Rickmansworth, Fish & Seafood Restaurant Guide

Three and a half decades since the Andreou family first opened doors, this local fixture (nowadays there’s also a take-away offshoot in Bushey Heath), remains of note for its “consistently good” catch — especially the fish ‘n’ chips, which are a feature of the £16.95 two-course set lunch; there are fans, too, of their gluten-free Mondays.

2024 Review: “The fish is always fresh and the staff are friendly” at this “good local fish ’n’ chip place” that has been a fixture in Finchley for three decades. “Best fish and chips in London?” – probably not, but just what you want in your neighbourhood.

“Freshest fish” from Grimsby and “wonderful chips” are the hallmarks of this “reliable stalwart of Finchley” – a “friendly and fast-service” family-run Turkish chippy, which opened in 1998. Some regulars, though, feel it’s “a shame they reduced the size of the restaurant (it’s now cramped and doesn’t feel quite as nice)”.

This “underrated” fixture near Swiss Cottage has long been a “the best place to eat before a show at the Hampstead Theatre”, and is perhaps greater than the sum of its parts. It has won a big fan club over the years, who say it’s also “good enough to return to away from a show for other celebrations” – “the fish always makes people happy and the set menu is a good deal: what’s not to like?”. Simon Bradley (who runs it with his wife Jacinta) has been cooking here for 33 years and even those who feel the food is “not spectacular” – and who keep the ratings in check – still acknowledge that it’s “so much better than any of the alternatives locally”.

“A cut above the average chippy” for several decades – this stalwart Muswell Hill fixture was sold in 2024 to the Herts-based Chesterford Group, a century-old family firm with 38 fish’n’chip shops across southern England. “The change of ownership, while widely lamented, has actually given a bit of a fillip to an offering that was getting a bit relaxed” – “the chips seem better, maybe more frequent oil changes”, while “the fish is as fresh as you’d hope from a place with such a high turnover”. It’s “not just your usual fish shop classics” here: “grilled and gluten-free” options are available, and “the wine list is OK, too”. Top Menu Tip – “the grilled plaice fillets are truly magnificent”.

This “long-established Brittany-French restaurant” is “much loved in Richmond for its good food – galettes, seafood and the rest”, “amazing value” and “decent (if sometimes hectic) service”. Its sale two years ago by founder Lindsay Wotton, who ran it for 35 years, has not dented its appeal.

For “boozy lunches and elbows-on-the-table guzzling”, Tom Conran‘s Irish-themed ‘Guinness-and-oysters’ pub on the fringe of Notting Hill is hard to beat; and a pint plus a pint of prawns or other seafood platter helps fuel the excellent craic. In addition to plentiful crustacea, there’s a solid choice of “good food done well”, with a separate menu in the cute and tiny upstairs dining room.

“Try to get a window table by the canal” if you visit this “lovely venue”, which has a “great setting right on the water” in Little Venice. Appropriately, it serves a mainly fish menu – and results remain consistently well-rated. The jauntily themed interior complete with open kitchen is very pleasant too, lit partially by large sky-lights.

For a relatively “cheap ’n’ cheerful” meal, but in a ‘proper’ restaurant and “out of the Portobello Market crush”, this “great neighbourhood Italian” just off Notting Hill Gate continues to come recommended. “The pizza’s delicious, but there’s also good fish” as hinted at by the large tank in the dining room. In summer, there’s a brilliant front terrace for making the most of the weather. (“Was taken by an Italian friend and the food was well up to reputation”.)

“The view over the Thames makes it worth the voyage” to this outpost of TV-Rick’s empire (in reality, run by his ex-wife and sons) near Barnes Bridge – but only “if you’re lucky enough to be seated by the windows” – “otherwise it never seems quite to live up to the reputation of a famous name”. The food can be “good”, but “of course it is not cheap”, and too often it is “disappointingly ordinary” – “you’re paying for the name and location, not the food”. More than 50 years after opening his first restaurant in Padstow, the TV chef’s family is reportedly planning to open a venue in central London: no news on the location as of summer 2025.

“Just what Richmond needed!” – this “stunningly decorated” and “buzzy” three-year old “has a wonderful site by the Thames” and is “proving a valuable asset to the area”, especially as a “date-night go-to” for a taste of “pure opulence”; and in warmer weather “its roof terrace makes for a superb sunset dining experience (as long as it’s not raining!)”. In terms of its seafood cuisine, fans say it’s “expensive, yes, but serves excellent quality fish, with service all splendidly orchestrated by Pierre, the general manager”. Critics of the place agree with a lot of the above description, but for them the experience is nevertheless “unquestionably overpriced” for food in particular that’s “very average” (“better than much in Richmond, but still not great!”).

Chris D’Sylva’s latest project – this tiny, 10-seater Notting Hill sushi bar launched in May 2025 opposite his phenomenally successful Dorian (see also) and here he channels his learnings from his earlier Japanese debuts nearby, Urchin and Tuna Fight Club. The early word on the street is excited, and in his June 2025 review, The Standard’s David Ellis couldn’t have raved much more if he’d tried (“This is fish better than I have ever had it in London…”; “this is London’s best sushi, and a restaurant to go toe-to-toe with any other”). Reports please!

“A lovely room and great outside seating” ensure this two-year-old Notting Hill spin-off from Chelsea’s Wild Tavern is “clearly an ‘in’ place”. On the minus-side – the “so-so food” (raw bar plus mainly Italian dishes) leaves most reporters feeling it’s a “triumph of style over substance” given the “crazy prices”. Founders George Bukhov-Weinstein & Ilya Demichev are the duo behind the Goodman and Burger & Lobster chains.

“An unexpected find in Hammersmith” – this “classy” seafood yearling continues to thrive despite an unpromising site right on the trafficky Broadway roundabout. “The fish is so fresh”, “excellently cooked and not exceedingly expensive”; and “the menu changes depending on what’s available at the market” (“we found ourselves comparing food notes with the next table!”). It’s run by a team with a number of seafood ventures around town, and executive chef Ollie Bass launched a Faber seafood counter at the Rosewood hotel’s Holborn Dining Room in summer 2025.

“A wonderful fish venue, although it’s very sad that the Paddington branches closed down” – this “friendly” fishmonger plus fish and seafood restaurant in Swains Lane, by Hampstead Heath, has survived the closure of its floating siblings in W2 (which traded for almost a decade). “The menu is limited, but it’s reliable with good daily specials, plus a great wine selection at fair prices”.