Bushey, Mediterranean Restaurant Guide

“Long established in St Albans”, and part of a five-strong, sustainability-oriented chain, this glass-roofed outfit by the cathedral continues to please with its “jolly good” bistro cooking (the latter recommended for its “consistent quality” and equally “good value”).

Under a picturesque Georgian terrace, close to St John-in-Hampstead church, this basement tapas bar is a prime destination in the area thanks to its “consistently delicious food, attentive staff” and “lovely atmosphere”. The menu adds Italian elements to its Spanish core, and there’s a “very good wine selection”.

This “superb, cosy local” in Belsize Park now also has an offshoot that’s proving “a great addition to St John’s Wood”. The focus is on “interesting food cooked with fire” from chef-owner Jake Finn (ex-LPM and The Ritz), who takes inspiration from Mediterranean, Peru and Japan: “a sharing concept from a menu that’s not huge but with good variety and lots of veggie options”. Both sites provide “wonderful combinations, simply done”, with meat, fish and veggies that are “both charred and succulent”. “It’s not inexpensive, but great value given the quality of ingredients and cleverness of the cuisine”. Top Menu Tip – “whole sea bream, fennel, radish and fresh herbs is a standout”.

A “top pub garden” is the trump card of this handsome, green-tiled tavern on the Chiswick-Acton border, and it’s backed up by “super-attentive service, great food” and “a lively buzz”. It’s been “consistently good” in its current guise for more than 20 years.

“Run by Michel Roux’s daughter” Emily and her husband Diego Ferrari (former head chef of Le Gavroche), this Notting Hill five-year-old “gives us the best of two culinary worlds: French and Italian”. The “precise, thoughtful and delicious dishes (celeriac, crab, turbot, veal)…” are “real high-end comfort food” and the “dining room is cool and buzzy without being overly formal”. “Both wine list and cheeseboard are on the conservative side, but none the worse for that”; and “the Italian sommelier has an encyclopaedic knowledge of Italian wines and will always steer us to something new and unusual”. Some reports note a “post-Covid blip amidst staff changes”, and a slip in ratings generally backs up those who feel the experience is “not bad, and better than average, but not quite the quality it was previously”. Top Tip – “lunch is particularly good value”.

This “decent Notting Hill Italian” is “always mobbed (and the back area is particularly noisy), but the basic fare is great quality and the service is smiley”. It has notched up a quarter of a century, and spawned two offshoots in the same street – Essenza and Osteria Basilico.

“Great Roman-style crispy pizzas” along with a full selection of tapas, starters, “ever-changing Italian main courses” and a “fun Notting Hill vibe” ensure that this smart pub conversion is “a definite step up from the pizza chains” while “still reasonable value”. Two offshoots further west – the Oak W12 near Ravenscourt Park and the Bird in Hand at Brook Green – repeat the trick.

“Stunning salads, amazing pastries” and a “lovely variety of interesting prepared dishes” have stood the test of time at Yotam Ottolenghi’s “vibrant” deli-cafés – still hugely popular 22 years on from the launch of the first in Notting HIll. The Israeli-born chef and writer has had an enormous influence on the way people shop, eat and cook, helping to create a whole category of modern Middle Eastern cookery and “totally living up to his reputation as a leading expert in vegetarian cuisine” – even though his premises serve meat and fish. An occasional quibble – “the prices? Too high for a few stalks of broccoli even taking into account the undoubtedly skills of the Chef!”

A “favourite in West London” – this very popular hostelry sits on “a quiet tree-lined street” near Ravenscourt Park, and has a small, sunny outside terrace. Its legions of fans say it’s “the perfect gastropub” thanks to its “continually brilliant food” over many years, its “perfectly informal service” and its “cosy and intimate” style. “It still feels like a pub and not a restaurant, but the cooking is better than practically any other pub and most restaurants”.

This appealing café/restaurant in Notting Hill is “just a gentle place to be”, with a modern eastern Mediterranean menu inspired by founder Victoria Paltina’s visits to Tel Aviv.

A superior backstreet boozer in the cute enclave near Hammersmith’s posh St Peter’s Square – a “lovely spot” with a sweet garden serving a menu that’s ambitious for pub cooking.

“Great food and drink, especially pizza” makes it worth remembering this stylish (if sometimes noisy) Olympia pub-conversion, a few minutes’ walk from Brook Green (part of the Oak group).

Is it London? It doesn’t feel like it at this enchanting, 17th-century ballroom adjoining Holland House, and surrounded by the tranquility of Holland Park. As a restaurant, it’s had many ups and downs over the years (there’s always a temptation here to coast on the location), and its latest incarnation was launched without fanfare in December 2022 by George Bukhov-Weinstein and Ilya Demichev, of Goodman, Burger & Lobster and Wild Tavern. True to the DNA of these other offerings, it’s been handsomely revamped and now serves an Italian-influenced menu centred on luxe casual dining – raw seafood, USDA steak, plus fancy pizza and pasta. In a February 2023 review, Giles Coren of The Times decried it as akin to “the second-best Italian restaurant in Dubai” whose unifying principle is “expensive” not Italian. Our initial reports are less sniffy: “an amazing meal with attentive service, and good ambience even if the decor is a bit overdone for my taste and the food is on the pricey side for what it is”.

“Terrific posh Levantine food with a twist” is the story of this Kensington High Street three-year-old, whose kitchen is run by former Palomar head chef Tomar Amedi. The menu can seem “confusing” to first-timers (“what’s a starter? a main? a side? did we order enough?”) but the small plates are “interesting and all very tasty”.

“Posh Greek food” – “very nice sharing plates” from a “well-designed menu” where “delicious moussaka” rubs shoulders with “caviar” and top steaks – wins praise for this Marylebone venture, as does its “great wine list”. It’s a sibling to INO (see also), and likewise run by an Athens-based team who hold a Michelin star for that city’s ‘Funky Gourmet’.