A neighbourhood tapas bar on Baker Street — wood-fired, wine-soaked, and fiercely independent. Chef Iain Swainson cooks what the market gives him that morning.
Amari opened in October 2024 with a simple belief: that the best meals in Spain don't happen in restaurants with tablecloths — they happen in cramped bars where the cook is three feet away, the wine pours freely, and every plate arrives when it's ready.
Chef Iain Swainson brought the idea back from stages across the Basque Country and Catalonia, after years leading kitchens at The Pass and Amarillo. He partnered with brothers Ali and Mo Razavi — the duo behind Brighton favourites Halisco and Anakuma — to build something that feels less like a restaurant and more like a house party in San Sebastián.
The dining room seats twenty. The kitchen is open. The menu changes constantly. What doesn't change: impeccable sourcing, a deep sherry list, and the kind of cooking that makes you order another round because you're not ready to leave.
It's a room above a shop on Baker Street where twenty strangers sit elbow-to-elbow, the kitchen is three feet away, and the person who cooked your croquetas walks them to the table.
Watch every plate come together from your seat. No walls, no secrets.
Iain or a member of his team brings each dish out and talks you through it.
Manzanilla, Fino, Amontillado — one of Brighton's most thoughtful Spanish wine selections.
No starters, no mains — dishes arrive as the kitchen finishes them. As it works in Spain.
"A neighbourhood restaurant with a passionate team. Dishes such as suckling pig are prepared with skill — and the chefs personally deliver them to your table."
"Ranked #67 in Britain's Top 100 Local Restaurants. Chef Iain Swainson has elevated Spanish dining in Brighton with modern takes on pintxos and tapas."
"An absolute Iberian gem. One hell of a dish — the sort of place where you demand the plate be licked clean."
The dining room
Croquetas de Setas
Gambas al Ajillo
The kitchen
Torrija
"The best sangria I've ever had. Every dish was exceptional — the prawns in garlic butter with that bisque, the mushroom croquetas, the braised beef rib. The chefs bring dishes to the table and explain them. It's intimate, warm, and utterly brilliant."
"A tiny, perfect place on Baker Street. We ordered half the menu and nothing missed. The torched mackerel was a standout, as was the cinnamon torrija for dessert. Feels like a secret you want to keep — but also tell everyone about."
"Michelin-worthy cooking in a room that seats 20. The sherry list is deep, the staff know every dish intimately, and the pace — plates arriving when they're ready — feels exactly like Spain. Brighton's most exciting opening in years."
We're a minute from the Open Market. Twenty seats. Book ahead — walk-ins are rare but we'll always try.
| Monday – Tuesday | Closed |
| Wednesday | 18:00 – 21:30 |
| Thursday – Friday | 12:30 – 14:45 · 18:00 – 21:30 |
| Saturday | 12:30 – 14:30 · 18:00 – 21:30 |
| Sunday | Closed |