Meriden Restaurant Guide

As per its appearance on Netflix’s ‘Million Dollar Buffet’ with Grace Dent, the dining room of this luxe country estate hotel revolves around a buffet that’s “best for those who want to splurge” (to the tune of a still highly reasonable £65 per person during the week, or £78 per person on weekends). Live-action food stations showcase a “huge choice of different cuisines” – sushi, seafood, stone-baked pizzas, just to stick with the ‘s’ options – that, while not being mega-foodie, are “excellent all-round” and make for a brilliant family outing (not least as kids “love the dessert section”). Top Tip – despite the very posh surroundings, the ambience is “not at all stuffy or pretentious” as one might fear.

Away from the main property, with a terrace facing onto the golf course, this casually luxurious venue is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and would suit a smartly dressed-down weekend family meal. With its brasserie menu incorporating a selection of burgers and chicken and steak grills, fans “prefer it to the generally more highly rated Glasshouse at the same venue” although even some who mark it highly say: “it’s good, but some of the prices are just far too high”.

“Another local winner from Lussmanns” – “a small independent group of restaurants in Hertfordshire” (and, as of late, London’s leafy Highgate) “with an emphasis on sustainability”. This “always reliable” outpost is “convenient for the Abbey but off the main tourist trail” and occupies an “interesting and well-decorated” building with a glass roof (“unusual for the group”, which favours more historic surrounds) plus a “courtyard when the weather is kind”.

This small but perfectly formed venue (there’s a small dining area behind the boozer) in the Cathedral Quarter leapt 22 places this year in Estrella Damm’s ‘Top 100 Gastropubs’ list, coming in at a very respectable no. 72. The 15th-century building was taken over by Sean Hughes and family a decade ago, with John Searle overseeing the expertly sourced pub grub featuring specialities such as dairy cow rib and fresh Cornish fish.

A “buzzy” atmosphere and “welcoming service” are the strong suits of this “expanding group”, with 16 branches in London and another handful nearby. While nobody disputes that they’re “lovely to sit in” and offer “value for money”, the “Middle-Eastern-inspired cooking” divides opinion, with some reporters “pleasantly surprised by the tasty food” and others bemoaning “underwhelming” dishes that “sound better than they taste”.

This “good neighbourhood Turkish restaurant” – which serves a “nice variety of interesting dishes” using “fresh and high-quality ingredients” – celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. It now has spinoffs in Berkhamsted and Harpenden – the latter “attracting a younger crowd than usual for Harpenden, which gives it the sort of buzz which is rare in these parts”.

In the safe hands of Phil Thompson (whose CV includes becoming Head Chef at the Auberge du Lac at age 24), this decade-old venture continues to do the casual fine-dining thing with aplomb. Reporters “like that there are a number of small rooms” in which to dine (upstairs is the main restaurant, and there’s also an airy conservatory opening onto the Victorian-style courtyard), while the “imaginative cooking” is “creative and beautifully presented” too, whether you opt for the set menus (£55 or £69 per person for two or three courses) or fancier tasting menu (£95 or £115 per person for five or seven courses).

This Wembley fixture (with spinoffs in Hatch End and Kingsbury) is best known for its all-you-can-eat Indian vegetarian buffet with a choice of 45 items, including an Indo-Chinese selection with dishes such as chilli paneer. The family-owned business started out 40 years ago as a market stall.

This “lovely old pub” in the Chilterns, handy for the Harry Potter antics at Warner Bros Studio nearby, built up quite a reputation for its Anglo-French cooking over nearly two decades under husband-and-wife team Sally & Alvin Michaels. The 18th-century venue is now managed by Alvin’s former protégé Matt Jackson (and part of the growing RedCat pub company) but, on limited feedback this year, its “exceptional pub dining” still makes it a local magnet.

“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 real “neighbourhood gem”, this “fun” and “quirky” 16th-century pub in Mill Hill serves “what must be some of the best pub food in North London”. It’s presided over in fine style by brothers Luca and Matteo Delnevo, presenting a modern, British-Italian menu.