Brighton's Halisco named the fifth best restaurant in the UK

Halisco, the Mexican-inspired restaurant at 64 Preston Street, has been ranked fifth in Time Out’s^1,2 list of the 20 best restaurants in the UK for 2026, published on 8 September.

The four places above it are Gwen in Machynlleth, Wales, Queen of Cups in Glastonbury, Skof in Manchester and The Sportsman near Whitstable. Three of those four serve tasting menus. Halisco sells tacos.

Time Out’s review is clear about what kind of night out it is: “This is not the place for a formal evening dinner, but it most definitely is the place to take someone you’re trying to impress.” It singles out the “lip-smacking cocktails” and an “efficient, friendly, knowledgeable team of locals”.

The prices help. Snacks sit around £4, small plates run from about £8 to £12, and tacos start at £9.50 for two. The menu changes with the seasons. Time Out’s advice is to start with corn chips and guacamole, order the tenderstem broccoli if it’s on, and get the oyster mushroom birria tacos, “even if you’re a meat eater”.

The restaurant is run by brothers Ali and Mo Razavi. On Instagram, the team said they never expected to write a post like this one. “For sure we have one very proud mum up there looking down on her boys,” they wrote. “Huge plans are lined up, and all will be announced very soon.”

It isn’t Halisco’s first nod from Time Out. The magazine named it the best restaurant in Brighton in 2025, and it kept the top spot when the Brighton guide was updated in July. Its sister venue, Bar Halisco, opened across the road in February 2025, with a longer margarita list plus ceviche and croquettes.

First reported by the Argus³.