Old Harlow Restaurant Guide

“Locals and visitors” beat a path to this “lovely pub with top-notch food” from chef James Rix and his wife Bianca, who have transformed it into an “Interesting and exceptionally busy venue” over the past 20 years. Top Menu Tip – “dessert on a whole different level: Paris Brest, choux pastry, praline cream, hot chocolate sauce & toasted nuts of exceptional taste and quality”.

This Essex institution, founded almost 70 years ago, is still “the best fish restaurant in the area”, offering “consistently great food with even better service”. It’s relatively “formal”, which befits its status as a venue which attracts generations of the county’s notables, from Rod Stewart, Denise Van Outen and Victoria & David Beckham to the TOWIE crowd.

“Pub grub done the Galvin way” is to be found in the chef brothers’ home county at their “beautiful pub, restaurant and garden, set in stunning countryside” (if “in the arse end of nowhere”, according to a day tripper from South Woodford). “The cooking here is very good with something of a European vibe (with pub standards to fall back on if you choose to dine in the bar rather than the more formal restaurant setting)”. “The staff always make you feel welcome, and the landlady, Katie, is particularly charming”. Top Tip – “an unusual highlight is Christmas Day lunch, which is well thought-out and nicely cooked (Chateaubriand or halibut if you hate turkey!)”.

“Fine fish” from Billingsgate and “good wine” make for an “excellent fish ’n’ chips meal” at this large South Woodford chippy.

“A mini Shinkansen Japanese bullet train that brings your sushi orders” is a UK first at this bright, first-floor Japanese café in Chingford: a fun cheap ’n’ cheerful experience. “Downstairs is a proper pub (the ‘Rusty Bike’) complete with TVs showing sport and a selection of board games: you can order Thai and sushi on both floors. Yum!” (It goes without saying: this is not first choice for culinary purists).

“Busy at times, but still with a great vibe” – this converted Victorian factory in Dalston (opened in 2013) will be familiar to some as the location for the 2021 hit film ‘Boiling Point’; and wins acclaim for its grills and other modern British dishes. In June 2024, they launched a new two-floor spin-off in South Woodford: this time in a fine-looking Georgian building – a large site with 150 covers and a 50-seat outside terrace. It has a similarly flexible menu, with options for snacks, brunch, and Sunday lunch.