The Gingerman

The Gingerman Our philosophy is simple: to create uncomplicated, full flavoured food made from the freshest, highe
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We want to remind customers we're still open and your bookings are secure. We really appreciate everyone who's booked a ...
12/06/2026

We want to remind customers we're still open and your bookings are secure. We really appreciate everyone who's booked a lunch or dinner visit to see us and the team in our last few months. We'll be finalising our final close date soon.

You may have recently seen us in featured alongside many other famous restaurant owners across the country. This isn't ...
11/06/2026

You may have recently seen us in featured alongside many other famous restaurant owners across the country. This isn't just a Brighton problem, the UK food scene is in danger of losing everything it's gained and it's not just the restaurant owners and chefs who are impacted. We want to again thank everyone who has booked a table with us the past few weeks, sent us messages, reshared our story. We sit down and go through every message we've received. ❤ We are still open for now, however we should have a final date for you over the next few weeks.

We've included some of the article below, but scroll through the images to read our excerpts or head to The Guardian website to read the full article.

"One such rare establishment is the Gingerman in Brighton, which opened in 1998. Yet, a few weeks ago, the husband-and-wife owners, Ben and Pamela McKellar, announced its impending closure.

“It was a horrendous decision. We’ve been open for 28 years, we survived the 2008 crash and the pandemic,” says Ben, citing the cost of produce, wages, energy and the tax burden as the reasons for shutting down.

There used to be five restaurants on this street and we are the last one
“And what’s sad is we weren’t losing money until the last two budgets,” says Pamela. “Our small restaurant was paying £150,000 in VAT per year, plus we’re paying into national insurance, plus business rates. There’s a strong chance whoever takes this space over won’t be a food business. There used to be five restaurants on this street and we are the last one. If it turns into a residential space, the council tax generated will only be about £2,000. That scares me, because far less money is going into the economy to pay for services.”

The McKellars say that now, instead of spending their time thinking up new, creative dishes, such as the pork fillet with miso apple puree and crispy black pudding currently on offer, they are forced to focus on cost-cutting ways to keep their three other restaurants open. “We’re looking at cutting our bin collections. And if we are having to save on, say, buying from the local florist, the wider neighbourhood economy is affected, too,” says Ben."

03/06/2026

It was such a difficult decision to make to announce that we’d have to close our restaurant after 28yrs. It’s not just us that’s impacted, it’s the staff, the chefs, the vineyards, the farmers, the cleaners, the delivery people, the tableware companies, local florists who supply our flowers, the list goes on and on…

In the UK you now pay one of the highest VAT rates in Europe, 20% extra in VAT for your food, your drinks, your dessert. In France, Spain & Italy it’s 10%, Germany just 7%.

We’ve shared a link in our bio for a petition spearheaded by asking the Government to consider lowering our VAT to match other European countries. If you get the chance to read through it, please do, and consider signing it. We know there’s a lot of people out there who are struggling behind closed doors ❤️

Ever since we first opened in 1998 we've always had the same core philosophy - to create uncomplicated, full-flavoured f...
30/05/2026

Ever since we first opened in 1998 we've always had the same core philosophy - to create uncomplicated, full-flavoured food, made from the freshest, highest quality seasonal produce. We work hard to champion local farmers and producers and have been fortunate to work with many great people over the years. Till our final opening date it's an ethos we will continue to stick to, to help champion the great food scene that Brighton and Sussex has to offer. ❤️

Two key components of a good roast: well-risen, fluffy Yorkshire puddings and a delicious cut of mouth-watering meat. Fo...
29/05/2026

Two key components of a good roast: well-risen, fluffy Yorkshire puddings and a delicious cut of mouth-watering meat. Fortunately for us, we get our meat from the local , allowing us to select the very finest produce from local farms. Not in the mood for a roast because of the heat? No worries, not only do we have A/C but we also have our A La Carte menu available on Sundays too 😉❄

As well as a carefully curated wine list, we also have a wide selection of cocktails and mocktails in our drinks menu. C...
28/05/2026

As well as a carefully curated wine list, we also have a wide selection of cocktails and mocktails in our drinks menu. Classics like the Manhattan, Margarita, French 75, but also some modern twists like our Lychee Martini.

To see our full menu, hop over to our website 📖

23/05/2026

We can’t believe our video got over 1 million views!! 🤯 We just want to remind people that we’re still open this month, Thursday - Sunday, but once we’ve finalised our plans we’ll let everyone know.

Until then, here’s a quick breakdown of one of our popular starters at the moment - Citrus-cured Salmon

Tomorrow basically counts as the beginning of the Bank Holiday weekend, right? Make sure to check our specials and shari...
21/05/2026

Tomorrow basically counts as the beginning of the Bank Holiday weekend, right?

Make sure to check our specials and sharing boards in the restaurant, we have a fantastic sharing sirloin steak with a bordelaise sauce as well as a local sea bream, perfect for two.

Remember, on Sundays we offer BYOB from 6pm, just £5 corkage! (even runs on Bank Holiday weekends 😉 )

🎣We've got some beautiful fish on the menu at the moment, caught locally from the team at , just a couple miles down t...
15/05/2026

🎣We've got some beautiful fish on the menu at the moment, caught locally from the team at , just a couple miles down the road. We have a whole lemon sole with brown shrimps, balled cucumber, capers and a beurre noisette emulsion. Also featured is a Pan roasted hake with gherkin gel, purple sprout broccoli, confit potato and a tartare beurre blanc

✨We've got some amazing starters on our latest menu. Pictured here are some of them, including:Ricotta & Pea Tortellini ...
12/05/2026

✨We've got some amazing starters on our latest menu. Pictured here are some of them, including:
Ricotta & Pea Tortellini with pecorino, crispy shallots and pea shoots
BBQ Squid with a burnt scallion dressing and coral tuille
Artichoke Salad with bitter leaves, pickled grelot onions, linseed and whipped feta.

We're back open from midday on Thursday 📆

Address

21a Norfolk Square
Brighton
BN12PD

Opening Hours

Wednesday 12:30pm - 2pm
7pm - 10pm
Thursday 12:30pm - 2pm
7pm - 10pm
Friday 12:30pm - 2pm
7pm - 10pm
Saturday 12:30pm - 2pm
7pm - 10pm
Sunday 12:30pm - 2pm
7pm - 11pm

Telephone

+441273326688

Website

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