Strength Coffee Bar, Brighton

This is an excellent cafe serving tasty food - particularly the Goulash - in a friendly environment.We ate here on seven occasions as part of the bed and breakfast deal at the Beach pad hotel 3 minutes walk away. The megabreakfast was superb. The cafe is always busy with a mix of locals and visitors and be sure not to miss it. At the time of writing (May 2010) it is partly hidden behind scaffolding but it is still god for "people watching" through the large windows on to the lively St. James Street.

Okay I have mixed feeling about this place. On the one hand it’s steadily improved over time and the food is not bad. The prices are also reasonable. It’s also clean which seems rare in St. James Street.

The coffee is okay but not great, not quite sure why, I’m guessing its lack of expertise rather than anything else. Staff are very friendly and it’s busy without being manic. Its best asset is that its very open with big windows so you can watch the world go by.

Considering it’s location on the busiest stretch of St James Street, Strength is surprising cheap. It’s a great place for breakfast and always busy, but in a good way. I think it might be run by a Polish family and lunch dishes often include things like goulash etc so if you like that cuisine is worth popping in.

Its a great place to grab a coffee with a paper as the floor to ceiling windows out look on to the busy high street.

the goulash is delicious

Good for breakfasts and lunch time food.
Friendly staff.

Pros :
- The staff are Polish and beautiful.
- Big windows for peoplewatching.
- Newspaper rack.
- Simple,well cooked food.

Cons :
- Slow service at busy periods.
- Limited accessibility
- No gay porn on walls.

Excellent place - I’ve been there twenty or so times. I usually intend only to stay for an espresso or a cup of tea, but tend to linger. I really must try the goulash - I’ve seen other people try it and it looks very good.

I would really like to give this place 95% instead of 100%, but I have to choose between 4 and 5 stars, so 5 it is. My only gripe is that, every now and then, they are a little disorganised, especially when it’s busy. If you find you’ve waited 10 minutes for your food, you’d better enquire (though you won’t have any trouble - the staff are pleasant).

They have a newspaper rack (they’re not one of these antisocial places that throw away newspapers), and a competent toilet.

It’s a good place for peoplewatching of the comings and goings in St James’s Street.

One curious thing is that I have never, ever seen anyone drink alcohol there although there are alcoholic beverages (Polish beers etc.) on offer . Maybe it’s because I’ve only been there between about 11.00 and 14.00 - I don’t know what happens later.

On a recent spontaneous trip to Brighton, I ventured out of the hotel in the rain for some lunch. Strength is where I ended up. I was enticed in by the sign you see.

Hungarian Goulash and Bread: £4

Now, I'm used to London prices and I was shocked. Surely I coulnd't get a decent lunch for under a fiver anywhere? Well, yes actually I can. It's annoying that i have to go to Brighton to do it, but it still made me happy.

The only other Goulash I've ever had was in a plastic cup from Eat. And you can guess how good that is. But here it was spicy but still full of flavour. (I hate it when cafes throw so much spice in food that you actually can't taste anything else).

It was fantastic. It made me forget that it was pouring down with rain outside (shame, it had been sunny the day before). I even managed to feel revived enough to do some of the Times crossword. Blimey.

And I was still shocked that it was less than a fiver. It's a great little cafe and the next time I'm in Birghton I'll be back.

It's a shame Hungarian food doesn't make a big splash in London. It really should.