Patchetts Green Restaurant Guide

“A stalwart in a desert for decent cooking” that’s still recommended after 25 years “under Alfonso La Cava’s friendly eye” and where there’s some “delicious food” to be had (be it light lunches, à la carte dinners or a newer set menu); afternoon tea is served in the recent (by the venue’s standards) Betsy’s Tearoom, which launched in 2018.

2021 Review: “Just reopened and even better than before”, this ultra-lux country-house hotel has an unusual ‘high-concept’ buffet-style dining room inspired by Asian food halls, with chefs cooking at eight ‘live action food stations’ (robata grill, seafood, tandoor oven et al), from which guests choose as much as they want. It’s not fine dining, but it is good-value in its way and it’s something-for-everyone style suits entertaining or a family get-together.

2022 Review: “Great fish ’n’ chips” are the hallmark of the Andreou family's fixture (also with a Bushey Heath offshoot) which marked its thirtieth birthday with an expansion not too long ago. Nowadays, they do gluten-free Mondays too.

An all-you-can-eat buffet – with options at breakfast, lunch and dinner – is a longstanding feature of this no-frills veggie veteran: a family business that started out as a market stall in 1984. It also offers an à la carte menu, which includes a significant Indo-Chinese section. No alcohol, so knock yourself out on the array of milkshakes and lassis. (It also has offshoots in Hatch End and Kingsbury).

“Prime manages to feel special and cosy all at once” – a family-friendly steak specialist where the main event is dry-aged on the bone and “not cheap but well worth it” for a “special occasion choice”. This branch recently added a new canopied gin garden with heating in winter, and you can also check out a trio of siblings in St Albans, Beaconsfield and Berkhamsted.

“Gourmet cooking at reasonable prices in a delightful village pub” encapsulates the appeal of this five-year-old venture from well-travelled chef James Harkin, whose parents ran the Alpine Restaurant in nearby Bushey for 48 years, and his partner Magda. The menu mixes pub classics with more refined Italian dishes.

The original in a small family-owned group specialising in sushi that is “always quick and super-fresh, with great presentation and delicious”. Brothers Jason & Adam Balsam launched the business in 2015, hiring Japanese chefs in their mission to bring high-quality sushi at reasonable prices to the north London ’burbs. Branches have followed in West Hampstead, Mill Hill, Cockfosters and most recently Hatch End.

A former lockdown project that has graduated via pop-ups to a permanent site with an enthusiastic social media following. Featured in the Sunday Times for its New Haven-style pizzas, cooked at low temperatures for a light crust and with a concise choice of toppings.