London Hammersmith Restaurant Guide

2024 Review: A short step from Hammersmith Town Hall and its ongoing surrounding property developments – this “spacious” and stylish pub was taken over by an Indian restaurant during the pandemic (although you can still just drop in for a pint). The food is fair value and “very good” from “an extensive menu with some unusual dishes”; and the owners have invested heavily in the large and comfortable garden.

If you’re looking for a “good pitstop in the West End”, this trio (also with an offshoot in Hammersmith) offers “tasty vegan and veggie Indian food” at “very reasonable prices” – nothing fancy, but “good basic cooking” of “South Indian staples”. Pickier diners can feel that some sauces are “rather watery”, or that the filling food can come “with no stand-out flavours”. Practically all agree, however, that “a great Masala Dosa and beer makes a very affordable meal in Central London”. Top Tip – “good choice to take a crowd: they’re not fazed by large tables”.

“A reliable option for Japanese food on a budget” – this chain’s “functional decor” “looks and feels authentic”, while the “great, light tempura is always a good indicator of quality” and the sushi and sashimi tend to be “so much better than average”. Service can be “swift”, even “rushed”, and the venues “noisy” and “crowded because of the exceptional value” – but they’re “deservedly popular to eat in or take away”. Top Menu Tip – they sometimes have sea urchin, a real delicacy.

For many local curryphiles, this inconspicuous and anodyne-looking Hammersmith Keralan is “still a favourite Indian”, with plenty of “very tasty” fish and vegetarian dishes on its “excellent value” menu. The masala dosa is highly recommended.

“Outstanding food from a chef who really knows what he is doing” has earned Manoj Vasaikar’s “very special restaurant” near Ravenscourt Park recognition as one of London’s outstanding “local Indians” of the past two decades. It’s won a legion of admirers over the years, including veteran critic Fay Maschler, who has celebrated her birthday here.

2022 Review: In November 2020, this gastropub-with-rooms newcomer (from the Big Smoke Brew Company) opened on a Hammersmith site formerly known as The Rook’s Nest, following extensive refurbishment. Eats are hearty, including smoked meats from the pub’s wood-fired Bertha oven, while at weekends, there’s bottomless brunch and Sunday roasts.

“A real find” say fans of this “quirky” West London group, which combines eclectic decor of antique-shop knick-knacks with “really tasty Thai cooking” and the ability to BYO to provide a vibey “cheap ’n’ cheerful” experience. “Service is friendly and prompt but the atmosphere is very relaxed”. Top Menu Tip – “a really good green curry can be boosted with heat if you ask nicely”.

This “lovely old pub” has overlooked the Thames at Hammersmith for four centuries – and is about as gorgeous as antique hostelries get, with cosy rooms for winter and a terrace for summer: it was here that James Thompson wrote ‘Rule Britannia’ in 1740. “The food is standard fare” but “always good”, and it can be “difficult to get a reservation”.

2024 Review: This “lovely local Italian” near Ravenscourt Park tube is getting back into its stride after “a dreadful time with lockdown followed by a flood at the premises”. Ex-Zafferano chef Andy Needham and his team offer a “really warm welcome and a beautifully executed short menu”. Top Menu Tip – “excellent pasta and specials”.

Even those who say this lively pub near Hammersmith Broadway is “not special” foodwise rate its Mediterranean food as “good”. Other feedback is more enthusiastic however, and this sibling to Earl’s Court’s Atlas remains a good destination for those wishing to escape the crush of nearby King Street. Top Tip – cute terrace for the summer.

“An always delicious Indian with a great variety of vegetarian options” – Uttam Tripathy’s festive Hammersmith fixture is approaching its 15th year near the entrance to Ravenscourt Park, and offers “market-style food from across the subcontinent”, with some unusual dishes not seen elsewhere. All reports are upbeat on the quality of the cuisine and welcome, and it’s good value too.

“The perfect local is full of locals, and this defines The Andover perfectly: a buzzing bar and friendly staff greet you” at this “lively old boozer” in a quiet corner of Hammersmith’s ‘Brackenbury Village’. “Under new ownership for a couple of years now, the food has gone up another level” – somewhat more inventive and “a giant step up from pub grub” (but equally also a little “expensive for a pub”). Top Tip – “Sunday lunch is a must”.

This Japanese grill near Stamford Brook is a “great local aging well”: it may be “a rather spartan place, but the quality of the food is good” – and is best enjoyed at one of the “four seats at the counter, watching the skewers sizzle and smoke their way on to the plate”. Top Menu Tips – “stand-out mackerel” and “excellent sashimi”.

2024 Review: A superior backstreet boozer in the cute enclave near Hammersmith’s posh St Peter’s Square – a “lovely spot” with a sweet garden serving a menu that’s ambitious for pub cooking.

“A real find” say fans of this “quirky” West London group, which combines eclectic decor of antique-shop knick-knacks with “really tasty Thai cooking” and the ability to BYO to provide a vibey “cheap ’n’ cheerful” experience. “Service is friendly and prompt but the atmosphere is very relaxed”. Top Menu Tip – “a really good green curry can be boosted with heat if you ask nicely”.

“Deserving its success” – Sam Harrison’s “delightful, big and bright” venue has “a lovely setting overlooking Hammersmith Bridge and the river (especially if you are lucky enough to have a window table)” and is “very smart” and “tastefully decorated” by the standards of neighbourhood places (if, on occasion, also “very noisy”). “Sam himself is often around keeping an eye and doing any task necessary”: “you get a warm welcome”, the “well-executed modern British food with a Mediterranean twist” is extremely “reliable” (fish in particular) and “the menu has plenty of variety so if you go regularly you see different items all the time”. “Love it. And the brand-new Brentford venue is terrific too” (see also Sam’s Waterside).

“A real treat for vegetarians”, this Hammersmith institution was “opened by Michael and Adrian Daniel in 1989 and has been at the top of its game for years” – “many’s the friend brought along here who hasn’t noticed there’s no meat on the menu, and that’s because the food is good, well cooked, and interesting”. (An intriguing space in the eves of a church – “the dining room is housed in what was the studio of artist Frank Brangwyn, and the name comes from the wrought-iron gate he made for the entrance”). Top Menu Tip – “lean into the mushroom dishes in autumn”… “leek and trompette tart with shortcrust pastry is simply delicious”.

“A useful option if near Hammersmith Broadway!” – this little- known but handy haunt occupies the cellar of Bradmore House: a grade II listed property on W6’s trafficky central roundabout, just seconds from the tube gates, most of which nowadays functions as a co-working space. An ideal lunchtime rendezvous: the interior is cosy, the menu is limited but affordable, and “the short but unusually interesting wine list is worth flagging for a venue of this size”.

“This is the real thing”, according to Thai aficionados who venerate this well-patronised canteen near Stamford Brook for its “spicy fresh and authentic” scoff (“some dishes are only for the brave”) at “super-good-value prices – and you can BYO!”. Family-run, with a distinctive puce facade, it was one of the first to bring the fiery flavours of Isaan in northeast Thailand to London. ‘Aunties’ Bee and her sister Mary from southern Thailand add seafood to the menu, and there’s now a spinoff branch in Richmond.

Puneet Wadhwani’s colourful, “good-value” street-food cantinas in Ealing and Hammersmith are inspired by the snacks sold to travellers at Indian railway stations. Having a party? – “The chef’s sharing Thali is fantastic – full of flavour and great variety” – and feeds up to five hungry adults and two kids for £144 (vegetarian), £155 (mixed) and £166 (with seafood).