Old Woking, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

2024 Review: The second link in the growing Brucan Pubs group, set up by James Lyon Shaw and Jamie Dobbin, who met during their days at the famous Ivy. By all accounts the three-year-old venture is “surprisingly good for a somewhat unprepossessing area”, and with “good-value set menus” to boot. Top Menu Tip – “in my experience the best dishes are the slow-cooked ones”.

“A very well-run and vast pub/restaurant which has managed to balance itself between the two”. Between the “reliable and fresh” British grub, “well-kept beers” and “friendly and efficient team” (plus a lovely garden) it’s “always a delight to visit”.

2023 Review: “Good solid food” and a “large outdoor space for eating” makes this country pub a handy refuelling spot for visitors to the RHS gardens at nearby Wisley.

A “glamorous” outpost of Richard Caring’s ever-growing brasserie empire set across two floors, and with a particularly scenic patio overlooking the headline attraction announced in its name. As per its siblings, the menu hops from British classics to Asian-inspired dishes and veggie options, and there’s currently a two-course ‘£19.17 Menu’ revisiting classics from the original London restaurant, from their famed shepherd’s pie to frozen berries with white chocolate sauce; also as with its siblings, not everyone is convinced by the food (“nothing to rave about”) but it remains one of the more commented-upon venues in these parts.

“Love the ambience… no pressure to quit the table and nice to overlook the river” – such are the plus points of these flexible, comfortable and welcoming homes-from-home in the Home Counties and in London near Tower Bridge and in Putney. Celebration? Both locations also feature funky little Thames-side ‘igloos’ seating up to 8. Looking for great food too? Don’t bother! “Disappointment” is often registered regarding the salads, pizza and other very middle of the road fare – keep your celebrations as liquid as possible…

This steakhouse/gastropub cross is notable for its in-house butchery, with standout menu items including a 1kg tomahawk for two to share, or a steak platter comprising ribeye, fillet, bavette and smoked sirloin for four. There’s also a “lovely Sunday lunch combo”, and it’s “best in summer as there’s a delightful outside-eating area”. Top Tip – butchery cuts are half price on Mondays.

“Smart pub/restaurant with a buzzy atmosphere” and “consistently good food from a large and varied menu” – built at the 19th-century height of the local brick industry, it’s a “great place to stop for lunch after a good walk in the countryside”, with “lovely log fires in the bar”.

“The food just gets better and better” at this “delightful beamed restaurant” in a “quaint Surrey village” that is frequently used for film locations. Built as two labourers’ cottages circa 1620, the restaurant is divided into “cosy small rooms, with lovely outside seating in summer”, where Tante Claire-trained chef Mohssine El Fadi presents an “eclectic menu with good choice of dishes”; having joined the kitchen 20 years ago, he bought the business with general manager Jack Forrest Foster in 2019. Top Menu Tip – “the fish cooking is always spot-on”.

This independently owned and run pub just off the Thames Path serves “first-class, chef-quality cooking at chain-pub prices, with a great menu for all occasions” – “you don’t find many pub-restaurants full on a Tuesday lunchtime, but this one is for good reason”. “They even make gravies from scratch for each Sunday roast and their own desserts!”

“Exceptional attention to detail and exquisite food” lead to many best meals of the year being reported in this “elegant and classy” retreat – the dining room at the heart of the Dorchester Collection’s luxurious country house hotel and spa, near the borders of Virginia Water. A number of reports are “surprised it still has only one star from that ‘other’ guide” – “surely Adam Smith is knocking on the doors of two” given the “exquisite” food and “culinary theatre” delivered by the intricate succession of dishes for £185 per person. Despite its 2023 revamp, one or two critics still find its style too “oligarchy and international”, while still acknowledging that the food is “excellent”. Top Menu Tip – “turbot with caviar and two sauces… yes please!”

With its tapestries, mullioned windows and Tudor fireplace – as part of a stately home that dates back hundreds of years and which has been a hotel since the 1930s – this intimate dining room (just seven tables) aims, and generally succeeds in providing “a real five star experience”. Foodwise this year, we have reports of "absolutely wonderful meals, truly unique in terms of food pairings, presentation and service” with no complaints, but our rating is an act of faith in continuity as Alex Payne left after our annual diners’ poll was completed in July 2025 (to Sorrel, see also) with Chef Stefano Di Giosia moving here from Kol. In the evening you can choose a four-course tasting menu for £125 per person or a ‘Signature’ selection for £155 per person. Weekday lunches provide a cheaper entry level option of four courses for £95 per person.

Taken over by Matt Larcombe, ex-of The Crown at Bray, in 2021, and with a kitchen helmed by chef Daniel Lee – this red-brick boozer by the Surrey roadside carries its high ambitions relatively lightly (although they are apparent when you open the heavyweight wine list, with some vintages in the £1000s). Its modern, seasonal British cooking is – by most accounts – “excellent” as is the service “despite being on the pricey side”.

Feedback has strengthened over the years regarding the much-accoladed, wood-panelled dining room in the oldest section of this plush Victorian pile in Surrey – nowadays a 124-room luxury hotel and spa – where chef Steve Smith has looked after the stoves since early 2020. It doesn’t attract huge volumes of reports, but its dedicated local fan-club regards it highly all-round. Dinner is a three-hour, seven-course affair at £175 per person, with four- and five-course options available at lunchtimes and on some evenings. The wine options here received particular praise this year.

“A fabulous, thoughtful menu” dominated by “impressive game” from adjoining Windsor Great Park (red deer, muntjac, rabbit, pigeon and more) impresses guests at this “high-quality” venue dating from 1877 and styled as a hunting lodge, by the main gates to the park – hosts Steven & Ami Ellis lead an “attentive” service team, and there’s “an inviting drinks list”. Top Tip – “we enjoyed a fantastic Game Tasting Menu of seven courses which was amazing value for money at £80 per person… a fabulous selection of Charcuterie and Snacks including Rabbit Chorizo, Pigeon Salami, Rabbit Rilette with Cheese Sable and a heavenly Pigeon Sausage Roll along with a game consommé… Game Bird Liver Parfait… excellent Stuffed Pheasant Leg and Woodcock which was accompanied by an Offal Cottage Pie… the flavour was stunning”. BREAKING NEWS: As of October 2025, the venue is ‘temporarily closed’ as the team is ‘refreshing’.

With its array of “silky-smooth croquetas” and other tapas favourites, backed up by “a great choice of sherries”, this popular gastropub-with-rooms in the Surrey ’burbs from Spanish maestro José Pizarro is “one of the best places to eat for miles around” – and, as you’d expect of this much-fêted ambassador of all things Iberian, “makes a decent stab at a Hispanic vibe”.

“Exceptional food in a calm and unpretentious setting” has carved a big reputation for Steve Drake’s Surrey HQ which, say fans, is “the perfect haunt for a special occasion or at which to make an impression with a business client” thanks to its “exceptionally balanced atmosphere” with “exemplary” service that’s “not too attentive, but there when you need them”. “Succulent” dishes are “carefully constructed dishes to delight the eye as well as the palate” and “adventurous enough to push you to try new things without being ‘weird’”. We have continued to rate it based on our spring 2025 annual diners’ poll on the basis that Steve remains as owner: but in June 2025, he stepped back from the stoves and appointed Alex Payne (who came to prominence running The Tudor Pass restaurant at Great Fosters hotel near Windsor) as the new head chef.

“Top notch pub grub” wins votes for Adam Handling’s converted pub in Old Windsor, which will celebrate its fifth anniversary in 2026. A selection of funky small plates (like Yellowfin tuna, green chilli, ponzu or BBQ mackerel, grape salsa) zhoosh up a menu that’s fairly classic gastropub in its approach (steaks, burgers, fish ’n’ chips). The prices bug one or two fans though (“been several times, and the bill is now a bit silly”).

“Yummy mummy hangouts” that have proliferated across the capital and its surrounding high streets over the past few years, with “relaxed and colourful décor” and “friendly waiting staff”. They are very accommodating to families, both “child-friendly” and “pooch central, with snacks and water” – although if you don’t bring your own, you might find there are “too many dogs”. The eastern Med-style cooking varies between “fresh and well prepared” at best to “adequate, sometimes slow” – while “bottomless Bloody Mary or Mimosa on a Sunday can be dangerous!”.