London Barnes Restaurant Guide

This “unspoilt, cosy and simply furnished” late-Victorian pub, “tucked away down a side street” in the cute ‘Little Chelsea’ enclave of Barnes, is “a joy to visit for its competently cooked food and excellent beer” – “not surprisingly it has loyal local support”. Top Tip – sweet garden in summer.

This pretty and professionally run tea shop close to the Thames in Barnes excels for its cakes and afternoon teas (for which booking is essential at busy times), although it no longer generates the copious feedback of earlier years.

For “Barnes at brunch” – or as a “very useful and convenient place to eat before a film” – the “family-friendly” dining room in the “nice surroundings” of Barnes’s iconic recording-studio- turned-indie-cinema “serves its purpose” (and the outdoor terrace further adds to its appeal as a social hub in decent weather). But the menu is “disappointingly limited and dull, even if pretty well executed”.

With its “above-average food and friendly staff” this “fine, family-run Thai” is a “popular Barnes local that also delivers” – and that takes full advantage of its prime position directly opposite the Olympic Studios indie cinema. (“The menu has remained the same for a long while – some new dishes wouldn’t harm!”)

A “lovely location on the river” with “vistas over the Thames” is an uncontested attraction of the London outpost of the famous TV chef, near Barnes Bridge. It’s not a huge advertisement for choosing a place according to the celebrity name over the door, as results are “hit and miss” to the extent that many diners view it as “consistently disappointing”, “especially given the elevated prices”.

“A top tip for sushi and other interesting Japanese dishes” – this 11-year-old group from Israeli-born Ohad Kastro offers an “excellent quality and variety of options” that are “so much better than standard rivals” – and each branch “manages to feel like a comfy ‘local’, despite there being others around town”.

“Really special cooking” – “simple, seasonal northern Italian dishes with excellent daily specials” – has won a star-studded following amongst food writers for Andreas Riva’s Barnes fixture of over 30 years standing (Fay Maschler, Nigella Lawson and the late AA Gill have all cited it as a favourite). The uninitiated sometimes find its attractions pass them by and even fans admit that the “ambience, while OK, could do with a bit of a spruce up”. “This is such an iconic restaurant” for its fan club though that all is easily forgiven – “I keep coming back year in year out and the quality of the food has not diminished and speaks for itself. Looking forward to our next meal already!”

Few pubs in London boast as fine a location as this riverside tavern, at the Thames-side end of Barnes High Street (and next to the also-picturesque Bull’s Head). Abandoned to pizza and brasserie chains in recent decades, it’s now to be relaunched as a passion project by Patty & Bun founder, Joe Grossmann; and with front of house from Simon Walsh, who filled the same role at Hammersmith’s excellent Anglesea Arms.

“Surprisingly and deliciously different” Indian cooking can be found at this “smart little” two-year-old on the main drag in Barnes – a debut restaurant from three friends who grew up together in the Punjab, one of whom runs the upmarket Barnes Pantry just up the road. Local regulars say they “love this place and the staff”.

2023 Review: An “ambitious newcomer” in Barnes, where veteran hospitality operator Christian Arden has transformed a former pub (fka The Tree House) to the tune of £400k, with chef Anthony Demetre (of Arbutus and Wild Honey) consulting on the menu. “The food is really good, fully deserving of its recent rave review in the Telegraph from William Sitwell!”