Surrey Restaurant Guide

“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”.

“Set in a charming cottage” in an “attractive Surrey Hills village setting”, this red-brick restaurant is “a class act from the off”, beginning with the “warm welcome” from Jack Forrest Foster, who purchased the restaurant alongside chef Mohssine El Faddi in 2019 (the venue having been in existence for over three decades). “The modern British food has a North African influence which adds to the interest and taste” and invariably “draws you back”.

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.

There’s no doubting the “fantastic location” of this link in Raymond Blanc’s Heartwood Inns collection – a nook and cranny-filled boozer on pretty Downside Common with a heated outdoor tent and beer garden for added measure. Its victuals aren’t fancy but are “generally good” by common consensus, and continue to be of note for their moderate price tags (especially now they’ve relaunched their bargainous seasonal set menus).

2022 Review: In a village near Leatherhead, this well-established Indian (opened in 1983) – nowadays run by the son of the founder – is strongly applauded by its local fans.

This “popular gastropub stalwart” is “always busy, even if you were to go on a Tuesday lunchtime”. It occupies a listed 300-year-old former courthouse which featured in a Sherlock Holmes story, ‘The Adventure of the Speckled Band’. The food here is consistently well-rated and commented on as being “better than average”.

This Surrey branch of The Ivy’s stylish national brasserie offshoot is an “incredibly popular” sort of place, where the most appealing location to eat is the Orangery. From providing one reporter’s “worst dining experience of the year” to another’s “dazzling delight”, it continues to split opinion, but the majority verdict is that “the atmosphere and ambience (which “exude fun and enjoyment”) excel more than the food” (which is “acceptable but nothing special”).

2021 Review: “Good Italian food in the Surrey Hills” is to be found in this substantial village pub, now operated by an Italian team that ran restaurants in Guildford for three decades. The bar menu of pizzas and pasta is complemented by a more formal menu in the restaurant.

This red-brick steak restaurant and bar is part of the carnivorous, three-strong Rare Breed Dining group, with its own in-house smokery and butcher overseeing prime cuts of meat (part of a trendy package that also includes on-site wreath- and candle-making classes); results from the menu (relayed via daily specials boards) are “tasty” and there’s a “lovely outdoor area for al-fresco dining in summer”.

This comfortably decorated national chain feels akin to dining in a hotel, but minus the bedrooms; and its two London branches – near the Tower and in Putney – benefit from attractive Thames-side locations, where “it’s lovely to sit outside on a warm day by the river, or year-round in one of their igloo pods”. “There’s a warm fire inside with cosy armchairs”, too, which make the venues “fine for coffee or snacks”, although for more substantial meals “the food is only OK”.

Up and down reports this year among loyal local fans of this busy Thai, which will have been a mainstay of dining in the area for 50 years in 2025. One worried regular feels it’s “sad to see this old favourite going downhill”. For the most part, though, diners still say “there’s always a nice meal out here”.

“Whilst the travails of hospitality in these challenging times have reduced the opening times and menu options (notably the previously excellent-value set lunch), absolutely no compromise has been made by chef-owner Steve Drake in the quality of the cuisine” at his smartly presented Surrey HQ, and all reports say “he continues to provide succulent and splendid culinary masterpieces with exemplary service”… “cutting-edge and well worth the investment”.

2023 Review: A “stunning location… from a car park rooftop!” provides “amazing views over Guildford and the hills beyond” at this long-established fixture, known for its “wide selection of quality Thai dishes”.

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.

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”.

“There’s no finer way than a visit to impress a business colleague or, indeed, anyone for that matter”, according to fans of “the magnificent Beaverbrook estate – a wonder to behold and with a Dining Room featuring the very best in Japanese food”. The dining room itself has been super-tastefully updated; and in it Wojciech Popow (founder of the Polish Association of Sushi Chefs!) creates a menu of sushi, sashimi and the finest surf ’n’ turf robata’d on the Josper grill. “Before and after dining, the spacious grounds are a joy to take a leisurely stroll in”.