Berkhamsted Restaurant Guide

Set in a “real rural location” just outside London in the Chilterns, this village pub is serious about food and offers a “good choice of very tasty dishes”. David & Becky Salisbury celebrated 25 years at the helm in January 2024.

“Amazing food, top-notch service” – and “the value is OK for fine dining” – such are the attractions of Scott Barnard’s polished neighbourhood restaurant, which divides between a chef’s counter operation with tasting menu and open kitchen seating just 16 people overall; and larger dining room. The latter is considerably cheaper at £60 per person: at the chef’s table the experience is £105 per person during the week, rising to £130 per person at the weekend.

This “lovely old pub” in the Chilterns, handy for the Harry Potter antics at Warner Bros Studio nearby, built up quite a reputation for its Anglo-French cooking over nearly two decades under husband-and-wife team Sally & Alvin Michaels. The 18th-century venue is now managed by Alvin’s former protégé Matt Jackson (and part of the growing RedCat pub company) but, on limited feedback this year, its “exceptional pub dining” still makes it a local magnet.

“Very good Thai food” remains the order of the day at this “cramped” fixture of the local scene, whose extensive menu (wok dishes, curries, fresh papaya salads) represents excellent value for money. From Tuesday to Saturday there’s a lunchtime noodle bar, and they also do a swift trade as a takeaway.

As per its appearance on Netflix’s ‘Million Dollar Buffet’ with Grace Dent, the dining room of this luxe country estate hotel revolves around a buffet that’s “best for those who want to splurge” (to the tune of a still highly reasonable £65 per person during the week, or £78 per person on weekends). Live-action food stations showcase a “huge choice of different cuisines” – sushi, seafood, stone-baked pizzas, just to stick with the ‘s’ options – that, while not being mega-foodie, are “excellent all-round” and make for a brilliant family outing (not least as kids “love the dessert section”). Top Tip – despite the very posh surroundings, the ambience is “not at all stuffy or pretentious” as one might fear.

Away from the main property, with a terrace facing onto the golf course, this casually luxurious venue is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and would suit a smartly dressed-down weekend family meal. With its brasserie menu incorporating a selection of burgers and chicken and steak grills, fans “prefer it to the generally more highly rated Glasshouse at the same venue” although even some who mark it highly say: “it’s good, but some of the prices are just far too high”.

This small but perfectly formed venue (there’s a small dining area behind the boozer) in the Cathedral Quarter leapt 22 places this year in Estrella Damm’s ‘Top 100 Gastropubs’ list, coming in at a very respectable no. 72. The 15th-century building was taken over by Sean Hughes and family a decade ago, with John Searle overseeing the expertly sourced pub grub featuring specialities such as dairy cow rib and fresh Cornish fish.

“Another local winner from Lussmanns” – “a small independent group of restaurants in Hertfordshire” (and, as of late, London’s leafy Highgate) “with an emphasis on sustainability”. This “always reliable” outpost is “convenient for the Abbey but off the main tourist trail” and occupies an “interesting and well-decorated” building with a glass roof (“unusual for the group”, which favours more historic surrounds) plus a “courtyard when the weather is kind”.

This “good neighbourhood Turkish restaurant” – which serves a “nice variety of interesting dishes” using “fresh and high-quality ingredients” – celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. It now has spinoffs in Berkhamsted and Harpenden – the latter “attracting a younger crowd than usual for Harpenden, which gives it the sort of buzz which is rare in these parts”.

A “buzzy” atmosphere and “welcoming service” are the strong suits of this “expanding group”, with 16 branches in London and another handful nearby. While nobody disputes that they’re “lovely to sit in” and offer “value for money”, the “Middle-Eastern-inspired cooking” divides opinion, with some reporters “pleasantly surprised by the tasty food” and others bemoaning “underwhelming” dishes that “sound better than they taste”.

“Hard to park”, but Chris & Amanda Lillitou’s “great little country pub” not far from Beaconsfield has “a superior food menu” thanks to Amanda’s Tante Claire training. You can have a burger, a ploughman’s or a 1/2 pint of prawns, but most of the bistro-esque menu, while avoiding any pretentiousness, is too sophisticated to be termed pub grub.

In the safe hands of Phil Thompson (whose CV includes becoming Head Chef at the Auberge du Lac at age 24), this decade-old venture continues to do the casual fine-dining thing with aplomb. Reporters “like that there are a number of small rooms” in which to dine (upstairs is the main restaurant, and there’s also an airy conservatory opening onto the Victorian-style courtyard), while the “imaginative cooking” is “creative and beautifully presented” too, whether you opt for the set menus (£55 or £69 per person for two or three courses) or fancier tasting menu (£95 or £115 per person for five or seven courses).

A “classic English pub” that advertises itself as Britain’s oldest no less, and whose 900-year-old walls have welcomed more than their fair share of TV and film crews (‘The Theory of Everything’, ‘Hot Fuzz’ and ‘Midsomer Murders’ were all shot there, the latter lending its name to their chicken pie). The menu takes in hearty soups, steaks and other pubby fare – and “what a fab atmosphere – it makes the food taste better”. Top Tip – if you want to compensate for the calories, the location offers “good post-meal walking options across fields and woods”.

This village gastroboozer was taken over by Terry Wogan’s daughter Katherine and her husband Henry back in 2011 and “what a local” it still is, turning out “always superb food” (“Sunday lunch is amazing”) that’s “great value” too. Having called time on its elder sibling The White Oak in Cookham in 2024, after failing to renegotiate the lease (the new regime there is the Brucan Pubs group), this “top-notch gastropub” is now the couple’s only focus.

Entering its fifth year since its founding in 2019, Daniel Crump & Margriet Vandezande- Crump’s converted coaching inn continues to dazzle with its all-round excellence (and was sensibly rewarded by the AA as their 2024/5 ‘Restaurant of the Year’). It’s not a gastropub, but “an outstanding fine-dining restaurant”, where you can eat à la carte or there’s a tasting menu for £95 per person. “You notice the service from the second you arrive. It isn’t a surprise to find the same staff there, year on year, as they have careers and are developed as professionals. The food is always of the highest quality with a very accomplished kitchen” led by head chef George Sweeney. A very large proportion of locals said it delivered their best meal of the year and it is now one of the top-100 most commented-on destinations outside London in our annual diners’ poll.

This Wembley fixture (with spinoffs in Hatch End and Kingsbury) is best known for its all-you-can-eat Indian vegetarian buffet with a choice of 45 items, including an Indo-Chinese selection with dishes such as chilli paneer. The family-owned business started out 40 years ago as a market stall.

“Individual and with lots of character” – Frederic Desmette’s lovely little French/Belgian restaurant where “the chef greets, cooks and often serves the nicest food”. Its loyal fan club continue to enjoy it and rate it highly, saying “it‘s always a pleasure to visit!” Top Menu Tip – “best scallops ever, fabulous turbot and amazing salmon”.