Big Beach Cafe - Hove

Food: Loads of choice, great selection of tray bakes, soup, burgers and homemade curries etc.

Child Friendliness: Great

Access: Reasonable 

Prices: £4 for soup of the day and a huge portion of toasted ciabatta. Babyccino - an eye watering £1

Ambiance: Kids, dogs and ice cream

When looking online for somewhere to take Ivy along the beach front, Big Beach Cafe came up a lot. Lagoon, play park, beach and paddling pool right next door? Owned by Norman Cook?! It must be the coolest place on earth?! Onto a winner surely...but reviews aren't great. So with trepidation we made a somewhat apprehensive journey along a wet and windy esplanade to find the cafe. First impressions? 'Is that the public toilets or the cafe? Ah...it says cafe on the roof.' Not a great start. We arrived, according to the over attentive staff, 'on a really weirdly quiet day' but given the weather and time of year it was busy. On arrival there was a few vacant tables, a lot of kids, a lot of cool posters on the walls, a lot of highchairs but not a lot space. We ended up with the buggy in front of the condiment stand, in front of a door...a small child may have tripped face first onto the floor at some point. However, the food was good and reasonably cheap, the kind of fare you would expect from a normal beach cafe really so I suppose their mission is complete. But, as my husband pointed out, everything seems just a little grubby. The exterior that joins onto the dismal public toilets, the floor, the table and some of the tablewear. To be fair they allow grubby kids and dogs inside so I should be more forgiving but the staff to customer ratio didn't justify it. Overall, it was good. Ivy explored the play area which is well stocked but again on the muddy side and constant supervision was required so she stayed in her designated space and afterwards we went to the play area which was great...just muddy.

Small Batch Coffee Company - Norfolk Gardens

Food: Not much choice but always something veggie and something meaty

Child Friendliness: Great. High chairs available.

Access: Excellent, lots of buggy space. Toilets are down some treacherous stairs though. 

Prices: £2.80 for a latte, babyccino free

Ambiance: Cool dudes, tatty paperbacks and laptops

I love Small Batch and I have to confess that I live across the road from the Goldstone cafe/roastery so I already a fan of their wonderful, very locally roasted coffee. The Goldstone cafe is small and clearly designed for commuters etc. and not kids and prams and screaming and throwing and general behaviour that would encite fear into the heart of the single cool kids that frequent Goldstone regularly. They look at me worryingly as if my banana stained jeans will somehow infect them and jump onto their well groomed beards. I went, therefore, with much trepidation into the Norfolk Square Small Batch and I have to admit I was surprised. They have loads of space, well laid out tables and, shock horror, highchairs. I ordered a latte and babychino (free) and the lovely guy behind the counter set up said highchair and brought us over water and bendy straws. We entertained everyone by climbing on the leather furniture and left as things were becoming rowdy our end due to...ahem...Ivy and her desire to go behind the counter and be generally menacing. The coffee is the best I've had in Brighton so I'm excited madam can now join me sitting in the cafe - we will be back.

Nest - Kensington Gardens, Brighton

Food: Great veggie choice, amazing cakes, soup and coffees

Child Friendliness: Outstanding

Access: Good

Prices: £4.50 for a sandwich

Ambiance: Friends, families and some local, laptop/book writing types

What a great start! Setting the bar incredibly high, Nest in Kensington Gardens is a great little place, tucked away in the busy North Lanes you could easily walk past without noticing it! We went in bang on lunchtime on a busy Saturday, I was a bit apprehensive as there was a few people hanging around the door and it looked quite busy but we were immediately shown a free table and offered a highchair by a lovely member of staff. There is a convenient place beside the counter for 2 buggies max which we were happy to use at their suggestion as someone already had a buggy at one of the tables and it's not a huge place. Ordered a sandwich, vegan flapjack for Ivy and a large latte which were all brought to the table with no fuss whilst I wrestled madam into the highchair. (The basic Ikea ones which are great.) We weren't rushed even though it became increasingly busy and the staff were great with Ivy the whole time, talking to her 'oh how cute' etc., really above and beyond. There was at least two other small children in the cafe when we left but it's by no means a crèche, a real mix of families and young couples/friends/ cool Brighton types. Changing facilities are upstairs but a small price to pay. Overall, a great find and we will be back soon!

Begin!

Ivy

Here we are at the beginning of what I hope is a useful guide to parents in Brighton and Hove. When trying to take Ivy out and about I find its so difficult to know where has facilities and where doesn't for little ones. Don't get me wrong, kids can go anywhere! We have taken Ivy all over the place but sometimes when you are yourself or just need the peace of mind that you can tether a flailing toddler into a highchair its useful to know where will be accomodating and helpful and where you will be judged by hipsters for bringing crazy and Ella's Kitchen into their cool vibe!