Ashtead, International Restaurant Guide

Lovely river views are a big draw to this bar and brasserie, whose glass-walled dining room and (above all) coveted terrace enjoy a “great” setting on the Thames near Teddington Lock. The modern European cooking (more “competent” than it is exciting, perhaps) nods to the location with plenty of fish and shellfish alongside afternoon teas – and, given the superb location and “friendly” staff (they also lay on regular jazz nights) it’s a decidedly useful sort of space.

This “fantastic” Earlsfield venture offers ‘vegan soul food’ that is both “incredible value” and full of “lovely, interesting flavours” (“would never even have known it was vegan!”). Founded by school friends Arvin Suntaramoorphy and Shyam Kotecha, it takes an ethical approach to business, allowing guests to pay less if they are unsatisfied, and feeding the penniless for free in return for a couple of hours’ labour. There’s a spinoff branch in Honor Oak Park.

Proximity to Richmond Park – a large terrace for sunny days – and a comfortable, attractive interior help justify the ongoing inclusion of this eighteenth-century Fuller’s pub, near Sheen Gate. In other respects, its ratings remain resolutely ordinary.

Overlooking Wandsworth Common, John Brinkley’s local venue offers “pleasant if unremarkable” cuisine and benefits from his knowledge of wine – “more quiet than the one at Hollywood Road but a great place to have a nice relaxed dinner”.

Brunching families by day, couples sipping cocktails by night are drawn to Lorraine Angliss’s cute all-day local, which is celebrating its quarter century this year. Key to its appeal is the site – a cosily decorated corner in the picturesque heart of charming Strand-on-the Green (but with no river views). This was Lorraine’s first venture: her empire now includes four other places under the Little Bird and Rock & Rose brands.

“Delicious amuse bouche and melt-in-the-mouth guinea fowl!” – Nathan Cornwell’s “exciting” cooking provided numerous reporters with their best meal of the year at this Chiswick venue, which owner Tim Price is working hard to put on London’s culinary map. One challenge is the anonymous location: a very pleasant but slightly uneventful space, easily missed amidst the jumble of chain-restaurants and furniture stores on Chiswick’s high street.

“A very good neighbourhood gastropub” – this Hammersmith backstreet boozer is no longer No. 1 on TripAdvisor (as it was several years ago), to the great relief of the local residents. The relatively new management are “really helpful” and the “no-nonsense pub grub” is much jazzier than under previous regimes. Top Menu Tip – “Sunday lunch is very good with lots of families happily munching into a roast”.

This well-known pub makes the most of its stunning location in a Regency square in Kensington, with a “lovely terrace at the front for summer evenings” – and (if you can bag one) “the tables at the back are not too noisy even when the place is packed” (ie. always). Apparently it is Piers Morgan’s favourite pub, where he has invited everyone from Meghan Markle to the celeb cronies he entertains at his annual Christmas drinks.

The old car park behind Borough Market is now a covered street-food zone with about 15 different stalls – “I know it’s a bit of a tourist trap these days, but there’s still something about walking around, grabbing something new to try, or just hitting your old favourite”.

In a dramatic modern pavilion in Chelsea’s Duke of York Square, this “buzzy and fun” venue (named after the Romany travelling wagon) boasts “plenty of outside seating” and is a particular summer favourite. Food-wise, it takes its cue from the Caravan group it is part of, delivering a global menu of “innovative” sharing plates (“interesting choices for most palettes and to suit those with food intolerances”).

In the traditional heart of posh Chelsea, this Sloaney backstreet boozer is nowadays part of Butcombe Inns, whose four siblings in the capital likewise occupy nice properties in expensive postcodes. With its small garden and cute dining room with retractable roof, it wins solid ratings but nothing like the attention it once enjoyed, and is primarily recommendable as a relatively affordable fallback in this pricey bit of town.

“An institution that’s been there forever” (well, since 1964) – this “fun, local bistro” is a “go-to in Pimlico for ‘cheer-you-up’ comfort food” from a menu that has barely changed over the decades (moules marinière, fish pie with piped potato, calves’ liver and bacon, crème brûlée). The original wood panelling is unchanged, and “the very friendly team have also been there since the dawn of time!”

Evocative Edwardian tiling – dating from 1904 – and a sympathetic revamp from David Collins studio maintains this “bustling” gold-hued, Grade II period interior as one of London’s traditional gems. It was relaunched in October 2023, with six outlets. None of them is for value-seekers, but such limited feedback as we have suggests that pushing the boat out for Sushi by Masa (from NYC celeb chef Masayoshi Takayama) is justified: “the exquisite delicacy of the sushi, hand-rolled at the counter in front of you, means Masa’s three-star New York reputation is intact” (eat à la carte or there’s an £80 fixed menu). It’s a better bet than a trip to the adjacent Kerridge’s Fish ’n’ Chips (which can seem “shockingly expensive”).

Mathew & Charmaine Tabatabai’s chic little Bayswater ‘brunch café’ ticks the boxes for tasty (and healthy) daytime treats with specialty coffee, and is a “lovely place to sit and people-watch” as the denizens of Westbourne Grove pass by.

A “useful pitstop for a quick bite while out in the West End” – this food hall at the foot of Centre Point is, say fans, “so much better than similar places where there’s a disorganised queue for food”: here, “you order on your phone from your table, and a waiter brings your food from whichever stall you have picked”. As for the food, “the variety is great” from some high-quality names, “but the quality is less consistent” – and “the noise can be just too much”. Similar feedback too on its year-old, 500-seat sibling at Battersea Power Station, whose 13 different brands “provide great choice but are quite pricey”. Backers the all-conquering JKS Restaurants look like they are onto a commercial winner in both places, but (inevitably?) neither site has lived up to the fooderati hype that’s accompanied both launches.

Some “all-round superb” meals thanks to chef Leonard Kola win praise from fans of this “lovely” neighbourhood venue in East Sheen, a couple of whom had their best meal of the year here. The menu is quite eclectic, with some focus on steak and seafood grills, plus seafood and vegetarian curries. Top Tip – early evenings and daytimes at weekends there are set deals from £22 per person.

“Not a place for a posh dinner, but lip-smackingly good tucker and a fun night out” – that’s the deal at Brian Danclair’s vibrant small gaff “in the heart of Brixton Village Market”, close to his Fish Wings & Tings. The menu is “super-tasty”, often with a Jamaican twist; and “you get a very warm welcome from the boss”.

Near the entrance to Battersea Power Station in an attractive, spacious new unit, this South African all-day cafe beamed down at the very end of 2023. Specials include a pork schnitzel fried in corn flakes, healthy salads and in-house twists on familiar cocktails. The Evening Standard’s Jimi Famurewa was very impressed by brunch here in his February 2024 review (“I cannot see a universe where most of us will not be charmed by the gloss, rigour and sun-warmed generosity of Tashas”). Some of our initial feedback agrees saying it’s “hit the ground running and very good in every respect”. Not everyone’s impressed, though, with the odd report of “disappointing” food and service that’s “unconcerned”.