Pershore Restaurant Guide

This “unpretentious but good restaurant” serves “outstanding food for the price – much cheaper than establishments where the food is nowhere near as good”; “service is very friendly and correct”, too – which indicates that a change of ownership a couple of years back has failed to dent a consistent performance stretching back over two decades. The premises was originally the workshop of furniture designer George Russell, remembered in the name. Top Tip – “great fish ’n’ chips are found at the rear of the main restaurant” (under the same ownership).

“Spectacular and panoramic views from the Malvern Hills across the Severn Valley” are a major plus at this “cosy hotel dining room”. When it comes to the victuals, one reporter cautions that “when they stick to plain stuff, it is very good but then the kitchen gets carried away and the result is sometimes disappointing”. For the most part, though, there’s nothing but praise for “chef Rob Mason’s creative dishes”, which fans say “offer pure taste delight at very reasonable prices”.

“Delicious, innovative food served in an intimate setting” has been the draw at chef Gus Ashenford and his wife Kate’s former Cotswold village tearoom for 22 years. The cooking is rooted in the classical French cuisine of Gus’s mentor, the late Michel Roux senior, but the ratings were dragged down this year by a reporter who felt “the food is interesting and individual, but not as exceptional as my last visit some years ago”.

The black-and-white timber building dates back to 1430, but this beamed rural restaurant has operated in its current guise since 1998, and serves a straightforward, rather traditional and old-fashioned menu that’s consistently highly rated in our annual diners’ poll: “always reliably good food” with “a successful combination of flavours and complementary sauces plus good house wines; all alongside more innovative specials changed daily”.

John & Helen Howe’s “small dining room” just “gets better and better” and is nowadays the most highly rated restaurant in the area in our annual diners’ poll. “Inspired cooking with accuracy and precision, and with an ability to produce some unlikely but amazing combinations” with “intense individual flavours” characterises the glowing feedback we receive on the “sublime, seasonal tasting menus showcasing many of their home-grown vegetables and herbs plus wine flights and a well chosen wine list”. (“A great feature is the tablet on each table which allows diners to gain further information about the various courses”). “The atmosphere is calm, friendly and welcoming” and “the small team provides a warm welcome”. It accounts for many of our reporters’ best meal of the year, and though pricey, no-one begrudges the cost: “just wish we lived closer as visits involve an overnight stay in Cheltenham… but it’s most definitely worth it”.

Just off the high street, this “understated” indie from Gareth Fulford pairs sustainably caught seafood with top Cotswolds produce. In addition to their excellent-value set lunches, tasting menus and bi-monthly-changing à la carte, they’ve “just started doing a once-a-month small- plates evening” showcasing British seafood, and the results are “very tasty and enjoyable”.

“Expensive but wonderful fine-dining Indian food that’s definitely several cuts above your average curry house” maintains Jay Rahman’s interesting venue as one of the town’s main culinary destinations. Chef Thomas Law combines subcontinental flavours and spicing with modern European culinary ideas to create “elegant” dishes that are “a real treat”. In February 2024, they announced they are on the hunt for a second site in the Cotswolds.

The “fusion of French and Asian flavours” at Franck Grillet’s bistro is “unusual” – but “it works amazingly well”, with “spot-on cooking and presentation”. “The room itself is well-decorated”, too (fans say the “stunning decor matches the exciting menu”). There is now a second branch in Bristol. Top Tip – “the prix-fixe lunch has to be one of the best deals around”.

Owned by the same people who run Muse Brasserie in the town, and on the former site of Spice Lodge, which graced the area for 15 years – this “upmarket” Indian fine-diner has successfully emerged as one of the area’s top subcontinental choices. Chef Anuj Thakur draws inspiration from dishes across India in his progressive cooking, which takes in à la carte, set options and five- or seven-course tasting menus.