Hardens Guide to the Best Restaurants in Prestwood
Hardens guides have spent 33 years compiling reviews of the best Prestwood restaurants. On Hardens.com you'll find details and reviews of 71 restaurants in Prestwood and our unique survey based approach to rating and reviewing Prestwood restaurants gives you the best insight into the top restaurants in every area and of every type of cuisine.
Featured Prestwood Restaurants
1. English at Crazy Bear Beaconsfield
restaurant in Beaconsfield
Old Town - HP9
Nestled in the heart of picturesque Buckinghamshire, the Crazy Bear Beaconsfield stands as a beacon of extravagance and unique style, blending traditional British heritage with an audacious twist. Our restaurant prides itself on a diverse range of exquisite ...
2. Thai at Crazy Bear Beaconsfield
Thai restaurant in Beaconsfield
Old Town - HP9
The Crazy Bear Beaconsfield introduces an exquisite Thai dining experience, where modernity meets tradition in a symphony of flavors. Our Thai cuisine is celebrated for its originality and provenance, embodying the essence of authentic Thai culinary art with a contemp...
3. The Vanilla Pod
French restaurant in Marlow
31 West St - SL7
“Other restaurants in the vicinity attract more hype – and even have stars – seemingly because they have a ‘TV chef’, but they really aren’t as good and cost much more” than Michael Mcdonald’s high-quality fixture (one of the top-100 most commented-on spots outside London in our annual diners’ poll). Some compare the experience to being “like dining in a back living room” – not all together a surprise as it’s part of a house that was in fact once home to TS Eliot – but the main events here are the “beautiful precise flavours” of the “excellent and reasonably priced” food and “wonderful polite service”.
4. The Crown at Bray
British, Traditional restaurant in Bray
High Street - SL6
2023 Review: “Still going strong” – this comparatively un-foodie pub has thrived in this gourmet village by offering an attractive and traditional backdrop for easygoing British cuisine, realised with wit: fish finger sandwich, steak, top burgers and so on.
5. Caldesi in Campagna
Italian restaurant in Bray
Old Mill Ln - SL6
“Lovely as ever and long may it continue” – Giancarlo & Katie Caldesi’s “welcoming” country venue (their flagship is in Marylebone) provides “wonderful Italian cooking”, including “silky-smooth homemade pasta” and “top-quality, tender calf’s liver in white wine”.
6. The Sir Charles Napier
British, Modern restaurant in Chinnor
Spriggs Alley - OX39
Julie Griffiths’ “atmospheric gastropub with lovely real ales and log fires” has been a feature of the Chilterns deep in countryside off the M40 south of Oxford for yonks and is, for its many fans, “an amazing institution that just keeps giving”. “Julie and her team look after you very well” and its unchanging attributes include “good if expensive” cooking and “a wonderful selection of wines”. (“A recent house move prompted the alarming thought that the first visit to the Napier was around 40 years ago. Since then we have visited dozens of times, celebrating special occasions and the everyday. What has never changed is the friendly and attentive welcome, the sense of ease settling by the fire in the bar or taking an aperitif in the beautiful garden. The menu always feels reassuring but upon closer inspection reveals constant fine- tuning in response to availability and season. Once installed in the eclectic dining area, the Napier remains an unchanging, unalloyed pleasure”.)
7. The Chequers Inn
British, Modern restaurant in Weston Turville
35 Church Lane - HP22
Owner Ranka Lani began her career at Soho’s Bar Italia, and nowadays owns and runs this “relaxed” country pub in the Bucks countryside: a “high-quality” operation with numerous menu choices, from an à la carte brasserie-style menu to set Sunday lunch and tasting options.
8. Hawkyns by Atul Kochhar
Indian restaurant in Amersham
16 High Street - HP7
On the surprisingly picturesque (for the inner Home Counties) high street, a 16th-century pub where Hugh first kissed Andie in ‘Four Weddings’ – and where starry chef Atul Kochhar now delivers “outstanding” and upscale Indian food. The latter ranges far beyond the usual suspects, with ‘British Indian’ dishes tapping ingredients like Hertfordshire venison and grilled Lake District lamb – and with particularly good value set menus also part of the attraction.
9. Glaze at Crowne Plaza Marlow
British, Modern restaurant in Marlow
Fieldhouse Lane - SL7
Experience excellent food and fine wine in the 4 silver star Crowne Plaza Marlow’s newly refurbished Glaze Restaurant in Marlow, AA Rosette awarded for its culinary excellence. Having recently undergone a huge refurbishment project, the Glaze Restaurant is no...
10. Sindhu
Indian restaurant in Marlow
The Compleat Angler - SL7
“The big ol’ Compleat Angler hotel might be thought a bit dated but I rather love it, right on the bank of the Thames at Marlow”. This “pretty dining room” is right over the water and is “one of Atul Kochhar’s finest” with “excellent customer service” and “delicate and finely cooked dishes”.
11. Artichoke
French restaurant in Amersham
9 Market Sq - HP7
“A classic, inspired menu is served in a lovely dining room on Old Amersham’s beautiful high street and supported by a great wine list” at Laurie & Jacqueline Gear’s 16th-century converted cottage. It waited almost 17 years for its Michelin star – having been founded in 2002 and winning the accolade in 2019 – and cynics say it’s “consistently good even after the award!” delivering “fantastic food, year after year”. “Prices are reasonable for the quality with dishes embellished with flair and complemented by the polite and engaged staff”. Many best meals of the last 12 months are reported here, and one reporter thought it “as enjoyable as any restaurant we have tried in the past three or four years”. It’s one of the top-50 most commented-on destinations outside London in our annual diners’ poll.
12. Gilbey’s
British, Modern restaurant in Amersham
1 Market Sq - HP7
“Tasty bistro food” is enjoyed in the “lovely setting” of a seventeenth-century former school in Old Amersham, a “cosy” local spot opened by the Gilbey’s gin dynasty 35 years ago. Founder Michael Gilbey passed away in summer 2022, and his widow, Lin, has put the site up for sale. (She also runs its sister restaurant in Eton.)
13. The Grocer at 15
British, Modern restaurant in Amersham
15 The Broadway - HP7
This “great local” has had an up-and-down time of it of late, with the Gerrards Cross branch under new management, and The Grocer at 91, which had pivoted to being a food shop in the pandemic, now closed. On the plus side, this “very busy” outpost is still going strong with its “reliable” (if pricey) sandwiches, salads and toasties, and they also recently opened a new Amersham venue, The Grocer at 2 (Whielden St), spanning a grocery store and café.
14. Tom Yum
Thai restaurant in Amersham
101 Sycamore Road - HP6
“Very good Thai food” remains the order of the day at this “cramped” fixture of the local scene, whose extensive menu (wok dishes, curries, fresh papaya salads) represents excellent value for money. From Tuesday to Saturday there’s a lunchtime noodle bar, and they also do a swift trade as a takeaway.
15. Mash Inn
British, Modern restaurant in Radnage
Horseshoe Rd, Bennett End - HP14
2023 Review: “Foraged food prepared over a fire: unbeatable?” – Nick Mash’s higgledy-piggledy village inn is “an absolute treasure of a place”, with “really interesting, special cooking” on a purpose-built wood-fired grill that helps achieve outstanding results. It’s “well worth the trip” to the Chilterns, “(and the beautiful rooms mean it’s worth the stay, too)”. We’ve rated it in the hope that it can maintain the high standards set by former chef Jon Parry, who departed in mid-2022 after five years at the helm.
16. The Royal Standard of England
British, Traditional restaurant in Beaconsfield
Forty Green - HP9
A “classic English pub” that advertises itself as Britain’s oldest no less, and whose 900-year-old walls have welcomed more than their fair share of TV and film crews (‘The Theory of Everything’, ‘Hot Fuzz’ and ‘Midsomer Murders’ were all shot there, the latter lending its name to their chicken pie). The menu takes in hearty soups, steaks and other pubby fare – and “what a fab atmosphere – it makes the food taste better”. Top Tip – if you want to compensate for the calories, the location offers “good post-meal walking options across fields and woods”.
17. Crocker’s Table
British, Modern restaurant in Tring
74 High Street - HP23
“Amazing food, top-notch service” – and “the value is OK for fine dining” – such are the attractions of Scott Barnard’s polished neighbourhood restaurant, which divides between a chef’s counter operation with tasting menu and open kitchen seating just 16 people overall; and larger dining room. The latter is considerably cheaper at £60 per person: at the chef’s table the experience is £105 per person during the week, rising to £130 per person at the weekend.
18. The Cape Grand Cafe & Restaurant
British, Modern restaurant in Beaconsfield
6a, Burkes Parade - HP9
This “great independent cafe recently changed hands when the owner sold it on to the longstanding manager” and, having initially been open just during the day (“very good salads and quiches” plus other South African-slanted breakfasts and brunch dishes and “excellent coffee”), it’s now also back to offering more complex meals at weekend dinners. Insufficient reports for a rating at this time of change.
19. The Jolly Cricketers
British, Modern restaurant in Seer Green
24 Chalfont Rd - HP9
“Hard to park”, but Chris & Amanda Lillitou’s “great little country pub” not far from Beaconsfield has “a superior food menu” thanks to Amanda’s Tante Claire training. You can have a burger, a ploughman’s or a 1/2 pint of prawns, but most of the bistro-esque menu, while avoiding any pretentiousness, is too sophisticated to be termed pub grub.
20. The Greyhound
British, Modern restaurant in Beaconsfield
33 Windsor End - HP9
Entering its fifth year since its founding in 2019, Daniel Crump & Margriet Vandezande- Crump’s converted coaching inn continues to dazzle with its all-round excellence (and was sensibly rewarded by the AA as their 2024/5 ‘Restaurant of the Year’). It’s not a gastropub, but “an outstanding fine-dining restaurant”, where you can eat à la carte or there’s a tasting menu for £95 per person. “You notice the service from the second you arrive. It isn’t a surprise to find the same staff there, year on year, as they have careers and are developed as professionals. The food is always of the highest quality with a very accomplished kitchen” led by head chef George Sweeney. A very large proportion of locals said it delivered their best meal of the year and it is now one of the top-100 most commented-on destinations outside London in our annual diners’ poll.
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