Key Takeaways
- Pompoko on Church Street is the cheapest proper meal in central Brighton
- Several sit-down restaurants have lunch deals under a tenner with a drink included
- North Laine has the highest concentration of budget food within walking distance
- The Real Junk Food Project lets you pay what you feel for a full hot lunch
- Bringing cash saves time at places like Pompoko (cash only) and street food stalls
You Don’t Have to Spend Much to Eat Well Here
Brighton has a reputation for being pricey, and some of that is earned. But between the seafront cocktail bars and the tasting menus, there’s a parallel food scene where a tenner gets you a full meal and change. Some of these places have been going for decades. Others are newer but operate on the same principle: good ingredients, fair prices, no ceremony.
This guide skips the big chains and the late-night kebab shops. Instead, these are places where the food is worth eating for its own sake, and the price just happens to be low. Street food counters, family-run restaurants with lunch deals, ramen bars where the broth is made from scratch. The kind of spots where students and office workers and retired couples all end up at the same tables, because the food is that good and the bill never stings.
Street Food and Takeaway Counters
The cheapest meals in Brighton come from people working small kitchens with short menus. Less overhead, better prices. These places do one thing well and keep the cost down by not trying to do everything else.
We Love Falafel
We Love Falafel on Sydney Street is the lunchtime institution. Stuffed wraps for a few quid, fresh salads, sauces with actual heat. There’s barely any seating inside so most people grab and walk. The lunchtime queue moves fast. If you need to eat for under a fiver in Brighton, this is the first place anyone will point you to.
FilFil Cafe
FilFil Cafe does falafel from a family recipe using organic chickpeas, made fresh to order on Gardner Street. Wraps, pita, platters, plus halloumi and a vegan doner made from soya chunks. A wrap with chips and a drink comes in under eight quid. Open since 2013, consistently rated well above most street food counters in town. No table service. You eat standing up or take it to a bench.
Burger Brothers
Burger Brothers on North Road has the kind of queue that tells you something. The menu is short: beef, chicken, veggie. Halal options. Burgers come in well under a tenner and they’ve won enough awards to paper the walls. Counter service, grab a seat if you can find one. Closed Sundays and Mondays. Weekday afternoons are quieter if you want to skip the rush. For more on Brighton’s best restaurants, we have a full guide.
Parthenon Gyros
Parthenon Gyros opposite St Peter’s Church does generous Greek gyros in fluffy pita with tzatziki and golden fries stuffed inside. The portions are big enough that most people leave with a takeaway box. Popular with students for the prices, popular with everyone else for the food. Greek beers on the menu too. It has been closed since the spring with no reopening date announced, so check its socials before you make the trip.
Ramen, Noodles and Rice Bowls
Asian food is where Brighton’s budget dining gets serious. Several places serve scratch-made food at prices that would be low even outside the city centre. Our Thai restaurants guide covers the full range from cheap noodle spots to proper sit-down Thai dining.
Pompoko
Pompoko on Church Street has been feeding Brighton cheaply and well for years. Cash only, no table service, BYO for a small corkage fee. Most mains come in under a tenner. The katsu and donburi arrive fast and the place stays packed with students, locals on lunch breaks, and anyone who has worked out that this is some of the best-value food in the centre. Bring notes, not cards.
Goemon Ramen Bar
Goemon Ramen Bar on Gardner Street is regularly packed with Japanese diners, which tells you most of what you need to know. The tonkotsu broth is made from scratch. Pork gyoza are a standout starter. A starter, ramen bowl and a beer will struggle to break twenty pounds for two people. No bookings, walk-in only, expect a queue at peak times. The wait moves quickly.
Kokoro
Kokoro on North Street is a chain, yes. But the bento boxes and rice bowls are filling, quick and consistently around the six to seven pound mark. Open until 10pm daily. If you want something hot and filling without thinking too hard or spending too much, Kokoro covers it. They also have a branch on Western Road.
Sit-Down Restaurants with Lunch Deals
These are places where you can sit down, order from a full menu, and still walk out having spent less than you’d expect. The trick is usually timing. Lunch deals, weekday specials, early sittings.
IL Bistro
IL Bistro has been serving steak in The Lanes since 1976. An 18th-century fisherman’s cottage, small dining room, family-run. The weekend pasta lunch deal gets you fresh pasta and a glass of wine for ten pounds. One of the best value meals in central Brighton, and you’re eating in a restaurant with nearly fifty years of history behind it.
Pinocchio
Pinocchio on New Road has been Brighton’s oldest Italian since the 1980s. Two floors, a terrace, and prices that are low for the location. Fresh pasta and pizza made on site. Pre-theatre crowds fill it out most evenings, and the atmosphere is the kind of old-school Italian that newer places can’t replicate. See our best pizza guide and best Italian restaurants guide for more options.
Fatto a Mano
Fatto a Mano North Laine does Neapolitan pizza from a wood-fired oven. The margherita is a proper test of any pizzeria and Fatto passes it. It takes online bookings for up to 16 and still keeps tables back for walk-ins. You might queue at weekends but it moves. Three locations across the city so if one’s rammed, try Hove or Preston Circus.
La Choza
La Choza on Gloucester Road does Mexican tacos with corn tortillas and slow-cooked fillings. The dining room is loud and colourful. No reservations for small groups, so you might queue. Sharing a few tacos and a beer keeps the bill low. One of the best-value sit-down meals in North Laine. Check our best Mexican restaurants guide for more options.
Healthy, Pay-What-You-Can, and the One That Delivers in Tiffin Tins
Brighton has a few places that do something different with the whole pricing model.
Foodilic
Foodilic on Western Road is a counter-service canteen with colourful salad-led plates and lighter food. You see what’s there, pick what you want, and sit down. Open daily from 9am. Independent, dog-friendly, outdoor seating. Vegan, vegetarian and halal options all present. A practical, healthy lunch without any faff, and the prices stay in single figures for most plates.
The Real Junk Food Project
The Real Junk Food Project turns intercepted surplus food into full hot lunches on a pay-as-you-feel basis. There’s no set price. You eat and pay whatever you feel it was worth. The permanent cafe is on Gardner Street in North Laine with pop-ups at community centres across the city. Won first place at the BRAVO Awards for Eat Well for Less twice.
Chilli Shaak
Chilli Shaak is a Gujarati home-cooking delivery service that sends out individually spiced dishes in stainless steel tiffin tins, collected the next morning. Most dishes are around five to six pounds. Order via WhatsApp. Very limited hours: Wednesday evening, Friday lunchtime, Saturday evening. Not a restaurant. Not a takeaway in the usual sense. Something in between, and the food is seriously good.
The Big Bowl
One more that deserves its own mention.
The Big Bowl
The Big Bowl on Preston Street is Brighton’s only Vietnamese restaurant with Vietnamese chefs in the kitchen. Family-run by Chris and Brandon Vu. The pho tastes like it was learned at home. The Friday lunch special from 12 to 2pm gets you pho, curries or house specials for ten pounds. Nominated for Best Value at the 2026 BRAVO Awards. For more on Brighton’s broader food scene, we have a separate guide.
Brighton Insider tip: Go to Pompoko at 2.15pm. The lunch queue is gone, the kitchen is still on the lunch pace, and you’ll get a table by the window on Church Street instead of a stool by the door. Take cash out first: the machine outside NatWest by the Clock Tower is the nearest.
Quick Comparison
| Place | What to order | Typical spend | Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| We Love Falafel | Falafel wrap | Under £5 | North Laine |
| FilFil Cafe | Falafel wrap with chips and drink | Under £8 | North Laine |
| Burger Brothers | Cheeseburger | Under £8 | North Laine |
| Parthenon Gyros (currently closed) | Gyros in pita | Under £9 | City Centre |
| Pompoko | Katsu or donburi | Under £10 | North Laine |
| Goemon Ramen Bar | Tonkotsu ramen | Under £12 | City Centre |
| Kokoro | Bento box | Under £8 | City Centre |
| IL Bistro | Weekend pasta + wine deal | £10 | The Lanes |
| Pinocchio | Pizza or pasta | Under £12 | North Laine |
| Fatto a Mano | Margherita pizza | Under £11 | North Laine |
| La Choza | Tacos (2-3) | Under £12 | North Laine |
| Foodilic | Salad plate | Under £10 | City Centre |
| The Real Junk Food Project | Hot lunch | Pay what you feel | North Laine |
| Chilli Shaak | Gujarati tiffin delivery | £5-6 per dish | Delivery |
| The Big Bowl | Pho (Friday lunch deal) | £10 | City Centre |
Practical Tips
- Pompoko is cash only. Hit the cash machine on North Street before you go. There’s one outside the NatWest near the Clock Tower.
- Lunchtime is cheaper everywhere. IL Bistro’s pasta deal, The Big Bowl’s Friday special, and most of the street food counters are quieter and faster at lunch than in the evening.
- North Laine is the zone. FilFil, Goemon, We Love Falafel, Burger Brothers and Pompoko are all within a five-minute walk of each other. You could eat at a different one every day of the week and never spend more than a tenner.
- Brighton Open Market is worth a detour for cheap street food lunches. Several independent traders do hot food for under a fiver. It’s just off London Road, open daily.
- Student ID helps. Several places on this list run student deals. Parthenon Gyros and Pompoko both draw a big university crowd.
- Skip Deliveroo for these. Most of these places charge more on delivery apps. Walk in, eat there or take away, and you’ll save a few quid every time.
- For a fuller budget Brighton day out, see our Brighton on a Budget guide which covers free attractions and cheap drinks too.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cheapest place to eat in Brighton?
The Real Junk Food Project operates on a pay-as-you-feel basis, so technically you can eat for free. For fixed prices, We Love Falafel on Sydney Street does wraps for under a fiver, and Pompoko mains start around seven pounds.
Where can I eat for under a tenner in Brighton?
Most places on this list. Burger Brothers, FilFil Cafe, Pompoko, Kokoro, Foodilic and We Love Falafel all serve filling meals for well under ten pounds. IL Bistro’s weekend pasta deal includes a glass of wine for ten pounds.
Is Brighton expensive for food?
It can be. The seafront restaurants and Lanes fine dining spots charge London prices. But Brighton also has a strong budget food scene concentrated in North Laine and around the station. If you know where to look, eating well for less is straightforward.
Where is the best area for cheap eats in Brighton?
North Laine has the highest concentration. Within a few minutes’ walk you can reach FilFil, Goemon Ramen Bar, We Love Falafel, Burger Brothers, Pompoko and Fatto a Mano. The London Road area around the Open Market is also good for budget food.
Are there cheap vegan options in Brighton?
Yes. Foodilic has a strong vegan and vegetarian counter. We Love Falafel is vegan-friendly. Chilli Shaak’s Gujarati tiffin service is mostly plant-based. The Real Junk Food Project always has vegan options. For a full guide, see our best vegan restaurants guide.
