Weybridge, British, Traditional Restaurant Guide

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”).

2023 Review: A couple of excellent reports suggest it’s worth considering this old pub reinvented as a hotel and restaurant (a couple of years ago), between the maze of Hampton Court Palace and Bushy Park. The refit is very attractive and the menu of superior gastropub fare is well-rated.

2022 Review: “Beautifully refurbished” by the current owners (Young’s Brewery), even if not everyone is a fan of its chain-ification, this “great local” – replete with roaring fires, seasonal grub and pleasant garden – is of note for its daily chalkboard specials, but they also do fancy game nights.

2021 Review: This smart village pub with a garden incorporates a very French dining room, ‘La Cloche’, which serves bistro classics with a nod to the hearty dishes of the southwest, along with a good selection of wine and beer.

“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.

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.

“A favourite in the Wimbledon Village/Common area!” – this Georgian pub is co-owned by TV chef Paul Merrett and his Jolly Pubs group (which includes the Victoria in East Sheen). Aside from the odd nod to cheaper pub-grub dishes, most of the menu is somewhat more ambitious bistro-style fare.

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”.

“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”.

“Worth the rattling ride down on the Northern line!”, says a fan from E18 of this neighbourhood spot, “tucked away in the relatively unlikely environs of Tooting”. The “clever food” centres on brined half-chicken portions (with crispy battered cauliflower as the veggie alternative) plus a supporting cast of starters, small plates and puddings – results are “outstanding”.

“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).

“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!”).

In terms of delivering “really decent” food on the King’s Road (a rarity) and “an amazing Sunday roast”, the three-year-old revamp of this “beautiful” early Victorian Chelsea pub must be accounted a success, and it becomes “BUSY!”. If the backers were not JKS Restaurants in partnership with Kitchen Table’s James Knappett one would say ‘job done’, but by the standards of such megastar restaurateurs, the result is good – not outstanding.

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).

This elegant 1853 tavern near Chelsea Physic Garden makes “an excellent local, if with prices befitting its location” and a menu of quite ambitious pub grub, following its transformation by Jack Greenall (of the Lancashire brewing dynasty). He now owns a select trio of west London pubs having acquired the Walmer Castle in Notting Hill and The Carpenter’s Arms in Hammersmith last year.

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.