British, Modern Restaurants in Berkshire
1. The Bottle & Glass Inn
British, Modern restaurant in Binfield Heath
Bones Lane - RG9
“Everything you want in a country pub” according to fans of this thatched free house on the Phillimore Estate, a short drive outside Henley-on-Thames and on the edge of the Chilterns. Run by David Holliday and with chef Alex Sargeant – both ex-Harwood Arms in Fulham – it has a “delightful dining room with food that’s at the top end of gastropub grub” and for less ambitious fare, head to the adjoining ‘burger barn’.
2. The French Horn
French restaurant in Sonning-on-Thames
“Three generations of the same family have been pleasing visitors” to this Thames Valley bastion of traditional haute cuisine, owned by the Emmanuel family since 1972 and with a first-class position overlooking the water at Sonning Eye. The famous signature “roast duck on the spit is the best”, while “the fab wine list is worth taking home to salivate over”. While a minority of reporters caution that it is “very good but too expensive”, most feel the high quality justifies the investment.
3. Caprice at Crowne Plaza Reading East
British, Modern restaurant in Reading
Wharfedale Rd, Winnersh Triangle - RG41
New luxury 4 silver star Crowne Plaza Reading East, provides a stylish, contemporary look and feel to suit the business traveller, leisure and spa guest. The hotel, set in landscaped podium gardens, delivers exceptional dining experiences. Serving both modern British & authen...
4. London Street Brasserie
British, Modern restaurant in Reading
Riverside Oracle, 2 - 4 London Street - RG1
2022 Review: “Reliable cooking with a buzzy atmosphere” makes this 20-year-old city-centre outfit a useful option; it also gives vegans a decent choice of dishes.
5. The Greyhound
British, Modern restaurant in Henley-on-Thames
Gallowstree Rd, Peppard Common - RG9
A short drive from Henley, Antony & Jay Worrall Thompson’s attractive gastropub serves a globally inspired menu with burgers and steaks a highlight of the selection. Fans – including those on a trip out of ‘the smoke’ – rate it as a “reliable” destination.
6. The Crooked Billet
British, Modern restaurant in Stoke Row
Newlands Ln - RG9
“Great food, great live music and great attention to detail” add up to “a perfect venue” at this country pub, run for 35 years by former rock musician and self-taught chef Paul Clerehugh (ex-Sweet). It’s a “lovely building with great décor and a nice atmosphere”, and if the “portions are way too big” – most guests are very happy with that.
7. The Miller of Mansfield
British, Traditional restaurant in Goring-on-Thames
High St - RG8
2022 Review: “This superb gastropub” – an eighteenth-century inn “two minutes from the Thames and convenient for London day-trippers” – serves “interesting food with some high gastronomy”: “all produce is locally sourced, and bread made and butter churned in-house”. Husband-and-wife patrons Nick & Mary Galer (both ex-Fat Duck Group) “clearly care about what they do and look after their diners”. Ratings dropped a notch this year amid reports of “the odd off note” – possibly they “need a bit more practice after lockdown”.
8. Marle, Heckfield Place
British, Modern restaurant in Heckfield
Heckfield Place - RG27
Aussie chef Skye Gyngell’s “ambitious establishment” – a Georgian country house dining room in a “beautiful location” overlooking a lake and parkland. They are “very conscious of their environmental responsibility”, with “almost all ingredients locally grown or reared” and served in pared-back style. But while it received strong ratings all-round for its luxury hotel setting, a couple of reports did note “a feeling one has to be on one’s best behaviour!”
9. Bistro at The Boathouse
British, Modern restaurant in Henley-on-Thames
The Boathouse - RG9
“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.
10. Luscombes at the Golden Ball
British, Modern restaurant in Henley-on-Thames
The Golden Ball, Lower Assendon - RG9
2022 Review: This cosy brick and flint seventeenth-century pub has the seal of approval from cake deity Mary Berry no less, while reports – although on the scant side – generally proclaim it for some “really good” grub (not least the two-course set lunch); extensive gardens are an added boon.
11. The Beetle & Wedge Boathouse
British, Modern restaurant in Moulsford
Ferry Ln - OX10
“It’s in such an amazing spot” – a “romantic setting by the Thames” on a stretch of riverbank immortalised in the ‘Wind in the Willows’: this riverside inn (which housed a ferry until 1967) has had its looks updated in recent years, and is nowadays more pub-like that it once was. Some old-timers say it’s “not as good as before”, but for others it’s “very good” and everyone agrees that on a sunny day few places are nicer than its outside terrace.
12. The Wellington Arms
British, Modern restaurant in Baughurst
Baughurst Rd - RG26
“Every village should have one” – a “really pretty pub (with rooms) and a beautiful garden” in the “lovely” setting of the Wellington Estate. Chef Jason King does not trade on its location, as his elevated pub-style classics (featuring produce plucked from the garden) are “imaginative” and “cooked to perfection” too. Top Tip – they sell their own bread and gin over the bar.
13. The Beehive
British, Modern restaurant in White Waltham
Waltham Rd - SL6
The “elevated food” served at Dominic Chapman’s smart village-green venue is “certainly worthy of its top cooking grade”, and “takes Home Counties pub fare up a level – the amuse-bouches and petits-fours make a pub lunch here a real occasion”. “We hope to return when there’s cricket on the adjacent field”.
14. The Crown at Burchetts Green
British, Traditional restaurant in Maidenhead
Burchetts Green - SL6
2023 Review: In June 202, Dom Chapman took on this well-known Thames-valley pub (he also owns The Beehive in White Waltham, see also), which had been run by the Bonwick family for the previous nine years. It opened too late for feedback in our annual diners’ poll, but an early report from fooderati insider, Andy Hayler, suggested that Champan will be continuing the high quality of The Beehive and also the Bonwicks’ former regime here: “service… was excellent. Overall, this was a very enjoyable evening, The Crown offering a very appealing menu and generally well-made food. … this is already shaping up to be a charming restaurant, and based on the chef’s track record I expect the food to progress further from this solid start”.
15. Heron on the Ford
British, Modern restaurant in Charvil
Landsend Lane - RG10
2022 Review: The former Land’s End pub got a new lease of life (and name) in 2018 when it was taken over by Niki & Adam Fortes, and the best man at their wedding, Colin Savory (both Colin and Adam having a pedigree at top restaurants). The “great” countryside setting is enhanced by “superbly cooked” pub staples and finer fare and “you can tell there are real chefs in the kitchen”.
16. The Unicorn
British, Modern restaurant in Kingwood
Colmore Lane - RG9
2022 Review: For “restaurant-quality food in a lovely country setting” head to this country pub, a few miles from Henley-on-Thames. The venue has been serving locals since 1860, and continues to draw positive reports for its simple yet refined seasonal plates.
17. Five Little Pigs
British, Modern restaurant in Wallingford
26 St Mary's Street - OX10
“Long may it thrive” – an “engaging” neighbourhood joint with links to the local gin and craft-beer outfit, The Keep. “The menu changes regularly, and there’s always something to love”. Top Menu Tip – “save room for desserts…they’re very good” (“the doughnuts are a guilty pleasure”).
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