Rickmansworth, British, Traditional Restaurant Guide

As per its appearance on Netflix’s ‘Million Dollar Buffet’ with Grace Dent, the dining room of this luxe country estate hotel revolves around a buffet that’s “best for those who want to splurge” (to the tune of a still highly reasonable £65 per person during the week, or £78 per person on weekends). Live-action food stations showcase a “huge choice of different cuisines” – sushi, seafood, stone-baked pizzas, just to stick with the ‘s’ options – that, while not being mega-foodie, are “excellent all-round” and make for a brilliant family outing (not least as kids “love the dessert section”). Top Tip – despite the very posh surroundings, the ambience is “not at all stuffy or pretentious” as one might fear.

This village gastroboozer was taken over by Terry Wogan’s daughter Katherine and her husband Henry back in 2011 and “what a local” it still is, turning out “always superb food” (“Sunday lunch is amazing”) that’s “great value” too. Having called time on its elder sibling The White Oak in Cookham in 2024, after failing to renegotiate the lease (the new regime there is the Brucan Pubs group), this “top-notch gastropub” is now the couple’s only focus.

This “lovely old pub” in the Chilterns, handy for the Harry Potter antics at Warner Bros Studio nearby, built up quite a reputation for its Anglo-French cooking over nearly two decades under husband-and-wife team Sally & Alvin Michaels. The 18th-century venue is now managed by Alvin’s former protégé Matt Jackson (and part of the growing RedCat pub company) but, on limited feedback this year, its “exceptional pub dining” still makes it a local magnet.

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”.

This longstanding “local favourite”, tucked away on the Chiswick-Acton border, benefits from a characterful Art Deco interior and “amazing secret garden” out back. The “efficient and friendly staff” serve a Mediterranean-influenced menu that “changes frequently to reflect seasonal ingredients”.

“Classics are made very very well (with a twist) in a comfortable proper pub environment” at Heston Blumenthal’s ‘other’ operation in Bray – a 15th-century tavern a short stroll from the Fat Duck ‘mothership’. Over the years, it has successfully avoided leaning too heavily on its celeb associations and if its renown has maybe waned a little over the years, appreciation for it has, if anything, grown as a “beautiful and charismatic venue” with “top-quality cuisine in a pub”. (“Who knows how much input Heston Blumenthal still has nowadays, but the dependable menu of imaginative takes on hearty traditional fare still hits the spot!”).

This “hidden gem” – a picture-book Grade II-listed Georgian tavern down a Hampstead side street – is “a great place to take the day off work”, particularly “now the food has been improved”.

What does it say about the culinary tastes of the British middle classes that this spin-off chain, with about 40 locations based on the original Theatreland icon, has been such a rip-roaring success? True, there’s some “great people-watching” at the “always buzzing” Chelsea Garden venue (which has one of SW3’s best gardens). And, without doubt, those branches in Kensington, Tower Bridge and Kingston also particularly stand out amongst the rest for their “super atmosphere”. In general though, the knock-off look of their locations “isn’t a patch on the original on West Street, yet pretends to be exactly the same”. And when it comes to their brasserie dishes: although its many followers tout them as “acceptable, albeit nothing special”, their rating-average identifies them as “underwhelming tick-box fare”; all offered by service that’s very “indifferent”. And yet they are “always busy”! In June 2024, it was announced that billionaire Richard Caring had successfully sold his entire Ivy restaurants stake. Now that he is laughing all the way to the bank, it will be interesting to see if ratings reverse, continue or deepen their southward trend.

“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 very good neighbourhood gastropub” – this Hammersmith backstreet boozer is no longer No. 1 on TripAdvisor (as it was several years ago), to the great relief of the local residents. The relatively new management are “really helpful” and the “no-nonsense pub grub” is much jazzier than under previous regimes. Top Menu Tip – “Sunday lunch is very good with lots of families happily munching into a roast”.

A photo of Ronnie O’Sullivan’s visit is “proudly displayed on the wall” of this Muswell Hill institution, and fans say “the best player ever to pick up a snooker cue is bang-on with his choice of North London fish restaurant!”, acclaiming “fish ’n chips that goes down a treat”, and has done for more than half a century. It was sold by its family owners in March 2024 to a national group with plans to spin it out as a brand – fingers crossed its appeal survives!

Tom Conran’s lively Bayswater favourite celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, and remains “a wonderful spot for a long lunch, starting with Guinness and oysters”. There has been no need to update the Irish pub theme, which is as fashionable as ever (as witnessed in the recent launch of The Devonshire off Piccadilly Circus). The artless cooking is “foodie” but straightforward, with seafood (oysters, whelks, cockles, crab or a pint-of-prawns) the top pick. Top Tip – tiny, cute first-floor dining room, with a separate menu.

“Great food and drink, especially pizza” makes it worth remembering this stylish (if sometimes noisy) Olympia pub-conversion, a few minutes’ walk from Brook Green (part of the Oak group).

“Only for cheese lovers… and that’s me!” – the clue is in the name at Mathew Carver’s “fun and different” venue – a 96ft custom-built, double-decker barge permanently moored in Paddington Basin, which showcases “a great selection of British cheeses with interesting pairings”. “Out-of-town visitors love it”. Top Menu Tip – “The curried cheese curds are amazing”.

This “always entertaining”, flower-bedecked 1750 tavern near Notting Hill Gate “still scores bang for the buck” with the Thai menu it has served for more than 25 years in a buzzy conservatory to the back of the main pub. It’s lost some of its renown for exceptional value in recent times, but it remains a somewhat eccentric one-off, whose popularity makes booking essential in the evening. (The pub was renamed to honour the wartime leader, whose grandparents apparently supped here).

Proximity to Richmond Park – a large terrace for sunny days – and a comfortable, attractive interior help justify the ongoing inclusion of this eighteenth-century Fuller’s pub, near Sheen Gate. In other respects, its ratings remain resolutely ordinary.

Reopened after a £450,000 refurb and extension in May 2024, this venue from Heartwood Inns, founded by Raymond Blanc as the White Brasserie Company, offers a French-influenced menu of more ambition than most gastropubs.

On the site of The Crown (RIP) – and before that Carvosso’s (long 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. This latest is from the mighty JKS Restaurants so hopes are high, although the JKS track-record pub-wise is ever-so slightly ‘meh’ so far, so who knows? It’s a big site, featuring a pub floor, reception room, two private dining rooms, a big, covered outdoor courtyard, and a south-facing front terrace, with a menu inspired by British pub classics.