A love letter to Brighton drunk eats

Greasy kebabs and cheesy chips – what we really miss most about nights out


Students haven’t had a proper night out since March and now we can’t even go to the pub without ordering a meal. It’s getting to the point where I can’t remember what it feels like to bop to techno in Patterns or scream along to cheesy tunes in Chalk. The flawless routine of pres, club, food, and afters seems like a distant fantasy. We didn’t know how good we had it. 

Pres is hands down THE highlight of the night. The swift descent from sober to sloshed in the comfort of your own home is magical. You have control of the tunes and the drinks are cheap – what more could you wish for? 

The actual club section of the night can be mediocre or life changing depending on where you go. It generally follows a cyclical routine of dancing until you’re sweating, smoking area chats, toilets, bar and back to dancing. 

But we know what’s really going through your mind when you’re on the dance floor: food. 

What we really miss most about nights out is stuffing our faces with kebabs, chips, burgers, fried chicken and pizza. The ecstasy experienced when a drunk student takes their first bite of greasy food is akin to watching the love of your life walk down the aisle. Suddenly, everything else fades away. It’s just you and your kebab. 

I have had the luxury of sampling much of Brighton’s selection of late night takeaways throughout my three years here and all I can say is thank you. Thank you for the hot food at 4am and thank you for putting up with screaming students demanding more cheese on their cheesy chips. 

First up, we have Brighton’s most unique late night food: Buddies. 

Picture this: you’ve just been at a club drinking, shouting and dancing – a night like any other. Ten minutes later, you’re sat in a real restaurant with menus and table service. It’s honestly a bemusing experience and really really funny when you’re drunk. The rapid jump from jägerbombs to carbonara is so absurd that it is obviously the highlight of your night. The food is pretty subpar and expensive but the experience is priceless. 

Seaside Kebab is the late night takeaway that I hold closest to my heart. I have spent many a cold winter morning here refuelling after a chaotic night at Patterns or Arch. Its close proximity to the beach means most of my memories involve strong winds and the smell of fish. But that is what makes it so great – it is quintessentially Brighton. Friendships and romances have formed in the long queue. My student years wouldn’t be the same without it.

Besides these two titans of drunk food, there are a ridiculous number of fried chicken shops in Brighton, we really are spoiled for choice. Burger King on North Street is a personal favourite due to how late it stays open and how conveniently placed it is in town. No judgement here, sometimes a Whopper really is the snack you need before bed and is definitely less messy than a kebab and therefore less likely to be found in your hair the next morning

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One day, we will be released back into the world and nights out will return. Now we all know what we’re really most excited for. Not the dancing, not the music, but the food. 

Until then, we have Deliveroo and Uber Eats but it’s just not the same. Drunk eating is all about the journey – from home to the club to the kebab shop. Getting it delivered makes the whole process far too easy. Saying that, spend your money, get Deliveroo and keep your favourite takeaways afloat until that beautiful day comes and normality is returned.