If you have just arrived in Brighton as a fresher – welcome! Brighton is the perfect city for young people because it is vibrant, accepting and never boring. You will always discover a new restaurant or shop. Plus, there is entertainment every night of the week, not just weekends. So, if you are ready to kick start your Brighton adventure, but don’t want to spend a fortune, here are some of the best student deals for food, drink and nights out in town.
FOOD DEALS
Patty&Bun – Ship Street
£11.95 lunch deal and evening Happy Hour
Starting strong with a burger restaurant that combines the luxury of table service with the joy of takeaway wrapping. They coin themselves the ‘eat in take away burgers’ and have eight locations in London outside of their one store in Brighton. Patty&Bun’s lunch deal is £11.95 for a burger of choice* and rosemary fries, available from 12pm-3pm Monday-Friday. This will save you at least £4 on your meal. Choose between juicy dry-aged beef, extra crispy buttermilk chicken, or even a lamb patty! There are vegan options, and monthly specials too. Plus, Happy Hour is 4pm-7pm everyday where you can get two for £12 cocktails. Located on Ship Street, you can choose to grab and go from the hatch, or stay a while and absorb the diner vibes.
*selected burgers
Donatello – Brighton Place
2 Course Menu for just £13.50 or 3 Course Menu for £15.95*
A Brighton-favourite family run restaurant, Donatello is the perfect place to eat whether you are with your family, friends or even on a date. Their menu is huge, the interior gorgeously authentic to their Italian roots, and everything is extremely well priced! Not to mention the food is delicious. Donatello’s two or three course menu deal is an absolute steal. But, if you only want a main, all of the pizza and pasta options are under £10** (excluding the calzone, Donatello pizza, and Ortolana pizza).
* not available after 5pm on Saturdays
** according to current online menu
Namo @ The Eagle Pub – Gloucester Road
Under £10 lunch
Namo serves authentic Thai street food available to order online (5pm-8:30pm)*, or from The Eagle Pub on Gloucester Road. They were recently added to 2023 Good Food Guide as a Local Gem and on weekdays 12pm-2:45pm, you can enjoy their special lunch deals for under £10. Mains consist of Padthai, Buddha Bowls, Udon noodles, crispy pork belly, prawn yellow curry and more. It is flavoursome, fresh food with plenty of small plates to choose from too.
*pick-up Mon-Saturday, home delivery Thurs-Saturday within 4 miles radius
Cin Cin – Western Road
Ten Pound Tuesdays
On Western Road, the bordering point between Brighton and Hove, is Cin Cin. An award-winning, intimate restaurant showcasing beautiful Sussex produce, it may seem too good to be true to include this eatery in our ‘deals’ guide. However, they generously offer ‘Ten Pound Tuesdays’ where you can eat a rotational bowl of freshly made pasta and a glass of wine or beer for just £10. Some weekly dishes have included artichoke tagliatelle, pesto rigatoni, and mushroom strozzapretti to give you a taste of some of the dishes that get featured on the deal. Should you fancy a little more, check our their website for monthly set menus. For example, 2 course lunch in September was £18, or the Chef’s 5-course menu was £48pp*.
*set menu offers subject to change monthly
The Lewes Road Inn – Lewes Road
Daily dinner deals
The Lewes Road Inn is the perfect pub for students, whether you want to eat or drink as it is on the bus route between the universities and town. Everyday holds a different food deal including 1kg of chicken or cauliflower wings for £10 on Wing Wednesday, a free pint with any burger and chips order on a Friday plus roast dinners on a Sunday. Plus, there are llots of student deals on beer, wine, spirits and shots when you flash your student card. Their food menu has had a recent update full of more options including pizzas, burgers, tacos, burritos, and so much more.
Las Iguanas – Jubilee Street
£31.95 Bottomless Brunch
Looking for an affordable Bottomless Brunch for your next celebration or weekend activity? Look no further than Las Iguanas as it is potentially the best value for money in Brighton with dinner options on their ‘brunch’ menu too. For just £31.95pp, you will get two hours of bottomless drinking and a brunch dish from the selected menu. There are two highlights to this deal: last bookings are at 3pm on Saturdays, and 9pm Sun-Thurs, so really, you can enjoy Bottomless Brunch at nearly any time of day. And, unlike most brunches, you can order spirits, prosecco, beer, and a whole menu of cocktails! There are plenty of food choices too including chicken tacos, chilli con carne, avocado on toast, veggie curry, burgers and more.
DRINK DEALS
Shuffle Bar – York Place
Cocktail Happy Hours
A personal favourite of mine, Shuffle Bar is located on London Road with a huge list of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages to enjoy and fun sing-along songs. It is called ‘Shuffle’ as you can scan the QR code and choose the playlist, whether that is a bit of Taylor Swift, Arctic Monkeys, ABBA or Michael Jackson. Their drinks deal is amazing too – 2-for-1 all night Monday to Thursday, and most of their cocktails are under £10! On Saturdays (5pm-7pm) and Fridays all night, cocktails are only £6.20. Open until 12pm in the week and 1am weekends, it is the perfect place to hang out for pre-drinks or all night. The menu consists of Margaritas, Signatures, Specials; creamy drinks, fruity drinks, frozen drinks, sour, sweet and more.
Hobgoblin – York Place
Hob Mondays
Hob Mondays are for everyone as no student card is needed for this deal. Expect drinks from £1.49 and DJs playing from 9pm-late. How can you say no to £1.99 G&T or Vodka and mixer, or Prava and Aspalls, and House Wine for just £3.45? They have the biggest and best pub garden in Brighton too, which has heaters for the colder months. Hobgoblin regularly team up with local street food companies for when you get hungry too with their latest collab being with Runaway Bay cheffing up jerk Caribbean cuisine.
The Font – Union Street
Freshers party until 15 Oct
To celebrate all you lovely Freshers, The Font are hosting a party from 17 Sept – 15 Oct with epic exclusive deals on food and drinks. Shots are £2, pint of Madri £3.75, Vodka and Mixer £2.25, and cocktails only £4.50 (and that is not all!). Plus, you can get 20% off with your student card. The Font is a lovely, large venue in the heart of The South Lanes. It is always lively and they often host Karaoke, or DJ sets.
Revolution Vodka – West Street
Student deals on the app
Apparently Revs has a bit of a bad rep, but don’t knock it until you try it. Download the app and you unlock £4 double mixers, £3 pints, and £1.50 shots. On Happy Hour, you can also get 2-4-1 cocktails. What’s more, Revolution also hosts plenty of fun events where you can find yourself winning drinks and shots, for example, Musical Bingo on Mondays. Get your dancing shoes on and order a cocktail or too. (It is also conveniently situated opposite Spoons and Pryzm….)
Twisted Lemon – Middle Street
Happy Hour cocktails
Twisted Lemon is a quaint bohemian cocktail bar in the South Lanes. It’s location, tucked down an alley on Middle Street, makes it somewhat of a hidden gem which mostly gets discovered through word of mouth. Cocktails range from sweet, sour, fizzy and creamy, and anything on the menu with a smiley face is priced at just £6.95. This Happy Hour deal runs Sunday-Monday until 7pm. They are open 12pm-12am, but should you want to continue the party, head round the corner to their sister bar Twisted Lime which is open for an extra hour.
EVENTS/CLUB NIGHTS
Komedia – Gardner Street
Comedy club and club nights
Komedia is somewhat of a key Brighton attraction. The legendary building has been hosting comedy gigs, music concerts, and club nights since 2008. Students get £2 off tickets to any of Komedia’s regular nights including Komedia Comedy Club, The Nest Comedy Club, Comic Boom, and Down the Hatch. It is the perfect place to enjoy a night of entertainment and you might even catch the next up and coming comic genius. Students can also get 10% off Food and Drink if you show your student card. Amongst their club nights there is the Kotu Dance Party (Fri 13 Oct) or the Lady Gaga Club Night (Fri 13 Oct), Brighton Dub Night (Fri 20 Oct) and the Pink Party (Sat 21 Oct). Keep up to date with comedy and club events at www.komedia.co.uk/brighton/whats-on/
Student Shopping Night – Churchill Square
Exclusive shopping discounts
On Wednesday 11 October, 6pm-9pm, Churchill Square are hosting their Student Shopping Night where some of your favourite brands offer exclusive discounts for one night of extreme shopping. There will also be live entertainment, music, and competitions throughout the night. Register for your free ticket on Eventbrite and collect our wristband on the night. Or, register for your Student Night wristband by 9th October 2023 and you’ll be entered into a prize draw to win a £100 Churchill Square gift card to spend on the night (T&Cs apply).
CHALK
Club nights and student deals
CHALK is possibly the ultimate student club in Brighton. It is cheap, cheesy, and after a few tequila shots, fun. They host Pop Nights, Disco Nights, Rock, Indie and everything in between. Don’t just bring your dancing shoes, bring your microphone too as you will definitely be singing to this playlist. Their Instagram promotes £2 CHALK Pints and 2-4-1 cocktails before midnight*, plus single spirits at £2.50 and doubles for £3.50*. Remember to book your tickets before 10pm to get half price entry. Book tickets at chalkvenue.com/club.
*times and prices may vary slightly dependent on the event
R-Bar – Marine Parade
Drink deals and entertainment
“Feisty, friendly and fun LGBTQ+ bar on Brighton seafront.” R-Bar offers 50% off drinks seven days a week 5pm-8pm, plus 2 for £12 on cocktails. It’s also home to some of Brighton’s most famous queer nights, including Lip Sync For Your Life. Expect DJs, Drag Queens and plenty more inclusive entertainment. Every Sunday at R-Bar is ‘Cabaret of Queeriosities’, while on Mondays you can take part in ‘The Big Queer Quiz’. Just around the corner is their bigger venue, Club Revenge where you can dance the night away under bright lights and smoke machines.
