Harden's survey result
Summary
Still “maintaining a brilliant dining experience” a decade after winning the tyre men’s acclaim, this pub in a 19th-century building (the dining space is a former schoolroom, the bar an old butcher’s shop) is the brainchild of Andreas Antona, owner of famed Brum haunt Simpson’s, and chef Adam Bennett, who also used to work there. Regulars never seem to tire of its “supreme quality” (“celebrated our 150th meal here this year”), and it’s much “better value” than other venues of its quality. For its many fans, “Adam, Andreas and the team are to be congratulated” (not least “for enhancing the value of properties in the neighbourhood”).
Summary
“In the Premier League of food pubs”, this “beautiful old building with a pleasant garden and an intimate atmosphere” offers highly ambitious “fine dining” food that’s both “delicious and prettily presented” from Adam Bennett, formerly head chef at the grand Simpson’s in Birmingham (a sister venue also owned by Andreas Antona). The cooking is “very well executed, while service combines the professional with the friendly”. “Prices are inevitably rising, but it’s always good value” and “still the local top restaurant” – “there’s nowhere else we prefer to go… after 125 visits and counting!!”.
Summary
“Adam Bennett produces dishes of supreme quality, prepared with flair and skill” according to all reports on this “lovely” Grade II listed inn, which – aided by the profile of Andreas Antona of Birmingham star Simpson’s – has become one of the most commented-on destinations in the Midlands. All accounts say a meal here is “absolutely stunning” and “it is also very refreshing to be able to order à la carte at a Michelin-starred restaurant, rather than being forced to order a tasting menu” (although one local “would eat here more often if there were a greater variation of dishes on offer”). Service is “always friendly, attentive and competent” and “it maintains a brilliant experience”. Top Menu Tip – “the most extravagant chicken liver parfait imaginable, top venison, and a wonderful variation on île flottante”.
Summary
“Adam (Bennett – chef), Andreas (Antona – owner) and their team are to be congratulated”: their “top local” – lauded by the tyre men – remains “brilliant in every sense of the word”. Besides the “very, very competent” and “beautifully presented” food, there’s a “sense of wanting to please” that makes it “just right for a special occasion” (albeit one with an “expensive” price tag).
For 33 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
Have you eaten at The Cross at Kenilworth?
16 New St, Kenilworth, CV8 2EZ
Restaurant details
Prices
| Availability | 2 courses | 3 courses |  |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Always | £85.00 |  |
|
 |
|
| Lunch | £50.00 | |
|
|
| Cost | Availability | Courses | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Menu1 | 115.00 | Always available | 6 |
| Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £30.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £3.00 |
| Extras |
|
|---|---|
| Bread | £2.50 |
| Service | 12.50% |
16 New St, Kenilworth, CV8 2EZ
Opening hours
| Monday | CLOSED |
| Tuesday | CLOSED |
| Wednesday | 12 pm‑2 pm, 6:30 pm‑9 pm |
| Thursday | 12 pm‑2 pm, 6:30 pm‑9 pm |
| Friday | 12 pm‑2 pm, 6:30 pm‑9 pm |
| Saturday | 12 pm‑2:30 pm, 6 pm‑9 pm |
| Sunday | 12 pm‑3 pm |
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