Esher, 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 “great local restaurant” has notched up 25 years in Wimbledon Village, and “turns out far better food than you might expect from a local spot”. An “interesting menu” of Mediterranean-influenced dishes means it is frequently packed.

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.

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.

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.

“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.

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”.

“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”.

2022 Review: The World’s End – a huge Grade II listed late-Victorian gin palace that’s long been a landmark of the more distant stretches of Chelsea’s King’s Road – offers an ‘immersive’ experience nowadays, comprising basement ‘Bletchley’ Bar (1940s vibe), top-floor Chelsea Black Martini bar and a ground-floor restaurant. Initially branding as ‘Journey’ was replaced with ‘Jolie’ mid-lockdowns in autumn 2020 – a ‘salon’ serving French-inspired sharing plates and with bottomless brunch a big feature.

2022 Review: “Excellent value, especially set meals” (at what feels like 1980s prices) mean this age old Italian greasy spoon in Chelsea has a wider constituency than you might imagine.

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.

2021 Review: “Bright and airy”, traditional-ish gastroboozer (plus garden), off Clapham High Street, “reliably serving good food” (if not of a particularly ‘gourmet’ variety).

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 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.

2021 Review: A big outside terrace is a key feature of Charles Saatchi’s attractive gallery café, which overlooks the green next to Duke of York’s Square on the King’s Road. Foodwise, it is most recommended for its afternoon tea possibilities, but it’s tolerably rated for a light bite at other times too.

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”).

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.