The story
Dilsk is a modern British restaurant at 44 Marine Parade in Brighton, rated Very Good in The Good Food Guide 2026. It occupies the basement of Drakes Hotel on the seafront and opened in May 2023.
Chef Tom Stephens trained under Tom Kerridge and Steve Drake, then worked as sous chef for Simon Rogan at Fera at Claridges. He moved to Brighton in 2019 and ran the kitchen at 64 Degrees before opening his own place. His cooking pairs restrained modern technique with classical method, using produce from the South Downs and the English Channel. Michelin lists the restaurant as Recommended for 2026.
The signature is a lightly poached oyster with trout roe, pickled radish and a custard of dilsk, the red seaweed (also called dulse) that shares its name with the restaurant. Laminated brioche comes with duck liver parfait and pickled dilsk. On the spring menu, wild halibut is served with squid, monksbeard and citrus dashi, and dessert might be chamomile set cream with rhubarb and tarragon.
A set menu costs £40, with a short tasting at £65 and a full tasting at £95. Madeleine Riches designed the wine pairing, and there is a non-alcoholic one too. The wine list is arranged by style and includes some organic bottles. The dining room is neutrally dressed, with a soundtrack that leans toward Ibiza.
Recognition
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Located in the basement of Drakes Hotel, this neutrally attired dining room does the job without stirring high emotions – though the soundtrack might well push the limits of those not revived by memories of holidays in Ibiza. That said, readers concur that Dilsk is one of Brighton's foremost dining experiences. Tom Stephens has a CV packed with high-profile mentors, including Tom Kerridge and Simon Rogan, and delivers his version of modern British dining via a trio of menus – a three-course lunch (a great entry point), and a six- or ten-course taster. The full repertoire kicks off with snacks, the pick being a smoked mackerel pâté with perry jelly and a squid-ink tuile. Next up, the signature lightly poached oyster with trout roe, pickled radish and a custard of dilsk (another name for dulse, the slippery red seaweed) – a dish that positively dazzles with colour and maritime flavours. Bread is a course in itself: a laminated brioche/croissant hybrid with a rich, potent butter, garlic and crispy black cabbage. This is food in which sauces play off against impressive core ingredients sourced from the local area: a turnip dashi creation is a joyous umami hit when served with smoked eel and Brighton salami; a combo of squash, caviar and bone marrow elevates a piece of BBQ monkfish; and caramelised cream with ceps and truffle (the accompaniment to pink partridge breast) is simply ‘divine’. Three dessert courses come with the full menu, the standout being a confection involving 71% Nicaraguan chocolate and rapeseed oil smoked over Earl Grey tea and barley miso – complex, comforting and delicious. Service is informed, dedicated and unobtrusive. The wine list is arranged by style, with some organic offerings but slim pickings under £35 a bottle.
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