Bravo awards winners announced for Brighton’s food scene.
After six weeks of public voting, the BRAVO Awards – Brighton Restaurant Awards Vote Online – announce the winners across all sixteen categories. With many other industry awards led by expert panels and judges, local online directory Restaurants Brighton, launched the BRAVO awards to find out what the public think of Brighton’s thriving food scene. With social media playing a huge role in the influence and support of the restaurant industry, the BRAVOs have put the power back into the consumer’s hands, by driving the vote only award campaign.
Who got the public vote? Brighton’s top three revealed…
The ‘Best Restaurant’ crown is a much sought after accolade within Brighton’s flourishing food scene. Hailed by the Guardian as, “Food-wise, the most exciting thing to hit Brighton for years, if not ever”, Brighton residents clearly know a thing or two about good food, as 64 degrees came out on top. Jake Readman of Brighton’s ‘Best Restaurant’, said, “We’re all over the moon to have won best restaurant in the Bravo awards and so proud of the team for all their hard work. It’s great to receive recognition like this as it comes from the people we are serving every day.” So, how do you create a winning formula? Jake believes it’s a combination that bagged them the number one spot; “We’re lucky to have a such a talented team, who all care massively about the restaurant. The fact that we have the open kitchen where diners can interact with the chefs makes for a great experience, as well as keeping people talking about the food by offering a selection of sharing dishes. Because we change the menu so often too means we keep it fresh and people can come back a few weeks later and have a totally different meal.”
Brighton is known for its wealth of vegetarian and vegan dining options, which is clearly important to Brighton residents, with vegetarian restaurant Terre a Terre coming in second. Famous for their ‘Terre a Tapas’, their unique product and approach is clearly loved by locals. Stealing the final slot in the top three and proving the favourite in Brighton’s popular North Laine, fine dining restaurant, Isaac At. Focused on showcasing the best quality ingredients sourced locally on the South Coast in every dish, their tasting menu, open kitchen and dedicated team are clearly the hat trick they need for a successful business.
What else makes Brighton special?
With all 16 award categories open to any local venue that was a fit, it was all to play for. Founder of the BRAVO awards, Nick Harvey, says, “We wanted to create a new and innovate award scheme that gives all local restaurants and venues the chance to be part of. It worked really well and with over 24,000 votes, it was great to see a real range of venues placing across the categories.”
Having launched Restaurants Brighton five years ago, Nick has seen the Brighton food scene grow and he wanted to hear what other residents thought. “It’s been a great way for people to show their support and feel part of what has become a really vibrant food scene in the city. It’s hard to keep up!” Showcasing Brighton for its quirkiness, the public chose Marwood Bar & Coffeehouse for the ‘Most Brighton Venue’. Head of Brand & Communications, Emily Watson, told us, “Marwoods isn’t your average bar/ coffeehouse, but Brighton isn’t your average city! We are so grateful to be here and serving the bonkers, wonderful and gorgeous people of Brighton and beyond!”. That approach to what they do, in a nutshell, could be the reason they won.
Free coffee to celebrate?
Winners of Best Coffee, Small Batch, are celebrating their win and their customers, rewarding everyone with free coffee this week; “As a big thank you to the people of Brighton & Hove, a different one of our shops each day this week will be offering free filter coffee for anyone who shares, likes or retweets our post about this awesome win. It’s a real privilege to win the public vote for best coffee.” Help them celebrate with a free coffee, by keeping close tabs on their social channels this week.
What’s next for Brighton and the BRAVOs?
We’ve started 2017 as we mean to go on, recognising and rewarding Brighton’s growing food scene. With Brighton’s Top 20 restaurants kicking the year off with awards, the BRAVOs have continued to celebrate the city’s favourites, asking the most important panel – the public – what they think.
It’s been the perfect opportunity for local venues to find out how they are perceived by Brighton residents. With great quality restaurants continuing to pop up, including Pike & Pine and Etch both opening this week, it’s hard to predict who will come out on top when the BRAVOs return in 2018. This year’s winners, 64 degrees, told us, “We are actually working on a new restaurant on the beach – keep your eyes peeled!”.
Visit www.BrightonRestaurantAwards.co.uk to register and be the first to hear about next year’s awards. Got an idea for a new category? Send it to the team to consider for 2018: hello@brightonrestaurantawards.co.uk.
BRAVO 2017 winners (first, second, third)
Best Restaurant: 64 degrees, second: Terre a Terre, third: Isaac At
Most ‘Brighton’ Venue: Marwood, La Choza, Alfresco
Best Sussex Venue: The Ginger Fox, Shepherd & Dog, Perch on Lancing Beach
Feel Good Eats: Curry Leaf Café, The Chilli Pickle, Foodilic
Best Venue for Local Produce: Silo, Isaac At, 64 degrees
Best Brunch: Joes Café, Mange Tout, Bills
Just as good at home: La Choza, Burger Brothers, The Chilli Pickle
Child Friendly: Perch on Lancing Beach, Fatto A Mano, Bucket & Spade Cafe
Best bites on a budget: BeFries, La Choza, Pompoko
Best venue for drinking: Markaba, The Watchmakers Arms/ The Basket Makers, The Joker
Dog Friendly: Bucket & Spade Café, Shepherd & Dog, Hare & Hounds
Most Satisfying Sunday Roast: The Lion & Lobster, The Coal Shed, Sussex Yoeman
Best Coffee: Small Batch, The Flour Pot Bakery, Marwood
Best Place for a Date: Salt Room, Plateau, 64 Degrees
Best Pub Grub: The Orange Buffalo, The Lion & Lobster, The Urchin
Best Afternoon Tea: The Flour Pot Bakery, Cloud 9, Metro Deco