Hardens Guide to the Best Restaurants in Watford
Hardens guides have spent 33 years compiling reviews of the best Watford restaurants. On Hardens.com you'll find details and reviews of 1,143 restaurants in Watford and our unique survey based approach to rating and reviewing Watford restaurants gives you the best insight into the top restaurants in every area and of every type of cuisine.
Featured Watford Restaurants
1. Copper Chimney
Indian restaurant in Shepherd's Bush
Southern Terrace, Westfield London, Ariel Way - W12
Near the main entrance to Westfield, this Indian venue will celebrate its fifth year in 2024, but is easily lost amongst the glossy anonymity of the surrounding units. It’s the London outpost of a 45-year-old chain that’s 15-strong in India itself. Although it doesn’t inspire a huge volume of feedback, reports are consistently upbeat: “good value, freshly cooked dishes, lovely ambience”.
2. Maggie Jones’s
British, Traditional restaurant in Kensington
6 Old Court Pl - W8
This vintage Kensington haunt – named after the pseudonym used by the late Princess Margaret when wining and dining as a commoner – delights its guests with its gorgeous and romantic, rustic decor. Never a foodie fave rave: expect the kind of “delicious” 1970s brasserie-style comfort food which will not distract from a “lovely family meal”, or more intimate tête-à-tête.
3. Uli
Pan-Asian restaurant in Notting Hill
5 Ladbroke Road - W11
“Relaxed and busy”, Michael Lim’s Notting Hill venue is “always a treat”, with “great Singaporean and other Asian dishes”. It has notched up 26 years, first in All Saints Road and more recently in smart new premises on Ladbroke Road. A second branch opened in Seymour Place, Marylebone, in June 2023. Top Tip – “fantastic in the summer with the roof open”.
4. The Melody Restaurant
International restaurant in Hammersmith and Fulham
153 Hammersmith Road - W14
Welcome To The Melody Restaurant At St. Paul's Hotel The Melody Restaurant Takes Its Name From One Of Britains’ Most Beloved Films. The Melody Restaurant Was Originally The Site Of St Paul’s School, Which Was The Chosen Location For ...
5. Cheneston’s Restaurant, The Milestone Hotel
British, Traditional restaurant in Kensington
1 Kensington Ct - W8
Cheneston's, named after the early spelling of Kensington, embodies refined fine dining with a touch of British culinary heritage. Discover a symphony of comfort and creativity orchestrated by Executive Chef Daniel Putz, crafting signature dishes infused with inspiration fro...
6. Rangrez
Indian restaurant in
32 Fulham Palace Road - W6
2023 Review: Limited but good all-round feedback on this family-run Punjabi stalwart, which has long been a feature of the restaurant strip just to the south of Hammersmith’s Eventim Apollo (and which sometimes only serves a restricted menu in the early evening during events there). It also has a branch in Ealing (not listed).
7. 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 ...
8. Clarette
French restaurant in Marylebone
44 Blandford St - W1U
“The wine list is pricey, even by Marylebone High Street standards” at this Tudorbethan pub, with leaded windows and inset stained glass. That’s to be expected, as it’s backed by Alexandra Petit-Mentzelopoulos – part of the family who own the legendary Château Margaux – and you really have to be a lover of wine (some famous names are available by the glass using the Coravin system) to get the most out of the place, which has extensive listings – amongst other areas – of bottlings from Bordeaux and Burgundy: for example, there is a ‘Château Margaux Experience’: a ‘degustation’ of 50ml glass of 4 vintages for £95. Viewed purely as a place to get fed? “We liked it, the food is lovely, but there are options offering better value”.
9. La Trompette
British, Modern restaurant in Chiswick
3-7 Devonshire Rd - W4
This “absolute gem of a neighbourhood restaurant” sits on a side street off Chiswick’s bustling main drag, and – like its cousin Chez Bruce – has earned a London-wide reputation over the years thanks to its “fine modern British dining”, “well-drilled service with a smile” and “comprehensive list of fine wines”. There’s been some “changing of the guard in the kitchen” in the last 12 months with Greg Wellman, formerly of The Glasshouse, Kew, taking over at the stoves. But whereas some fans say “it hasn’t undermined what remains a very strong offering”, others are less certain and ratings are not what they were: “I’m still the ‘fan from E18’ who schleps across town to go here, and remain a supporter, but it seems to have lost some of that elusive lustre that previously made it so special”.
11. 108 Brasserie
British, Modern restaurant in Marylebone
108 Marylebone Lane - W1
This “well-run spot” with outdoor seating attached to a hotel on Marylebone Lane makes a “very useful venue for lunch when in the vicinity”, with an offering that “seems to have something for everyone”. “It’s nothing exceptional in one sense, but a menu of properly prepared classics is the sort of thing that sounds easy but needs to be done well… and it is”.
12. Hawkyns by Atul Kochhar
Indian restaurant in Amersham
16 High Street - HP7
A surprise find in an ancient sixteenth-century pub on the high street – Atul Kochhar’s “superb upmarket Indian” is a “delight”, where the set menus are “outstanding value” (“would happily have paid more”, says a fan) and service “very attentive from the outset”. The ambience is sometimes rated no better than “OK” – for some tastes it’s not as immensely characterful as one might think given the venue’s cameo in ‘Four Weddings’, as the backdrop to Hugh and Andie’s romance.
14. 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...
15. Parlour Kensal
British, Modern restaurant in Kensal Rise
5 Regent St - NW10
Jesse Dunford Wood’s quirky former pub in Kensal Rise “never disappoints”. It’s open for “lovely meals all day long” (from 10am), delivering a versatile set of dishes from “an ever-changing seasonal menu” made “with fresh ingredients and imaginative preparation”. “Sunday lunch for both vegetarians and meat-lovers is a particular highlight”.
16. Apadana Restaurant
Persian restaurant in Kensington and Chelsea
351 Kensington High Street - W8
Apadana Restaurant is a 5 Star Award-winning chic restaurant that uses family-kept recipes to craft authentic, sumptuous Iranian classic dishes in the heart of London's trendy Kensington high street.Indulge your senses in our family kept recipes passed on for generation...
17. Vori
Greek restaurant in Holland Park
120 Holland Park Avenue - W11
Restaurateur Markos Tsimikalis closed his Shoreditch restaurant, Hungry Donkey, to open this brightly decorated Greek venue in Holland Park in late 2022. Our initial feedback is very upbeat all-round and – in April 2023 – The Independent’s Kate Ng was likewise positive, including about the signature Cretan-style cheesecake made with sheep and goat’s milk (“certainly up there with the greats”).
18. Clarke’s
British, Modern restaurant in Kensington
124 Kensington Church Street - W8
“Terrific ingredients, cleverly but unfussily combined” has long been the hallmark of Sally Clarke’s “impeccably run restaurant” in Notting Hill, which has been at the cutting edge of promoting seasonal, Californian-inspired cuisine since 1984. “It’s on the pricey side, but quality remains superb”; the setting is “romantic”; and the service, from a loyal and seemingly well-looked-after contingent of staff is “excellent, all overseen by Sally herself”. The “marvellous” wine list has an “unusual emphasis on North American wines” and some “reasonably priced alternatives to famous names”. Top Tip – “the good-value daily lunch set menu is a fantastic way to try this restaurant out”.
19. Six Portland Road
British, Modern restaurant in Holland Park
6 Portland Road - W11
Nowadays owned by Jesse Dunford Wood, this “beauty of a local restaurant” is a “gem worth travelling to Holland Park for” – “with a warm welcome, efficient staff and a regularly changing menu”. It’s notably “small and cosy”, which most reporters “love”.
20. Artichoke
French restaurant in Amersham
9 Market Sq - HP7
“Brilliant, Brilliant, Brilliant.....and tucked away in sleepy Amersham”; Laurie Gear’s “classy” venue is celebrating over 20 years in its sixteenth-century grade II listed site in Old Amersham (although it took Michelin until 2019 to cotton on and give it a star). It is one of the most commented-on venues in our annual diners’ poll on the fringes of the capital. “Stunning”, relatively traditional cuisine is “served by people who actually understand the job of hospitality”, in a Scandi-influenced interior.
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