Traditional pizzas from wood burning ovens

There is a plaque outside No 36 East Street, where the Al Forno restaurant is today, stating that the building was once home to Martha Gunn, the famous “dipper” woman. Although members of the Gunn family did live at no 36, Martha probably lived at 11 East Street.

Opened in 1973
Al Forno opened in 1973 and became so popular that in 1980 the owners opened another restaurant close to the Royal Pavilion called Al Duomo. Together, the two restaurants can cater for over two hundred customers at a time. They specialise in pizzas which are made on the premises and baked in traditional wood burning ovens. The menu is comprehensive and includes authentic recipes from all over Italy.

Comments about this page

  • Sad to say this wonderful Brighton restaurant with reasonable prices, great atmosphere and eccentric Italian waiters, is no more however Al Duomo lives on.

    By Adrian Baron (08/04/2010)
  • Another great place to eat is Donnatellos in the Lanes, opposite the Druids pub. I’ve had many a great night there.

    By Duffy Watkins (12/02/2011)
  • In my view Al Forno lives on in spirit at Donnatellos. Reasonable prices and decent simple Italian food. Also, just like Al Forno, no one looks down their nose at you if you are not wearing the latest fashion ( or beard) which sadly has become a feature of a number of places in Brighton.

    By Adrian P Baron (13/04/2016)
  • Went to opening night at Al Forno with a friend called Toni Colombotti who owned the Cafe Continental in Castle square ( The Royal Pav). Think he got invited because he was also Italian and in the catering business. The whole place was packed out with every one who was anyone. Absolute eye opener, authentic pizza cooked to perfection. Great days when Brighton had really good places to eat out, before eating out became almost unaffordable and standardise (to much frozen microwaved meals now) Also remember Ian Muzio when he ran the Cottage in Middle street. favourite spot for sobering up on black coffee after a night’s pub crawl. Won’t embarrass her by naming her, but everyone fell in love with one gorgeous waitress.

    By Tim Baker (31/03/2023)

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