Hardens Guide to the Best Restaurants in Staffordshire
Hardens guides have spent 34 years compiling reviews of the best Staffordshire restaurants. On Hardens.com you'll find details and reviews of 6 restaurants in Staffordshire and our unique survey based approach to rating and reviewing Staffordshire restaurants gives you the best insight into the top restaurants in every area and of every type of cuisine.
Featured Staffordshire Restaurants
1. The Duncombe Arms
British, Modern restaurant in Ellastone
Main Rd - DE6
“A real gem of a pub in an attractive countryside setting” on the fringes of the Peak District that was rescued in 2012 by owners Johnny & Laura Greenall. The interior is “warm and cosy but smart” and the food is “unashamedly local and hearty, cooked with skill, ingredient led, never overcomplicated” but “consistently reaches high standards”.
2. Little Seeds
British, Modern restaurant in Stone
16 - 18 Radford Street - ST15
Opposite a leafy churchyard in a small town south of Stoke-on-Trent, this unassuming “gem” is rated on ongoing upbeat feedback from a small, dedicated fan base, praising its “fantastically skillful food with a brilliant balance of flavours”. Sophie Hardman & Jake Lowndes are celebrating their tenth year of business in 2026 and offer imaginative cuisine from either à la carte or tasting menus, the latter is £90 per person.
3. Moat House
British, Modern restaurant in Stafford
Lower Penkridge Rd, Acton Trussell - ST17
2023 Review: A “smart hotel” with its own lake set in the Staffs countryside, where the “cosy restaurant serves good value food using local produce”. Tuesday night is grill night – on other evenings steaks and pub classics feature on the menu alongside somewhat fancier fare.
4. The Lighthouse Restaurant
International restaurant in Ashbourne
New Road, Boylestone - DE6
2022 Review: Over a decade on, this fine dining spot “sitting at the back of the Rose and Crown plum in the middle of nowhere” is “a revelation” to some reporters, “trying too hard” for others. The “regularly changing tasting menu” (the only option, coming with or without wine flights) is “getting even better, if anything”.
5. Lunar
British, Modern restaurant in Barlaston
Wedgwood Drive - ST12
Too little feedback this year for a full review on this intriguing eatery in The Potteries – part of the World of Wedgewood experience – whose high-profile founding chef, local Staffordshire lad Niall Keating, left after three years in May 2024. There is a full-on chef’s table blow-out, but most visitors opt for the relatively affordable posh-brasserie menu (which is the formula price given).
6. Little Dumpling King
restaurant in Stoke-on-Trent
50 Piccadilly - ST1
‘Heavy scran. Natural wine. Loud music’. Well, don’t say you weren’t warned if you visit this maximalist shop conversion in the heart of downtown Stoke, where – according to the posters on the wall – ‘The working class strikes back’ and ‘We hate the fucking government’. The menu of funky dumplings and other Asian dishes changes daily and an interesting drinks selection of low intervention vintages, fruit flavoured Soju and a variety of craft beers help it win local fans (from albeit limited reports) as “an all-round excellent favourite”. Not enough feedback yet for a full rating, but The Observer’s Jay Rayner fell in love with it on his September 2024 visit, including the “genius move” of his salted fried Mars Bar pudding…
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