This spacious gastro-pub, located in the backstreets of the Seven Dials area, is not somewhere you'd find by accident, though it's actually very close to one of the main roads into Brighton. Formerly the Marquess of Exeter, it was transformed about two and half years ago to one of Brighton's first non-smoking gastro pubs, aiming firmly for the fine dining and family market. The smoking ban has since caught up, of course, but the food and philosophy are still there. Occupying a corner site, the interior has stripped-wood floors, non-matching wooden furniture, but it's not scruffy: the walls and high ceilings are immaculately painted in maroon and cream, and the overall feel is one of light (huge windows on two sides) and spaciousness. The triangular bar has seating on two sides, with the right-hand side offering views into the kitchen. They serve real-ale (Harveys Sussex Bitter) and have an extensive wine list, but the food takes centre stage, as the open kitchen testifies. It's a gastro-pub menu that would shame many in London, with a commitment to organic and local produce where possible. Despite some impressive reviews, we've not eaten here yet: partly because we already have some favourite eateries, and partly because the gastro food comes with gastro prices: only the veggies get away with mains much below £10, and a three course meal with wine is going to cost upwards of £30 a head. We still can't bring ourselves to pay this much in a pub (especially when you can eat for substantially less in some fabulous Thai and Indian restaurants nearby), although others clearly do, and seem to enjoy it. But that said, even if you are not eating, it's still an agreeable place for a beer of an evening, with calm and relaxing music, a relatively unpretentious crowd, nice surroundings and pleasant staff. read more

The Chimney House - Gastropubs Near Me - Brighton, BNH

I searched Yelp for a dinner spot on our first night in Brighton and stumbled onto The Chimney House. Once we made the long UPHILL walk through rural Brighton, we found this gem of a pub/restaurant resting on a quiet block. You will have to work for this meal as it is a bit off the beaten path. We went in and were immediately greeted by the friendly staff. This is just an easy no nonsense pub/restaurant with good simple ingredients that make delicious meals. With our pre-dinner drinks, we ordered the largest olives I have ever seen in my life (mixed in with some regular sized ones!!!). They were amazing! I had the Tomato Soup to start with basil oil and ciabatta bread (see image). My man had the beef shin risotto which was also quite nice. For my main, I had the sirloin steak and he had the Harveys Beer Battered Halloumi Cheese dish. This wouldn't be a normal choice for him but after tasting the local Harvey's beer, he thought he'd give it a try...and he loved it. My steak was good overall, however, I found it to have a bit more fat than I'm used to. I couldn't eat about 20% of it which was a shame. I can forgive it though as the meat I did get to was lovely. We did not have dessert but rather a lovely cup of coffee. The server asked me how we heard about it and I gave credit to all of you fabulous reviewers at YELP!!!!! read more

The Chimney House - Beefshin, Parsley and saffron risotto. - Gastropubs Near Me - Brighton, BNH

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First time at Chimney House and had a fantastic experience! Staff were really friendly, helpful but overall were very genuine which made us feel really welcome. They boast about how all the food is locally sourced and i felt you could really taste a difference- very tastly and creative menu ideas, served in a homely british pub/home environment. The roasted artichoke soup was buttery and melted in the mouth- then I went for Hoggart (apparently this is the age of a sheep somewhere between lamb and mutton?!) But made complete sense when it arrived- crispy, meaty, full of flavour and with a delicious jus (of which they happily brought more of when i asked). Then finished with a banoffie ice cream (stuffed by thia point but not caving in yet!) DELICIOUS. I should mention the Merlot was the perfect accompanyment to the meal! I love the open styled kitchen here- gives a restaurant.a level of confidence-plus as a foodie its interesting! The loos are average at best-but hey ho everything else is so good who cares. I would have gone 5 stars but my partner felt his steak meal was a little dry- and this is the kind of place i think can only improve and I think it will continue to grow in popularity and with quality. Definately come here and enjoy!! read more

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Nestled quietly in the sides streets just North of Seven Dials, The Chimney House offers a pub atmosphere with an upscale twist. At first walking into The Chimney House you might hum and haw at the sort of pubesque scenery, dark wood finishes and low light atmosphere, but this is all just a part of The Chimney House's Charm. Offering an extensive wine list and full menu, this Gastropub is slowly becoming my favorite after work haunt. With over Twenty wines to choose from, and loads of great taps handy ( including a personal favorite for Harvey's Bitter) This hidden Brighton gem offers more then your average pub fare and drink. The menu changes daily, so visit the website if you are curious about a certain day. The Roast Garlic soup is a perfect way to fight off the unusually cold weather, while the Courgette chips with Parmesan are great for sharing. Prices vary depending on plate, and because this is a little more high end then your neighborhood eatery/pub the prices do reflect the step up. read more

The Chimney House - From Website - Gastropubs Near Me - Brighton, BNH

This pub has a well kept bar. The woodwork is very stylish. Sadly it only has Harveys as a Real Ale option. The food is well thought out. I feel though it is a tad bit over priced. And frankly if I wanted fod of this nature I would go to a restaurant, See photo's of menu. The staf are good at their job and the place seems clean. Well worth a visit if in area. read more

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This is one of my favourite places to eat in Brighton by a long way. The whole 'Gastropub' name makes me cringe somewhat - in my opinion they're just really good pubs that turn out exceptional food instead of frozen scampi from a cash and carry. We ate at the Chimney House last night and as always it was fantastic. I started off with the pan-fried wood pigeon salad washed down with a nice large glass of Macon. For a main I had the seared Ditchling Sirloin steak which came with bone-marrow butter - needless to say it got the taste buds raging. The wine here isn't the cheapest but it really is top quality and worth pushing the boat out for. We shared lovely bottle of Rioja with our mains which I can highly recommend. Its a really special dining experience all round at this place. read more

I went here for the first time last week, to a wine tasting evening in the upstairs function room. On first impressions this is a lovely pub wooden floor, chandeliers, big mirrors, chunky tables and mismatched chairs. Exactly my taste. There are a lot of stylish little touches about the place too, like the fact that every table has a different, unique decoration. It's also lovely and warm inside the perfect place to be greeted with a nice, clear, crisp glass of Chilean Sauvignon Blanc after the slog up the hill to Seven Dials. Which was exactly what happened. After we'd enjoyed our tasting upstairs (which wasn't as nice as the main pub), I had my signature pub favourite, steak 'n' chips, which I couldn't fault but did think was a little overpriced (at £16.95), especially as there are plenty of other places that serve locally sourced meat for much cheaper. The sirloin however was clearly a high quality cut of meat, beautifully cooked and I enjoyed it immensely with a rather large amount of red wine (the delicious Septima Malbec, Argentina). The food that they served during our tasting (little plates of canapés including cured meats, breads and cheeses) was also tasty and well-presented. All in all The Chimney House is a great pub with a relaxing, easy atmosphere and friendly, attentive staff. The only downside is that the food is a bit pricey for pub grub which, no matter how fancy it tries to be, is what it is. read more

Maybe we came on a off night, but I am surprised at everyone's reviews and slightly jealous of their experiences of this place, because mine put me off so much I don't know if I'll give it another go... We arrived and ordered drinks and a bottle of red which was very nice, called 'Sol de mayo' if I remember correctly. Wasn't overly pleased at where we were seated but I will admit I am quite fussy. I ordered the pear, walnut and stilton salad to start and my companion ordered the sardines. Our starters came out almost straight away which usually would have been great but we had a few drinks and wanted to make a night of it. My salad was literally a few leaves and some raw roughly chopped pear. No sign of any blue cheese and one crumb of walnut! Absolutely no dressing what so ever. Gareth's SARDINE looked good, we were perplexed at why the menu had stated them in plural but just supposed he was given a big sardine. I decided to take mine back and they offered to correct it but by that point I wasn't fussed at having another because I couldn't believe they hadn't noticed how ridiculous it had looked when they'd served it to me! Then we noticed the people at another table had gone for the same starter as Gareth and they had 2 sardines, we mentioned this to the waitress again who apologised as it was supposed to come with two. The mains came, we ordered steaks which were fine, average, standard pub grub. They did take the starters off our bill, but too bloody right! Needless to say we left with half of our bottle of wine. This is probably a bad experience looking at everyone else's reviews of this place, but it will always taint my view and won't leave me itching to go back. The staff are very nice and were apologetic though. read more

This is by far my favorite restaurant in Brighton. It is a bit out of the way, but the food is fresh, very good quality, and handled masterfully. Additionally, the servers are very knowledgeable about the extensive wine collection and matching wine with food and with personal tastes. While this excellence and general gastropub name are often associated with a bit of a too-cool snobbery, The Chimney House is nothing if not warm and inviting. Something as simple as sole with chips was honestly some of the best-prepared fish I have ever eaten (Saffron Chips!). I can't wait to return! read more

This is a wonderful and friendly pub, with a fabulous atmosphere, no pumping music interrupting the flow of conversation just the sound of people enjoying themselves, good company and excellent food. The Sunday Lunch in particular is an absolute treat - but be there as soon as they open as this is very very popular with the locals and fills up really fast. Very reasonable prices and excellent service I would recommend this in a heart beat. Lovely nut roast for vegetarians too and mouth watering puddings and a great range of beers! read more

I'm giving this place 4 out of 5 for the private room up stairs and specifically as somewhere to go with a large group with kids. The food was pretty good, burgers especially and the Harvey's was nice as always. But what really made it work for us was the fact that we could enjoy all of that in a large room where the 5 kids and 2 babies didn't disturb anyone and could play and hang out after we'd eaten. The room is basically bomb-proof with slightly shabby decor and a hotel carpet - perfect for allowing adults to relax without constantly having to monitor offspring. Service was good, relaxed about how disorganised we were but pretty quick with most stuff, especially given we had 16 adults. read more

Lovely pub - excellent and imaginative food and always interesting wine choices. A cosy place to sit and relax with friends or family. Good place for birthday gatherings. read more

If you want to visit a friendly 'local' pub then avoid this place, because it isnt one. I'm surprised people still fall for the old 'Gastro- Pub' lark, but there are obviously enough middle class young proffessionals, [who they positively encourage] who love the whole lifestyle thing and are prepared to pay way over the top for small portions of food. Local drinkers have been made to feel unwelcome and now go elsewhere. read more

I went to this pub with a party on a Saturday evening. The interior is pleasant enough with some interesting lampshades and a variety of hanging mirrors on the walls. Things got off on the wrong foot drinks-wise when a cloudy and smelly pint of Harvey's best bitter was served to us in no hurry, demonstrating that the bar staff had little interest in the quality of what they were handing to customers. It was handed straight back. The serious carnivores in our party enjoyed their steak and pork dishes, but other meals were hit and miss. The squid starters, for example, were minute, tasteless and rubbery. The mackerel main curse was too small a fish, served oddly on a very small bump of stewed vegetable surrounded by a pool of pea gravy - not a classic combination and the sooner it moves off the menu the better in the view of the individuals in our party who tried it. The sweets were popular and the cheese board was good but could have benefited from a nice variety of fruit or nuts to accompany it. The waitresses delivered all the food to the table together at once it was finally cooked, but that was where their solicitude ended. Nobody noticed when we ran out of wine (pricier than it ought to have been) or asked what we thought of the food. I hope the pub pays more attention to its beer in future, improves on its fish dishes in terms of quality and quantity and provides better value overall and on its wine list. The toilets could do with some money spending on them. One of the gents' loos was broken and the floor was very wet on the night we visited read more