Hatfield, Mediterranean - Restaurant Guide

“Delicious sharing plates” of Turkish food that is “so much more than you’d expect” (for instance, meat is sourced from the organic Rhug Estate in Wales) draws a steady crowd to this 10-year-old St Albans outfit and its spin-offs in Harpenden and Berkhamsted. “It gets really full and buzzy on a Saturday night – probably one to book well in advance”. Top Tip – “the staff cater brilliantly for allergens”.

“A consistently good local” from this indie group based in Hertfordshire and with a focus on sustainability – something they pioneered way before it became trendy, running their outposts on green energy and recycling all their waste. Handy for the High Street and the 11th-century cathedral and abbey church, the bright and airy three-floor venue offers “well-sourced, mostly local food” that’s also well priced: £20.95 for two courses, and £23.95 for three.

This enticing multi-cuisine spread at a country estate hotel near Watford is a real bargain at £74 per person (£94 per person on Friday dinner and at weekends) – “if I win the lottery I’ll be here every week”. There’s an impressive array of ‘stations’ to mix-and-match, from sushi, robata grill and Asian, via seafood, roast meats, live pasta, stone-baked pizza and salad bar to cheese & charcuterie, vegan and dessert. All-in-all, it makes for an experience that is entertaining and fun for all the family, if not necessarily very foodie.

“Superbly executed”, Mediterranean-inspired small plates “which change regularly” continue to win praise for this “really charming” basement spot, which is to be found in a picture-book Georgian terrace leading up to St John-in-Hampstead church. There’s also “a well-priced wine list including many options by the glass”.

2025 Review: The “Mediterranean/posh Greek” food is “consistently good” at this high-performing spot that is a “fantastic addition to Barnet High Street” – it’s “really buzzy on a Saturday night”, and “new specials are frequently added to the menu”. Former apprentice Gerry Sands was promoted to co-ownership by founder Louis Loizu at the age of just 21.

“You will want to lick the plate” if you brunch (the highpoint) at one of Yotam Ottolenghi’s inspired deli-cafés, whose creation in 2002 helped created the TV fame of the owner, and started to popularise the Middle Eastern-influenced cuisine that’s swept London and even now is seen as fashionable. The formula is little changed: “tasty, healthy and yummy dishes” that are “beautifully flavoured” but “a bit on the pricey side”. “Ottolenghi is the master of flavoursome veg (with more veg choices than at most non-veg restaurants)” and, in particular “the cakes are wonderful!”. (Also, “they’re great on allergens.”). On the downside, “space is tight” and the “ambience could be more relaxed”. There’s also a feeling in some quarters that “Yotam has become a brand and it shows”, with food that is “good but after a while same-y”.