Caterham, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

2023 Review: This “lovely” mid-Victorian boozer (believed to be the only ‘Haycutter’ in the country) earns solid ratings for its “good old-fashioned pub grub” and “brilliant” all-round performance. It is now part of the Brunning & Price group.

2024 Review: This “lovely food-led pub” – a carefully modernised beauty from 1854 on Crystal Palace’s thriving ‘Triangle’ – showcases chef David Yorkiston’s “really great cooking – way, way above typical gastroboozer fare”. “Controversially, it has banned kids under 10” but not everyone objects (“we think the atmosphere is all the better for it, even if it means we can’t go there as often as we’d like)”.

This “nice pub” close to Box Hill in the Mole Valley is known for its “good-quality food” – which means you need to book ahead for Sunday lunch. From the five-strong local Grumpy Mole group, it is known as ‘The Inn on the Green’.

2024 Review: “Brilliant pub grub” wins a nod at this Victorian former coaching inn in West Dulwich, with plenty of outdoor space that is covered and heated in winter. It’s family-friendly, so gets “a bit noisy” at times.

2021 Review: High marks again for this brave hipster outpost occupying one of the stalls in Tooting’s covered market, and where funky, seasonal, British small plates are served at the counter. Some diners found themselves “questioning some of the combinations”, but most judged results “very good”.

2023 Review: A welcome 2021 relaunch after being closed for years – this roadhouse on the South Circular between Sydenham and Catford serves “generous” dishes that “elevate it beyond pub grub, but without pretending to be a gastropub”. The food comes courtesy of Jamie Younger, who runs Peckham’s Begging Bowl and was formerly at the Palmerston in East Dulwich; his “smoked and slow-cooked options are a triumph (red chicken, short ribs)”. The “huge outdoor areas” make “weekend lunch en famille with toddlers a jolly affair” – a market sector enticed by a discount club for parents with young kids.

2021 Review: This September 2019 yearling in the heart of the town (occupying a former NatWest bank, hence the name) is notable for its owner: Stuart Gillies is the former CEO of Gordon Ramsay's restaurant group, and has launched this venture with the help of wife Cecilia. Previously a chef, Gillies has devised a ‘European small plates’ menu for the two-floor wine bar.

A “buzzy” atmosphere and “welcoming service” are the strong suits of this “expanding group”, with 16 branches in London and another handful nearby. While nobody disputes that they’re “lovely to sit in” and offer “value for money”, the “Middle-Eastern-inspired cooking” divides opinion, with some reporters “pleasantly surprised by the tasty food” and others bemoaning “underwhelming” dishes that “sound better than they taste”.

“The dangers of overextending the brand are writ large at these places” – the sub-sub-brand derivatives from the Theatreland classic, which haven’t taken off like the slightly posher ‘Ivy Brasserie’ spin-offs (perhaps because “they do this better at Côte”). They are not without supporters, who say they have fab locations and “look great” (SW19 is particularly “delightful”); or that although “supper is terribly disappointing, for breakfast they are an absolute joy enhanced by the refined surroundings”. Too often, though, they are dismissed as a “so-so brasserie chain that’s only really aiming for gullible out-of-towners” nowadays.

A “buzzy” atmosphere and “welcoming service” are the strong suits of this “expanding group”, with 16 branches in London and another handful nearby. While nobody disputes that they’re “lovely to sit in” and offer “value for money”, the “Middle-Eastern-inspired cooking” divides opinion, with some reporters “pleasantly surprised by the tasty food” and others bemoaning “underwhelming” dishes that “sound better than they taste”.

“Whilst the travails of hospitality in these challenging times have reduced the opening times and menu options (notably the previously excellent-value set lunch), absolutely no compromise has been made by chef-owner Steve Drake in the quality of the cuisine” at his smartly presented Surrey HQ, and all reports say “he continues to provide succulent and splendid culinary masterpieces with exemplary service”… “cutting-edge and well worth the investment”.

2021 Review: The “very pleasant surroundings” of an “excellent dining room overlooking Cannizaro Park” are let down by the consistently disappointing meals and “don’t care” attitude of staff at this Hotel du Vin outfit. “Someone rescue it – it’s a waste of a fantastic space”.

This classy venue opposite Herne Hill station is a “favourite local” – there’s a “superb buzz” about the place (although for some reporters that translates as “a heavy decibel level”) thanks to its “consistently good”, contemporary cuisine and “charming service”. An “interesting and reasonably priced wine list” seals the deal.

This “real local favourite” in East Dulwich from Rod Franklin and Tim Sheehan has served seasonal British cooking for more than 25 years, and is “famed for its Sunday roasts for carnivores” (but there’s more to it than meat, and “the varied menu always has an excellent selection of veggie/vegan dishes”). To the odd sceptic, it’s “OK, but really no more than that”.

2021 Review: “A great pub!” (part of the Three Cheers Pub Co) down Balham way, with smart interior and gorgeous, big outside garden, and where steaks and ‘artisan pizzas’ are mainstays of a comprehensive menu: “even if the pub was boring, I’d come back time and again for the fantastic food!”