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    Riddle & Finns-The Beach

    4.1 (21 reviews)
    PriceySeafood, Bars
    Open 12:00 pm - 12:00 am (Next day)

    Riddle & Finns-The Beach Photos

    RIDDLE & FINNS-THE BEACH ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Outdoor seating
    Good for groups
    Good for kids

    Recommended Reviews - Riddle & Finns-The Beach

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    Fantastic location. Right on the sea front. Great staff. Worth a stop in for an oyster or champagne.

    Amy C.

    Fish and chips may very well be part of the quintessential Brighton day trip experience, but Riddle & Finns is truly a hidden gem on the beach that you shouldn't pass up if you have a hankering for seafood. Don't be shocked by the £££ price range that this restaurant has on Yelp. A glaring exception to this is the lunchtime fixed menu: two courses (a starter and a main) for £14.95! What a steal -- fish and chips at Poppie's in London is the same price. But the seafood here at Riddle & Finns was some of the freshest that I've ever had in my life (I suspect that most of it was probably caught right on the English coast). They also didn't skimp on the portion sizes, so it was a win-win situation. Based on my experience, the fixed menu is comprised of two options for each course. During my visit, the two starter options were calamari with sweet chili and mussels with chili and chorizo. The starter options were seared salmon (with spinach and crushed new potatoes in mustard sauce) and clams with capers in cream. I went with the mussels and the salmon. I was pleasantly surprised by how many mussels I got for having ordered off of the fixed menu. And the salmon was amazingly flavorful! I doubt I'll ever be in Brighton ever again, but I do hope that I'll find another restaurant somewhere else in the world that serves up such delicious seafood.

    Martina C.

    This review is so long overdue. I first contacted the guys at Riddle & Finns back in May 2015 to ask if they already took bookings for NYE (I know) after another yelper's suggestion (thank you!) and they were very nice and accommodating despite my awkwardly timed eagerness. Flash forward 7 months, on December 31st, we walked along the beach and found Riddle & Finns. Our table was ready and waiting for us exactly where I was hoping it to be, in front of the window upstairs, with a view on the beach. (Alas, there were some works in progress outside so the view wasn't as nice as it could have been, but I guess even the beach needs maintenance :D) The table (and the whole floor) were nicely decorated for NYE, and we had a basket of fresh bread to accompany an assortment of butters, sauces and horseradish. All of this would get automatically refilled every so often. Our extremely kind waitress took our order immediately: we ordered 3 different starters to share, the best of which HAD to be scallops. I can't get over how good they were, served in a shell with a very delicate sauce on top. Our main was a gigantic platter of fresh seafood, some of which I had never tried before, at the top of which was a delicious half-lobster. I had never eaten so much fresh seafood all at once before. I tried caviar too (I don't think I'm a fan) and overdosed on oysters. God I love oysters. OH AND BY THE WAY, I FOUND A FRIGGING PEARL IN ONE OF THEM. A TINY, REAL, LEGIT CUTE PEARL. And because the wine was also delicious and I might have been slightly tipsy, I forgot it on the table and it was trashed away at the end of the meal. I'm a plonker. Anyway, despite how good the food was (we also had the dessert platter at the end of it), I have to say, the best thing about this place is how kind and nice the staff is. We were the last people that evening, and we had just finished eating 10 minutes away from midnight. The stuff invited us downstairs to have a drink and join the countdown with them, offered us a glass of bubbles and toasted with us to the new year. I found it so nice and welcoming and amazing. I couldn't have chosen a better restaurant to spend NYE and I can't wait to go back this summer and eat a shed-ton of oysters and drink wine in the sun. Oh, and all in all, we spent around £140, which is NOTHING considering how much we ate, WHAT we ate, and how much we drank. Lovely place and lovely people.

    New England Clam Chowder
    Joy H.

    Riddle & Finns is a lovely restaurant tucked away on the seafront that offers delicious seafood and great customer service. I've always wanted to try this restaurant as it's South Laines branch is always busy. My partner was able to book the beach location which was perfect. We started our dinner with clam chowder which is a difficult gem to find in England. It was tasty but I prefer the creamier and potato version. Next we had the surf and turf which was amazing. Came with skinny fries and garlic butter. And to end the night we had the sharing dessert platter which had perfect sizes of what was already on the menu. I also tried their Black Velvet cocktail which is Guinness and champagne. It was nice but the liquids separated so I had champagne initially and then Guinness towards the end. All in all we had a lovely evening at Riddle and Finns and will definitely come back!

    I like if can 0 star. All the details in photo.i am so tried to reply again .wast time . Tired, tired。full Plan every day in London .want join my holiday now. Hope my kids getting better soon.

    Wow, what an experience! I went to Riddle and Finns for the first time last week, after being persuaded to give it a try by my friend Stephanie. I'm a complete novice when it comes to seafood, I've always been quite reluctant to eat shellfish...I don't like the way it looks, plus I have had a couple of experiences where I have dared to try it and it has been of sub standard quality...Stephanie is a bit of a seafood connoisseur, so I decided to put my trust in her and let her order some dishes from the menu for us to try. First of all we started with Champagne and Oysters! We went for a bottle of Court Garden Champagne. Locally grown and bottled in Sussex, it was delicious - not to try with a bit of sweetness, just the way I like it! As for the Oysters - I'd never ever had Oysters before so I was nervous to say the least. Steph ordered six Native Oysters (They are only in season in months that end with 'R' so I am told!) I particularly enjoyed the pickled ginger, spring onion, soy sauce and wasabi oysters. The flavour was incredible, the the oysters had a really 'meaty' texture to them. Not what I was expecting at all! We also shared some Frito Misto with Basil Mayo, Mussels (yes I ate some Mussels and enjoyed it!), Braised Octopus with Potato Salad, Pan Fried Scallops with Lemon and Parsley and Tuna Tartare. If you had asked me a year ago if I wanted to try any of those things I would have told you to get lost! Especially Octopus! To my surprise, the Octopus was the dish I enjoyed the most! It was so tender, I didn't want it to end! The warm potato salad complimented it perfectly. I would definitely eat it again. The Tuna Tartare had an asian vibe to it, again very enjoyable. You'd think after all that we might have had enough but oh no! We had to get dessert (it would be rude not to!). We shared a mint and strawberry panacotta, quite possibly the best dessert I have ever had out! The flavour of the fresh mint really cut through and complimented the strawberry in the middle. I just want to eat it again right now. To finish, we had a champagne cocktail, The Classic - brown sugar, agnostura bitters with courvoisier - perfection in a glass! Overall my first proper seafood experience was a brilliant one, and I have no doubt that I wouldn't get the same experience at other seafood restaurants. Riddle and Finns is the one to beat!

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    2 months ago

    Outstanding front of house service and excellent food. Thank you for a wonderful lunch experience.

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    Riddle & Finns-The Beach Reviews in Other Languages

    Review Highlights - Riddle & Finns-The Beach

    Additionally, there's a broad and not unreasonably priced selection of wine and champagne available.

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    Melrose

    Melrose

    4.1(20 reviews)
    0.2 mi
    ££

    You can't walk more than a few feet in Brighton without seeing a seafood restaurant. And in our…read morecase this was the second choice as the first restaurant we wanted was fully booked, but honestly, I don't mind and I am glad the first place was book as this restaurant was excellent. The layout is a bit dated but don't let that fool you, with a view of the beach across the street this is a lovely place to have dinner. My girlfriend and I both had grilled fish options. I went with the Salmon and she had the Sea Bass. Both were delicious, although hers was looking up at her with sad dead eyes. We also had some shrimp as an appetizer that was excellent. The only reason I'm giving them 4 stars instead of 5 is that we went in August of 2020 (the era of COVID) and the waitress and others working at the restaurant were not properly wearing masks. The waitress had one on, that she would pull down when talking to us so as to be heard better. Making the mask pointless

    Well you have to say this is a bizarre little place. Its a step back in time for sure...look a the…read morephotos...but... ...the staff are great, the service is great, the food is superb and apparently the Irish coffee was also really good...don't go there for the house wine though but its OK So why go, the food yes but the prices....its absolutely amazing...2 good sized lemon sole off the bone with potatoes were the same price as I can buy just 1 in the market, but of course its cooked too. We had a little bottle of fizz each, while we were waiting, 200cl like you used to get on airplanes...drinkable, fun experience..£5 each....seriously there is nothing not to like! And nearly everyone in there was a regular or returned every year when on holiday...everyone seemed to know everyone..and you will understand why they comeback...we will Great (unusual) place, run I think by Greek Cypriots...a lot of Greek stuff on the menu too Check it out!

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    Melrose - Hot shellfish platter

    Hot shellfish platter

    Melrose
    Melrose - Cod and a half litre

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    Cod and a half litre

    Riddle & Finns-The Beach - seafood - Updated July 2026

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