Modern BritishChurch Road
Modelo Lounge
Relaxed Hove café-bar, great for laptops and kids
6.3/10
Local score
No. 43 of 141 cafés on r/brighton, from 24 locals across 23 threads.
92% would send a mate. Still recommended in 2026.
Part of The Lounges chain on Church Road, loved for being unpretentious and roomy — people sit for hours working on laptops without being hassled, and it's a go-to for families with high chairs and no judgement about mess. Well regarded for vegan, dairy-free and coeliac-safe options, and the coffee machine stays on until close (11pm), making it a rare late-night coffee spot.
- Go for
- Working on a laptop for hours or family meals
What locals say
Alcampo/Modelo lounge (same chain, one is London Road the other is Church Road in Hove). Free wifi, low lighting, and sometimes you can get a comfy armchair. The bigger Caffe Neros tend to be quite cosy (I like the one on George Street). The Walrus is a really lovely pub to chill in, as they have private booths that…
…ordering there let them know you need them to prepare it coeliac safe and they’ll wipe down the milk steamer thing and give you a heads up about the oat milk. Apparently the “Bill’s” chain of restaurants have a good reputation for accommodating coeliacs but we didn’t visit. Modelo lounge - also have a great reputation for catering to coeliac / preventing cross contamination but again I haven’t gone personally Hope this is helpful ❤️ I have a list of London spots too if you’d ever like it!
…to a lot of places that cover all of these, although I can't vouch for the meat options as we're not looking at those. Pho has nice options. Indian Summer has some good vegan and gluten free options - they do gluten free poppadoms which my friend was really excited about. Modelo Lounge in Hove or Al Campo Lounge on London Road are good for a more chilled/relaxed cafe/bar vibe. Longrain Theatre was really good for options, my friend was super excited about all the dairy free and gluten free starters she could have. Las Iguanas has been good.
I'm in Hove actually and I will give a big shout-out to Modelo Lounge in Hove (on Church near George St). Food is good, coffee decent and they have fresh OJ. I will go for about 1.5-2 hours but usually order coffee / OJ separately - and always tip so I don't think they mind me sitting in there for a bit. Plus it is super spacious but you need to register for their wifi so…
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