Broadgate Restaurant Guide

2023 Review: “Completely consistent… they still do the best ever Pizza Napoletana” – this huge Italian ‘Ristorante & Pizzeria’ just outside Preston was opened in 1985 and has grown over the years to house 300 guests in one sitting, of whom about a third are in a striking glazed extension, complete with al fresco terrace.

2021 Review: This large, modern roadside outfit, just off the M6 near Preston, has established an enviable reputation for its “well cooked, authentic Indian food” over the last 15 years. “Pity it looks rather like a works canteen”. Important to note: it is alcohol free.

Victor Yu’s “exceptional” Ribble Valley landmark celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, serving delicious Cantonese meals with a real sense of occasion. “Love this place, service is brilliant and Victor is an absolute star”, say fans – “the tasting menu offers something for everyone; it’s expensive, but worth it”.

“A beacon of hospitality and gastronomy in the desert of the Fylde” – “the Beaume family’s quirkily decorated riverside inn” is “a great example of what can be done in a pub with rooms to make it interesting” (and incorporates a deli, art gallery, farm shop, plus greenhouses for all-year dining). Amidst the selection of hearty yet enticing dishes, “there’s lots of good stuff”. Top Tips – “the French Onion Soup is still the best I’ve had, and oxtail suet pudding is always impressive. And if you can get one of the tables with a river view, you may get to see the striking sight of the river changing direction when the tide starts coming in. If you are very, very lucky, you may even see the tail end of the Wyre Bore”.

2023 Review: “Simplicity” combines with “top quality” at Carlow-born Breda Murphy’s deli-restaurant, a popular destination in the Ribble Valley since 2006 for her Anglo-Irish home-style cooking. “At first it feels overly conservative, but every dish is perfectly cooked, often with a small and interesting twist such as thick-cut lime and soy-cured salmon.”

This “buzzy and consistent” brasserie at a stylish modern hotel and wedding venue offers “excellent service and good food”, with an eclectic menu that stretches from “delicious steaks and fish ’n’ chips” to sushi and other Asian delights, then back to comforting domestic desserts including chocolate mousse and fruit crumble.

“Set in a tiny hamlet in Lancashire’s Ribble Valley”, Steve Smith’s “fine-dining destination disguised as a pub with rooms” is one of the top 50 most commented-on destinations outside London in our annual diners’ poll. “The food is superb, and the wine list well chosen” and it’s all served “in an easygoing atmosphere… you can even take the dog!” Even amongst fans, though, opinions divide sharply over the level of value it provides: what is “very fair” to some is – to others – becoming more borderline (“I know everything is more expensive now, but sadly this is now in the sphere of me not being able to justify the expense”).

2021 Review: “A top option on the Fylde coast” – Paul Moss and Caroline Upton’s well-established and jazzily decorated bar/restaurant near Blackpool only attracted limited feedback last year, but still good all-round.

This “great French bistro” is a true family affair from the Vérité family, with owners Marc & Michaela nowadays joined by their two sons; “there is always a great choice of imaginative seasonal dishes, expertly cooked and well-presented”, and the “recently acquired adjacent premises” (Petite Verité, a bar/overspill area for the restaurant) is also a “welcome addition”.

“Went here after reading Jay Rayner’s Nov 2022 review. Superb!” – this no-frills café near the Central Lancashire University campus (from Hong Kong natives Fai Tsang and her husband, Wai) is “very much a café rather than a restaurant but you can (need to) book”, thanks to brilliant Cantonese cooking that’s worth rolling up your sleeves for. Top Menu Tip – “The roast duck and siu yuk are delicious with the crisp skin contrasting the tender meat. Soy chicken is very flavourful and the brisket tender, tasty and well spiced”.

This crowd-pleasing pub once served as a hospital, but since its takeover and refurb’ by the Brunning & Price group some years back, it’s now a proper country gastroboozer (also with a handful of rooms); on the menu – high-quality British dishes abetted by some more exotic influences from around the world.