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.
Harden's survey result
Summary
“Only for cheese lovers… and that’s me!” – the clue is in the name at Mathew Carver’s “fun and different” venue – a 96ft custom-built, double-decker barge permanently moored in Paddington Basin, which showcases “a great selection of British cheeses with interesting pairings”. “Out-of-town visitors love it”. Top Menu Tip – “The curried cheese curds are amazing”.
Summary
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
“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
“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
Prices
 Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £32.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £3.50 |
 Extras |
|
|---|---|
| Bread | £6.50 |
| Service | 10.00% |
Sheldon Square, London, W2 6HY
Opening hours
| Monday | 12 pm‑3:45 pm, 5:30 pm‑9 pm |
| Tuesday | 12 pm‑3:45 pm, 5:30 pm‑9 pm |
| Wednesday | 12 pm‑3:45 pm, 5:30 pm‑9 pm |
| Thursday | 12 pm‑3:45 pm, 5:30 pm‑9 pm |
| Friday | 12 pm‑3:45 pm, 5:30 pm‑9 pm |
| Saturday | 12 pm‑3:45 pm, 5:30 pm‑9 pm |
| Sunday | 12 pm‑3:45pm, 5:30 pm‑7:15pm |
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