RestaurantsLondonPaddingtonW2

Harden's says

Not satisfied with opening a cheese bar and the world's first cheese conveyor belt, Mathew Carver is taking his theme one step further; The Cheese Barge - hand-crafted in Somerset - hosts a two-storey, 40-cover restaurant. Executive chef Ross Keeling and head chef Reagan Ellenbroek have created a menu of “honest British dishes using small producer cheese”. The opening has been twice delayed due to lockdowns.

survey result

Summary

£56
   ££
2
Average
3
Good
3
Good
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

Mathew Carver’s floating ode to the cheeses of Britain and Ireland is a 96 ft double-decker barge moored in Paddington Basin that delights turophiles with cheese-based meals accompanied by a “nice selection of wines at a reasonable price”, with simpler cheese boards and toasties available in the afternoon. The group also operates a cheese conveyor belt in Seven Dials and a new cheese and natural wine bar, Funk, in Shoreditch.

Summary

£52
   ££
2
Average
3
Good
3
Good
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

“Bonkers idea”, but “great fun” – Matthew Carver’s custom-designed, double-decker barge moored in Paddington Basin serves a “good cheese-based menu” that celebrates cheeses made in Britain and Ireland. “It makes for a jolly experience on a sunny day, but” – although true turophiles might disagree – can seem something of “a one trick pony”. Stablemates include the world’s first cheese conveyor belt, in Seven Dials.

Summary

£21
    £
2
Average
3
Good
3
Good
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

“Bit of a one-trick pony… but we knew that!”. Not satisfied with opening a cheese bar and the world’s first cheese conveyor belt, Matthew Carver has taken his theme one step further: a barge – hand-crafted in Somerset no less – to create a two-storey, 40-cover restaurant with outside terrace permanently moored in Paddington Basin and officially launched (after two previous attempts) in June 2021. Its honest British dishes incorporate many small producer cheeses, and feedback suggests results are dependable, with the Guardian’s Grace Dent reporting ‘cheesy stupefaction… silly, but fun’.

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 The Cheese Barge?

Sheldon Square, London, W2 6HY

Restaurant details

No dress code

Prices

Traditional European menu

Starter Main Veggies Pudding
£4.85 £9.00 £6.00 £7.50
Drinks  
Wine per bottle £32.00
Filter Coffee £3.50
Extras  
Bread £6.50
Service 10.00%
Sheldon Square, London, W2 6HY
Opening hours
Monday12 pm‑3:45 pm, 5:30 pm‑9 pm
Tuesday12 pm‑3:45 pm, 5:30 pm‑9 pm
Wednesday12 pm‑3:45 pm, 5:30 pm‑9 pm
Thursday12 pm‑3:45 pm, 5:30 pm‑9 pm
Friday12 pm‑3:45 pm, 5:30 pm‑9 pm
Saturday12 pm‑3:45 pm, 5:30 pm‑9 pm
Sunday12 pm‑3:45pm, 5:30 pm‑7:15pm

Best British, Traditional restaurants nearby

The Cow
Irish restaurant in Bayswater
£80
 ££££
3
Good
2
Average
4
Very Good
Churchill Arms
British, Traditional restaurant in Kensington
£47
   ££
3
Good
2
Average
4
Very Good
Maggie Jones’s
British, Traditional restaurant in Kensington
£69
  £££
3
Good
4
Very Good
4
Very Good

Best similarly priced restaurants nearby

Pearl Liang
Chinese restaurant in Bayswater
£54
   ££
3
Good
2
Average
2
Average
Crocker's Folly
Lebanese restaurant in St John's Wood
£58
   ££
3
Good
3
Good
3
Good
Cocotte
Chicken restaurant in Bayswater
£58
   ££
3
Good
3
Good
2
Average