Chertsey Restaurant Guide

“It’s more gastro than pub, but the ambience deliberately stops short of a full restaurant experience and so you can have great food in a more relaxed manner” at Mike Wall-Palmer & David Adams’s characterful old hostelry, which has been a feature of the high street since the sixteenth century. A feature highlighted for praise is the “exceptional value set lunch” (“delightful carpaccio of beef, sea bream in a delicious mussel sauce and a scrumptious dessert… top value!”). There’s also a simpler offering in the bar and courtyard.

“Lucky Chiswick!” – “You can’t go wrong with a meal at La Trompette in W4!” – which, like its south London stablemate Chez Bruce, is one of the most enduringly popular restaurants in our annual diners’ poll and likewise also one of the most consistent. True, the Covid years were more tricky than usual, but many reports agree they are “back to where they were pre- pandemic”. A “comfortable” space just off the high street, its atmosphere is that of a “neighbourhood restaurant” but a “very civilised” one at that. Greg Wellman’s cuisine is “expertly prepared” and “faultless every time”: “from the sourdough bread to begin to the warm soufflé that’s a favourite to finish, all from a seasonally changing menu which provides nice variety” and which “leaves you feeling well wined and dined at a good price”. Service is “always polite, friendly and professional” and has useful advice to give, including on the “well-priced wine list”. “I just wish it were a bit more central”, notes one fan… who visits it from Cheshire!! Top Tip – “now offering no corkage if you BYO on Sunday nights to add extra pleasure”.

“It’s very small and I don’t like the music they play… but the food is very good!” – Scott Hallsworth & Adam Hills’s “very small, but lively” duo of funky izakayas in Parsons Green and Balham. Ex-Nobu head chef, Aussie Hallsworth started ‘Freak Scene’ as a pop up, and it has evolved a “very interesting short menu”, with the focus in SW12 more on sushi and robata.

At 144 On The Hill, we celebrate bold flavours, the finest seasonal ingredients, and a touch of creative flair. Our menus change with the seasons, offering beautifully crafted dishes served in stylish surroundings. Dine in our swoon-worthy interiors, soak up the atmosphere on ...

“Lovely as ever and long may it continue” – Giancarlo & Katie Caldesi’s “welcoming” country venue (their flagship is in Marylebone) provides “wonderful Italian cooking”, including “silky-smooth homemade pasta” and “top-quality, tender calf’s liver in white wine”.

“The latest addition to the Dastaan stable” – Nand Kishor opened this new venue in autumn 2024: a debut that was not only “Surbiton’s No.1 food event of the year”, but comfortably the decade. “Every bit as good as the original (Dastaan), just in a more useful location – it’s much larger than its sibling and a bit of a noisily hectic venue – mostly because it’s so popular – the cooking is astounding (I occasionally feel like I’ve been punched in my face after a visit, and that’s meant entirely as a complement!)”. “The dining room is simple, colourful and that’s about it: very much ‘Home Counties curry house’. It’s the cooking that is very special, every sauce perfect” – “each dish is superb, the rice is world class (it’s the best Indian food I’ve ever had”). “At last, Andy Hayler has a reason to visit Surbiton!”

At Spice Village, we claim that every meal has a story. Interestingly, Spice Village itself has a fascinating story.The story of Spice Village is a story of taste, passion, and excellence exhibited by Nasir & Suleman, two immigrant brothers who journeyed to Lo...

Tapas Inspired by Spain and Lebanon What does Dar mean? It’s Lebanese for “lounge” and Spanish for the verb “to give”. And that’s a perfect combination with Spanish and Lebanese-inspired tapas as well as fine wines in a relaxed and convivial ambience. This new restaurant is un...

“We LOVE this restaurant. Use it for weddings, anniversaries, special occasions… it never disappoints!” – Eric & Sarah Guignard’s Gallic stalwart, 10 minutes walk from Surbiton station is “just the best neighbourhood restaurant” for its army of dedicated fans drawn from the inner London burbs, Surrey and beyond (some of whom have been coming since the place first opened in 2001). It is “a long thin room as it always has been” and perhaps “rather cramped”, but “year-in, year-out” the Gallic cuisine is “excellent”, “beautifully presented” and well-matched with “interesting wines”, all delivered by a “superb front of house crew” who “are very welcoming and remember preferences”. “Brilliant value all round”… “and great bread too at their ‘French Tarte’ patisserie” next door.

Gazzab is a celebration of indian fine dining in London. our philosophy is simple: to transform authentic indian recipes inro an elegant culinary journey. Each dish is crafted with the finest ingredients, plated with precision . From delicately spiced starters to signature mai...

An “unexpected find in a quiet location” – this “gorgeous olde worlde pub with delicious food” and big dining conservatory is to be discovered in a leafy suburban street near Richmond Park’s Sheen Gate; and is “a great all-rounder”, run by TV-chef owner Paul Merrett. Other features include six boutique bedrooms upstairs, and a large kid-friendly garden.

Apadana Restaurant is a 5 Star Award-winning chic restaurant that uses family-kept recipes to craft authentic, sumptuous Iranian classic dishes in the heart of London's trendy Kensington high street.Indulge your senses in our family kept recipes passed on for generation...

“Good for business or a Sunday lunch” – this boutique hotel on the Hammersmith Road is converted from the Victorian former premises of St Paul’s boys’ school and its smart, small dining room overlooks the adjoining park. A range of menus encompasses breakfast, afternoon tea and Sunday lunch and there’s a brasserie-style menu served at other times. Top Menu Tip – “one of the largest selections of Malt and specialist Whiskies I have found”… there are about 600 available.

Meimo's is one of Windsors finest restaurants Meimos Restaurant has an extensive menu with dishes that will suit all tastes and a friendly atmosphere. A real locals' favourite and definitely not a tourist-trap! With popular dishes such as Lamb or Chicken Tagine with exotic...

Run by Markos Tsimikalis and his family (who also run Spitalfields’ Hungry Donkey), this modern taverna near Holland Park station is hailed by its fans as an “excellent, innovative Greek restaurant”. Prices are far from bargain basement, but you are investing in top-quality supplies (meat from nearby Lidgates, for instance) and the cuisine is matched with “a fantastic wine list” – incorporating some hard-to-find vintages from Macedonia and islands such as Santorini; and with rarer vintages made more approachable by their new and novel policy of fixed rather than percentage wine mark-ups. Top Tip – Mezedes sharing menu, including a glass of Tsipuro, for £30 per person.

Ignore the “average curry house” looks: this place “turns out adventurous and seductive dishes as good as many of the Michelin-starred Indians”, offering “West End flavours at suburban prices”. It’s owner-operated by “lovely people” – chef Shilpa Dandekar, who trained under both Raymond Blanc and Quilon’s Sriram Aylur, and her husband Faheem Vanoo (although “now without their own day-to-day personal attention with the opening of their new restaurant in South Kensington, Pravaas”, see also). Top Menu Tip – “the best black daal”.

“Inventive” Japanese-inspired cuisine (including “great sushi”) wins praise from a big fan club for Robert & Pat Barnett’s “lovely” long-established venue, which is unusually glam and ‘West End-y’ for somewhere in the boonies of Parsons Green. Ever since its Mao Tai days (you’re dating yourself if you recall those) it’s had a forward-looking formula: currently this comprises sashimi, seafood tacos, tempura and kushiyaki and grills from the robata.