Richmond Restaurant Guide

“Starve yourself before going!” – “A real ‘Venetian wedding’-style feast” greets diners at this “completely different” operation in Richmond. “Beautiful Italian food is made from fresh ingredients, and while there’s no choice of menu, there are so many dishes that you walk out with a warm glow, feeling like you’ve just left Nonna’s house”.

A “trusted favourite” to its sizeable fanclub – this “smart and spacious” Arts & Crafts pub between Richmond Park and the Thames serves Kenneth Culhane’s “imaginative food in a beautiful setting” and “manager Barney and his team are always very attentive”. It provoked a couple of ‘off’ reports this year however, accusing it of being “prissy, expensive and not that exciting”.

“Distinctively French” bistro and creperie, near Richmond Bridge, which arguably “under exploits its riverside setting”. Breton dishes “are well executed from a simple menu” alongside a list of ciders and wine (and there are “good, cheap 2/3-course lunches”). “The dining room is a little lacklustre but there’s plenty of room between tables so it’s easy to chat and enjoy your space”.

“Very good sashimi” and sushi head the “varied menu” at this “tiny” Korean-run Japanese joint in Richmond town centre. The location and setting may not be perfect, but it’s a “much-appreciated attraction” in the area.

“It looks so magical”, and there’s “genuinely nowhere else like” this “secret-garden-style” venue near Richmond Park – a “truly enchanting” candle-lit greenhouse, within a garden centre – and the fact that “you can take a riverside stroll before or after your meal is heaven!”. “On a dull day however, the wobbly tables and chairs, untrained waiters, and ridiculous queues for the toilets make you feel that at these prices, you’re being ripped off”, especially as when it comes to the ambitious cuisine nowadays, while “the ingredients are interesting, their realisation is only fair”.

“It may look cheap ’n’ cheerful, but the pizzas are very good” at this convenient outlet in Richmond town centre, next to the station.