The Brighton Lanes · Since 2017

Petit Pois

A small French dining room a stone's throw from the sea — blue tiles, a gilded mirror, and classics cooked with the season.

Reserve a table See the menu

70 Ship Street · Brighton BN1 1AE French classics · seasonal · made to share 01273 911 211

The Room

Not a big restaurant.
On purpose.

David Roy grew up in Royan, on France's Atlantic coast, and cooked his way through Marc Veyrat's kitchen before he and Ivana opened Petit Pois in 2017. They wanted a room the size of a dinner party — close enough that the kitchen talk reaches your table.

Ornate gilded mirror above blue and white tiles inside the dining room — Blue-and-white tiles, and the gilded mirror that catches the room at candle height.

It is a rustic room with a warm, homely feel — the kind of place that starts quiet and, within half an hour of opening, fills with conversation and the sound of glasses.

A whole leg of Bayonne ham stands by the kitchen, dry-cured for twenty months and carved to order. Through the pass you can watch every plate leave the fire.

Regulars come for anniversaries and weeknight suppers alike. Brighton people love their French classics — the Argus wrote that once — and here they get them without the ceremony.

David & Ivana Roy — hosts

The team at the kitchen pass plating dishes — The pass, mid-service

David and Ivana Roy welcoming guests outside the restaurant — David & Ivana, on Ship Street

A whole leg of Bayonne ham on a wooden stand beside the kitchen — Bayonne ham, 20 months dry-cured

The Table

French classics,
given a modern twist.

Small plates meant to be shared, mains built around what the season and the Sussex coast send round, and desserts worth staying for. Everything below is from the current menu.

Whistable rock oysters

£4 each

Shallot vinaigrette, lemon — ordered three or six at a time, usually twice.

Snails with garlic & parsley butter

£11 / £20

Six or twelve, in the Burgundy way. Bread is not optional.

20-month dry-cured Bayonne ham

£13.50 / £21

Don Iban, carved from the leg by the pass.

Salt cod fritters

£11.00

Spicy sauce chien, lime — a nod to the Atlantic coast David grew up on.

Duck breast

£26.00

Celeriac dauphinoise, beetroot purée, kale, blood orange sauce.

Bouillabaisse of local fish & shellfish

£24.00

Samphire, rouille, croutons. The catch comes off the boats a few streets away.

Grilled aubergine

£22.00

Vegan — tomato pesto, giant couscous tabouleh, pomegranate, almonds.

Trio of crèmes brûlées

£10.50

Vegetarian — with madeleines. Three spoons, one argument.

Menu Rapide — two courses £23, three £29, any evening but Sunday. Sunday roast served until it's gone.

Full menu

Sliced duck breast plated beside a glass of red wine — **Duck breast**blood orange sauce

Bouillabaisse bowl with mussels, fish and shellfish — **Bouillabaisse**local fish & shellfish

Cheese board with grapes, celery and crackers on autumn leaves — **Fromages**crackers, chutney, celery

A glass of white wine and an open bottle beside a starter — **On the list**Burgundy to Bordeaux

The Cellar

Wine worth
lingering over.

The list was built with the same care as the food: high-quality, honest-priced wine from Burgundy, Alsace, Languedoc and Bordeaux — most of it under £50 a bottle.

Start on a Kir; the Argus's critic seconded the Crémant de Bourgogne as the sensible Champagne. End on Jurançon with dessert, if you're feeling wise.

Kir white Burgundy & cassis £7.00

Crémant de Bourgogne Brut André Delorme · fine minerality £10.00 glass · £53 bottle

Côtes de Gascogne Blanc Domaine de Ménard · light & lemony £6.50 glass · £35 bottle

Muscadet Chéreau Carré, Loire · crisp, dry £7.50 glass · £41 bottle

Bordeaux Rouge Château Julien · blackcurrant, cedar £8.25 glass · £45 bottle

Côtes du Rhône Domaine de la Solitude · ripe berries, pepper £9.00 glass · £50 bottle

Jurançon La Magendia Clos Lapeyre · sweet mango, grapefruit £8.50 / 50ml

Wine being poured over a laid table with flowers and a dessert — Glass pours from £6.50 — most bottles under £50.

Reputation

Word travels
through the Lanes.

4.7 on Google, from over 1,000 reviews

“It never disappoints.”
Dale W. — Google review

“We will definitely return.”
Mario C. — Google review

“A must visit… excellent food… a favourite in Brighton.”
Guests, quoted by The Argus

“We tried Brighton's Petit Pois and it was a real taste of France.”The Argus

Visit

Find the blue door.

Address: 70 Ship Street, Brighton BN1 1AEIn the heart of the Lanes, a short walk from the seafront.
Hours: Mon & Thu — 12–3pm · 6–9pm Fri — 12–3pm · 6–10pm Sat — 12–10pm · Sun — 12–9pm Closed Tue & Wed Evening sittings can vary — call to confirm.
Contact: 01273 911 211 · info@petitpoisbrighton.co.uk
Good to know: Bookings are held for two hours. Larger parties may be asked to pre-order; a deposit applies to some group bookings.

Reserve online Menu Drinks list

Five minutes from the Palace PierOpen in Maps