Tadworth Restaurant Guide

The high-end Japanese-style dining at this splendiferous country-house hotel is “a special treat from start to finish: every visit fulfils your salivating expectations and appetite” – innovative Polish-born chef Wojciech Popow combining Nordic influences with his sushi-master skills in dishes like red bream nigiri with Cornish ants; or rice with young pine shoots foraged from the estate. There’s also the slightly bonkers option of eating a Japanese yakiniku barbecue in your own hot-air balloon – not flying, but tethered in the Italian Garden. It’s all “great fun and great food, but be prepared to sell a kidney to cover the cost”.

This “nice pub” close to Box Hill in the Mole Valley is known for its “good-quality food” – which means you need to book ahead for Sunday lunch. From the five-strong local Grumpy Mole group, it is known as ‘The Inn on the Green’.

“I felt transported to Italy as I ate this pizza!” – Luca & Paulo Malavasi’s “top notch Neapolitan pizza” continues to win fans for this 50-cover venue, with open kitchen, which they progressed to in 2019 having started out in a food truck two years earlier at Redihill Market – “a little stark, but love it”. There are now three in the chain, including Horsham and Farnham.

“Fresh ingredients shine out from the dishes” at this “excellent local Lebanese” – Jad Youssef’s smart venue in the town centre where he provides ‘Beirut Soul Food’ with a “variety of mezze and main dishes not easily found in most Lebanese restaurants”. It’s a “friendly and efficient” place too, with a good “buzz”. Top Menu Tip – “Muhammara mezze with walnuts is one of many interesting dishes”.