One of Brighton’s most-loved restaurants is planning a move back to The Lanes, a stone’s throw from where it first opened.
Chilli Pickle is currently based in Jubilee Square, where it moved in 2010 from 42 Meeting House Lane – where Embers restaurant is now.
It’s now hoping to move into 6-8 Meeting House Lane, a former shop which has been empty for several years, opposite the Alice in Wonderland mural at the entrance of Hannington’s Lane.
Co-founder Dawn Sperring said the plans were yet to be finalised. Last week she told Restaurant Online that Jubilee Square holds a lot of “wonderful memories” but a move is now a natural progression.
She added: “Brighton is an incredible city and we look forward to welcoming customers old and new to our ‘new house’ soon.”
Last week, the restaurant applied for a new premises licence, asking for permission to serve food and alcohol until midnight every day, and open until 12.30am.
The restaurant narrowly avoided closure in 2019 after its parent company racked up debts of more than £1.1 million.
These were due to a loss-making second branch it had opened in Guildford, which had only opened the previous year.
The Brighton restaurant was sold for £230,000 to a company owned by Andreas Thrasyvoulou, founder of My Hotel, the landlord of the Jubilee Street premises.
Chili Pickle’s original restaurant had 50 covers and an internal floorspace of 95 square metres, while its current home has 115 covers and a floorspace of 252 square metres.
According to planning documents, the new restaurant has an internal floorspace of 289 square metres – and a first floor roof terrace.
Unpopular opinion, the food was way better at the original venue.
The jubilee square branch would make a great bar
My son used to work for them and would come home shaking after his shifts. He told me they constantly shouted at him and the other chefs. One day, I decided to see for myself, so I stood outside by the back door near the Prince Regent swimming pool and heard the owner screaming at the top of his lungs at the staff, profanity included. I should have listened to the rumours about that place – they were true. Awful people. My son never went back to that job. Thankfully, he found a new job at a nice place that treats their staff well.
It seems not everyone has the same experience. I was an employee of the Chilli Pickle for years on two separate occasions and they were fantastic employers. They are passionate about their restaurant and the food and drinks which they provide customers. I never experienced any shouting of any kind. They invest in the time to train their staff and educate them about what is being provided for customers. They are personable, hard working people who take the time to get to know their staff.