Amari

A 4.9-rated Spanish restaurant in Brighton that punches well above its price point

Amari holds a 4.9 Google rating from 55 reviews — a score that places it among the most consistently praised restaurants in Brighton and Hove, and one that holds up against the food on the plate. At ££ pricing, this is one of the clearest cases of high-quality cooking priced for a neighbourhood audience rather than a destination-dining crowd. If you are looking for Spanish food in Brighton that goes beyond tapas-bar basics, book here first.

What Amari Is

The red-painted exterior on Baker Street, a busy side street close to Brighton's Open Market and a short walk from the train station, makes Amari easy to find. Inside, the dining room is compact and simply decorated: porcelain wall tiles, framed prints, a semi-open kitchen. The aesthetic does not try to transport you to Andalusia, and it does not need to. The focus is entirely on what comes out of the kitchen.

Head chef Iain Swainson trained at The Samling, Pennyhill Park, and The Pass at South Lodge Hotel — three kitchens that sit at different points on the fine-dining spectrum but share a consistent standard for technical precision. That background shows in the cooking at Amari. A torched mackerel fillet with sorrel, Gordal olive dressing, and cod's roe mousse is the kind of dish that would sit confidently on a smart tasting menu at twice the price. Cep croquetas and patatas bravas both over-deliver on flavour and texture , dishes that are easy to get right in theory but rarely are in practice.

Front of house is handled by Justyna Maria Ciurus, formerly of The Little Fish Market in Hove. The service standard that implies , attentive, precise, without ceremony , matches what the kitchen is doing. Cutlery and crockery are replaced between courses, a small detail that matters when you are moving between a dish of crispy chipirones with fideuà and squid-ink velouté and a roasted skate wing pil pil. The format is flexible: you can order a conventional three-course meal or build a meal from snacks, starters, mains, and sides as a shared table.

What to Order and When to Visit

The menu at Amari is Spanish-inspired rather than rigidly regional, which means the kitchen can follow seasonal produce without being tied to a fixed canon of dishes. The suckling pig, when available, is prepared with the kind of skill that earns it a standing mention in editorial coverage of the restaurant. Croquetas , the cep version in particular , are a consistent reference point across reviews, as is the crudo for lighter appetites. These are the dishes to anchor your order around, with seasonal additions filling in around them.

The sherry selection is the clearest expression of Amari's Spanish focus, and starting with a glass before moving to the wine list is a practical way to frame the meal. The wine list is concise and Spanish throughout, sourced from credible producers. Cocktails are available and well-made. This is not a bar-forward operation, but you will drink well here regardless of what you order.

For the food-and-wine enthusiast visiting Brighton, the seasonal rhythm of Amari's menu is worth planning around. The kitchen's strength lies in technique applied to good produce, which means the menu is at its most interesting when seasonal British ingredients sit alongside Spanish cooking methods , autumn ceps, spring crudos, and winter preparations of richer proteins like suckling pig. If you are visiting with specific dishes in mind, it is worth checking current availability before you go, since the menu shifts with what is available rather than holding a fixed list year-round.

Booking and Logistics

Amari books as Easy difficulty, meaning you are unlikely to face the weeks-out lead time required at venues like etch. by Steven Edwards or Dilsk. That said, the dining room is small and the restaurant's reputation is growing, so booking ahead for weekend evenings is sensible. The proximity to Brighton station makes it a practical choice if you are arriving by train from London. No phone number or booking URL is listed in current data , check the restaurant directly or use a third-party reservation platform to confirm availability.

The ££ price point means a full dinner with drinks sits in a range that competes directly with casual Italian and Mediterranean options in the city. For what you get in terms of kitchen technique and service attention, it is among the better-value meals available in Brighton. See the comparison section below for how it sits against its nearest peers.

Quick reference: Spanish-inspired | ££ | Baker Street, Brighton BN1 4JN | 4.9 Google (55 reviews) | Easy to book | Short walk from Brighton station.

How Amari Compares in Brighton and Hove

Against the ££ field in Brighton, Amari sits at the higher end of cooking quality. Burnt Orange offers Mediterranean sharing plates in a larger, more social room , a better call for groups who prioritise atmosphere and flexibility over kitchen precision. Embers runs a fire-focused modern menu at the same price tier and is the closer comparison in terms of technical ambition, though the cooking languages are entirely different. For Italian at ££, Cin Cin is the clear peer: similar neighbourhood-restaurant energy, similar quality ceiling. The choice between Amari and Cin Cin comes down to whether you want Spanish or Italian as your frame for the evening.

At £££, Dilsk is a step up in price and formality, with a Modern British menu that has drawn strong editorial attention. If budget is not the constraint and you want the most technically demanding meal in the city, Dilsk is worth the premium. But for most diners visiting Brighton on a normal evening, Amari delivers more cooking quality per pound than almost anything else in its tier.

Internationally, Amari shares a philosophy with Spanish-rooted restaurants like ZURRIOLA in Tokyo and Arco by Paco Pérez in Gdańsk , Spanish technique applied with precision in a context far from the Iberian Peninsula. That is useful context for understanding what Amari is doing: this is not a heritage tapas operation, it is a serious kitchen that happens to cook Spanish food in Brighton.

Explore More in Brighton and Hove

• Our full Brighton and Hove restaurants guide
• Our full Brighton and Hove hotels guide
• Our full Brighton and Hove bars guide
• Our full Brighton and Hove wineries guide
• Our full Brighton and Hove experiences guide

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I eat at the bar at Amari?

• Current data does not confirm a dedicated bar counter for dining. Amari has a semi-open kitchen and a small dining room. Contact the restaurant directly to ask about solo counter seating or bar availability before assuming walk-in bar dining is an option.

What should I order at Amari?

• Anchor your order around the croquetas and whatever the current seasonal main is , suckling pig when available, the torched mackerel as a starter benchmark. Start with a sherry from the curated list before moving to the Spanish wine selection. The menu is designed to be shared across multiple dishes rather than ordered as strict courses, so ordering broadly gives you a better read on the kitchen's range.

Is Amari good for solo dining?

• Yes, with a caveat on seating. The dining room is small and the menu is flexible enough that solo diners can order two or three dishes without over-committing. At ££ pricing, solo dining here is more economical than a comparable solo meal at Dilsk. Confirm in advance whether bar or counter seating is available for solo visits.

What are alternatives to Amari in Brighton and Hove?

• For Spanish specifically, Amari has no direct peer in Brighton at the same quality level. For comparable ££ cooking in different cuisines: Cin Cin for Italian, Burnt Orange for Mediterranean sharing plates, Embers for modern British with fire cooking. If budget stretches to £££, Dilsk is the most technically ambitious option in the city.

Is Amari good for a special occasion?

• Yes, particularly if the occasion calls for a dinner that feels considered without demanding formality. The service background , Swainson from The Pass at South Lodge, Ciurus from The Little Fish Market , brings a standard of attention that suits celebratory meals. At ££, it is a better special-occasion choice than paying £££ elsewhere for similar quality. For a formal milestone that calls for a grander room, Dilsk is the alternative to consider.

Is the tasting menu worth it at Amari?

• Amari's format leans toward a flexible sharing structure rather than a fixed tasting menu. Ordering a wide selection of snacks, starters, mains, and sides gives you a comparable experience to a tasting menu without the commitment to a set sequence. If a fixed tasting menu format is important to you, confirm current menu structure with the restaurant directly , the offering may vary seasonally.

Is Amari worth the price?

• At ££ for cooking at this technical level, yes. The kitchen background , The Samling, Pennyhill Park, The Pass , would justify a higher price tier in most UK cities. In Brighton, that experience comes at neighbourhood-restaurant pricing. Compared to what Embers or Cin Cin charge for a comparable evening, Amari is priced fairly and likely on the generous side.