Banstead, British, Traditional Restaurant Guide

This “good local” beside Wimbledon Common, co-owned by TV chef Paul Merrett (also of the Victoria in East Sheen), does “a great Sunday lunch – and you can take the dog”. Competent staff ensure you get “excellent service even with a big group”; “the only disadvantage is its popularity, which can make for a noisy experience”.

“I don’t know why it hasn’t been picked up for a Michelin star”, say fans of Remi Williams & Aaron Webster’s Tooting hotspot, who feel it “should be shouted out more by restaurant guides” (to be fair, the Tyre Men do nowadays list it). Named for its use of smoking and salting, the interesting food is provided as an assortment of menus, with options ranging upwards from the two-course mid-week menu providing two courses for £30 per person up to the ‘Culture’ tasting menu for £70 per person. “For the price point, the quality and service is outstanding. If this place was in Central London, you wouldn’t be able to get a table”.

2022 Review: “Beautifully refurbished” by the current owners (Young’s Brewery), even if not everyone is a fan of its chain-ification, this “great local” – replete with roaring fires, seasonal grub and pleasant garden – is of note for its daily chalkboard specials, but they also do fancy game nights.

2023 Review: A couple of excellent reports suggest it’s worth considering this old pub reinvented as a hotel and restaurant (a couple of years ago), between the maze of Hampton Court Palace and Bushy Park. The refit is very attractive and the menu of superior gastropub fare is well-rated.

Abu Dhabi royal Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed al-Nahyan was – as of mid 2025 – rumoured to be on the verge of buying a £1 billion stake in Richard Caring’s restaurant empire, of which this famous brasserie chain is the crown jewel. Presumably, he’s more interested in ‘rolling out’ the brand in The Gulf and beyond rather than dropping by for a Salmon Fishcake and ‘Ivy Chocolate Bombe’, but if he’d asked the opinion of our annual diners’ poll, we’re not sure that he’d sign on the dotted line. “How can a restaurant with this heritage produce such uninspired, tick-box food?” is a question merited by its poor ratings, ditto what explains the “very slow and disinterested service”? The answer may be that “you don’t come here for the food, obviously” but for the “gorgeous” interior design and “picturesque” locations that continue to underpin their appeal. Let’s hope for the Sheikh’s sake that the middle classes of the Arab World are as undiscerning as those from the UK!

Proximity to Richmond Park – a large terrace for sunny days – and a comfortable, attractive interior help justify the ongoing inclusion of this eighteenth-century Fuller’s pub, near Sheen Gate. In other respects, its ratings remain resolutely ordinary.

“For a jolly night out with the girls”, these “warm and luxurious” west London haunts are just the job. An “extensive list of cocktails” is key to their allure – “the food is not the main attraction although it’s perfectly acceptable”. Lorraine Angliss (who also owns Annie’s and Little Bird) opened the Richmond original in 2009; its Chiswick sibling followed in 2022.

“Peerless pub food” has won renown for this acclaimed gastropub near Vauxhall, which can hold its head up high in comparison to its more famous sibling, the Anchor & Hope in Waterloo – but where it is marginally easier to get a table. “Relatively simple but very imaginative” British dishes are “expertly cooked, on a tasty and regularly changing menu”, and it’s “still a proper pub too”. (“If this place was on my doorstep, I’d be there all the time… it is and I am!”)

“The food is great” at this early-Victorian King’s Road pub – “the perfect spot for a family get-together on a Sunday” – although “staff can be a bit patronising; this is Chelsea after all…”, and “it can get very busy”. The relaunch four years ago by JKS Restaurants and Kitchen Table chef James Knappett raised expectations so high that it remains a curious case of much ado about nothing: not bad at all, but given the pedigree we might have expected a little more.

This “lovely Chelsea pub” (built in 1853) near the Physic Garden has been beautifully restored, with a “yummy gastropub” menu priced to match its uber-chichi environs. Owner Jack Greenall of the famous Lancashire brewing dynasty now has a trio of historic west London taverns, with the Walmer Castle in Notting Hill and the Carpenter’s Arms in Hammersmith.

“The perfect local is full of locals, and this defines The Andover perfectly: a buzzing bar and friendly staff greet you” at this “lively old boozer” in a quiet corner of Hammersmith’s ‘Brackenbury Village’. “Under new ownership for a couple of years now, the food has gone up another level” – somewhat more inventive and “a giant step up from pub grub” (but equally also a little “expensive for a pub”). Top Tip – “Sunday lunch is a must”.

2024 Review: “Great food and drink, especially pizza” makes it worth remembering this stylish (if sometimes noisy) Olympia pub-conversion, a few minutes’ walk from Brook Green (part of the Oak group).

“Hands-down the best fried brekkie of all time – the GOAT!” is served at this Westminster institution, whose Formica-tabled interior has changed little since it opened in 1946, and a retro-loving crowd gathers daily for what is “just the best cafe experience in London” (“the food is OK, but the queuing and miraculously getting a seat in a full room followed by the bellowing of orders are really what makes every visit special!”). It went on the market, though, in December 2024 – “When I heard that the caff was up for sale I nearly cried” – and although Westminster Council have pledged not to sell it to property developers, no further announcement has been made as of summer 2025. Top Tip – “go with a friend and order one toast and one bread: the white buttered bread is a guilty secret!” BREAKING NEWS: In July 2025 its sale was announced to Turkish-born, London-schooled restaurateurs Fevzi & Zafer Gungor, who are apparently looking to roll out the Regency name to Amsterdam, Berlin, Istanbul and Dubai.

“What a special place The Dining Room at the Goring is” – “You can take your boss, your granny and your lawyer… all at the same time and it will be to everyone’s taste!”. Amongst London’s most blue-blooded of hotels, this proudly traditional venue between Buckingham Palace and Victoria is the only one that’s still family-owned. (Opened in 1910 by Otto Goring, it is nowadays run since 2005 by Jeremy Goring). Its comfortable period style and well-judged service help make it “a real treat that takes you back to an age of class and perfection which you will share with your partner for a wonderful occasion”. It’s particularly “excellent for business meals because the tables are adequately apart for privacy, and the service is efficient and discreet”. Rather gratuitously, Michelin gave it a star in 2016, which might suggest it’s a foodie haven: in fact its “classic” Anglo-French fare is almost the antithesis: “some dishes have barely changed for years but that builds a kind of security. The approach is rather old-fashioned and a little rich but it is not the sort of place you go often… so enjoy!” Top Tip – “Since the delightful Catherine and family used this hotel in the lead-up to her marriage to Prince William in 2011, it has become a ‘go-to’ establishment for proper English teas. The great staff are all trained to look after overseas visitors who flock to their doors for one of the best afternoon teas in London. Delicious sandwiches, homemade scones with jam and clotted cream, cakes to die for and myriad teas ensures that every taste is catered for. This is a quintessential British experience”.

“Cosy”, large tavern just off Acton Green on the fringe of Chiswick, with some fine late-Victorian features, and whose menu has a somewhat “sophisticated” Mediterranean spin. There’s a small rear garden in summer that opens off its characterful rear dining room (though you can also eat in the bar).

2023 Review: “With window views of the back of Buckingham Palace and its comings and goings amidst refills of tea”, this plush lounge can make a good stop-off for an afternoon treat. Feedback is limited, but praises “a lovely stack of sandwiches, pretty cakes and scones with fresh flavours”. More substantial meals are available in the hotel’s very comfortable and traditional dining room (The English Grill), complete with oil paintings and leather banquettes.