Review of Babble at Hove Beach Park

Despite the bemoaners, Brighton and Hove’s seafront is seeing an unstoppable level of development and rejuvenation from Portslade to the marina, writes Nick Mosley.

Roast vegetables with gherkin and spice mix with lemony sumac on flatbread at Babble in Hove

To the east, the Reading Room and Temple have demonstrated that given improvements to planting and safety that locals will flood in. Sea Lanes has been a great new anchor for Madeira Drive and I can’t walk past the Jungle Rumble multi-storey mini golf without doing a little wee of excitement.

However, on this particular saunter, it was to the west that I wanted a nosey so I met my colleague Nat at Hove Lagoon and we took a leisurely wander through the family-friendly playground and Hove Beach Park for a refresher. And we were very impressed with how lively everything – no doubt helped by it being a the school Easter holidays – but also clearly by a lot of investment.

We popped into Rockwater which I guess can be regarded as the first business of any size that started the regeneration of this section of Hove promenade.

Unfortunately, even getting a couple of glasses of sparkling wine – Wiston Estate rosé from Washington in West Sussex – proved to be a challenge with chaotic service with staff seemingly to have perfected the hospitality ‘skill’ of eye-avoidance so it took a while before we were sipping on our bubbles. More on that in a later review.

We meandered on via the Yellowave Hove café pavilion – again busy and from a cursory look at the menu also great value – before we arrived at our lunch destination.

The interior of Babble in Hove Beach Park - credit Babble

Babble opened in the spring of last year so its had plenty of time to find its identity. Although I don’t think the new-build is much to look at from the outside – think function rather than form – its a much-needed community resource for the Hove and Kingsway Bowls Club downstairs, plus public toilets, showers and changing facilities.

The Babble café-bar and restaurant is upstairs and looking from the inside to the outside world, its a long way away from most of Brighton’s hospitality offering. Huge windows on all sides, a massive sea-facing terrace and a fun-yet-functional slightly industrial interior scheme. It very much reminded me of the beach and surf clubs to be found in Australia, something I dare say was definitely in the operator’s minds when designing.

Its definitely got kicked back vibes and the service was fun and approachable. The menu isn’t particularly extensive but covers all bases. There are a lot of covers to accommodate – I’m guessing on busy summer days they could easily be cooking for over 1000 guests in a day and probably more with their takeaway window downstairs – so planning a menu that is deliverable yet still screams quality is clearly a priority.

Thankfully, the kitchen brigade is led by chef Sam Lambert who I first met about a decade ago when he was head chef at 64 Degrees in Meeting House Lane, a restaurant that defined Brighton’s dining scene for years. I was looking forward to how Sam would blend his finer dining experience with street food and informal dining.

Double smash burger with American cheese, pickles and burger sauce at Babble in Hove

Whilst we quaffed a surprisingly jolly glass of charmat-method sparkling wine from Everflyht vineyard in Ditchling, I asked general manager Dariush Tamadon-Nejad what their signature dish was and – no surprises – it was the burger. I should’ve put a fiver bet on that.

I’m not a big fan of burgers, in fact this was my first of 2026, but in the interests of research I thought I’d give it a go especially as I was promised a gluten-free brioche bun that would change my life. That’s a challenge I couldn’t refuse.

And yes, it was excellent, which is high praise as usually when someone mentions gluten-free bread my heart sinks. This monster of a burger consisted of two juicy smash patties – very on-trend don’t ya know – with American cheese, pickles and burger sauce. At £19.50, its not the cheapest but worth every penny.

Roast squash and chicory with miso and butterbean hummus with seeds at Babble in Hove

Nat decided on two of the plant-based small plates, priced between £8-12. First, roast squash and chicory with miso and butterbean hummus with a satisfying smattering of crunchy seeds. Second, a spectacularly plated vegetables – roast beetroot and other seasonal vegetables with gherkin and a wonderful Levantine-style spice mix led with lemony sumac, all built on a flatbread.

To my mind, neither dish could be described as ‘small’ – one would have been sufficient for me – but Nat dived in and polished the lot off before moving on to demolish my chips. Taste aside, the visual explosion of colour and layering attracted the gaze of a group of middle-aged friends who were on a walking holiday, so Nat gave them the full download.

Babble brings a splash of colour to Hove Beach Park

Its fantastic to see creative dishes like this that are also thoroughly accessible. Flavour-forward and rammed with produce from locally based farmers sourced on behalf of the kitchen by wholesaler Shrub.

There’s plenty of choice for vegans and vegetarians and around the dishes were marked as gluten-free options or at the very least plates that had non-gluten ingredients so those with allergies can make an informed choice. Over the summer they’ll also be a BBQ and pizza nights on the terrace.

I defy anyone not to love Babble. There is real heart not only in the ingredients and cooking but also in the effortlessly laid-back environment. It certainly won’t be my last visit this summer.

Babble, Hove Beach Park, Hove BN3 4QP

www.babblehove.com