A full breakdown of our travel, food, drinks, and accommodation for a trip to Brighton Races — so you can plan yours without the guesswork.
If you're thinking about making a weekend out of a trip to Brighton, this one's for you. We've done the legwork — where to stay, how to get to the track, where to eat and drink — and we're laying it all out here so your trip runs smoothly from the off.
This is part of our ongoing Paddock Preview series where we document real racedays, real costs, and give you honest recommendations. No fluff, just the stuff you actually need to know.
Where We Stayed
Airbnb loft room, Queen's Park — £170 for two nights, two people
That works out at £85 each for two nights, which for Brighton is a proper result. The room was in the loft, with keyless entry and an en suite, and everything was fine with it. We didn't see anybody coming or going for two days, so if you want to keep yourself to yourself, you can.
The real win was the location. We were in the Queen's Park area on the Kemptown side of the city, which sits between the racecourse and the seafront. The track is a two-minute drive up the hill, the beach is a short hop down it, and there's a pub at the end of the road. If you're booking for the races, this is the side of town to look at; the city centre and the station are further west. We prefer to be close to the racecourse to begin with and then if you want to go into central after racing you still can.
Getting to the Racecourse
Uber — two minutes up the hill
This one couldn't be easier. Uber is readily available in Brighton and fairly priced, and from Queen's Park it was a two-minute ride to the track. No messing around with parking, and no long walk home after the last. Walking would only take you 10-15 mins we just didn’t want to get all hot and bothered going up the hill.
Where to Eat
Brighton's food scene is as good as you'd expect. We ate at one of these and have the other two firmly on the list.
Pompoko — Japanese, BYOB, Walk-Ins Only
A small independent Japanese restaurant, café and takeaway on Church Street, opposite the Corn Exchange and the Dome, with a devoted following for no-frills cooking at very low prices. The menu covers small appetisers, Japanese curry, donburi rice bowls, yakisoba noodles and yakimeshi rice dishes.
They don't sell alcohol themselves, so it's BYOB at £2.50 a head. There's no pre-booking and it gets busy — expect to sit close to other diners — but the food comes out fast and tables turn over quickly.
We had two katsu dons, spring rolls, prawn crackers, takoyaki, ebi fry, a water and BYOB for two, and the bill was £43. It's an absolute bargain, and perfect after an afternoon on the beers. Strong recommendation from us.
Riddle & Finns — Oysters, Seafood and Champagne
Open since 2006 and now a fixture of Brighton's restaurant scene, this is the place to go if you want seafood and Champagne done properly. There are two sites, and they're quite different.
The original oyster bar in the Lanes is candlelit, with tiled walls, high tables and stools, and an open kitchen so you can watch your food being prepared. It's walk-in only. The second site, Riddle & Finns The Beach, offers the same experience in a beachfront restaurant looking out over the Channel, and you can book a table there.
There's always a range of oysters on, served with a choice of hot and cold toppings, and the drinks list runs from classic and vintage Champagnes to English sparkling wines. If you've had a winner or two, this is where you spend it.
The Regency — Classic Seafood, Easier on the Wallet
A proper Brighton institution. The Regency has been serving seafood on the seafront since the 1930s, making it one of the city's longest-running seafood restaurants, and it sits directly opposite the beach with views of the sea, the West Pier and the i360.
It's a no-frills, bistro-style place serving locally caught fish battered, grilled or fried, with chips or salad. The fish and chips are what it's best known for, portions are hefty, and there's outdoor terrace seating for sunny days. It's cheaper than most of the seafront competition, so if you want fish by the sea without the premium price tag, this is your place.
Breakfast and Coffee
The Regency
We ended up here for breakfast too. The fry-up was average, but it was £8.50 and came out quickly, which is exactly what we needed at the time. It's also handy for the tennis courts.
Baked, Hove
If you want to do breakfast properly, this is one for the list. It's a café on Church Road in Hove serving locally sourced dishes in a sunny, welcoming setting, with three relaxed seating areas, including a covered, heated terrace. The menu changes with the seasons, but favourites include the chorizo hash and a Nutella and vanilla ice cream pancake stack.
There's a bottomless brunch at weekends for £28, and the coffee comes from local roastery Trading Post. It's dog-friendly too.
Better known as one of Brighton's top dinner spots, Embers now does breakfast as well. It's a contemporary bistro tucked away in the Lanes, built around wood-fired cooking, with a fire cage at the centre of the open kitchen. A new breakfast menu brings that wood-fired cooking to the morning.
It's worth knowing about for the evening too: the menu mixes small plates with larger centrepiece dishes, all cooked over an open fire, and it was voted third best restaurant in Brighton at the 2025 BRAVO awards.
Your coffee stop. It's been trading since 2012 from a compact corner site on Trafalgar Street, a short stroll from Brighton station. The small kitchen turns out soups, rolled flatbreads and breakfast muffins, and the breakfast baps are a signature. Much of the food comes from local producers, including Brighton Sausage Co.
Seating inside is limited, so grab a table outside if the weather's on your side.
Where we Drank
Two spots, each with a very different job.
Our pre-racing pub: a one-minute walk from the Airbnb and a two-minute taxi from the track. It's a traditional Kemptown local that prides itself on real ales and a menu built around locally sourced produce, with live football on the screens and a covered, heated garden.
The lagers were decent, and the Guinness was average at £7 a pint. It does £10 fish and chips on a Friday, which is worth knowing if you're racing that day, and the Sunday lunch has a strong reputation.
This was an unreal spot. It's under the seafront arches, made up of a dozen interlinked caves, with a large room above and a panoramic sea view.
We had the sun blasting, a big table with the lads and the beers flowing. They serve food as well, and later into the night a DJ comes on and it turns into a proper party; the terrace hosts regular house and disco nights through the summer. It's open until 3am on Fridays and Saturdays, so there's no rush. If you're only going to one place after racing, make it this one.
Something Different
Hove Beach Park Tennis & Padel Centre — £8.90 for an hour
We played tennis here in the morning. Split between two, that's under £4.50 each, Matty beat Jimmy quite convincingly before we then went for a sea dip which was quite refreshing.
What It'll Cost You
Accommodation (half of the Airbnb, two nights) — £85
Taxis to the racecourse and back (estimate) — £5–£10
Food (dinner and breakfast, estimate) — £30–£50
Drinks across the day (estimate) — £30–£50
Tennis (half of one hour) — ~£4.50
Estimated total per person — ~£155–£200
Your drinks tab is the wildcard, but for two nights by the sea that's a very manageable raceday budget.
Final Verdict
Brighton is a brilliant raceday destination, and one of the easiest to turn into a full weekend.
The logistics are simple: stay on the Kemptown side and you're two minutes from the track with a pub on your doorstep. The food is exceptional value if you know where to go, and the seafront gives you a night out most racing towns can't match.
It's particularly well suited to a group trip — the kind of raceday where the racing is the centrepiece but the 48 hours around it are just as enjoyable.
