English's Of Brighton

During my visit to Brighton, I treated my friend to some oysters at a restaurant. We ordered 6 native oysters and 2 **** Mary's from the blackboard in the window, thinking they were £6 each. It turned out that the drinks were just shots, not full cocktails, but the bartender didn't offer us a choice. We initially sat at the bar but were later asked to move to stools in front of the coat rack, leading to some inconvenience when a waitress asked us to stand for her to retrieve coats. When the bill arrived, it was over £60 with a service charge of over £8, despite minimal service at the bar. When I requested a refund on the service charge, I was only given back £6 as the rest was apparently VAT. The waitress, who had only interacted with us to ask us to stand, showed her displeasure by banging a tray on the counter. It seemed like the staff rely on the service charge, which may explain their behavior. In the end, it's important to read the menu carefully and be aware of additional charges. There are better seafood restaurants in Brighton that offer better value.

We had the best time at English's on Sat. The food was excellent, fresh, well cooked and well presented, and the staff warm and welcoming, adding to the already wonderful family feel of the place and making the evening very enjoyable indeed. Nothing was too much trouble. A special thanks goes to Manu, who was an invaluable help in the run up to the dinner and during, together with the lovely young lady who served us all evening with a smile. Thank you!

Amazing food and a lovely atmosphere. Perfect for my husbands 40th birthday celebration. Staff were very attentive and knowledabgle

The staff at this restaurant is very pleasant! They are polite and attentive. The mackerel patè appetizer was fantastic, we ended up ordering more! The Moules Mariniere was a huge hit, and the fries were delicious. We would definitely come back to eat here again when in the area. My only complaint is the absence of background music. It would be nicer to be able to have a private conversation without feeling like you can't.

My wife and I visited English's for a dinner. You are served a small bread roll and a small portion of fish pate to start. My wife likes Oysters so decided to order herself half a dozen before the starter and main course. I asked if I could have an additional bread roll whilst my wife consumed her Oysters and this was granted. We were then served our starters and main course which were fabulous. We both finished with a dessert and asked for the bill. To my horror they had charged £1.35 for the additional bread roll. Bearing in mind this was a £200 bill and I am not hard up for £1.35, I just found it so penny pinching. Bear in mind there is also a £2.50 cover charge per head 12.5% service charge (the £2.50 also gets charged the 12.5% . The waitress agreed to remove the fee for the bread roll and an after dinner drink as an apology. We accepted the charge to be removed but declined the nightcap as the damage was done. Do not misunderstand because this is a lovely restaurant and excellent food but the penny pinching for the extra bread roll just ruined the experience for me. I would have given them a score of 5 but downgraded to a 4