Brighton is a seaside town and therefore, when one goes there, one does expect to eat fish. However, it is not a fishing port, and the English Channel is hardly teeming with life these days. If you want seriously good fish you should go to New Orleans, or Hobart. If you want the best fish that Brighton has to offer you should go to English's.
English's is one of those places that appears delightfully unspoiled by the modern world. It proclaims that it is family run since 1945, that it is a contractor to the Admiralty, and that it is the south's leading seafood restaurant and oyster bar. It is, of course, seriously famous around these parts.
Then there is that word "oyster". How many oyster bars are there in Britain these days. There was a time when the humble oyster was a favourite delicacy of Londoners of all social strata. Not any more for, like the Walrus and the Carpenter, we have eaten every one, and they are now sadly expensive. I haven't yet managed to do English's for an oyster lunch, but I will get round to it soon, promise.
What I have done is take a business colleague there for lunch. We had a set three-course meal, with wine and coffee, for under £20 each. For a famous restaurant, that was pretty impressive. And of course the food was very good. How good? Well, I'm not a gourmet chef; I'm not in a position to make judgements at that level. However, what I will say is that while I was having my lunch I spotted Judi Dench walk in. Now I think it fair to assume that award-winning actresses can afford to eat pretty much wherever they want. And if Dame Judi chooses to eat at English's, well she must think it is pretty good too, so I'm not alone in my opinion.
Note that the price quoted is for the set lunch. Dinner will be quite a bit more.