Harden's says

The owners of Sonny's (formerly on this site, RIP), Rebecca Mascarenhas and Philip Howard, have named the replacement simply Church Road. Elystan Street alumni Sam Astley-Dean (chef) and Alan Parry (front of house) are in charge.

survey result

Summary

£74
  £££
3
Good
4
Very Good
2
Average
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

Fans of Rebecca Mascarenhas’s Barnes fixture (which some may still recall as Sonny’s, long RIP) say it “deserves higher recognition and praise”, benefitting as it does from “the Phil Howard magic” (the co-owner, who lives nearby) in delivering “excellent” food (for example, “a perfect lobster and chips lunch”) and a “thoughtfully compiled wine list”. But what is a “sophisticated setting” for many supporters can also appear to “lack atmosphere”.

Summary

£62
  £££
3
Good
4
Very Good
3
Good
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

“High quality reflects the Phil Howard influence” at the Elystan Street chef’s relaxed operation on his home turf in Barnes, launched in 2019 with business partner Rebecca Mascarenhas, on the site of their previous, less ambitious offering, Sonny’s (RIP). It’s “a cosy yet elegant” use of the space, with food “better than at your average local, and with a very good wine list”.

Summary

£60
  £££
4
Very Good
4
Very Good
3
Good
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

“A great neighbourhood site (it was Sonny’s, RIP for many years) that just keeps getting better and better” – this linchpin Barnes restaurant was refitted and relaunched in late 2019 (under the same owner, Rebecca Mascarenhas, who is still in partnership here with chef Phil Howard) and has subsequently “emerged strongly from the pandemic”. “Phil Howard and his team have taken this place to an entirely different level” and – even if “prices are a little high” – regularly produce “fabulous” modern British cuisine in a more ambitious and accomplished vein than the neighbourhoody experience of the Sonny’s of old. “No need to open Hammersmith Bridge to get to central London now for those of us in SW13!”.

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 Church Road?

Restaurant details

Portions
20
No dress code
80

Prices

Availability 2 courses 3 courses coffee included service included
Lunch £20.00 £25.00

Traditional European menu

Starter Main Veggies Pudding
£11.50 £24.50 £5.00 £10.00
Drinks  
Wine per bottle £29.00
Filter Coffee £3.50
Extras  
Service 12.50%
94 Church Road, London, SW13 0DQ
Opening hours
MondayCLOSED
TuesdayCLOSED
Wednesday6 pm‑10 pm
Thursday12:30 pm‑2:30 pm, 6 pm‑10:30 pm
Friday12:30 pm‑2:30 pm, 6 pm‑10:30 pm
Saturday12:30 pm‑2:30 pm, 6 pm‑10 pm
Sunday12 pm‑3 pm

Best British, Modern restaurants nearby

Olympic Studios
British, Modern restaurant in Barnes
£59
   ££
2
Average
2
Average
3
Good
The Brown Dog
British, Modern restaurant in Barnes
£63
  £££
3
Good
3
Good
4
Very Good
The Crabtree
British, Modern restaurant in Hammersmith
£57
   ££
2
Average
2
Average
4
Very Good

Best similarly priced restaurants nearby

High Road Brasserie
British, Modern restaurant in Chiswick
£72
  £££
3
Good
2
Average
4
Very Good
Le Vacherin
French restaurant in Chiswick
£77
 ££££
3
Good
4
Very Good
4
Very Good
Shikumen, Dorsett Hotel
Chinese restaurant in Shepherd's Bush
£73
  £££
4
Very Good
2
Average
2
Average