A bar which was last year voted the UK's top internet cafe has been put up for sale.

Curve, in Brighton's bohemian Gardner Street, has been put on the market.

Its owners said they were reluctant to sell but they wanted to concentrate on their main business, English's restaurant in East Street.

Curve is the largest cafe/bar in the North Laine shopping and leisure area.

It is situated on the ground floor of Komedia, the comedy and music venue. Last year it was voted the country's best internet cafe by users of the search engine Yahoo!

It is believed that a gourmet burger restaurant is interested in taking over the site.

The 3,600 sq ft venue is up for rent at £70,500 a year.

Simon Leigh-Jones, of English's restaurant which has owned and operated Curve since 1999, said: "We are sorry to be selling Curve but we have the opportunity to expand our main business in East Street and need to concentrate our resources there."

The property is being marketed by the Brighton office of Stiles Harold Williams.

Andy Morrish of the property agent said: "This is a great opportunity to acquire an established cafe/bar in one of the busiest city streets.

"Its location will be enhanced by the proposed pedestrianisation of Gardner Street and the opening of the new library development nearby."

People running other businesses in Gardner Street were keen to see it maintained as an upmarket venue.

Julia Clark, who runs the clothes shop Jello opposite Curve with her business partner Tracey Fish, said: "It was good for us having Curve across the road because it is somewhere where people sit to relax. People would sit with a glass of wine then come over to do some shopping. We would want something of the same standard. We are quite a top-end shop so it would be good to have something of the same ilk."

Marcus Ballam, bar manager at Komedia, said: "It is better for us if the place is open because it looks better."

Thursday, October 20, 2005