British, Modern Restaurants in Hemel Hempstead
1. The Chequers Inn
British, Modern restaurant in Weston Turville
35 Church Lane - HP22
Chef-owner Dritan and maître d’ Ranka (husband and wife) took over this country pub in the Bucks countryside in 2010. It inspired limited feedback this year, but all upbeat regarding its fairly traditional fare whose high level of aspiration makes this more a ‘restaurant in a pub’ than a gastropub.
2. The Alford Arms
British, Modern restaurant in Frithsden
This “great country pub” in a Chilterns village makes a handy “all year round” escape from the big city, and has a cleverly constructed menu that changes every week and majors on local produce.
3. The Gatsby
British, Modern restaurant in Berkhamsted
97 High St - HP4
2021 Review: “Well cooked and presented meals” – and “good value”, too – are served at this unusual venue in the foyer of the beautifully preserved 1930s Rex cinema. There’s also a cocktail bar with live pianist – and a particularly strong lunch and pre-film menu.
4. Dylans Kings Arms
British, Modern restaurant in St Albans
7 George Street - AL3
“One of the best in the area” – this fifteenth-century hostelry in the cathedral quarter (named for the landlord’s dog) only has “a small dining area at the back of the pub”, but provides “a very good menu – it’s limited to a few dishes which is encouraging as they are all very good!”
5. Lussmanns
British, Modern restaurant in St Albans
Waxhouse Gate, High St - AL3
“Long established in St Albans”, and part of a five-strong, sustainability-oriented chain, this glass-roofed outfit by the cathedral continues to please with its “jolly good” bistro cooking (the latter recommended for its “consistent quality” and equally “good value”).
6. Megan's at the Old Bell
British, Modern restaurant in St Albans
22 Chequer Street - AL1
“Fairy lights, greenery and charming decor create a warm and cosy atmosphere” at this still-expanding group, which is most popular as a “reliable and friendly brunch option”. Its Med-inspired tapas is typically rated somewhere between “tasty” and “nothing special” and scores overall are dragged well down by those experiencing “chaotic service” and “food that doesn’t live up to the pretty dining room”.
7. Thompson
British, Modern restaurant in St Albans
2-8 Hatfield Rd - AL1
Phil Thompson has owned this city-centre casual fine-dining spot (offering à la carte or seven-course tasting menus) for over a decade, and oversaw what was another solid performance this year; the dining area “consists of a number of small rooms, which gives a feeling of intimacy” (there’s also a charming Victorian-style courtyard), and Thompson’s classical training alongside the Galvin bros and MPW means “there’s always a good spin on traditional ideas”.
8. Luton Hoo, Luton Hoo Hotel
International restaurant in Luton
The Mansion House, Luton Hoo Estate - LU1
2021 Review: Afternoon tea is “a real treat” in the “wonderful and friendly surroundings” of this country house hotel and spa, whose claim to fame is that it appeared in ‘Four Weddings’. Reports of more substantial meals here are more up-and-down.
9. 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.
10. 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.)
11. Crocker’s Table
British, Modern restaurant in Tring
74 High Street - HP23
It’s “a fun experience to celebrate a special occasion” at Scott Barnard’s chef’s table-oriented venture seating just 16 people – particularly if you sit upstairs, where chefs plate up the “excellent” eight-course tasting menus before your eyes (ranging from £95 per person for weekday dinner to £120 per person at weekends); downstairs offers a more relaxed sample of the same menu without the drama, and there’s also a glamorous cellar bar if you want to get a head start on the fun.
12. Auberge du Lac
British, Modern restaurant in Welwyn
“Not yet back to its old self” seems to be the frustrating verdict on this former hunting lodge, scenically located with a large terrace by the lake of the luxurious Brocket Hall estate. In the early 2000s it was a national name under chef Jean-Christophe Novelli, but has since had its ups and downs. After a hiatus, “its re-opening has been long awaited and eagerly anticipated locally with the pop-ups fully booked”. Early feedback suggests “it still seems to be a work in progress. Menu, food and cooking have been very good, suitably refined and up to the standard expected. However, service can be poor, with staff unable to cope and long waits to order. The general decor is also very dated and doesn’t appear to have changed much during the past three years of closure. Hopefully, it will find its feet but it is taking longer than expected!”
13. The Jolly Cricketers
British, Modern restaurant in Seer Green
24 Chalfont Rd - HP9
“Worth the drive out” – Chris & Amanda Lillitou’s “quintessential English country pub” has a super-cute village location in the lush Chilterns countryside surrounding Beaconsfield. The cuisine is down-to-earth, but it comes with the spin one might expect from Amanda’s Tante-Claire training: the soup might be Jerusalem artichoke; the fish ’n’ chips may incorporate Newlyn hake and battered cod’s cheek; and a typical pie would feature game with a suet crust.
14. Friends
British, Modern restaurant in Pinner
11 High St - HA5
2021 Review: “A new chef is bringing style and ambition to this lovely period building” – an “intimate” five-hundred-year-old Tudor structure in central Pinner where Stelian Scripcariu has taken over from Terry Farr (owner for over 25 years) at the stoves. A trip “can work out expensive” (nothing new there) but all local reporters say it’s “well worth a visit”.
15. 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.
16. The Swan Inn
British, Modern restaurant in Denham
Village Road - UB9
2022 Review: Upscale Georgian gastroboozer, handy for J1 of the M40, whose “very pleasant surroundings” (in a ridiculously picture-postcard village), superior ambience and “nice garden” add considerably to its charms. The food, which is divided into small and big plates of comfort food-style British fare, isn’t wildly ambitious but is “consistently good”.
17. The Greyhound
British, Modern restaurant in Beaconsfield
33 Windsor End - HP9
Four years down the line, Daniel Crump and Margriet Vandezande-Crump’s “gorgeous” converted seventeenth-century coaching inn is simply “perfection” to the very many diners who comment on it: “not only do you experience fine dining” (an “innovative menu” whose “consistency is something to behold”), “but you get the choice of great beers too, because it’s a pub!” On the food front, “excellent” tasting menus (including dedicated vegetarian and vegan options) are ably abetted by a “brilliant-value set lunch”. Add in “incredible” service and “what more could you want?”
18. Savoro
British, Modern restaurant in Barnet
206 High Street - EN5
2021 Review: A former boathouse on the high street, turned hotel and dining room, that remains of note for its “delightful food impeccably served in a not overcrowded restaurant” – though you’ll need to book ahead on weekends, when they also lay on a “good Sunday lunch”.
19. The Tilbury
British, Modern restaurant in Datchworth
Watton Rd - SG3
2023 Review: “This lovely country pub” run by brothers Tom (a self-taught cook) and James Bainbridge (a former Fat Duck manager) wins consistent ratings for its high-quality cooking using “good-quality meat and fresh, tasty ingredients”. There’s a “lovely ambience and service to match”, all at “amazing value-for-money prices”.
20. The Silver Cup
British, Modern restaurant in Harpenden
5 St Albans Road - AL5
“The best food in the culinary desert that is Harpenden” (including “a really delightful tasting menu” rounded out by “pub dishes – pricey, but beautifully presented and well thought-out”), awaits at local lads Matthew Reader (chef) and Michael Singleton’s “reimagined pub”, on the edge of the Common. Both the “creative menu and friendly service from the young team belong in a more upmarket situation than what is essentially a boozer” (also with four rooms) – impressive for a venue in these ‘burbs.
View full listings of 22 British, Modern Hemel Hempstead Restaurants
Popular Hemel Hempstead Restaurant Searches
Hemel Hempstead Restaurant News