London Hammersmith Restaurant Guide

Near the building site also known as Hammersmith Town Hall, this large pub was given a very attractive re-fit several years ago. In recent times, the food has ‘gone Indian’ and initial reports say it’s a step up on its former typical gastropub offering. There’s a “lovely garden” too, which now has a shisha menu if that’s your bag.

“Great-value South Indian vegetarian food at its best” is served at this long-running group with venues in Covent Garden, Fitzrovia, Hammersmith and Harrow. “Not at all your typical Indian restaurants”, they serve “food to convince that vegetarian and vegan cooking is good”, made with “fresh ingredients, lightly spiced and producing great flavours” – so “don’t let the decor put you off!”. Top Tip: “the dosas are a must”.

This veteran group has served up “authentic Japanese food” – “always fresh, tasty and beautifully presented” – for four decades, at its half-dozen “basic” (ignore the “tired” decor) but “extremely reliable and good-value” London diners. They “never disappoint”, with “consistently excellent sashimi and sushi, using really high-quality fish”. Venues stretch from Hammersmith via Notting Hill to Soho, Covent Garden and Holborn, while the Golders Green branch adds shabu-shabu to the menu. The group also operates Tonkotsu-ya Ramen on Bond Street. Top Tip: “miso eel is very good”.

“The ambience isn’t great”, but this inconspicuous South Indian café on Hammersmith’s busy King Street is “still a top, no-frills performer in a crowded local market”. “Service is very friendly” and it serves “gorgeous Keralan fare” that’s “always of the highest standard” and “finely spiced”, especially the “fresh vegetables”.

“If you want top-class Indian food, look no further” than Manoj Vasaikar’s “unremarkable-looking” and cramped neighbourhood spot near Ravenscourt Park tube. Open since 2005, it was touted, back in the day, as the late Michael Winner’s favourite curry house and all reports recommend its “interesting” dishes with “wonderful flavours”.

In November 2020, this gastropub-with-rooms newcomer (from the Big Smoke Brew Company) opened on a Hammersmith site formerly known as The Rook’s Nest, following extensive refurbishment. Eats are hearty, including smoked meats from the pub’s wood-fired Bertha oven, while at weekends, there’s bottomless brunch and Sunday roasts.

“Eclectic decor” (foliage, stuffed animals, antiques…) – “so quirky, I always love it!” – adds va-va-voom to these “cheap ’n’ cheerful” Thai cafés in W6. They make a great choice for a budget get-together, as “BYOB means a trip is excellent value”.

“The Chiswick High Road is not exactly a destination, but L’Amorosa is”. Andy Needham’s “superb neighbourhood Italian”, near Ravenscourt Park, is particularly known for its pasta and offers “great value for the quality of cooking”. Apparently, water damage through the roof in September 2020 added insult to injury during the pandemic, but a reopening in autumn 2021 is promised, complete with a full refurb. We have rated it on the basis of plus ça change…

Three minutes’ walk from downtown Hammersmith, this characterful pub – sibling to The Atlas in Earl’s Court – is worth knowing about for its dependable cooking, atmospheric style and lovely outside terrace.

“A pearl of a pub” in a cute Hammersmith backstreet – much less foodie than the Anglesea Arms about five minutes away, but the epitome of a true local, and “with one of the finest pints of Fullers to be had anywhere”. “Pub-standard food is produced with style and care”, if no huge culinary pretentions. “A winner!”.

What a backstory! Jazz musician Tim Thornton lost his income in the pandemic and, with the help of his wife, sold pizza to bring in cash. Being in West London, it was (naturally!) from a special, low-GI mix for the bases, alongside some upscale toppings (Stichelton blue cheese, crispy cured pig cheek, etc). And now he’s opened his own pizza caff, opposite King Street W6’s Tesco Metro, on a site that was formerly Piate (RIP). Most reports are out-and-out raves: “it rocks” thanks to its “delicious toppings and great ingredients”.

“Tucked away” in a backstreet off Hammersmith’s St Peter’s Square, this “top-end gastropub” is “a great place to chill out and eat better-than-average pub food”, especially in summer when the “glorious, spacious back garden” really comes into its own. Even a reporter who – unusually – said the food “didn’t quite hit the mark” thought the experience was “good value and well worth a return”.

“Eclectic decor” (foliage, stuffed animals, antiques…) – “so quirky, I always love it!” – adds va-va-voom to these “cheap ’n’ cheerful” Thai cafés in W6. They make a great choice for a budget get-together, as “BYOB means a trip is excellent value”.

“A wonderful addition to this part of London” – Sam Harrison’s “sparkling” recent arrival (it opened in late 2019) is a real “class act”. “Beautifully designed” for somewhere outside the centre of town, it sits at the back of the newly revamped Riverside Studios, with Hammersmith Bridge in the background and a cute covered terrace to the side. The deluxe brasserie fare is “carefully sourced” and “intelligently cooked” but it’s the all-round experience created, not least, by the unusually “genuine and warm welcome” that seals the “fun atmosphere”, and which makes it “a great choice for a special night out”. “It just puts a smile on my face...”

“Vegetarian food which will silence a complaining carnivore (i.e. me)” typifies the high enthusiasm for Michael and Adrian Daniel’s stalwart veggie chain, particularly the quirkily located original (complete with “lovely courtyard”) behind Hammersmith’s Eventim Apollo, which fans credibly claim “has probably been the best place in London to go meat-free for ages”. Of the other branches, the newest St John’s Wood outlet (opened in 2019) inspires most interest, while the Sadler’s Wells and Seymour Place branches in particular are often ignored by reporters. In every case, though, the cuisine generally inspires compliments such as “interesting” or “very acceptable”.

“Uncompromising and authentic northern Thai cooking that pulls no punches in terms of chilli heat and flavour” is the draw to this “basic, no-frills” family canteen near Stamford Brook Tube that has attracted a cult following. The Isaan dishes from northwest Thailand are complemented by southern Thai seafood by ‘Auntie Bee’, offering a remarkably wide range of cuisines. “Very tasty but a bit limited with its portions, which partly accounts for its very reasonable prices”.

“Some really interesting menu options that are a bit different from the average Indian”, help distinguish these colourful street-food cantinas, which added a third Ealing branch in January 2020. “The owners and waiting staff are very friendly and helpful” and “although conditions are a little cramped”, dishes are “delicious” and “good value-for-money”.

“The Anglesea delivers on all fronts” – with its “glorious gastropub fare”, “great wine list”, “very friendly service” and “good local vibe”; and it’s regularly ranked as one of London’s better hostelries. Its quiet location, in a leafy sidestreet near Ravenscourt Park (with small outside terrace) adds further to its appeal. What’s more, “they make that extra effort. Why can’t more pubs be like this?”.