London Richmond Restaurant Guide

“Lovely views of the Thames” and “fabulous food” combine to make this Richmond boutique hotel dining room “difficult to beat”. The “exceptional tasting menu you can adapt to as many courses as you want” – from highly rated chef Steven Edwards (who owns etch in Brighton) – can be enjoyed “at a window table overlooking the river”, “on the terrace or in a garden dome”.

2022 Review: “A real boon in Richmond”, run by exotically named founder Sudden Alberts, also behind Atithi in Twickenham. With its “delicious” Indian cuisine (“we particularly like the vegetarian side dishes”) and “prompt and perfect” service (“nothing is too much to make the customers happy”) it’s proclaimed something of a “hidden gem” by all who comment on it.

2019 Review: “A vegan surprise” not far from Richmond Bridge – this “fantastic”, simple, little café has a “lovely atmosphere” and provides food that’s “all healthy and cooked on-site” – “tasty and you feel good!”

“Authentic Breton galettes and cider, and excellent seafood” are the USP at this “cheap ’n’ cheerful” bistro near Richmond Bridge, which celebrates its 35th anniversary this year. As an independent, it stands out in an area increasingly dominated by chains.

2021 Review: “An excellently seasoned burger” is typical of the “big portions of rather tasty” food at this popular, “friendly and pleasantly appointed”, all-day modern bistro in Richmond. There are also (less commented-on) branches in Kew, Putney and Notting Hill.

2021 Review: “Always a surprise” – you get what you’re given (there’s no menu choice) at chef Riccardo Grigolo’s set-price Venetian feast in Richmond: an unqualified delight, with multiple courses of “amazing, delicious food” and “excellent service”, creating “an atmosphere rarely found elsewhere”.

2022 Review: This “lovely little Japanese restaurant with a very decent range” is a “very welcome option in Richmond”. Run by a Korean family, it has provided “sterling service” for 17 years.

2021 Review: “When all you want is an old-school burger”, these US-based arrivals of recent years really “hit the spot” – you can “build your own”, with “tons of accessories”; plus “seriously addictive fries”, “thick milkshakes”, and “more soda flavours than is reasonable”. “The eat-in experience is as depressing as McDonald’s”, though, in fact perhaps more so – “some branches have a strangely gloomy ambience” – but fans feel that “if you don’t mind 1980s-rock, a trip can still be surprisingly fun”.

“You know what you are getting” according to fans of this sub-brand, spin-off chain, whose ‘café’ branches are a cut below those trading as a ‘brasserie’. They laud its “acceptable” cooking and say, “it’s great to see how well the Ivy’s formula has been rolled out with very atmospheric décor”. Even fans of the “really nice buzz” inspired by these “costly surroundings” can find the food “pretty average” though. And harsher critics (of which there are many) say “what is the point of this expensive and dreadful group? They just demean memories of the original Ivy”. Top Tip – “really reasonable for breakfast with decent portions in a pleasant atmosphere” (and you can book in advance for it, too).

A “wonderful, smart, family-run Italian with imaginative cooking” (“not pizza and pasta!”) that’s an “ideal neighbourhood restaurant” for those living near St Margaret’s – “we’ve eaten here every three weeks since moving to the area almost a year ago, and there’s a constantly changing menu with high-quality presentation and service”. Top Tip – “the set-price lunch/early evening dinner is particularly good value”.

2022 Review: “A lovely pub on Water Lane leading down to the Thames: now more of a restaurant than a pub” – a smart refit now lends a brasserie vibe to the dining room at this traditional boozer, off Richmond’s picturesque waterfront. The makeover – in late 2019 – was by the Ram Pub Co, which is part of Youngs. Few reports as yet on the rather posh-for-a-pub menu (they serve a selection of oysters, for example), but early feedback says it’s “the food is good, especially the fish”, and for a comfy yet relaxed get-together you could do much worse than a trip here.

“Excellent views over the meadows and Thames” make this dining room of a grand Richmond hotel (built in 1865) “a lovely place for a romantic dinner”. Sunday lunch and afternoon tea are also popular choices. It’s “a bit of a time-capsule”, though, and even if prices have moved with the times, standards generally can be reminiscent of a former, less demanding, era.

“The coffee is the best!”, according to fans of this “zen” Scandi-style café in Fitzrovia, from an ambitious ethical importer and roastery that has won a clutch of barista awards in the five years since it was founded (including Top Coffee House at the Harden’s London Restaurant Awards 2021). The shop offers “light snacks such as cinnamon rolls and cakes” – and “everything is good, not just the coffee”. Their original venture, in Richmond, moved into a new address in summer 2022, and they also have kiosks in Shoreditch, King’s Cross and Sloane Square.

2019 Review: This ‘Food and Fuel’ gastroboozer with a Victorian bar remains a local staple for its “nice friendly ambience” and – amongst other things – “great steak, every time!” Stop Press: The Duke was acquired by Brunning & Price in August 2018, so perhaps change is afoot.

Not far from the Thames and Richmond High Street, the Gladwin family’s fifth field-to-fork venture (with food and wines from their farm in Sussex) inspires the promising but mixed reviews that seem to be part of the DNA of their chain. Some excellent meals were enjoyed, but the odd disappointment sounds a warning note.

“Delicious tapas with a view of the River Thames” from “a large open terrace” is going down a storm at the instantly popular, new Richmond branch of the well-known chain (occupying the prominent site that was formerly Jackson & Rye, RIP). Backed by the firm of wholesalers of the same name, the group has steadily grown from its Borough Market origins over the last 10 years, and fans feel “it’s exactly what you would expect from a place run by Spanish produce importers”. On the downside, though, there is a school of thought that “while the food’s done decently, it’s serviceable but unexciting”.

Not content with pimping ‘The Ivy’, Richard Caring is now setting about knocking off copies of the famous Mayfair seafood veteran, starting with this two-floor opening on the Richmond riverside. Finally, after months of wrangling, the planning objections of the original architect for the site have been overcome and it debuts in Autumn 2022. Open seven days a week, we are promised ‘the finest fish and shellfish alongside a variety of meat and seasonal game, in an atmosphere exuding urbane sophistication’. The lower floor will have a crustacea and Champagne bar and the upstairs bar will host DJs every Thursday to Saturday. Hmmm... the latter doesn’t sound at all like Scott’s Mayfair – couldn’t he have called it ‘The Ivy Seafood’, rather than knackering a second great name? Top Tip – a 32-cover terrace promises splendid al fresco dining.