Il Bistro is a charming bistro in Brighton, inspired by the food and culture of Provence and the west coast of Italy. The restaurant was founded by Michael Garman in 1976, who returned to England’s south coast with the goal of founding Brighton’s first Mediterranean steakhouse, after travelling extensively around the south of France and Italy’s Mediterranean coastline.
Now half a century old, Il Bistro has become a fixture of Brighton’s dining scene - a reliable little bistro serving fresh pasta, bruschetta, seafood risotto and aperitivo cocktails, right in the heart of Brighton’s city centre. The fetching sage green front is easy to spot on Market Street, and an array of tables outside on the pavement make Il Bistro a great choice for sunny summer afternoons.
Interiors are cosy, with hardwood floors, white tablecloths and old wooden ceiling beams giving Il Bistro an old-school charm that makes it ideal for casual catch-ups and celebrations alike. Tables are snug but not cramped, which gives the dining room a fantastic, buzzy atmosphere, especially as it is often full.
Kick things off with a classic aperitivo - a Negroni Sbagliato or an Aperol Spritz, for example - before getting stuck into antipasti dishes like ragu arancini, burrata salad, grilled butterflied sardines and a selection of Italian salumi. Il Bistro’s pasta dishes are a must order, particularly classic Roman dishes like penne Amatriciana, and tagliatelle cacio e pepe. We’d recommend saving room for a steak, or one of the excellent fish dishes, like sea bass in garlic butter, or seafood risotto.
Desserts are similarly classic, ranging from tiramisu and affogato to banoffee pie and profiteroles, whilst the drinks menu also includes a compact selection of wines from Italy and the rest of the world.