survey result

Summary

£78
 ££££
3
Good
3
Good
4
Very Good
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

“Perhaps the best located restaurant on the Thames” in these parts provides a “great river view and a good buzz”. Run by Shuan Dicken, it provides an all-day menu that offers an easygoing selection of straightforward dishes, especially a “top breakfast”. It used to offer fancier fare, though, and the odd reporter feels the ambition is a little “basic” nowadays.

Summary

£61
  £££
3
Good
4
Very Good
3
Good
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

“On a summer's day the Thames-side terrace is a paradise” at this riverside venue. In 2019, Shaun changed tack here, adopting a more bistro style in contrast to the fine dining approach it had previously adopted. Long-term regulars say: “it’s cheaper than it used to be, but never disappoints”.

Summary

£57
   ££
3
Good
4
Very Good
3
Good
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

“Since Shaun Dickens changed his style from fine-dining to a high-quality bistro” (in 2019, when he also changed this outfit’s name) this “lovely” riverside restaurant “hasn't looked back”; nowadays the ingredient-led cooking is simply “excellent”, with “outstanding service” too. “If you can get a seat at the front you get great views over the Thames.”

Summary

£78
 ££££
3
Good
3
Good
3
Good
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

FKA ‘Shaun Dickens at The Boathouse’ – this riverside operation has split opinion in the past, but seems to be on more solid ground last year, winning nothing but praise for its “imaginative food” and “lovely” Thames-side surroundings. In October 2019, it relaunched and rebranded as ‘the Bistro at The Boathouse’, promising a more casual spin on its ingredient-led cooking.

For 33 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).

Have you eaten at Bistro at The Boathouse?

The Boathouse, Henley-on-Thames, RG9 1AZ

Restaurant details

Highchair
No dress code
80

Prices

Traditional European menu

Starter Main Veggies Pudding
£11.30 £22.00 £5.00 £8.00
Drinks  
Wine per bottle £30.00
Filter Coffee £3.00
Extras  
Bread £6.00
Service 12.50%
The Boathouse, Henley-on-Thames, RG9 1AZ
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Opening hours
MondayCLOSED
TuesdayCLOSED
Wednesday9 am‑8:30 pm
Thursday9 am‑8:30 pm
Friday9 am‑8:30 pm
Saturday9 am‑8:30 pm
Sunday9 am‑3:30 pm

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