To the unfamiliar, the mere mention of Kemptown can throw up images of cackling hen parties, haphazard tourists, and corners teaming with language students and errant school kids. Yet the further up St James’ Street you head, the more the crowds fall away, the more the hustle and bustle dies down, and increasingly you’re left with one of the loveliest local spots in town.

Tucked away in the heart of this quiet backwater is Arcobaleno – Italian for rainbow – Brighton’s newest queer venue. According to the email we received, it’s also the purveyor of the finest Maltese brunch this side of the Mediterranean. Maltese brunch? Clearly, it was imperative we investigate.

Deceptively larger than it appears kerbside, Arcobaleno is a perfect spot for brunch or lunch with friends and family. Light and airy inside thanks to two massive, whopping windows that stretch high and wide across the frontage, a door to the back leads into an absolutely delightful little outside area. I use “little” loosely, as each turn around a wall seems to lead to yet another area, each part cosied up with greenery and umbrella shades. Diners sit in large groups and small, the chatter bubbling comfortably, the city outside an afterthought inside our whitewash-walled cocoon.

Arcobaleno owners Luciana Cousin and Nick Cousin

Service is pretty fast and very friendly, and the staff regularly check in on us without it being intrusive (an art in and of itself might I add). When it comes to the menu, there’s a lot to choose from. Alongside regular brunch workhorses such as avocado on toast and smoked salmon flatbreads, you’ll also find the likes of Maltese sausage and Maltese meatballs. The Maltese connection, which comes from Acrobaleno co-owners Luciana Cousin and son Nick, has translated into their substantial menu. Maltese sausage – or zalzett tal-Malti to use its proper name – has a much higher salt content that our own Lincolnshire or Cumberland varieties, and so before it’s thrown into the pan for a spot of high-heat caramelisation, it’s first plunged headfirst into a boiling pot of water to poach. Aside from a cooking process that sounds slightly barbaric, the end result is a tender, plump, and sticky sausage that has proven itself a hit with local food aficionados.

While I did in all honesty intend to try said Maltese sausage, I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the crispy pork belly option which straddles the top of the ‘Lunch Brunch’ menu. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but I can safely say whoever was cooking in the Arcobaleno kitchen that day is both talented and generous. The roll of pork belly was crunchy in all the right places, but light as air where you wanted it to be. Pockets of soft fat oozed across luscious, tender, mouth-watering meat, sending me hurtling towards the borders of a truly delirious food coma. Supporting cast members included a rich and creamy black pudding, crispy fried egg, a sumptuous potato rosti, peppery rocket, and zingy pickles that cut through the richness of the dish. The plate was dressed with a chilli oil that gave the entire proceeding a huge wallop of heat, slapping me around the chops with gay abandon as I practically slid off my chair.

The Full Hog

Other treats on the menu include The Full Hog fry-up featuring Maltese sausage, smoky bacon, plum tomato, sautéed new potatoes, smoky house beans, fried eggs, and toast and butter; breakfast rosti, complete with black pudding, bacon, fried eggs, and chive oil; Maltese meatballs, drenched in tomato sauce and adorned with parmesan, rocket, pickles, and house green sauce; and cheese rarebit with streaky bacon (you had me at cheese). And if you really want to push the carnivore canoe out to sea, there’s the timpana – a Maltese pie that boasts beef and pork in a rich tomato sauce, accompanied by pasta, slathered with parmesan, wrapped up in puff pastry. If the crispy belly pork put me on the verge of a coma, this one sounds like it would have finished me off for good.

Tamari Tofu

But this is Brighton, and it goes without saying that any brunch spot worth their Himalayan salt needs to cater for veggies and vegans. Arcobaleno’s menu is equally disposed – if not actively tipped – towards those of a herbivore variety. Vegan sausage runs across the page, while the Mediterranean flatbread boasts whipped feta, walnut pesto, pickles, roast vegetables, and leaves. Tamari tofu, the choice of my brunch partner, is a vibrant sunshine yellow, sitting on a bed of verdant rocket leaves and sprinkled with nutty toasted seeds and refreshing pickles, wrapped up in what can only be described as the king-size edition of Brighton-based flatbreads. Fry-ups more than accommodate with The Full Veggie and The Full Vegan, while rostis come topped with smashed avocado or tofu scramble. There’s also the delightfully titled Eggs in Purgatory, and its vegan contemporary with tofu scramble.

All in all, Arcobaleno is a stunning new addition to the city’s brunch scene. The perfect place to catch up with friends, away from the crowds of tourists, and with a definite, proud, queer premise, it may have its origins in Malta, but it very much has its heart in Brighton. No booking needed, you can just rock up and grab a table, but if you want to guarantee a spot then head over to myarcobaleno.com/book.

Arcobaleno: 120 St George’s Rd, Kemptown, Brighton BN2 1EA
[email protected]
01273 752143
Open Tuesday-Thursday from 10am-11pm (kitchen open 10am-9pm)
Fridays & Saturdays from 10am-midnight (kitchen open 10am-9pm)
Sundays from 12pm-10pm (kitchen open 12pm-4pm)