
Amari Restaurant
Amari Restaurant offers an intimate dining experience with Spanish-inspired small plates, passionate service, and exceptional cocktails. A true hidden...

Highlights
Must-see attractions
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Amari Restaurant

Highlights
Must-see attractions
Amari Restaurant offers an intimate dining experience with Spanish-inspired small plates, passionate service, and exceptional cocktails. A true hidden gem.
"This place is a proper hidden gem and I’m going to be thinking about the food for days!"
Reserve in Advance
High demand makes reservations essential; walk-ins can be difficult. Consider visiting later for a quieter experience.
Order Widely
Explore the varied menu; try dishes like patatas bravas, cod, prawns, and croquettes for a full experience.

Quick Facts
Cuisine
Spanish
Price
Mid-range
Phone
+44 1273 435992
Address
15 Baker St, Brighton and Hove, Brighton BN1 4JN, United Kingdom
Highlights
Discover the most iconic attractions and experiences

Passionate Service & Intimate Atmosphere
Experience warm, passionate service where chefs explain dishes themselves in a cute, intimate venue.

Vibrant Spanish Small Plates
Savor beautifully balanced small plates bursting with vibrant Spanish flavors, expertly seasoned and perfectly textured.

Exceptional Cocktails
Enjoy beautifully balanced cocktails, with the Mezcalitas and Sangria being standouts, even better than those found in Spain.
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Insider Tips
from TikTok, Instagram & Reddit
Reserve in Advance
High demand makes reservations essential; walk-ins can be difficult. Consider visiting later for a quieter experience.
Order Widely
Explore the varied menu; try dishes like patatas bravas, cod, prawns, and croquettes for a full experience.
Engage with Chefs
Chefs often explain dishes directly to your table, enhancing the dining experience.
Be Prepared for a Wait
Some dishes may take longer to prepare; enjoy the atmosphere and other small plates while you wait.
Tips
from all over the internet
Reserve in Advance
High demand makes reservations essential; walk-ins can be difficult. Consider visiting later for a quieter experience.
Order Widely
Explore the varied menu; try dishes like patatas bravas, cod, prawns, and croquettes for a full experience.
Engage with Chefs
Chefs often explain dishes directly to your table, enhancing the dining experience.
Be Prepared for a Wait
Some dishes may take longer to prepare; enjoy the atmosphere and other small plates while you wait.
What Travellers Say
Reviews Summary
Amari offers a delightful dining experience with exceptionally passionate and knowledgeable staff who make guests feel like family. The small plates are praised for their vibrant flavors and excellent execution, creating a memorable culinary journey. While the intimate atmosphere and unique service are highlights, some diners have noted potential issues with food delivery speed and consistency, as well as minor concerns about pricing policies.
"What a fantastic find on Baker street of all streets! This is where Semolina was originally, and has been taken over by a v talented team, front and back of house. Small Spanish plates are the focus and they are all excellent, from nibbles of anchovies, deep fried olives and manchego to the skate wing and short rib. Brilliantly executed. Dessert of rhubarb sorbet and chocolate fondant w cherry cream were also delicious. Good selection of Spanish and Argentinian wines. Couldn't recommend highly enough. Such a great local place to find."
Elliot Daly
"Beautiful, intimate restaurant. Absolutely amazing, passionate and knowledge staff. The chefs actually bring the food out from the kitchen to your table themselves which I think is a lovely touch. The food was out of this world. Try as much of the menu as you can! The flavours are absolutely incredible. And the best sangria I’ve ever had (even better than ones I had in Madrid) this place is a proper hidden gem and I’m going to be thinking about the food for days and probably weeks until I get the chance to return."
Lizzie Walker
"I used to come to this location regularly when the restaurant was called Semolina. It’s a small restaurant sits 20.
It has been renovated lovely & has a really nice atmosphere.
If I’m honest being in the Michelin guide I was expecting more from the food. The bread was delicious but felt more French. The beet salad was my favourite, delicious so much so that I ate it before I thought to take a photo ;)
The mushroom croquettes were delicious in taste but the texture wasn’t quite right, a bit wet.
For tapas we like to order a few things and then see how full we are then order more. We had ordered patatas bravas at the same time as above but they never materialised, we could see the service was taking a wee bit longer (and the server had mentioned that things such as the cauliflower took 30-40 mins) so we also ordered the tiny squid whilst waiting for the potatoes. Still nothing materialised, when we mention the patatas bravas we were told they were going to serve them with the squid... fine.
Then 5 mins later they came, so I feel they were just forgotten about. The table next to us had sent their potatoes back because they were cold, and half of ours were hot and the rest barely warm. They were very tasty, but more like roast potatoes.
The squid wasn't actually very nice, it was too salty & I like salt. It came with squid ink which is salty and was a puddle, rather than a dressing. It was also sever with samphire which is also salty but it was the squid coating itself that was extremely salty. I like salt so I ate it, but my husband couldn't. It wasn't a balanced dish. This apparently wasn't the only dish that was salty as the couple on the other side of us sent back their buttered greens because they were too salty.
I don't eat meat but what I saw come out did look delicious.
It was a lovely evening and the service is very personable but the food delivery is quite slow, I understand that the kitchen is small and so things would take longer but I've been in many a tiny tapas restaurant and not waited as long, especially for things such as bravas. The chef is obviously cooking to order, so well done for that, but 40 mins for some parts of the menu feels bit excessive.
It is very reasonably priced, and the wine was nice, but we'd finished the bottle before the food had all arrived, which for me never happens, but we were drinking whilst waiting for each dish to arrive (nothing came together).
I don't want this to sound too negative, we did enjoy it, but just expected a bit more being in The food guide."
tina hh
What People Like
What People Dislike
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, it's highly recommended to make a reservation in advance due to high demand. Walk-ins can be difficult to accommodate.
Amari serves Spanish-inspired small plates, focusing on fresh ingredients and vibrant, balanced flavors.
Yes, Amari is known for being very accommodating to dietary needs, including providing a separate menu for gluten-free options.
Some dishes may require a longer preparation time. It's advised to order some items and enjoy the atmosphere while waiting for others.
While credit cards may be accepted, some reviews mention a surcharge for non-cash payments. It's best to confirm directly.
Reviewers highly recommend dishes like patatas bravas, croquettes, prawns, and the short rib. The Sangria and Mezcalitas are also frequently praised.
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Featured in these publications
The Best Restaurants in Brighton and Hove
The north of the city is a less-frequented bit of Brighton, but it presents a great opportunity to get away from the beach and its crowds. It’s also home to this welcoming, brightly painted restaurant that celebrates all things Spanish. The concise menu will likely feature your favourite dishes from croquetas to Basque cheesecake via suckling pig, while the wine and sherry lists are similarly Iberian in their outlook.
Best Restaurants in Brighton 2025
A short walk from Brighton station, Amari brings a splash of Spanish sunlight to a side street close to the Open Market. Chef Ian Swainson’s background in fine dining shows through in refined dishes like fillet of torched mackerel with cod’s roe mousse and sorrel and gordal olive dressing. But at heart, Amari is a cosy neighbourhood restaurant with room for about 20 in the simply decorated dining room that’s run with warmth and efficiency by Justyna Maria Ciurus.
The restaurants you need to eat at in 2025
Cosy Spanish restaurant Amari (from the Halisco boys and Amarillo’s Ian Swainson) took the gold. We’re not surprised – after all, they got a mention in the Michelin guide after being open for just nine weeks. Stylish lounge-bar with a South-East Asian menu No No Please and super-chic newcomer Pearly Cow, where Brighton’s Andrew MacKenzie heads up the kitchen were worthy runners-up.
New Restaurants in Brighton | 2025 Local Guide 🍲
Opened: October 2024 | Location: Baker StreetAmari is another and more recent venture by the successful Halisco team, but enter chef Ian Swainson (ex Michelin star winner) who is at the helm. Amari are intentional with what they cook and the vibrant flavours of Spain are present in every dish. It doesn’t get better than this!
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