'The PH GGG' Part1
The Unofficial 'Pistonheads Good Grub Guide'




note. My aim is to list all those 'hidden gems' of quality food, good beer and atmosphere. Not just your locals. - Shadytree


Part 2 - England: Devon to Isle of Wight
Part 3 - England: Kent to Nottinghamshire
Part 4 - England: Oxfordshire to Worcestershire, IRELAND, SCOTLAND and WALES

ENGLAND: Avon to Derbyshire

Avon
Bristol - Greens Dining Room www.greensdiningroom.com small place serving a well designed menu of most;ly British and Euro dishes, perfect for a midweek treat
Bristol - Moreish - www.moreishrestaurant.co.uk service has been indifferent in the past but the food is inventive and consistently good
Bath - The Firehouse Rotisserie - short menu, but very tasty - Bedford Rascal
Bath The Circus thecircuscafeandrestaurant.co.uk Just excellent. House cured Salt beef is outstanding
Bath Ponte Vecchio excellent family run Italian, huge portions and extremely well priced, will definitely be going back
Bath - Walcot House https://www.walcothousebath.com/menus - Lovely modern British. Even had Substantial Scotch Egg as a starter!
Bradford on Avon, The Castle Inn - http://www.flatcappers.co.uk/ - good food, great service & an excellent choice of local ales - Smiler.
Bristol, Casamia - excellent family run michelin stared restaurant serving modern european cuisine. Fantastic service.
Bristol, The Pump House - http://www.the-pumphouse.com - Excellent Gastro pub with Fine dining restaurant upstairs. the pub serves a limited but wholesome menu of updated british classics and the fine dining restaurant serves modern british, specialising in local, foraged and seasonal ingredients. i've always had great service too. -Pete Franklin
Bristol, Bells Diner - http://www.bellsdiner.com - Inventive Fine dining, eating here has always been a real experience (a good one) they serve food that would be very difficult to replicate at home but is affordable (for this type of cooking), The service has always been very attentive- probably the restaurant that i most crave going back to - Pete Franklin
Bristol - Baldwin Street - Obento, Brilliant Japanese, excellent food, excellent value


Bedfordshire
Bedford - "4" - Kimbolton Road, Bedford - Italian restaurant. Great food, fairly reasonable prices, excellent service. Desserts great too.
Elstow - St Helena http://sthelenarestaurant.co.uk/ - High end and probably in top 3 best restaurants in Bedfordshire. Run by Raff and Franco for like 30+ years, it's a dining experience in an old country house.
Ireland (nr Shefford) - The Black Horse - gtr-gaz
Ivinghoe - The Kings Head - A great dining experience, lots of local produce. -mattley
George and Dragon - "best pint of London Pride outside W6" - Olf
Wargrave, nr Henley-o-Thames - St George & Dragon - Rower
Riseley - Fox & Hounds or http://www.foxandhoundsriseley.co.uk/ - mxdi - Oystercatcher -
Stanford - The Green Man - great family pub and a choice of 5 menus - gretchen -
Biggleswade - The Golden Pheasant Good snack menu, nice atmosphere, top notch beer - Forthright MC
Potton - The Rising Sun Superb real ale pub with several, well kept beers available. Check out the beer festivals. Excellent pub food and very popular amongst us local folk.
Pulloxhill - The Cross Keys Another real ale pub run by a family who have been there for FIFTY plus years! Really good consistent pub food and very popular, they do Jazz every Sunday evening (free entry), and also do several Porsche, Ferrari, MG and other car club owner meets on a regular basis.
Flitton - The Whit Hart Great food and wildly popular in the area. Make sure you book ahead, difficult to get something last minute. Taken over a couple of years ago, but the new head chef continues on with great food.



Berkshire
Bisham - The Bull at Bisham - Pub and Restaurant. Solid and reliable food at decent prices. The restaurant section is a little pricey but always very good - Snoggledog
Bray - The Fat Duck - Voted best Restaurant in the World 2005 - (good luck - getting a table) princeperch, plotloss, puggit, tvrforever, sleep envy, Don1 Fastfreddy, Cactussed (best technical meal I've ever eaten. Better than Gordon Ramsay or Waterside Inn)
Bray - Hinds Head - owned by the same guy as Fat Duck (Heston Blumenthal sp?), easy drive form London, wonderful food and setting. Lunch is a great day out... Great Chips!! - The Moose
Bray - The Waterside - Michael Roux's most excellent Michelin 3 star, fantasic - tvrforever - The Moose
Bray - The Crown - Another Heston pub but not quite so expensive - Snoggledog
Caversham - Kyrenia - smashing Greek restaurant - puggit -
Caversham - Picasso Tapas Bar - 'Very down to earth restaurant, looks terrible from the outside. Good service, fantastic food - recommend the squid cooked in beer' - puggit -
Caversham - Suwanna Thai Restaurant - great service and fantastic food - puggit -
Caversham - Mya Lacarte Awful name, but a great little bistro that will give London St Brasserie a run for it's money. All food sourced in the UK. -
Chieveley, nr Newbury. The Crab, simply stunning seafood The Crab - Saabyfox
Cookham - Maliks Good curry at decent prices. The mixed starter is a meal on its own - Snoggledog
Coockam Dean - The Inn on the green - Krusty -
Frilsham nr Yattendon - The Pot Kiln If you like game, this is the place for you. - Fastfreddy nd the beer from the West Berkshire Brewery is excellent. Rower
Holyport - Belgian Arms - https://thebelgianarms.com/ -Lovely little Pub with Goodfood - Mattdavies
Inkpen - Crown & Garter - http://www.crownandgarter.co.uk/ Very nice, worth a visit - bridgdav, Fastfreddy -
Kintbury - The Dundas Arms - speedychrissie -
Maidens Green, Winkfield - The Cottage Inn Ltd - "chateaubriand is very good" - NikB, Fastfreddy -
Maidens Green, Winkfield - Cinnamon Tree - Brilliant Curry house - Andy_CTR -
Highclere, Newbury, The Carnarvon Arms - Fantastic food and service Carnarvon Arms. - Saabyfox - EDIT by Schmalex (18/12/14): The Carnarvon has closed down now after Marco Pierre White cocked it up
Newbury - The Woodspeen John Campbell's restaurant and there's his cookery school opposite. I think it has a Michelin star now. Recommended
Old Windsor - Punto Restaurant. Bistro type Italian. -
Paley Street - The Royal Oak - http://www.theroyaloakpaleystreet.com/ Great food michelin starred. "The scotch eggs were great" - ffc
Paley Street - The Royal Oak - http://www.theroyaloakpaleystreet.com/ Great food Michelin starred. Friendly, attentive staff, welcoming, great atmosphere, food was excellent, will definitely be back! - TheAngryDog
Reading - Nino's - Fantastic, Authentic, No-Frills small Italian restaurant - Dave200 -
Reading - Sale Pepe - A very traditional Italian dining experience with a Sardinian twist to the flavours - Dave200 -
Reading - Sweeney & Todds, much loved PH pie and ale shop, Castle Street - puggit, satchbot -
Reading - Oakford Social Club, a bit hipster for some, perhaps, but a wide range of beers and spirits and excellent burgers/fried chicken/finger foods. 2for1 burgers on Mondays... - BrabusMog
Windsor - Viceroy Tandoori - "yet to have a better curry" - NikB -
Windsor - The British Raj - "Great value Sunday buffets" - shoestring7 -
Sonning - The French Horn - Plotloss, shadytree, Eggle -
Sunningdale (Surrey/Berks, you decide!) - Bluebells Restaurant - W333, Fast Eddie
Swallowfield, Reading - George and Dragon - "best pint of London Pride outside W6" - Olf
White Waltham, Maidenhead - https://www.thebeehivewhitewaltham.com/ Owned by Dom Chapman, ex head chef at the hinds head. Fantastic -Ronstein

Buckinghamshire
Amersham - Elephant & Castle - There are a few decent pubs in Old Amersham but this is probably my favourite. Decent grub. - loudlashadjuster
Amersham - Village Mangal. Situated a two minute walk from the train station, this small yet very busy restaurant serves very nice Turkish food. If you're in Amersham it is well worth a visit. TheAngryDog
Aylesbury - The Grill - Located near the town centre, the steak here is amazing. Well worth a visit. http://www.thegrillaylesbury.com/ - TheAngryDog
Beaconsfield - The Royal Standard of England - Oldest "free house" pub in England - amzaing food, very popular - chrisbr68, Mobile Chicane, The Moose
Beaconsfield - The Spice Merchant Solidly reliable curry house - Snoggledog
Brill - The Pointer - Michelin Pub of the Year 2018. Sunday Times Hotel of the Year 2018. Excellent. V41ley
Bledlow Ridge - The Boot. Good food and well kept beer. Restaurant a bit pretentious (food on lumps of wood, etc) but good nevertheless. The Boot
Easington - The Mole and Chicken - dragonfly74uk
Farnham Common - The Emperor - 01753 643006 - The Moose
Moulsoe - The Carrington Arms - Bedford Rascal
Lacey Green - The Whip Inn
Marlow - Don Lorenzo - 'Italian' - t1grm
Marlow - Compleat Angler - Plotloss & t1grm
Marlow - Villa D'Este - 'Italian' - t1grm
Marlow - Suum kitchen Delightful Vietnamese food - Snoggledog
Newton Longville nr Milton Keynes - The Crooked Billet. New landlords took over late '23. It's getting good reports.
Olney - Kasbah- fantastic
Olney - The Swan Inn and Bistro- good beers, and amazing food
Parslows Hillock nr Princes Risborough - The Pink & Lily - New ownership brings a nice setup with family friendly slant (indoor and outdoor play areas). Food good and not at all expensive. Great place to head for on a cycle ride, lots of good hills nearby - loudlashadjuster
Seer Green - The Jolly Cricketers - Gastropub without pretensions, food excellent - loudlashadjuster
Stoke Mandeville - The Bell http://bellstokemandeville.co.uk/ Nice little place, food was decent, felt it was a little pricey though for what is basically a pub. TheAngryDog
The Old Swan @ Astwood - https://www.oldswanastwood.co.uk/ Fresh local food and specializing in fish. Very popular location and will need to book ahead. Run by a great husband and wife team - higly recommended
Waddesdon - The Five Arrows - tvrforever
Weston Turville, Aylesbury - The Chequers Inn - http://www.thechequerswt.co.uk/ Excellent quality food, was really made to feel welcome. Thoroughly recommended. - TheAngryDog
Woburn - The Inn At Woburn - Mrs BlueCerbera , clairey
Wooburn Common - Royal Standard (near Odds Farm Rare Breeds Centre) SatNav set to HP10 0JS. Superb range of real ales and excellent value pub food. - motco
Woburn Sands - The Purple Goose - Muzzer

Cambridgeshire
Cambridge - Kingston Street - Kingston Arms - FunkyGibbon (Much better food than either the Salisbury or Cambridge Blue below)
Cambridge - Tenison Rd - The Salisbury Arms - FunkyGibbon
Cambridge - Gwydir Street - The Cambridge Blue - Venom
Cambridge - Newmarket Road - The Wrestlers - "Great Thai" - Venom, Marshy
Cambridge - Bridge Street - The Big Bhudda - Marshy
Cambridge - The Vaults - "great Tapas" - Marshy
Cambridge - Castle Street - The Castle Inn - "Fantastic 'Castle Burger'" - lightningghost
Duxford - The John Barleycorn - "Mmmm. Pie." - vernan
Duxford - The Plough - FunkyGibbon
Elton (nr Peterborough) - The Crown - Superb food and excellent selection of beers - Nadger
Godmanchester - The Exhibition - Marshy
Great Chishill - The Pheasant - Great food and friendly staff - CooperD
Great Shelford - The Railway Tavern - FunkyGibbon [currently closed 25.01.11 (sleepezy)]
Hemingford Grey, Cock - cambscuisine - high quality food and beer - SB - Nigel
Horningsea - The Plough & Fleece - "Suffolk Ham Hotpot - mmmm" - Marshy
Horningsea - The Crown & Punchbowl - Marshy
Keyston, Pheasant - quality food and good beer - SB - Nigel - New owners 2021 - Excellent food - New owners again, October 2023 - Haddock82
Little Gransden - The Chequers - current Hunts CAMRA pub of the year (excellent beer, home of the Son Of Sid brewery) a real unspoilt gem, good fish night on Fridays too - Forthright MC
Little Shelford - The Navigator - Marshy
Newton - The Queens Head - mmmn soup, mmmn broadside - Apache - the soup menu is a must, great pub, good beer - SB - Nigel
Peakirk nr Peterborough -The Ruddy Duck - "top notch food" - 406
Peterborough - The Bee Hive - Fantastic high end pub grub and beers for reasonable prices - Nadger
St Neots - Pig 'N Falcon A treasure trove for beer drinkers, up to 8 gravity dispensed Real Ales on at most times. Hunts CAMRA most improved pub '10 - Forthright MC
St Neots - Ye Olde Sun on Huntingdon St. Always a good selection of real ales on tap and a real fire in the colder weather - feef
St Neots - The Ale Taster/Bottle Shop on Russell St. Craft beers and locally produced ales on tap. 4 fridges of imported bottles from all over the world. - feef
St Neots - The White Horse : now run by Mark Poynton formerly of Michelin starred Alimentum in Cambridge - feef
Whittlesford - The Tickell Arms - weird but great food - Apache

Cheshire
Alderly edge - The Drum And Monkey - fantastic home cooked food with a twist - Phil Hopkins
Alderley Edge - The Wizard - Brilliant location and fantastic food & wine list, again book in advance away from all the pretentiousness of AE village - Fieldl
Alderley Edge - The Alderley Edge Hotel - Excellent food and drink, some of the best selection locally and tend to use local ingredients. Expensive but worth a treat - Fieldl
Comberbach nr Northwich - Spinner & Bergamot - Superb food and service at a reasonable price! - kirsty-SC
Crewe - Taquidir Tandoori Restaurant & Takeaway on Nantwich Road, Crewe opposite The Earl of Crewe pub: The best Indian cuisine in the area. Lazy
Delamere - (nr Oulton Park) The Fishpool Inn - recently refurbed and under the same owners as the Grovsenor Pulford Spa. Food very tasty, good sized portions, attentive staff, good beer and reasonably priced. - jep
Holmes Chapel - George and Dragon - A family-run Robbies house, with good ales and excellent food. Their duo of venison just won the Robinsons' Chef's Challenge (Nov 2012). Just off the M6, dog friendly and with a good big car park. jep
Huxley (nr Chester) - Stuart's Table at the Farmers Arms Friendly local pub with an excellent restaurant. Fantastic steaks and great wine list - nefarious
Oulton Park (5 miles south) - The Dysart Arms "The best Gastro pub within a 20 mile radius of Oulton" - XM5ER
Liverpool - Tai Pan - "great Chinese" - a2z
Macclesfield - El Rio "Fatastic traditional Mexican, but not the cheapest" - Phil Hopkins
Tarporley - Panama Hatty's "Excellent mexican food - although other dishes are available. Definitely worth the drive! - SpydieNut
Wilmslow - Barinda Curry House - Good mix of traditional and contempory dishes - Phil Hopkins, collateral
Wilmslow - Heddy's - "Great middle eastern, try the Mezzeh platter. Heddy is a cracking bloke" - collateral
Wilmslow - Chili Banana Highly recomended Thai with a superb menu, great buffet on a Sunday - Phil Hopkins, collateral
Wilmslow - The King William- Local pub that does a great selection of Tapas - Fieldl
Wilmslow - The Boddington and Dragon - Pub grub/Thai menu with an attached Thai a-la-carte restaurant, very nice inside and fantastic service! - Camgear
Wilmslow - Stolen Lamb - Excellent Greek. Lunch menu is good value. Wild boar souvlaki! - collateral
Mobberley - The Plough and Flail - Recently renovated now a 'gastro' pub albeit a very good one, always busy book in advance - Fieldl
Prestbury - The White House - The best restaurant in Prestbury by far, excellent menu that is often updated. Lovely location and great service - Fieldl
Macclesfield - The Ship Inn, Wincle - Superb food with decent real ales - PlasticPig, gump -
Macclesfield - Chesters - Classic British cuisine. This restaurant has been under the same ownership for over 20 years, that speaks volumes nowadays! - Phil Hopkins
Macclesfield - La Cantina - A decent tapas place, great value for money set menus too! - Phil Hopkins
Macclesfield - Sutton Hall - Stunning pub food. Last weekend I had pan fried pigeon breast to start and roasted partridge for main. Both cooked to perfection. Superb selection of ales and whiskys. My favourite pub in the whole wide world. - escargot
Alderley Edge - The Bubble Room - Classic dishes with a modern take. Really really good, source local ingrediants too! - Phil Hopkins
Alderley Edge - London Road|- A Heathcotes restaurant. Top quality food & a superb dining experience. - Phil Hopkins
The Swettenham Arms-Swettenham-lovely traditional food with excellent carpark for parking your pride and joy! Lottie
Alvanley near Frodsham - The White Lion http://www.pub-explorer.com/cheshire/pub/whitelion...
Ellesmere Port - The Little Tie Ping - great chinese restaurant
Higher Burwardsley, Tattenhall - The Pheasant Inn - Superb pub with great food and stunning views over west Cheshire. The other side of the Peckforton hills from Cholmondeley Castle, it's tucked away halfway up the hill near the candle factory.

Cornwall
Lamorna - Lamorna Walk - mxdi
Mousehole, Penzance - The Ship - fantastic seafood - mxdi
Paul, Penzance - The Kings Arms - book early always busy - mxdi
Portloe nr Truro - The Lugger - "great seafood" - shadytree
St Merryn - Ripley's - Outstanding seafood, simple decor, a little-known gem - t0ny99
The Rock Inn - Rock - Great simple food (and cheap), awesome views across the estuary to Padstow - cannedheat.
Polperro - The Blue Peter - fab position on the quay, great food, good range of ales - rsole
The Fish Restaurant - Padstow - very expensive although the fish was very fresh and the portions are huge, the wine list is superb - sleep envy, Fastfreddy
Pot Isaac - The Old School - Excellent, food, atmosphere. Dare I say it better than certain fish restaurants in Padstein.... Oilydan
Gurnards head - Zennor - Excellent food, Relaxed atmosphere, Good wines reasonably priced, Best value in Cornwall, Highly recommended.
St Austell - Austells - Excellent food, superb staff and great value - moleamol
Wadebridge - The Bridge Bistro - Great food, lots of fresh fish, superb service, makes Rick Stein's place look like very poor value for money - rlw
St Kew - The St Kew Inn - Really good pub food, ever changing menus and brilliant fish and chips. Totally recommended - rlw
Polruan - Lugger Inn - Very Good Pub food, constantly changing, fresh fish always
Perranuthnoe - The Victoria Inn- excellent sophisticated food,

County Durham
The Pavillion - Iveston, Consett - The best Chinese / Cantonese food you will ever eat in a lovely environment. - Stu R
The Moorings - Nr. Chester-le-Street - Lovely Gastro-pub-esque restaurant - www.themooringsdurham.co.uk - Stu R
Castle Eden Inn - Castle Eden (nr Peterlee / H'Pool) - Kitchen Chef was MasterChef runner up 2010 and menu is excellent - http://castleedeninn.com/ - RecallUK
Bistro 21 - Aykley Heads, Durham City - attractive whitewashed old building with a French bistro vibe and simple but pleasant food. Expensive by NE standards, but table de hôte menu is great value.
Finbarrs - Durham City - bistro style food in an attractive environment. The chateaubriand has to be tried to be believed, but ask for extra bernaise sauce! (bennyboydurham)
Hammer & Pincers, nr. Newton Aycliffe. Excellent Sunday lunch with very friendly staff. Superb value.

Cumbria
Lake District
Ambleside - Lucy4 - "tapas and great beer" - a2z
Buttermere - The Bridge Hotel - "just a great setting and got food ale - food ok" - GetCarter
Carlisle - La Pergola - Italian restaurant - my favourite in Carlisle - great food and great service - the lasagna is amazing, tastes almost as good that made by an Italian friend. Tirasmisu is excellent too! Slightly difficult to find - it is between the cathedral and the castle down some steps in the basement of a building - ad551
Cockermouth - The Honest Lawyer - Great location - balcony overlooks the river so very pleasant on a summer's evening - Psychobert
Eskdale - The Boot Inn - "Excellent food, splendid beer, great location & good accomodation too" Skywalker
Kirkstile - The Kirkstile Inn - "wins all the awards, most years - great setting , good food" - GetCarter
Kirkby Lonsdale - http://www.theorangetreehotel.co.uk/ - Quaint pub with fantastic food. Make sure you get the BBQ sauce - Sonic - Excellent food, especially for meat eaters, I thoroughly enjoyed the mixed grill, and the apple and blackberry crumble. Large portion, Very good quality. I reccommend Pistonheads reviews, would never have gone if it wasn't on here just thought let's look on the Good Resturant / Pub guide on PH. Cheers Sonic - PH lurker.
Newton in Furness. The Village Inn. Good quality pub food. Very cosy and relaxed
Staveley, nr. Kendal - The Eagle and Child - Wedg1e (Seconded by Kirsty-SC and Flatpack)
Whitehaven -(Waterfront) Zest Great setting, good wine bar type menu - Psychobert
Wigton - The Monkey Tree. Small and family friendly with amazing home made breads, puds and tapas. Chicken and chorizo pies are a must!
High Newton LA11 6JH - Heft. Amazing food by Kevin Tickle and good grub in the pub bar. Destined Now has a Michelin star. Decent beer too.

Derbyshire
Crowdecote - The Pack Horse Inn, http://thepack-horseinn.co.uk/ just off A515 Buxton to Ashbourne Road. Great food, superb local real ales, a warm welcome, scenic setting. Pre-booking advised. Landlord Mick has a TVR T350t.
N.B.: Closed Mon & Tuesdays. Be careful of the twisty road! - glenrobbo.
Anoki:
Anoki - Anoki, A38 Burton Road, Egginton, DE65 6GZ - Fantastic indian food, well presented and used for the Midlands Xmas Dinner 2008
Chesterfield - The Rutland Arms - excellent selection of real ales and pretty good wholesome food at great prices - Cirks
Dowds - Glossop: Contemporary/modern english food - top notch restaurant with excellent service. Jagdpanther
Etwall - The Blenheim House neil.b
Darley Abbey - Darley Abbey Mill Darley's Waterfront - neil.b
Derby - Brook Street - Masa - neil.b
Melbourne - The Bay Tree Restaurant - neil.b
Mickleover - Cinnamon Tree Best curries in Derby. RossP
Tutbury - Ye Olde Dog & Partridge - High Street. DE13 9LP Not the cheapest in the world, but great food, and the chips are the best I've ever had. - UK89camaro
Weston-on-Trent - The Coopers Arms Ace-T -
Alderwasley nr Belper - The Bear Inn - Becca, minornut
Ticknall - The Wheel Inn - Kirsty-s2k[url][url]

Ascot Grill, Ascot High St... Classy, good wine menu... best steaks ever...

Surrey

Guildford- Positanos- Probably the best pasta you will have outside Italy- http://positano-restaurant.co.uk/