London Chiswick Restaurant Guide

“The French bistro at its best”, this “reliable” Gallic fixture by Acton Green is “a small bit of Paris in Chiswick”, with “perfect food (including oysters) and an atmosphere for romance”. Top Menu Tip – “delicious soufflés”.

“Avoiding a typical pub-forgettable menu” – this Victorian tavern on a prominent corner overlooking Acton Green Common “offers a tapas selection of real quality and a lovely interior to boot”. That’s it on a good day, though – it’s not consistent and some “unexceptional” results dragged on the rating a little this year. You can eat anywhere in the pub, although the grand dining room at the rear is the most comfy location, and “the garden is very pleasant on a fine day”.

“Brilliant vinyl in the background” – you can choose the records, and in the evenings listen to live music while sipping drinks from the licensed bar – sets the tone at this “wonderful and very relaxed neighbourhood café” not far from Turnham Green church. The coffee is notably good, staff are “lovely” and they “serve the best breakfast – complete with edible flowers!”.

2022 Review: A “lovely local” near Turnham Green, this “family-owned Italian” is “tiny but with terrific food and atmosphere”. There’s a good range of pizzas but the Puglian dishes are what makes it special.

Superb in-house roasted coffee and scrumptious pastries (speciality Portuguese Pastel de Nata) – made daily on the premises – make for a superior breakfast at this Chiswick café, just off the main drag.

“An exceptional list of wine with so many to choose by the glass that it’s always possible to try something a bit different” is the key selling point of this popular modern wine bar chain. Its culinary attractions are less reliable – the food can be “surprisingly good” but is too often “essentially average”; service can be “accommodating” or “rushed”; and the ambience can be “better if you can sit outside”. But its “excellent value” drinking and “lively” style carry the day. In particular, the “conveniently placed” King’s Cross branch has a “great location, which makes it a winner”. Top Tip – “creditable set lunch at a pretty restrained price”.

While you probably wouldn’t cross town for it, this basic pit-stop near Turnham Green tube is worth remembering – the sushi is a cut-above what you’d expect from the nondescript exterior.

For the Chiswick fast-set (if there is such a thing?), this prominently sited outpost of the Soho House empire (from the early days, before it went global) is “THE best place for brunch”, and at weekends in summer it’s all designer sunnies and expensive casualwear out on the deck. It doesn’t generate a huge volume of feedback, but was well-rated this year.

“Where else can you get ramen and laksa in the same place?”, ask fans of this “efficient and friendly” pan-Asian chain founded almost 30 years ago in Bloomsbury’s Brunswick Centre and now with branches in Ealing, Putney, Kensington and Chiswick plus two delivery-only kitchens.

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.

“Great to have this restaurant on our doorstep” – Kimberley Hernandez’s superior fixture is easily missed in the strip of pizza-stops and cafés on Chiswick’s main drag; but it’s well worth discovering for its “interesting, very well-prepared and presented” (and relatively healthy) cuisine. And in April 2023, they appointed Nathan Cornwell (recently of The Barn at Moor Hall) as head chef who has, if anything, further stepped up its performance. Not sure about the home-made elderflower wine though…

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.

2023 Review: This “rather sweet little café” in Chiswick from transplanted South African Angie Steele provides “very friendly and quick service for a light menu” of healthy-ish treats from breakfast to 5pm.

“Wonderful décor, a nice mix of cocktails and a lively buzz make this a very good local” that works equally “for a romantic meal or for celebrating a special event”. The new branch in Chiswick generates most of the feedback this year, but Lorraine Angliss (also owner of Annie’s and Little Bird) has run the Richmond original for 15 years.

“Cake shop by day, Lebanese by night” – this “very friendly and welcoming” spot on Chiswick High Road is an “excellent spot for lunch and a good dinner venue, too”. “I’ve recently discovered their breakfasts – awesome!”.

On the site of The Crown (RIP) and previously Carvosso's (even longer RIP), Chiswick's former police station has been through a number of incarnations as a would-be pub with none sticking despite it having a characterful site and a brilliant back-door garden. This latest is from JKS Restaurants so hopes are hight. It features a pub floor, reception room, two private dining rooms, a covered outdoor courtyard, and a south-facing front terrace. The menu is inspired by British pub classics, created by Executive Chef John Sparks and Kitchen Table chef James Knappett. Menu highlights include Black Pudding Scotch Egg, Buttermilk Fried Chicken, and Highland Wagyu Hound Dog. The Hound also provides a selection of craft beers, cocktails, and its own label tap wines.

“Fairy lights, greenery and charming decor create a warm and cosy atmosphere” at this still-expanding group, which is most popular as a “reliable and friendly brunch option”. Its Med-inspired tapas is typically rated somewhere between “tasty” and “nothing special” and scores overall are dragged well down by those experiencing “chaotic service” and “food that doesn’t live up to the pretty dining room”.

“Lovely fresh seafood” and “excellent pasta dishes” – everything “brimming with flavour” – have won an enthusiastic welcome for this “new Italian run by a very experienced team” in Turnham Green. Founders Ben and Michael have worked together for more than 20 years, running an independent restaurant in Italy and in five-star hotels.

“The mixture of tapas and pizzas works well for a family meal” at this handy local on the edge of Bedford Park in Chiswick, where “the ambience is nice, particularly out on the terrace on a warm evening”. If there’s a complaint, it’s that standards can be “a bit hit ’n’ miss”.