IN THE LANES
A Brighton institution since 2006
Champagne and Oysters
In the heart of The Lanes, Brighton’s historic quarter, you’ll find our original Champagne and Oyster Bar. Established in 2006 our intimate seafood restaurant quickly became the go to place for lovers of exciting fish dishes, seafood platters and, of course Champagne and Oysters.
We are predominantly a walk-in restaurant with a limited number of reservations available daily to book in advance. For walk-ins please pop down and see a manager.
The Lanes is a short stroll from the seafront and was once the centre of the old fishing town of Brighthelmstone, it’s a fitting location to find the best seafood in Brighton. The narrow streets are filled with visitors enjoying its independent jewellery shops, cafes, traditional pubs and a great variety of restaurants.
Our Lanes restaurant is on one level with an accessible toilet and ramp at the entrance. We have high tables with bar stool-style seating inside and a bench outside with stools – weather permitting.
Please scroll down to see our Lanes FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
General Questions
Menu Questions
Our opening times are 12-10pm Sunday-Friday and 11.30-10.30 on Saturdays.
The Lanes is predominantly a walk-in restaurant but we do have a limited number of reservations available daily to book in advance. Book online, or pop down and grab a walk-in table.
Our restaurant ethos is based around communal dining with shared tables to mimic and old-fashioned New York oyster bar. Whilst we have a bench along the back and one table in the window, these cannot be guaranteed or requested.
All of our Lanes’ seating is high, fixed tables with stool. We do not have any low tables and chairs.
Due to our communal tables and restaurant layout we do not have any “quiet” areas, we love the buzz of The Lanes.
We do not taking bookings for our outside seating area due to the unpredictable British weather. Our bench operates on a first-come first-serve basis. It does have a canopy to protect from rain on wetter days.
Get in touch for groups larger than 6 – info@riddleandfinns.co.uk as this may be accommodated at our Beach restaurant.
Yes, we do accommodate exclusive hires, corporate or personal. Please get in touch via email at info@riddleandfinns.co.uk. Hires are priced for each individual request.
Our Lanes restaurant has a small step at the entrance as well as into the toilets. We have a ramp to assist with any wheelchair access- please ask a member of staff if you need assistance. We have a disabled toilet as well. Whilst we understand the high tables may not always be appropriate, we will do our best to assist with any disabilities. Please give us a call on 01273 821 218 to ask any questions relating to disabled access.
Yes! At Riddle & Finns we are all about family values and love seeing people of all ages! We provide children’s menus with colouring crayons & highchairs. Our children’s menus include healthy and delicious options for your little ones. Space can be tight, we will always try and accommodate buggies, however, we may ask you to store these away where possible. We have a portable baby change table, please ask a member of staff if you require this.
We do not allow dogs inside either of our venues due to our open kitchens, with the exception of service dogs. We do allow dogs on our outside bench, however, this cannot be booked.
Vouchers can be purchased both online via our website and in person at both of our venues. The voucher balance can be for any value and is valid for a year from purchase. I am afraid that any vouchers that are not redeemed during the year cannot be extended. You can redeem them at both restaurants at any date or time. Please advise your waiter that you have a voucher when you ask for the bill.
We’ve just launched our new customer loyalty programme! Each time you dine with us, you can earn your way to great rewards. This new programme builds on our old loyalty scheme but now with bigger and better benefits! We invite you to dine out more often and take advantage of our promotions and discounts. Click here to sign up.
If you still have one of our old loyalty cards with the lobster stamps, bring this with you the next time you are dining and we will transfer your lobster stamp value onto our new digital system.
Parking in Brighton can be a little challenging, however we do have car parks local to both of our restaurants. The closest ones are:
– NCP Car Park Brighton Centre, Russel Road
– Metropole Parking, St. Margaret’s Place
– The Lanes Car Park, Black Lion Street
– Regency Square Car Park, Regency Square
Yes, we open on NYE! We always announce any special events via our newsletter, which can be joined via our website, however, The Lanes remains walk-ins for the evening- perfect for last minute plans.
Whilst we cannot answer this plainly, our busiest times are weekends, including Friday evenings and Saturday & Sundays. Wait times on tables at The Lanes may be extended during these periods.
We offer separate gluten & dairy free menus at our restaurants. We take allergies very seriously at Riddle & Finns and do our upmost to cater for all dietary needs. However, our kitchens are both small and, whilst we do everything in our power to avoid it, we cannot guarantee 100% that cross-contamination will be avoided.
Yes, both of our food menus are the same at The Beach and The Lanes. There may be different specials at each restaurant, your waiter will let you know of any specials during your visit.
Our drinks menu is slightly different at The Beach, we have more cocktails and spirits on offer!
We do not do takeaway orders from The Lanes or The Beach. However, when dining with us, we do have takeaway boxes available for leftover food. We regret to say that some items, including opened oysters, cannot be taken away due to health & safety.
Yes, we serve all day in both of our restaurants.
Our popular Lanes’ Set Menu is available Monday-Thursday from 12pm-6pm, 2 courses are £25 (Subject to Change). The menu changes in accordance to seasonal ingredients and allows staff to showcase their creativity and test out new dish ideas. We always post our Set Menu on instagram – follow us at @Riddleandfinnsbrighton
Where possible, all of our seafood is local, and comes from Brighton & Newhaven Fish Sales, based down on Shoreham Harbour. We also source our mussels, langoustine & smoked salmon from Scotland. Our oysters come from Rossmore, which is based in Crawley, sourcing their oysters from Jersey and the Irish Coast.
The answer is… however you like! Some people like to chew their oysters, and others get it down in one. We serve our oysters with lemon and shallot vinaigrette, and also offer a range of hot and cold toppings. Find your favourite today.
Special Occasions
Yes, of course! When making a booking there is the option to add a booking tag, e.g. “Birthday”. We look at all the booking notes so nothing gets missed. After your dinner we will send our a celebration plate with our homemade R&F truffles.
If you would like to bring your own cake, that is absolutely fine. We do charge a cakeage fee of £5 per person when bringing in your own cake.
Yes, it is lovely having Champagne on the table for you to arrive, or to pre-pay for someone else’s dinner. You can either buy a fixed amount online voucher and email us over the code with the details of the booking, or get in touch via email and we can send you a payment link. It is quick and easy.