The Meeting Place Cafe — Restaurant in England

After a long-awaited upgrade, the newly redesigned Meeting Place Café, complete with a striking copper exterior and subtle Art Deco cues to echo Embassy Court, showed promise at first glance. Situated right on the Brighton/Hove parish border, this part of town traditionally caters to locals, families, and dog walkers who appreciate a laid-back, familiar vibe (see Hove Lawns Cafe!). It rarely caters to tourists and does not benefit from the more central footfall.

Unfortunately, the shiny but anonymous aesthetic feels misplaced here. This cafe/restaurant could have been built in London or pretty much anywhere. It lacks the warmth and character you’d expect on our seaside promenade. The interior is dominated by synthetic materials, even the plants are plastic, which seems a bit cheap, especially given the premium pricing. The redesign appears incredibly optimistic and ambitious, but feels soulless in its disconnect from the location’s history and community. Who is this place for?

That said, the managers deserve credit for handling teething issues, like confused customers, new staff, systems, and workflows, with patience and composure. It’s clear they're trying something different. But their vision seems mismatched with the needs and expectations of the local audience's desires and purchasing power. A true beachfront hangout for all seasons and customers; cosy, authentic, and relaxed, hasn’t yet materialised.

On the positive side, we enjoyed the veggie sandwiches outside with stunning sea views—they were generously sized and tasted great, offering good value. However, without any shade or cover on the sun terrace, staying out there long on a sunny or windy day is tough. It feels like a major oversight for a seaside venue. A quick look at Mediterranean cafés or charming UK beachside spots shows how essential thoughtful outdoor design is.

There seems to be something missing here... Other cafés in the area offers more value, character, comfort, and authenticity along the seafront; something this one hasn’t captured, or seem to be aiming for. We sincerely hope it will fall into place with time and refocuses on what makes Brighton’s seaside experience special. For now though, it's giving Theme Park,...

Such a lovely location and some great staff but others really let the place down. The first waiter was really lovely and got us a perfect table out the front overlooking the sea.

We decided not to order food as it was so expensive (£17 for a burrata starter). I ordered a glass of rose prosecco and got a normal one. The waiter asked if I wanted to change it (but seemed pretty grumpy so I decided not to bother). When the bill came I’d been charged for the rose and asked if it was the same price (I believed the rose was more expensive). The waiter assured me it was the same price so I paid, but after checking the price as we left I realised the rose was indeed more expensive. I also encountered other staff who didn’t seem to care and just stared blankly or seemed annoyed I was talking to them, for example when I asked for more toilet roll as the loos had run out.

The environment is lovely but the place is let down by bad staff and overpriced food. The Prosecco that I didn’t order was also warm and flat.

Leaving this review in the hope that management sort it out as this place could be great with...

• Don’t come here if you plan to sit and work!!* Website falsely claims that this place has WiFi. I cycled all the way here this morning thinking it would be the perfect place to work in the sun. Once I’d already bought a coffee, settled down and the password they gave me was incorrect, I asked if I was using the right one/right capital letters/right server, he just told me he didn’t know and couldn’t help me. I asked if maybe he could try to type it in, he told me they’re really busy with lots of customers at this time (we both awkwardly glanced around acknowledging that I was the only one there). When I asked if I could see the box to maybe take a picture of the password on it he said it’s locked away and that you can only connect anyway if you’re standing right next to the till - So a bit pointless to advertise to customers then!! I never want to be a pain to staff as a waitress myself but he was rude and disregarding and then started speaking in Italian straight away to his colleague. Didn’t want to get into an argument so I left with my coffee half drunk and had to go all...