Romford Restaurant Guide

2022 Review: “Amazing food and friendly service” characterise this “impressive” restaurant on the edge of the New Forest, run for more than 20 years by chef Mike Womersley (ex-Lucknam Park) and his wife Jayne. “The ambience has been transformed by a refurbishment – a welcome surprise since our last visit”.

2023 Review: This “brilliant thatched country pub” has “lots of game dishes” on its menu – appropriately enough for a traditional establishment in the historical hunting landscape of Cranborne Chase. “Vegetarians and vegans are well provided for” too, while there’s also a “well-stocked bar with local ales and a reasonably priced wine list”.

2022 Review: “Top-notch fish, chips and alternatives” plus a “lovely location” not far from the centre of town make this modern seaside café a good choice for breakfast or lunch, with stunning views from the terrace.

A good position in the town centre and on the River Avon only adds to the appeal of this substantial Georgian property – nowadays a luxurious four-star hotel. The restaurant is overseen by Alex Aitken of the nearby Jetty and provides some surprisingly affordable options, including “a daily changing £17.50 two-course market menu with ingredients sourced within 15 miles”. (Some change may be afoot, though, as in June 2023 the owners since 2005 put the property on the market.)

Unrecognisable from its days as a Pontin’s in the early 90s, this slick, nautically themed spa hotel has a striking setting overlooking the harbour and River Stour, making it a “lovely place to dine” (perhaps after enjoying a pre-dinner drink on the terrace). The dining area is split between a convivial lounge bar and more formal dining room, both serving the same classic, fish-centric menu that “never disappoints”. Top Tip – if you’re feeling adventurous, it’s possible to arrange a trip to the Isle of Wight, just a 45-minute journey by boat.

“Jan and Stacey are still amazing as their empire expands!” – the Bretschneiders’ small venue is celebrating its 10th year of operation, continuing to deliver a ‘Discovery’ tasting menu for £130 per person, with a less expensive option available earlier in the week. Feedback was more limited this year, but for those who comment it remains a highly rated all-round favourite.

“Consistently exceptional French bistro cuisine” – “in the middle of the New Forest!” – ensures that this unlikely but long-serving Gallic outpost in the most English of environments remains an “all-time favourite” for many. It’s “an absolute delight”, with a “fabulous wine list, attentive service and the best setting overlooking a village cricket pitch with wild ponies and donkeys wandering past”. “We’re always warmly welcomed with a glass of Champagne by the characterful maître d’/owner”, Claude Laage.

2022 Review: A “beautifully situated restaurant” in an Art Deco solarium overlooking Poole Harbour, and where “drinks on the upper deck are an extra delight”. One or two off reports on the food front this year, but also plenty of plaudits for its “really good breakfasts and lunches”, and “service has improved” of late too.

2023 Review: This gorgeous old tavern on a corner site near the harbour – newly spiffed-up last autumn and with the recent addition of a conservatory – specialises in “excellent-quality” local seafood, served in a warm atmosphere that is “like being in France”.

“The view overlooking Poole Harbour makes this a romantic location” for an Italian meal – although it’s “very much a good-weather venue”. The hotel is at the heart of a long-running planning dispute, with vocal locals opposing a plan to convert it into an ‘aparthotel’ under a £300m redevelopment of Sandbanks.

“Such a fun place that coped so well with a mixed-age group of ten people” – the ‘dressed down’ option at this famous country-house hotel occupies a contemporary, pitched-roof space overlooking the kitchen gardens and complete with outside terrace and cookery school. The brasserie menu includes burgers, pizza, steak and other grills, plus a good selection of other options; and reports say “it’s just really good food backed up by friendly, informal but efficient service in a convivial environment”. Not cheap perhaps, but “well worth the price”.

2022 Review: “Consistently good and authentic street food” with “lots of extras” ensure a “very different Indian experience” at Muhammed Rasheed’s five-year-old, close to the cathedral. There’s a shaded patio out the back and craft beer available.

“Still at the top of its game”, with “superb and imaginative dishes” – Farsi Solman’s long-running Indian is felt by some of its fans to be “the best restaurant in Salisbury”: it’s “definitely eat-in rather than takeaway!”