London Hammersmith Restaurant Guide

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 like dosas, idlis and uttapams”, these “cheap and cheerful” but “spotless and well-run” canteens in the West End (plus Hammersmith and Harrow) are “an excellent choice for very good South Indian vegetarian food” – they’re also “a top option to take a crowd because they’re not fazed by large tables”, and “even carnivores don’t complain” when they try the “tasty food”.

“A wide range of typical Japanese dishes that have not been anglicised, including sushi that’s always fresh and well-prepared (with true tastes, unlike at the ubiquitous chains)”, helps inspire a big fan club for this “homely” chain. They are “not the grandest of places” – with service that’s “quick and efficient” rather than particularly charming – but it “always feels like you are eating in Japan” here; and “they get the job done with decent value for money”. They must be doing something right as they are “always packed” and there are “often queues out the door”. Top Tip – “the bento boxes are particularly good and with generous portions”.

2021 Review: “The best kimchi in London” – apparently “voted by the South Korean Embassy!” – is found at this drab-looking stalwart, near Ravenscourt Park tube. Despite the name, the place is Korean-owned and run – and it’s the “fantastic Korean dishes” that garner the plaudits this year: “sweet, savoury, spicy and with generous portions”. But the Japanese dishes are also excellent and “service is always personal”.

This basic-looking Keralan in Hammersmith is known locally for its “excellent” value – and in particular, “the breadth of its vegetarian options and fish dishes”. Top Menu Tip – “outstanding masala dosa”.

Chef patron Manoj Vasaikar’s “bustling” venue near the entrance to Ravenscourt Park celebrates its 20th anniversary this year and diners remain “thoroughly impressed” by this superior neighbourhood venue – the cooking is “varied and interesting” and its most ardent fans say that “for all the Michelin stars dolled out to fancier Indian restaurants in London, I think this place does things better!”

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.

“Somewhat weird interiors” packed with chandeliers, stuffed animals and other antique-shop paraphernalia mean it’s easy to be “transfixed by the decor” at these four neighbourhood cafés in Hammersmith (which added a new branch near Ravenscourt Park this year). The decor boosts what’s essentially a cheap ’n’ cheerful Thai caff experience: “a lot of the food is deep-fried but always fresh” and it’s “staggeringly good value… and it’s BYO!”

As riverside pubs go, few ooze the ancient charm of this cute, historic Hammersmith hostelry, where James Thompson penned ‘Rule Britannia’ back in 1740. In other respects, nothing about it is game-changing, but the appeal of its cosy log fires in winter and riverside terrace in summer underpin its ferocious popularity (you must book).

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”.

Worth knowing about near Hammersmith Broadway, this well-appointed pub is “highly recommended” for its convenient location a few minutes’ walk from the station, its characterful interior, cute outside terrace and – not least – its very decent Italian-leaning menu. “Dog-friendly” is another plus for some.

“The food, from all corners of India, is packed with so much flavour” at this popular restaurant on the strip of eateries near the entrance to Ravenscourt Park. Welcoming service and a cosy, comfy and colourful interior rounds off an experience that remains well-rated all-round.

“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”.

“The slow-rise sourdough bases are like nothing ever tasted before” – this “small and friendly” three-year-old Hammersmith independent now has spinoffs in Barnes and Putney, and serves “unusual and unusually good pizza”. Founder Tim Thornton is a jazz bassist whose lockdown project – baking pizzas to raise funds for the NHS – took over his life. “I went all the way to Naples and had what was supposed to be ‘the best pizza in town’, and I’m not sure it was any better than at Base Face!”

This “great little yakitori restaurant” near Stamford Brook station specialises in grilled Japanese skewers “cooked to order” as you watch, ideally from a perch at the counter. It’s a “simple local” spot, scoring well for authenticity.

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.

“Somewhat weird interiors” packed with chandeliers, stuffed animals and other antique-shop paraphernalia mean it’s easy to be “transfixed by the decor” at these four neighbourhood cafés in Hammersmith (which added a new branch near Ravenscourt Park this year). The decor boosts what’s essentially a cheap ’n’ cheerful Thai caff experience: “a lot of the food is deep-fried but always fresh” and it’s “staggeringly good value… and it’s BYO!”

“Sam’s absolutely nails it, as indeed does Sam Harrison himself when he’s front of house” at this brilliantly successful venue, whose “fabulous” Riverside location – “with ideal views of Hammersmith Bridge” – invites many comparisons with the River Café just down the towpath. In fairness, “culinary comparisons with The River Caff are rather overblown”: “Sam’s is much better value, but it’s different”: the posh brasserie fare is “not aiming to be in the same league” and rates somewhere between “well-presented-and-delicious” and “tasty-if-unspectacular”. The food is really “part of an overall package” which combines unusually “glamorous, sophisticated and comfortable” decor in a “bright and light interior” with “excellent, friendly and very efficient service”, to create a supremely “convivial” experience that’s “not cheap, but excellent value”: “I always feel happy when I leave”. (See also Sam’s Waterside and Sam’s Kitchen). Top Tip – “the cocktails here are a massive stand-out”.

“High-end vegetarian cuisine” – with “such inventive recipes” – has carved a brilliant reputation amongst veggies and carnivores alike for Michael and Adrian Daniel’s characterful stalwart, which “has been around forever” (well, since 1989). It occupies an attractively quirky space too, over a Hammersmith church near the Eventim Apollo, but – albeit a “really nice and friendly venue” – one or two reporters feel “the venue and service could do with refreshing” (and its two spin-off branches closed this year). Top Menu Tips – “dreamy aubergine dish” and “courgette flower and the red Thai curry and mushroom are both favourites”.

“A calm retreat” that comes as a “pleasant surprise”, just one minute’s walk from the tube gates of Hammersmith: this cosy cellar bar is found in the middle of the Broadway at the foot of Bradmore House: a grade II listed eighteenth-century property rebuilt as part of the area’s redevelopment. The basement forms the in-house eatery for the co-working space occupying the building and anyone else who knows about it, with a short and affordable menu: “I wasn’t expecting much, but this was great!”