Hardens Guide to the Best Restaurants in Shenley
Hardens guides have spent 33 years compiling reviews of the best Shenley restaurants. On Hardens.com you'll find details and reviews of 11 restaurants in Shenley and our unique survey based approach to rating and reviewing Shenley restaurants gives you the best insight into the top restaurants in every area and of every type of cuisine.
Featured Shenley Restaurants
1. Savoro
British, Modern restaurant in Barnet
206 High Street - EN5
2021 Review: A former boathouse on the high street, turned hotel and dining room, that remains of note for its “delightful food impeccably served in a not overcrowded restaurant” – though you’ll need to book ahead on weekends, when they also lay on a “good Sunday lunch”.
2. Lussmanns
British, Modern restaurant in St Albans
Waxhouse Gate, High St - AL3
“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”.
3. Megan's at the Old Bell
British, Modern restaurant in St Albans
22 Chequer Street - AL1
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”.
4. The Rising Sun
Italian restaurant in Mill Hill
137 Marsh Ln - NW7
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.
5. Dylans Kings Arms
British, Modern restaurant in St Albans
7 George Street - AL3
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.
6. Tabure
Turkish restaurant in St Albans
6 Spencer Street - AL3
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”.
7. Thompson
British, Modern restaurant in St Albans
2-8 Hatfield Rd - AL1
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).
8. Kiyoto
restaurant in Borehamwood
31 Shenley Road - WD6
The “fabulous sushi” “never fails to impress, whether eat-in or take away” at this small group that celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, from brothers Jason & Adam Balsam. Their ambition to bring good-quality traditional Japanese cuisine to the North London ’burbs now finds expression in five branches across the region.
9. The Three Compasses
British, Modern restaurant in Patchetts Green
Pegmire Lane - WD25
The “skillfully cooked Italian-style food is always good” at this village pub from well-known local chef James Harkin, whose parents ran the Alpine restaurant in Bushey for 48 years. Magda, his partner, is “exceptional as front of house”. Top Menu Tip – “great Sunday lunch”.
10. Gracey's Pizza
restaurant in Chiswell Green
339 Watford Road - AL2
A former lockdown project that graduated via pop-ups to a permanent site in 2023, with an enthusiastic social media following: it features New Haven-style pizzas, cooked at low temperatures for a light crust and with a concise choice of toppings. In her March 2024 reivew, the Sunday Times’s Charlotte Ivers declared herself a fan: It’s only pizza, but this one will remind you the magic is still there.
11. Odos
Mediterranean restaurant in Barnet
238-240 High Street - EN5
The “Mediterranean/posh Greek” food is “consistently good” at this high-performing spot that is a “fantastic addition to Barnet High Street” – it’s “really buzzy on a Saturday night”, and “new specials are frequently added to the menu”. Former apprentice Gerry Sands was promoted to co-ownership by founder Louis Loizu at the age of just 21.
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