Really great spot for healthier salads with copious options. I stopped in for lunch one day, and…read moregot their 1 main + 3 salads (£11.50 for eat in, £10.50 for take away). They had about 10 salads to choose from, most of which were vegan, and a bunch of mains, two of which were vegan. For the main, I got a decadent butter bean dish that was wonderfully flavoured, albeit quite oily. The salads were all quite intensely flavoured too, with a broccoli salad that had a nicely horseradish-dominant dressing, a tomato and bell pepper salad that was nicely dressed, and roasted sweet potatoes. Very filling and good value. I was really happy with the food. I capped off the meal with an American (£2.40), which was definitely above average for UK -- seems like the place is run by Italians, so that might be it. Super friendly and helpful staff who kindly pointed out everything that was vegan. All in all, highly recommended spot near the centre and beach.

Random stop for lunch today as I was wandering through the streets of Brighton fresh off an…read moreinternational flight.. I walked past and happened to notice the sign out the front advertising an all you can eat lunch for £6.95 per person. If that wasn't enough of an arm twister, the food on display in the window looked AMAZING! Today's hot menu offerings were vegetable soup, beef goulash, vege moussaka and Caribbean chicken drumsticks with mash or rice. And then a gorgeous array of 7 fresh salads to compliment your meal. Fresh, fast and tasty! This quiet and cosy restaurant had super lovely staff, and the food was just fantastic. Great little spot for lunch on North Street.

As Tescos continues to crush all those in its path we need all the independent grocery stores we…read morecan find. If you like buying fruit and veg for a price representative of their actual value (e.g. white onions for a mere 8p each or 5 large oranges for £1) then stop by this charming little shop. The guy who runs the place is a funny old bloke who'll gladly cut you a deal if you're a few pence short. All the usual grocery products are available including fresh herbs, veg, fruit and even flowers. Also, all seasonal products are available like pumpkins at Halloween, Norwegian Spruce at Christmas etc. It's basically the friendly independent grocer that every street should have!

When Tesco finally takes over the world we'll look back on places like David Roads Fruiters and say…read morethings like wow, remember when fruit and veg actually cost something near their actual value. These kind of independent green grocers are what every town needs. The guy who runs the place is an eccentric old guy who'll happily engage in any banter whether he's on the same page or not, often cutting you a decent deal for the joy of it all. It stocks all seasonal products like pumpkins and Norwegian spruce. When the new Sainsury's local opens nearby I'm sure business will decrease even further so please keep visiting if you live nearby. It's essential that we keep in business places that don't extort us.

Muesli Mountain is great- if you haven't yet stumbled across it, I suggest you check it out pronto!…read moreHidden away in a yard behind Queen's Park Rd, it is essentially a mini open market, with stalls selling all sorts of yummy food and interesting arts and crafts produced locally. The ethos is basically local local local! It's a really lovely alternative place to pick up freshly made bread (from the Lighthouse bakery) and organic fruit and veg. At the moment there is a stall selling and renting (!) live Xmas trees in pots and there is also a great selection of Christmassy gift ideas. You can even pick up sustainably sourced logs and kindling for lovely winter open fires. The market is open every day except Sunday and if you live in the Hanover area it's a really great resource. Even if you live further afield, Muesli Mountain is worth a trek. It is an inspired project with a lovely atmosphere- one of those little gems that makes you so grateful you live in Brighton.

Think Local, Buy Local, BE Local…read more As straplines go, Museli Mountain Market's is short, sweet and spot on. Run by a team of Hanover residents, it's an open market that aims to provide other locals with a space to meet, chat and learn how to be more sustainable. There's fresh organic fruit, salad and vegetables from local farms and allotments, gorgeous bread from Lighthouse Bakery and store cupboard essentials like pasta, rice, flour and cereals. They also sell local seeds and plants, cleaning products and Ecover refills. As a girl with a sweet-tooth, my only grumble is the lack of fresh and tasty, locally baked cakes!

Pineapple Veg is a great little place to pick up fruit, veg and other bits and bobs. As part of a…read morebid to stop using Sainsburys in favour of supporting local small businesses and independent shops, I have found myself popping in more and more. As the fruit and veg stalls at the Open Market seem to be in decline- some having moved on altogether and some there only once in a while- Pineapple has become my new fruit and veg hot spot! The selection is great and they often have interesting seasonal fruit...watermelons, blood oranges, plantains and pomegranates to name but a few! Beyond the produce, they also stock all sorts of ethnic yummies and dried and tinned food too. A great place to look for inspiration and new recipe ideas! The guys who work there are really nice and on 'Snow Day' earlier this year they built three hilarious little snow people out side the shop, which made me love the place all the more!

Me and my flatmate went via Pineapple fruit and veg ltd on the London road, to look for some tasty,…read morefresh ingredients for a long awaited curry we had planned to make that night. Even though the daylight hours had long gone, and we were getting increasingly hungry, the eclectic, obscure and affordable selection of products on offer kept us in the shop browsing the aisles like two old ladies. Pineapple, has all the usual suspects of the fruit and veg world; potatoes, onions, tomatoes, peppers, chilis (scotch bonnets are 13p each!) etc...all at a lower price than the high street supermarkets dotted around Brighton, so worth a visit for your standards. What though is the trump card of this place is the selection of Middle Eastern, Turkish and Polish speciality foods such as the huge naan style bread which looks like it could feed a family for a week, and the massive 1kg jars of pickled cabbage, jalapenos, gherkins etc etc... (1kg!!!) all for around the £3-4 mark. Also a good selection of dried and fresh spices and herbs (such as a bunch of coriander for less than £1), fruit juices, and interesting condiments, Pineapple is a treasure trove of ethnic food, for a really reasonable price. I highly recommend taking a look.

From the outside, Food For Chefs looks like the kind of adorable little grocery store where you'd…read morepick up all kinds of expensive but moreish goodies. Unfortunately, when I stepped through the door I felt like I'd entered some weird food store in the middle of nowhere. There's no fresh fruit, vegetables or salads, no mouth-watering cheeses or thinly slices pieces of parma ham, no fresh bread or strong smelling coffee. Instead there's shelves and shelves of preserved vegetables, anti-pastas, olive oils, vinegars, sauces, pastas and chutneys in fancy jars. Apparently, the food is sourced by the owners from specialist suppliers in Italy, France and Greece. Sadly, it just doesn't look that appetising or aesthetically appealing. I know quite a few chefs and I think they'd all prefer a global knife for a present.

Food for Chefs is a classy little food store for the chef in everyone, stocked with a wide variety…read moreof preserved goods for everyone's gourmand needs. Unfortunately, a lack of fresh local produce, or cooking utensils, or anything to give you another reason to go makes Food for Chefs too specialised for most. In Brighton, we are a little spoiled for upmarket, amazing shops to buy specialty food items. With some of the larger chains, as well as a lot of local stores offering kitchen utensils, as well as fresh produce and specialty sauces and ingredients from around the world, the choice is exceptional. Where most of these stores branch out a little, offering a little bit of everything to entice the repeat customer, Food for Chefs instead offers only specialty ingredients, sourced from all over the world. While the items are excellent, the lack of any other specialty kitchen items, in an area bustling with shops that offer so much more, leaves Food for Chefs a little lacking. On top of that, the prices are astronomical. I understand that they've been sourced from all over the world and are, by and large, the best of the best, but I'd assume the prices were out of most residents' range, especially for simple ingredients such as olive oil and tomatoes. Yes, yes, olive oil snobs, I know that it can be viewed like wine and some are so much better than others, but I doubt many people are interested enough to pay these prices! Being around the corner from Carluccio's, Food for Chefs faces and even greater problem: excellent competition in most of the goods they stock, plus fresh produce and a chance to eat down and eat. If you're looking for that one specialty ingredient you're happy to pay through the nose for, Food for Chefs is a good bet, but otherwise give it a miss.

You cannot find a better place in Brighton to buy all your fruit and veg - when you compare it to…read morehow much you'd spend in a supermarket; it's a LOT less. I bought fresh purple sprouting broccoli, nectarines, pack choi, coriander - so much more I filled my entire rucksack with fresh produce and spent only £6. There is a great butchers, fresh egg stall, french patisserie bread show and lots of other little quirky independent shops - I strongly recommend everyone to take a trip and see how much more enjoyable and how much cheaper it is than shopping in a supermarket!

I love the Open Market, although I feel its days may sadly be numbered, as it seems to get less and…read moreless popular. Stalls here are fixed mini-shops rather than traditional outdoor type market stalls. Stalls here cover a wide range. There are traditional food market stalls - selling fish, meat, cheese and more. Then there are a couple of general, messy second hand bric a brac stalls. There are stalls selling plants and flowers, and at certain times, Christmas trees, two second hand bike shops, and a free book exchange. I would love to see the place revived by the council, perhaps with some temporary stalls to mix things up a bit, and longer opening hours. In these recession-bitten times, that seems unlilkely.

Every Saturdays, from 7 am to 5pm, on Upper Gardner Street there is a lot of independent stalls…read morethat sell everything from secondhand books, antiques, records, clothes to street food and vegetables. Every time I go there I usually manage to find and buy a vintage cookery book. I have now four cookery books, they were published between 1911 and 1970. On Upper Gardner Street there is also a very big two storey antique shops which I really like: North Laine Antique & Fleamarket, it is the perfect place to find old fashioned plates and cups of tea for example.

The best thing about this market is it has such a variety of stalls, which makes it much more fun…read moreto walk around than if it was just fashion or organic vegetables. This street really does come alive every Saturday with sellers and prospective buyers. I sometimes wonder how these people have the energy to move larger items like bookcases and tables from place to place, especially first thing in the morning. You've got to have a passion for it is all I can say. Personally I'm a fan of perusing the vintage jewellery, the second hand books and records, the retro clothes stalls and the cakes!

Situated opposite Waitrose on Western Road, this is an interesting supermarket, focusing on Asian…read morecuisine, with the emphasis on natural, organic and fairly-traded produce. The array of exotic fresh herbs and spices is impressive, but they also do a wide range of fresh fruit and vegetables and dairy products, which are as locally sourced as possible. They also have an extensive range of special diet products - for example, gluten free, vegan and vegetarian products, and organic baby food. Prices vary hugely, though: pittas are very good value, for example, but some other items are more expensive. But with such a wide range it is unlikely you won't be able to find what you want. The main downer - as others have said - is the staff, who vary from friendly to downright dismissive. The other particular gripe is the awkward queuing system, that means that on every visit, someone who has arrived later has ended up getting served before me.

I'm sorry but it has to be a 5...I have never ever seen such an amazing assortment of (mainly)…read moreAsian food...wow...that is in addition to all the usual fruit & veg...everything you ever wanted and more including things you have never heard of or seen! If only there were more like this. No wonder it was full of people from every clime and shore...brilliant...we took the opportunity to stock up on a few things we can't get anywhere but we really had to restrain ourselves...good thing we don't live in Brighton! Go there - its worth it; ignore prices...if you want it they've got it