BRIGHTON has been listed as England’s “second city” for dining in a restaurant guide.

Thirty six restaurants in Brighton and Hove feature in the 2020 edition of Harden’s Best UK Restaurants, which is a higher number than any other English city, apart from London and Manchester.

But Brighton has more top scoring restaurants than any other English city outside London, where restaurants have scored as ‘excellent’ for food, or any restaurant charging more than £60 per head has scored as ‘very good’ for food.

The guide, which was published on Tuesday, is based on 50,000 reports with ratings from a survey of 7,500 diners who contributed to the Harden’s annual survey.

The survey of regular restaurant-goers is now in its 29th year.

Co-founder Peter Harden said: “Given its huge customer base, you would expect the South East to be the UK’s strongest restaurant scene outside of London, and it is.

“Brighton continues to punch well above its weight in out-ranking very much bigger cities and producing a good number of some of the most interesting restaurants in the country.”

London restaurants accounted for 41 of the Harden’s 100, with 59 entries outside the capital.

Hove restaurant Etch in Church Road was listed as the sixteenth best restaurant in the country, and is described as having “a fine dining experience without a fine dining ambience”.

Opened by Masterchef: The Professionals 2013 winner Steven Edwards inside a former bank, Etch has an open kitchen and aims to celebrate local and British produce by serving tasting menus which change every month.

Harden’s Guide says about Etch: “All reports are of ‘attention to detail, with a personal touch’ resulting in food with ‘depth of favour and delicacy that’s a level up from most other such places’.”

Diners can choose between five, seven, or nine-course meals, and the restaurant uses no spices in its menu – not even pepper – and instead increases flavour by reducing certain ingredients, to get a “purity of taste”.

Sustainable seafood restaurant Little Fish Market in Upper Market Street was rated as the thirtieth best in the UK, and is described as “a cute spot with no fine dining trappings to make you feel awkward”.

Other Brighton pubs and restaurants which feature in the guide include The Coal Shed in Boyces Street, indian restaurant The Chilli Pickle in Jubilee Street and Japanese restaurant Bincho Yakitori in Preston Street.

Burger Brothers in North Road scored highly in the guide, and is described as a “tiny burger heaven”.

Harden’s Best UK Restaurants 2020, is available in bookshops including Waterstone’s and from www.hardens.com, and is £16.99.

The Harden’s Restaurant Finder app can be downloaded from the Apple or Google App stores for £4.99.