Chiswick, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

With its airy dining room and cute garden, this popular old boozer – a spacious Victorian tavern overlooking Acton Green Common – might look an unlikely-seeming destination for “a lovely tapas lunch”. The idea of a Spanish-inflected menu has worked well for years, though, supplemented by some larger, more typical pub dishes, including Sunday roasts. The quality of the cooking can be variable, with the occasional complaint (“terrible paella!”) interspersed in reports of “very good Spanish food”.

“Wonderful breakfasts, tasty coffee and cakes… and with a proper vinyl music background – what’s not to love?”. This pitch-perfect “indie coffee shop” near Turnham Green church “also sells records” and morphs into a mini music venue in the evenings, with live gigs and a licensed bar.

“A great wine list from all corners of the globe” has helped underpin the ongoing popularity of this modern wine bar chain, despite a year that saw it sold out of administration and the closure of its popular King’s Cross branch. Although this period inspired iffy marks and the odd report of “totally disorganised” service, the four remaining outlets still inspire tons of, albeit slightly lukewarm nominations as a handy option “for a simple meal”: “don’t expect any sort of culinary fireworks” from the “straightforward” dishes “but there are some very nice, reasonably priced wines” and the interiors are “definitely pleasant”. Top Menu Tips – “lovely cheese croquettes and steak ’n’ chips”.

Shopping in Chiswick of a weekend? The large outside deck of this prominently situated brasserie on the high street remains “a top place for brunch” and – as one of Soho House’s earlier outposts – is a magnet for local media moguls and C-suite types out with their lovely families.

“Delicious amuse bouche and melt-in-the-mouth guinea fowl!” – Nathan Cornwell’s “exciting” cooking provided numerous reporters with their best meal of the year at this Chiswick venue, which owner Tim Price is working hard to put on London’s culinary map. One challenge is the anonymous location: a very pleasant but slightly uneventful space, easily missed amidst the jumble of chain-restaurants and furniture stores on Chiswick’s high street.

2022 Review: This “spacious” late-Victorian tavern on Chiswick’s main drag is thriving under “very impressive new management” who have installed a new pizza kitchen and revived the “lovely garden” with a large covered terrace. “They took over just before the first lockdown and worked their socks off to get it right – and boy, have they succeeded” with its “honest and reliable” food offer.

“For a jolly night out with the girls”, these “warm and luxurious” west London haunts are just the job. An “extensive list of cocktails” is key to their allure – “the food is not the main attraction although it’s perfectly acceptable”. Lorraine Angliss (who also owns Annie’s and Little Bird) opened the Richmond original in 2009; its Chiswick sibling followed in 2022.

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”.