Quick info
About The Urchin Brewery & Shellfish Pub
On Belfast St in Hove, The Urchin Brewery & Shellfish Pub is a brewery and shellfish pub with a covered, heated garden. Oysters are a recurring order, with the chili oil version a standout among them. The menu also runs to scallops, mussels prepared as moules marinière, and lobster, alongside a specials board that changes from the regular menu. Booking is not required, as the pub takes walk-ins, though a table is worth arranging ahead when the room is busy. The heated garden stays covered, letting the outdoor seating carry on through cooler weather.
Good to know
“Relaxed independent brewery & shellfish pub offering a covered, heated garden.”
- ReservationsWalk-in only
- AccessibilityWheelchair: entrance, restroom
Reviews
What reviewers say
Reviewers most often mention scallops, oysters, mussels and lobster.
What reviewers say
Reviewers most often mention scallops, oysters, mussels and lobster.
Customer Review Summary
Scallops draw the most consistent praise, described variously as perfectly cooked, tender and full of flavour, or "devine," though one reviewer found the biggest one nearly raw in the middle. Close behind, oysters win repeated attention, from chili oil versions to ones paired with tequila, and mussels come up often too, one visitor saying they'd return for the mussels alone. Lobster, crab, and king prawn laksa also get named enthusiastically, alongside the pub's own brewed beer and Hazy IPAs. Service is mostly called lovely, friendly and knowledgeable, with several noting it's best to book since tables are limited. One visit stood out as an exception: service was slow and surly from one bar staffer, food arrived without cutlery, bread was upsold repeatedly, and a romesco sauce was called overpowering, a complaint echoed once more elsewhere as lacking flavour. A large birthday group had their deposit promptly refunded to their card after the meal.
Customer Review Summary
Scallops draw the most consistent praise, described variously as perfectly cooked, tender and full of flavour, or "devine," though one reviewer found the biggest one nearly raw in the middle. Close behind, oysters win repeated attention, from chili oil versions to ones paired with tequila, and mussels come up often too, one visitor saying they'd return for the mussels alone. Lobster, crab, and king prawn laksa also get named enthusiastically, alongside the pub's own brewed beer and Hazy IPAs. Service is mostly called lovely, friendly and knowledgeable, with several noting it's best to book since tables are limited. One visit stood out as an exception: service was slow and surly from one bar staffer, food arrived without cutlery, bread was upsold repeatedly, and a romesco sauce was called overpowering, a complaint echoed once more elsewhere as lacking flavour. A large birthday group had their deposit promptly refunded to their card after the meal.
Featured reviews
- Google user
“I was visiting the Brighton / Hove area for work from the USA. This may be the highlight of my trip! I would come back for these Mussels alone! The Hazy IPAs are just as excellent as we're the chili oil Oysters! The wait staff are lovely and made fantastic recommendations too. This will be an essential stop for me if I ever get to come back!”
- Google user
“A very welcoming and friendly pub with a shell food focus and great beer. I had avocado and lobster on sourdough plus chips and a green salad. My wife had scallops. The food was excellent and is served on small plates so you order what you want when you want rather than something being a starter and another thing being a main. If you visit Brighton and like shell fish you must visit. It was very busy so maybe best to reserve a table especially if there are more than two.”
- Google user
“I came here for a meal with some friends for my 30th birthday. There were 11 of us and they were very accommodating fitting our large group in, I did have to pay a £10 deposit per person but this was promptly refunded direct to my card instead of being taken off the bill. The food was amazing, me and my partner shared the salt and pepper squid, the moules marinière with some bread, and a lobster. The lobster was small for the price but it was a lovely special treat. The others had crab, scallops and prawns, as well as vegan tofu curries which they kindly made us on request. All were reported to be delicious, I would definitely return.”
- Google user
“Nice seafood & shellfish focused pub. Limited menu plus specials board. Excellent Oysters, good quality prawns but specials can run out if popular. Our Romesco sauce lacked flavour but overall a good atmosphere”
- Google user
“Bit of a let down if I'm really honest. I've eaten here before and have always found it to be really high quality and very tasty. The service was a bit lacking, we were given menus and told the kitchen would be open in 15 minutes and somebody would come out to take our order. After half an hour I went in asked if we could order yet, we could, but the bar lady was quite surly. The bar lady who made our drinks and gave us the menus was much more professional and friendly. We went for 2 rounds of fresh oysters, the lobster arancini, moules mariner, fries and the scallops. The food came out without cutlery and bread was upsold no less than 3 times even though we said that's why we had the chips! It was prompt and perhaps thats why the scallops were undercooked, which is better than overcooked for sure, but the biggest one of the 3 was basically raw in the middle. The mussels were nicely cooked but the mariner sauce was odd, had celery, tarragon and what was obviously garlic paste, rather than fresh garlic. I really do just want the classic white wine, garlic and cream with parsley unless I've opted for a twist. The arancini were cooked well but thought the portion was a bit tight, 2 small balls, couldn't see/taste much lobster happening either and the romescu sauce was overpowering in flavour and too much of it for the little guys. Oysters were chucked and cleaned perfectly, mussel shells were perfectly clean too. There was an 'everything alright' thumbs up check back from one of the servers very shortly after the food landing - which having eaten a few oysters and dipped a chip in the sauce it was! Including 2 alcoholic drinks it was just close to 100 pounds with the 12.5% service added - which given the lack of service I found a bit cheeky. It's a shame because it was just after 5pm on a beautiful Friday sunny afternoon, lovely atmosphere and the memory of stunning food from previous visits.”
Amenities
- Wheelchair accessible entrance
Show more amenities
- Accessibility· 1
- Wheelchair accessible restroom
Location
Bars near The Urchin Brewery & Shellfish Pub
- Bottom's Rest4.74250.9 miWheelchair accessible
sunday roast, yorkshire puddings, roast lamb
- The Joker - Brighton4.41,4631.6 mi£10–30ReservationsWheelchair accessibleOutdoor seating
chicken wings, curly fries, upstairs event hire
- The Park View4.31,2071.6 mi£20–30ReservationsGood for kids
haloumi fries or burger, sharing roast board, steak pie
| Place | Rating | Distance | Price | Mentioned in reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Urchin Brewery & Shellfish PubWheelchair accessible | 4.61,078 | — | — | scallops, oysters, mussels |
| Bottom's RestWheelchair accessible | 4.7425 | 0.9 mi | — | sunday roast, yorkshire puddings, roast lamb |
| The Joker - BrightonReservations · Wheelchair accessible · Outdoor seating | 4.41,463 | 1.6 mi | £10–30 | chicken wings, curly fries, upstairs event hire |
| The Park ViewReservations · Good for kids | 4.31,207 | 1.6 mi | £20–30 | haloumi fries or burger, sharing roast board, steak pie |
The 3 nearest bars by distance. Ratings, hours and review terms come from public business profiles.
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