Cobham, Fish & Seafood Restaurant Guide

This “long-established Brittany-French restaurant” is “much loved in Richmond for its good food – galettes, seafood and the rest”, “amazing value” and “decent (if sometimes hectic) service”. Its sale two years ago by founder Lindsay Wotton, who ran it for 35 years, has not dented its appeal.

“The view over the Thames makes it worth the voyage” to this outpost of TV-Rick’s empire (in reality, run by his ex-wife and sons) near Barnes Bridge – but only “if you’re lucky enough to be seated by the windows” – “otherwise it never seems quite to live up to the reputation of a famous name”. The food can be “good”, but “of course it is not cheap”, and too often it is “disappointingly ordinary” – “you’re paying for the name and location, not the food”. More than 50 years after opening his first restaurant in Padstow, the TV chef’s family is reportedly planning to open a venue in central London: no news on the location as of summer 2025.

These “huge American-style diners” win solid ratings for their rock’n’roll (and blues and country) delivery of a “meat-heavy menu”, washed down by bucket-loads of ice-cold beers or two-pint jugs of ‘slushy’ cocktails, designed for raucous partying. The “great-value surf ’n’ turf” and lunch deals go down well, too. The original Chelsea venue opened 35 years ago, and has been joined more recently by spinoffs in Covent Garden, Canary Wharf and Westfield Stratford.

2024 Review: “A wonderful display of fresh fish on ice” (“including the biggest scallops with the coral attached”) greets diners arriving at this “unique Italian” in a quiet corner of Kensington, whose “cooking is precise with a light touch”.

“Just what Richmond needed!” – this “stunningly decorated” and “buzzy” three-year old “has a wonderful site by the Thames” and is “proving a valuable asset to the area”, especially as a “date-night go-to” for a taste of “pure opulence”; and in warmer weather “its roof terrace makes for a superb sunset dining experience (as long as it’s not raining!)”. In terms of its seafood cuisine, fans say it’s “expensive, yes, but serves excellent quality fish, with service all splendidly orchestrated by Pierre, the general manager”. Critics of the place agree with a lot of the above description, but for them the experience is nevertheless “unquestionably overpriced” for food in particular that’s “very average” (“better than much in Richmond, but still not great!”).

“An unexpected find in Hammersmith” – this “classy” seafood yearling continues to thrive despite an unpromising site right on the trafficky Broadway roundabout. “The fish is so fresh”, “excellently cooked and not exceedingly expensive”; and “the menu changes depending on what’s available at the market” (“we found ourselves comparing food notes with the next table!”). It’s run by a team with a number of seafood ventures around town, and executive chef Ollie Bass launched a Faber seafood counter at the Rosewood hotel’s Holborn Dining Room in summer 2025.