A restaurant described by regulars as a 'hidden gem' has been forced to close down following a drawn-out legal wrangle over the lease.

Blind Lemon Alley, tucked away off Middle Street, in Brighton, won a loyal following for its unpretentious food and live blues music.

But it seems the small Tex Mex-style eatery has served up its last bowl of nachos after the landlord refused to renew the lease on the building.

Owner Richard Thomas said: "The restaurant has become something of an institution in Brighton over the years so this is very sad for the city and my great staff.

"It's very difficult for me to go into details because the matter is with my lawyers at the moment, but it concerns the lease and it is very complicated."

Mr Thomas said it was highly unlikely the restaurant would reopen.

He said: "This has been a long and expensive battle so I am rather resigned to the fact that this is probably the end of the road for Blind Lemon Alley, unfortunately."

Despite its discreet, off-street entrance the restaurant built up a loyal following.

Mr Thomas said: "People love to bring their mates here. It was one of those restaurants people would say 'I have found this great little place' about."

Manager Harvey Revolj added: "We managed to fill the restaurant once a night during the week and three times over at weekends.

"Some of our customers came every week, it was that kind of place. It's a real shame we can't go on, because it's in a great spot, especially with the new Jamie Oliver restaurant opening down the road."

Blind Lemon Alley employed about 14 full and part-time staff many of whom had worked there for six or seven years. All were looking for new work today.

Despite the setback staff at the restaurant threw a surprise party for Mr Thomas on Sunday night to commiserate with him and drink the bar dry.

Blind Lemon Alley has been through several incarnations in the last 40 years.

In the Sixties it was a coffee-bar called The Cottage where sharp-suited Mods would hangout, listening to the juke box, eating spaghetti or just passing the time of day.

Mr Thomas took over in 1984 and turned it into a restaurant called Annie's before relaunching as Blind Lemon Alley in 1993.

For the last 14 years the restaurant has been serving up a mixture of cheese burgers, Cajun spiced beef burgers, and feta cheese and mushroom tortilla wraps.

The restaurant was named after Blind Lemon Jefferson, a Texan blues singer who played in the southern states of the USA in the Twenties.

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