Dartford Restaurant Guide

At Bolton's restaurant our philosophy is simple, we are inspired by the finest, freshest ingredients and the most authentic vibrant flavours. In Italian our culinary style is called alla Casalinga which means home-style cookery or as we like to say, "like mamma used to make." It...

TV chef Atul Kochhar’s smart subcontinental, in the SE London ‘burbs, is “still a joy” – the “delicious and succulent” cooking being “a far cry from the average Indian cuisine”. The two- or three-course weekend lunch attracted particular acclaim this year for its “excellent value” (“it was packed and I can see why!”).

Co-owner Guy Awford’s “brilliantly executed, classically inspired” cooking is well above “pub grub” standard, and has established this “well-maintained, upmarket” Georgian tavern as a leading option in Greenwich.

“Consistently delicious seafood” and a “lovely location” by St Katharine Dock have put this three-year-old securely on the map. The interesting wine list is strong on “Greek offerings” – thanks no doubt to co-founder Theodore Kyriakou, a veteran of Livebait and The Real Greek in the ’90s. Top Tip – “go on Wednesdays for the half-price wine”.

Situated in the heart of the City near Liverpool Street, Fazenda Bishopsgate spans across two floors in the thriving 10...

Meaty street-food dishes, smoked in an oven shaped like the boiler of an old steam engine, produce “fabulous food” in the “great setting” of Spitalfield Market. (In August 2023, they graduated to include a small unit with a few seats in the section of the market on Lamb Street.)

“The original Salt Yard in W1 used to be one of London’s best new tapas restaurants” – but it opened over 15 years ago and “the subsequent roll-out of the brand as multiple branches” under Urban Pubs & Bars “has seen quality drop quite a lot”. As “a pleasant option for well-produced Med-inspired dishes”, they maintain a fair number of fans, if without the pizzazz once conjured by the name. The year-old branch near the entrance to Westfield is the highest rated, and the newest near Borough Market is also seen as “a handy addition to the group”.

Our mission: make delicious pizza, served with care, in beautiful spaces.In the beginning we were just Matteo and Salvatore, two brothers from Calabria. We moved to Bologna to study economics, and – like all penniless students – ate a lot of...

This “beautiful old banking hall” in Threadneedle Street makes for a “decent business venue” in the heart of the City, with “a well-executed if limited Italian menu, and wines priced for expense accounts”. On a quiet evening, though, it can “lack atmosphere”.

2023 Review: “One of the original gastropubs still going strong” – this long-established destination is “a family favourite” for its sizable fanclub: a fifteenth-century picturesquely located inn, which has been owned and run by John and Christine Vereker’s family for over 75 years. “The food is excellent and service is energetic and welcoming”.

This neighbourhood Italian of almost 30 years’ standing in a Wapping warehouse conversion “never disappoints” with its food and service, but “it’s the lively atmosphere that really sells it”, drawing a “great mix of local families and couples just getting together”.

“If you are not planning a return to the office, the largest selection of whisky ever seen” helps round off a business lunch at this Canary Wharf branch of Ranald Macdonald’s Caledonian group. “The restaurant prides itself on good Scottish ingredients… shellfish in season… excellent fillet steak” and “tables are sufficiently spaced for private conversation”. Top Tip – “regular visitors may join a club which gives discounts on wines and they host musical events in the evenings”.

To its many fans, this “small place” off the gastronomic track in Honor Oak Park “remains the best Indian in South London”, and its “engaging staff” delivering “very different food with panache and skill”, “after almost 40 years”. “Unless you’re local, it’s not entirely easy to get to, but it’s well worthy of a journey.”

Dazzling views from the 48th-floor of a Canary Wharf tower help create a sense of occasion at this family-run, five-year-old Italian restaurant and ‘Sky Bar’. Its long menu of pasta, pizza, grills and other fare doesn’t inspire a huge volume of feedback, but the limited amount we have is all upbeat.

These “upscalish Italians” – part of an international chain – serve pizza, pasta and other lighter dishes, featuring the trademark ingredient. It can be that the “quality of the food is a pleasant surprise”; they inspired nothing but positive feedback this year.

“It’s so fun being on board a boat!” – this 120-year-old barge is moored in Hackney Wick, near the Olympic stadium, and is also surrounded by gardens providing an alternative backdrop to a meal. All reports agree on its “fantastic food and atmosphere”: there are a variety of menus, including tasting and group options, all featuring imaginative modern British dishes.

“Attractive Indians with a good range of different dishes” – Vivek Singh’s dynamic duo of affordable spin-offs from his celebrated Cinnamon Club inspire practically nothing but high praise. The long-established City outlet set inside a rather 1980s atrium development is “a solid option around Liverpool Street” (although at times “the cavernous interior can feel a bit odd and echoey”); the newer Battersea branch occupies a railway arch near the power station and feels “different” (in a good way).

At the award-winning Café Nucleus Rochester a warm welcome awaits. The continental café restaurant is set in one of Rochester’s grandest buildings, it offers a unique experience unrivalled.Winners of the 2021 Hospitality Business o...