London Hammersmith Restaurant Guide

In an anonymous-looking Hammsersmith parade of shops, this Keralan café is a particularly notable “hidden gem” – “when it comes to authentic, deft, southern Indian cooking for a minimal bill, Shilpa sure hits the spot” and is “unbelievable value”. A word of caution: “it’s anything but an exciting place”: it’s all about the “genuine cooking”.

“The best kimchi in London” – apparently “voted by the South Korean Embassy!” – is found at this drab-looking stalwart, near Ravenscourt Park tube. Despite the name, the place is Korean-owned and run – and it’s the “fantastic Korean dishes” that garner the plaudits this year: “sweet, savoury, spicy and with generous portions”. But the Japanese dishes are also excellent and “service is always personal”.

Near Hammersmith’s un-lovely town hall, this sizeable ‘pub & pantry’ has a particularly attractive dining area, looking onto its large garden, and you can also eat in the large bar. Even those who feel “there’s not a great menu choice” say a meal here is “an OK experience”.

An “interesting wine list” is backed up by “reliable and quite imaginative food” at this modern and “very friendly” wine bar (with a sunny terrace) on a leafy Hammersmith corner. Wines are available pre-paid and by the glass to encourage experimentation, and can be bought by the bottle from the attached shop. There’s another branch in Kensington.

After a “welcome return” and revamp following an extended period of closure, this stalwart of Hammersmith’s restaurant row (est 1972) continues to provide a “very relaxing” setting for chef Rafiq’s consistently “enjoyable” curries.

“The perfect pub” – this “brilliant all-round” hostelry, in a leafy sidestreet near Ravenscourt Park, is one of London’s top gastropubs: a status it’s maintained for two decades now. Its “seasonal” cooking is “unfussy but universally well-prepared and tasty”, “the wine list is very reasonable, there’s great cask beer” and it’s “always full and humming”. Service has had its ups and downs over the years: “it’s better than ever” at present: “friendly but not overwhelming”. Top Tip – “T-bone night is fantastic and exceptional value”.

A short stroll from un-lovely Hammersmith Broadway, this atmospheric pub (with outside terrace) surprises with its characterful style and quality cooking. “It’s getting busier and busier during the week, but weekends can be surprisingly quiet”.

A “great”, “traditional pub” in a cute warren of Hammersmith backstreets, which has been somewhat gentrified by successive managements, but which has ‘kept it real’ as a community boozer better than most. Steak is the top tip on the “good value” menu.

2019 Review: History is in the air at this riverside pub, down a cute Hammersmith alley, and with fine views from the small Thames-side terrace. Feedback is enthusiastic about its “fantastic” pub scoff, but the marvellous characterful interior is the big deal here.