The best breakfast in Brighton

This Hove café is basically built for TikTok, with duck-egg blues, marble tables, and their now-famous Frumpets™ (French toast crumpets). The menu is heavy on eggs, with options like benedicts, omelettes, and the decadent 'Oeuf & Surf' with lobster, and the coffee's just as good, with other options like matcha and chai latte. There's even a lush little outside garden for an alfresco breakfast in the sun.

Start your morning at Embers in Brighton's Lanes, where the wood-fired grill takes centre stage even at breakfast. The menu is hearty, centring dishes like smoked sausage and bacon, steak and eggs, and chicken and waffles, all with their signature char. Vegetarian and vegan plates are just as popular, including options like the mushroom-packed Svamptoast. Freshly pressed juices and Skylark coffee round off the experience perfectly.

Tucked just off the chaos of The Lanes, this spot is calm, polished, and quietly confident about what it does best: breakfast. The menu's short but spot-on — poached eggs with silky hollandaise, smoky beans on sourdough, and homemade granola with fruit compote. It's the kind of place that makes mornings feel a bit more civilised, even when the city outside is buzzing.

In Hove, Jo & Co brings a welcome slice of Antipodean café culture to the Brighton breakfast scene. The menu includes Aussie favourites like smashed avocado and sweetcorn fritters as well as British staples, including Jo's Full, a generous plate with sausage, bacon, eggs, and all the trimmings. Other favourites include spicy veggie cornbread with avocado and feta, and shakshuka eggs baked in a rich tomato sauce. It's family-run, relaxed, and always filled with locals.

Across from Queen's Park, Starfish & Coffee is a small, independent spot that's big on breakfast. Expect all the classics, from pancakes and poached eggs to their signature hashes and sweetcorn fritters. The coffee's consistently good, the service easy-going, and there's usually a steady flow of locals chatting over late brunch or takeaway coffee.

Just up from the station, Moksha has become one of the city's most popular spots for breakfast. The menu covers the classics, from full English breakfasts, breakfast burgers, huevos rancheros, and their hash browns, which are a local legend. It's walk-in only, so expect a short wait at weekends, but the vibe and consistently good coffee make it worth it.

Mac's Café has been serving Brighton locals for decades with its generously portioned breakfasts. The Mac's Special is a favourite, which is a full fry-up with a cup of tea, alongside classics like bubble and squeak and mushrooms on toast. It's relaxed and excellent value, with a sunny garden out back that makes it an ideal spot for a slow, leisurely morning away from the crowds.

Meo serves one of Brighton's most reliable breakfasts, including a menu that covers everything from a cracking full English to lighter options like granola, smashed avocado, and vegan shakshuka. Ingredients are well-sourced, the coffee is from local roasters, and the produce used is top-notch. It's the perfect breakfast refuel spot after a swim.