West Byfleet, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

This comfortably decorated national chain feels akin to dining in a hotel, but minus the bedrooms; and its two London branches – near the Tower and in Putney – benefit from attractive Thames-side locations, where “it’s lovely to sit outside on a warm day by the river, or year-round in one of their igloo pods”. “There’s a warm fire inside with cosy armchairs”, too, which make the venues “fine for coffee or snacks”, although for more substantial meals “the food is only OK”.

This red-brick steak restaurant and bar is part of the carnivorous, three-strong Rare Breed Dining group, with its own in-house smokery and butcher overseeing prime cuts of meat (part of a trendy package that also includes on-site wreath- and candle-making classes); results from the menu (relayed via daily specials boards) are “tasty” and there’s a “lovely outdoor area for al-fresco dining in summer”.

This independently owned and run pub just off the Thames Path serves “first-class, chef-quality cooking at chain-pub prices, with a great menu for all occasions” – “you don’t find many pub-restaurants full on a Tuesday lunchtime, but this one is for good reason”. “They even make gravies from scratch for each Sunday roast and their own desserts!”

“A well-deserved success for the RHS” – this large venue at their Wisley HQ provides a “glorious setting for lovely lunches”. The gardens are hugely popular all year round, so it’s “always advisable to book”. Top Tip – “don’t forget, you do need to pay to enter the gardens in order to eat at the restaurant” (about £20 per adult).