Wolseley Hospitality Group has opened The Delaunay Brighton, a new outpost of its celebrated Central European brasserie concept, within the Grand Hotel on King's Road — the group's first coastal UK site and its most ambitious regional venture to date.
The Brighton restaurant, which opened this week following a six-month fit-out, occupies the Grand Hotel's former ballroom and adjoining terrace spaces, offering 160 covers across an indoor dining room and a glassed seafront terrace with uninterrupted views of the English Channel. The interior design, executed by Martin Brudnizki Design Studio, employs the same vocabulary of dark timbers, banquette seating, polished brass and monochromatic floor tiles that defines The Delaunay's Aldwych original — adapted to capture the particular quality of light that characterises Brighton's seafront setting.
The menu mirrors the London format: wiener schnitzel, beef tartare, freshly baked pastries from an in-house patisserie, and a comprehensive all-day offer running from breakfast through to late supper. The wine list, overseen by group head sommelier Petra Vogt, includes a dedicated section of English sparkling wine — a nod to the location — alongside the Austrian, German and Alsatian bottles that have always formed the backbone of Delaunay's list.
A partnership model
The Brighton opening follows a partnership model negotiated between Wolseley Hospitality Group and the Grand Hotel's ownership, Hallmark Hotels, under which the restaurant operates as an independent concession within the hotel property. This arrangement gives Wolseley the benefits of an established high-footfall location without the capital exposure of a standalone lease, while giving Hallmark access to a credible, well-regarded restaurant brand that can compete with Brighton's increasingly sophisticated independent dining scene.
"Brighton is one of the most food-engaged cities in the UK outside London," said Wolseley Hospitality Group's managing director. "The Grand is an iconic building on one of the great British seafronts. It felt like the right home for The Delaunay outside London."
The group's regional ambitions
The Brighton opening follows the group's 2024 Wolseley City launch, which brought an all-day café-brasserie format to the Bloomberg Arcade in the City of London, and signals growing appetite within the group for extending its estate beyond its original West End heartland. Industry sources suggest further regional conversations are ongoing, with Birmingham and Leeds mentioned informally as possible future markets.
The Delaunay Brighton is open seven days a week, from 7am to midnight.