing About
Stoneham Bakehouse CIC
Stoneham Bakehouse CIC is a community interest bakery on Stoneham Road. They teach real bread skills and sell loaves and pastries from a small shopfront. The sourdough sells out fast. Hours are limited, so check before you visit.
Church Road has a decent restaurant scene that’s growing steadily. You’ll find Italian, Japanese, Indian and plenty more within a short walk. The restaurants here tend to be quieter than their Brighton equivalents, which means you can usually book on the day. For our full restaurant recommendations, see our restaurant guide.
A Day in Hove
9am: Coffee at WOLFOX Lab or Small Batch Goldstone Villas. Pastry if they’ve got croissants left.
10:30am: Walk through Brunswick Square. Look at the Regency townhouses. Check if The Regency Town House has an open day.
Noon: Brunch at Oeuf. Arrive before the queue builds.
2pm: St Ann’s Well Gardens. Walk through the scented garden. Sit under a tree. Accept that you’re staying longer than planned.
4pm: Sourdough run at Stoneham Bakehouse if it’s open.
6pm: Early pint at The Farm Tavern. Settle in.
8pm: Check what’s on at The Brunswick or The Old Market. If nothing grabs you, The Bee’s Mouth opens late and always has something happening.
Practical Tips
Getting there: Buses 1, 1A, 5 and 6 run along Church Road and Western Road. Hove Station is on the Brighton Main Line. From central Brighton, it’s a twenty-minute walk west along the seafront.
Border question: There’s no sign telling you when you’ve crossed from Brighton to Hove. Look for wider streets, taller buildings, and people correcting you on the distinction.
Parking: Easier than Brighton but still metered. The seafront has pay-and-display. Side streets off Church Road are resident-only during the day.
Best time: Saturday mornings for the cafes and bakeries. Weekday evenings for quieter pub visits. Check The Old Market and The Brunswick listings before you plan an evening.
The seafront: Hove Lawns is flatter and greener than the Brighton seafront. Better for picnics, worse for people-watching.
Dog-friendly: Most Hove pubs welcome dogs. The Farm Tavern, The Neptune Inn and Salvage Cafe are all reliable.
