Coming to Washed Out Festival from out of town and not sure where to eat? Craig's put together his recommendations for the best places to grab grub between bands based his years of experience eating the city's best food.
A couple of tips to kick us off:
If you’re in town early on Friday, make sure you head to Brighthelm Gardens for the weekly Street Diner Street Food Market for delicious pop-up food stalls.
Another tip - have a look on Wriggle , they've got loads of deals on this weekend, including quite a few of the places listed below.
COFFEE
Brighton’s best coffee by a longshot and loads of locations too. Mostly useful to you will be the one at the station and the one on Jubilee Street. By far the best for takeaway they make a damn good coffee.
Also try: Cafe Coho
As much as I love Small Batch, it’s not my go-to for a sit-in coffee - that honour goes to Marwoods. Tucked away in the Lanes, they used to pride themselves on a no-bullshit approach, with negative reviews posted on the wall, but are a bit more consumer-friendly these days. With lots of space upstairs and a recent expansion into more food and alcohol, Marwoods is a good place to kill some spare time in the morning.
Also try: Bond Street Coffee
On Trafalgar Street, so the perfect location for a pre-Green Door Store or Prince Albert coffee, Milk No Sugar isn’t the quickest place to get a coffee in my experience but as a "happy cafe" (which means they are part of "Action for happiness" but I’m not sure what that means) it’s a super friendly place to hang out. I’ve not tried it yet but I’ve heard very good things about their Vietnamese menu - including Pho in five different sizes (oh and it’s BYOB if you’re eating).
Also try: Flour Pot Bakery
BREAKFAST
Start your Saturday morning by enjoying one of the competing dishes in Two Wolves Kitchen's Battle of the Brunches. In the black corner is a breakfast muffin with a seitan patty, smoked chipotle cheese, portobello mushroom, facon and tofu scramble. In the white corner there's a Cajun breadcrumbed banana blossom with cherry coke jam, sandwiched between a PBJ donut made by Glazed Coffee. Arrive with your Washed Out Festival 2019 wristband to snap these dishes up for just £7.
I remember being taken to Wai Kika Moo Kau as a kid for a friend’s birthday party and everyone (including me) kicking off when we realised they only served vegetarian food. Fast forward two decades and I mostly Kik myself for not going enough.
Also try: Longhouse Cafe
A bit further out than the other options which all sit in the North Laine, I couldn’t miss off Green Kitchen as their Deliveroo breakfasts have got me out of bed on many a hungover Sunday. The menu is completely vegan, with a large breakfast menu which includes french toast and maple bacon pancakes. It’s also a good lunch option for burgers and sandwiches.
Also try: Joe’s Cafe
So you don’t want a fry up for breakfast? How about a donut? Not just any donuts, vegan donuts baby. They’re so good. The coffee’s decent at Glazed too, and it’s right by the Level Skate Park for all you skaters. Plus, every time I’ve visited they’ve been playing good music.
Also try: Dum Dum Donutterie
LUNCH
Beelzebab (at The Hope & Ruin) or Beelzeburger (at East Street Tap)
If you pick just one place from this list to try, make it one of Beelzebab's offerings. What started off as an outdoor pop-up for vegan doner kebabs is now better known for their loaded dogs and fries at The Hope and indulgent burgers at East Street Tap. The Dog O’ The Month is a Philly Cheese Dog and that’s exactly what I’ll be eating on Saturday. Get the Pengest Poppers as a side, trust me.
Also try: What the Pitta
Vegan sushi burritos. Big vegan sushi burritos. Stuffed with things like hoisin “duck” (the best thing on the menu). Great for a quick bite, you can sit in or take away to the beach - which is just across the road. A bit out of the way for some of the venues by just around the corner from East Street Tap.
Also try: Bok Shop
When I used to work in central Brighton, I ate at Iydea far too often. It’s a simple concept - choose sit in or takeaway, large or small portion, one main, two sides and two toppings. All veggie with some vegan options, you get a hefty amount of food for around a fiver and it’s all delicious. Usual options include curries, pastas, enchiladas, that sort of thing.
Also try: Bombay Aloo
DINNER
For the best burritos (and quesadillas and tacos and margaritas) head to La Choza on Gloucester Road. Forget Taco Bell, this is Mexican food not Tex Mex. Pick a base, a filling and how hot you want it - easy. My vote goes to the sweet potato burrito with habanero salsa. It can get quite busy in the evening and they don’t take bookings - however if there’s a wait they just take your phone number and give you a call when there’s space so you can go watch some bands in the meantime.
Also try: The Prince George
Just up the road from La Choza, you’ll find The Pond out of which Baby Bao serves delicious Vietnamese street food as well as some decent beers with vegan ones on tap marked so you don’t have to ask the bar staff. I recommend the panko coated squash bao with a side of kimchi pancakes.
Also try: The Pipeline
Thought I should probably include some proper ‘pub grub’ in my list, although that description does Earth & Stars a disservice. It’s a lovely pub anyway but the food is incredible and (pardon the gross marketing expression, it’s what I do), “there’s something for everyone.” Fish and chips? Check. Vegan fish and chips? Also check. Good portion sizes too, and a decent roast if you’re still around on the Sunday.
Also try: Food for Friends
LATE NIGHT EATS
You’d struggle to find somewhere more loved in the Brighton DIY scene than Grubbs. For pure, unbridled joy order a double veggie Malaysian burger (crunchy peanut butter and chilli sauce). Open late on weekends, make a stop there before you head to Dude Ranch at Sticky Mike’s Frog Bar to party until the early hours.
Also try: Martin’s Burgers
Looking for somewhere to try AFTER partying until the early hours? Buddies is open 24/7 (apparently the only place in the South East that does!) so you can try and eat one of their huge Buddies Buster breakfasts at 6am while staring bleakly out to sea. The food’s not great but nowhere else is open and they also serve beer all night.
Also try: Market Diner
Finally, it’s worth noting that a few of the venues (aside from The Hope already mentioned above) do actually serve food if you don’t want to venture too far.
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