25 Best Local Restaurants with a round on the house
Published 26 August 2025

'Well done, Bavette, for getting me outside the M25,' a reader cheers. Quite a way outside too, but the journey to Leeds was evidently worth it to dine at Sandy Jarvis and Clément Cousin's convivial neighbourhood bistro in the northerly suburb of Horsforth. Shelves of books on deep green walls create a smart domestic ambience, and the food does the rest.

It's a Franco-Yorkshire alliance in every sense (M Cousin hails from Anjou on the Loire), and the menu reflects that collaborative spirit. Start with pork and prune pâté en croûte with the house mustard for an inimitably Gallic appetiser experience. Starters might embrace light crab tartelette with fennel, pea shoots and saffron aïoli, before the speciality bavette makes an appearance, tricked out with French beans and frites – the kind of sturdy main course that won't let you down. A more domestic route might yield plaice with potted shrimps, rainbow chard and Jersey Royals.

Italian Candonga could well be a strawberry variety you haven't tried, appearing here in season on Basque cheesecake with yoghurt sorbet; otherwise, the dessert list is pure bistro French – perhaps St Emilion au chocolat or raspberry frangipane with matching sorbet. Wines delve into some of the less heavily trodden byways of France for Jurançon Sec, Gaillac and the Cousin family's own Anjou Cabernet Franc and Grolleau Gris.

Tomasz Mlynarski and Marta Obuchowska are the enterprising Polish couple behind this recent arrival on Fossgate, increasingly a hub for independent bars and restaurants. Originally, they opened for brunch, with coffee, pastries and more substantial dishes served with their wonderfully damp sourdough or a soft morning bun. You can still drop by for scrambled and poached egg dishes alongside more striking ideas such as salt beef with sauerkraut, brown-butter hollandaise and cucumber pickle or leek, celeriac and Cheddar served on a toasted morning bun with black-garlic aïoli and pickles.

More recently, they have extended into the evening with a diverse menu that ranges from delicate cheese and potato pierogi with brown sage butter, sour cream and crispy fried sage (an outright winner) to tender 12-hour roast pork, topped with celeriac and a leek and lovage sauce. Chunky braised and charred celeriac also comes into its own with a fermented squash salsa and a heap of spicy dukkah. The smash burger is paired with rhubarb ketchup, black-garlic mayo, lettuce, pickle and cheese, then served in its own BWC paper wrap.

There are just two desserts but they are both exceptional: bread and butter pudding with brown-butter ice cream, and a burnt cheesecake which, in homage to the owners' Polish roots, is served with a Krakow-style berry sauce. A concise, intelligent wine list and fresh modern decor (dark panelled walls, light oak furniture, bright kilims) make for a relaxed and welcoming bistro with food that's hard to resist.

Just off Saffron Walden's main square, this family-run spot nods to its warehouse origins with high ceilings, polished concrete floors and functional tables and chairs – all nicely softened with candles and linen napkins – and taps into the appetite for a keenly priced, compact menu that’s reliant on good ingredients rather than look-at-me flourishes. Staid and provincial, it isn’t. As one diner reported: ‘It feels like a bit of London coolness on our doorstep.’

Drop in for coffee and cake from 9am, or later on for a simple Italian-style lunch, an aperitivo or a full evening meal. Small plates anchor the offer – the likes of steak tartare with truffle crisps or potatoes jazzed up with the savoury funk of anchovies. Cured chalk stream trout is drizzled with a feisty chilli oil and the satisfying crunch of hazelnuts, while lentils are cooked down to scoopable consistency (with lasagne crisps) and topped with fresh peas and ricotta that balance the earthy savouriness with some springtime zip. If you're really hungry, a dish of homemade pasta sorts that out pronto: slips of fettuccine are dressed with butter and sage, bucatini alla carbonara is luxuriously rich, and the cacio e pepe is ‘heavenly.’ Desserts keep it simple, with tiramisu perhaps lining up next to a seasonal sorbet or a chocolate and almond torta caprese with boozy cherries on the side. 

There is vigorous applause for the Negroni made with red vermouth from the Chater's Vault distillery next door, and a 125ml pour of Noble Rot’s Chin Chin vinho verde is an appealing £7 entry point on the wine list. You could happily stray further, too – perhaps towards a delicious Grüner Veltliner from Austrian natural-wine stars, Martin and Anna Arndorfer. Service is every bit as warm as Chater’s is cool.

Sitting modestly amid the hustle and bustle of Levenshulme’s frenetic Stockport Road, Cibus has grown from a market stall to a consistently popular neighbourhood restaurant. Indeed, when you enter you could almost be in the Italian tratt of your dreams – 'it’s always a good sign when one hears diners speaking Italian with the staff,’ observed one reporter. During the pandemic, Cibus delivered pizzas to the housebound and that community-minded service continues.

At first glance, the menu might seem like a roll call of trattoria standards but it also features regularly refreshed regional specialities, coupled with a level of cooking, sourcing and service that would shame many a fancier joint. Alongside top-class Italian ingredients, the owners support local suppliers, and can regularly be seen shopping in the nearby market. Their approach is flexible. You can pop in for a glass of wine and some cicchetti (perhaps aubergine arancini, baked portobello mushrooms with salmoriglio dressing or cod cheeks with peperonata) or settle in for something more substantial – including traditional roasts with a twist on Sundays.

The mainstays of the menu are the highly rated, crispy sourdough pizzas and interesting pasta dishes – ravioli stuffed with salt cod or orecchiette with meatballs and braciole ragù, for example. In addition, there's always a meat dish of the week (perhaps Italian sausages with goat's cheese, mash, onion gravy and greens) as well as a catch of the day. To finish, check out the salted doughnuts fashioned from little parcels of pizza dough – although the ‘gorgeous’ limoncello and Prosecco sorbet also comes highly recommended. Cocktails and digestifs have an Italian accent, likewise the well-chosen craft beers and wine list.

A fine neighbourhood restaurant in a quarter of affluent north London not over-endowed with gastronomic options, Cinder is very much the personal project of Jake Finn, a second larger outpost to go with the original in Belsize Park. Filled with happy natter, it's the kind of place that easily persuades locals not to eat in their PJs at weekends, but throw something on and step out into the wide world instead.

A Josper flame oven is the heart of the operation, the menu working to the format of a fairly lengthy roster of small plates. Some grilled bread with garlicky tahini makes the most appetising start, ahead of one or two cold dishes full of sharply pointed seasoning. Spicy tuna ceviche with sweet potato and coriander or beetroots with feta will disappear like morning mist as soon as they hit the table. The condiment elements of each plate lift them into the realms of the memorable: Turkish Urfa chilli aïoli and red pepper relish laced with chilli oil accompany a trio of cod croquettes, while the satay-style purée of peanuts and cashews that came with our duck breast, red onions and lime leaves made a blackboard special truly special.

Desserts play it safe with decent crème brûlée and baked cheesecake, or there could be freshly cooked doughnuts enriched with BBQ banoffee sauce. The short wine list just about covers enough ground, and there are inspired cocktails too.

Hebden Bridge has always been a hotbed of laid-back cafés and cake shops, but a chic, boho wave has rippled through the stone-built town centre of late: one well-travelled visitor almost felt their compass needle juddering towards Hoxton. That said, the town is still Yorkshire through and through, and here is a place that suits it to a nicety – ‘unfailingly reliable, unerringly delicious, unremittingly relaxed … and brilliant value, too’.

It helps to pronounce Coin in the French manner, as it's on a corner site – a flatiron wedge of a building that was once (what else?) a bank. The decor also lends itself to that high-end vibe, with exposed brickwork, ironwork and plenty of space between the wooden tables. Young, casually dressed waiting staff are a delight, and are efficiently on top of their game.

An inspired and ever-changing sharing menu has plenty of modern brasserie energy, opening perhaps with a clutch of Lindisfarne oysters with lemon and Tabasco or a plate of yellow fine beans, Isle of Wight tomatoes, potato and capers. Wandering into the more robust precincts of the repertoire, one might stumble on gammon with new season’s leeks braised in Sheppy’s cider, while side orders of crispy Maris Peer potatoes with tomato salsa or puffed choux chips dusted in finely grated Parmesan should definitely not be passed up. There are also plates of excellent artisan charcuterie and cheeses (served with quince jelly and a Sevilla cracker). Classic desserts major on set creams and custards.

Fondue Sundays with Bloody Mary chasers sound like fun, likewise the adventurous list of low-intervention wines. In short, ‘Coin has the character, quality and consistency to keep drawing you back… whether it's just for a vermouth, a glass of wine or a long lazy meal with friends’.

Chef Ben Harrison spent his formative years with Marco Pierre White, and went on to cultivate his own style while working in private service, away from the glare of the UK food scene. Now he is cooking in Cornwall, offering diners a relaxed small-plates experience that marries Basque-inspired cuisine with modern British ways – a dynamic reflection of seasonal produce and his own creative flair. 

Counter Culture is deliberately informal: the room is stripped back, rustic and split in two, with a bar on one side serving mostly organic and orange wines as well as organic real ales from nearby Atlantic Brewery. On the other side is a small dining room, looking onto the kitchen pass – with further seating outside, on the street.

Expect a playful and inventive approach to familiar ingredients, with the focus on bold, clean flavours presented with understated elegance. Exquisitely prepared pintxos might feature delightfully tangy Cornish rarebit and mushroom duxelles or equally robust cured trout – caught just along the coast at Boscastle – on a sourdough base with a zesty apple salsa and a dollop of caviar. Effortlessly executed ray wing with samphire, rainbow chard and brown butter pointed up with pickled wild garlic buds further showcases the freshness of local seafood. As for meat, a dish of beef shin, mash and Aral Farm spinach is given depth and deliciousness with the addition of anchovy brown-butter sauce, while plump lamb faggots are elevated with turnips, girolles and a pungent devilled sauce. Desserts are real crowd-pleasers, too – be sure to leave space for an outstanding Basque cheesecake. 

With Newquay going through something of a renaissance at the moment, Counter Culture is a vibrant tribute to the town's evolving restaurant landscape, all driven by a chef with a rich and varied background.

‘The equivalent of being wrapped in a big hug,’ writes an ardent fan, adding that 'we always walk in feeling happy, and come out feeling even happier!’ This warm-hearted spot has been flying the flag for ‘delicious feel-good’ bistro food since Dan Fancett opened the place in 2021, and it scores in departments: the menu is stuffed with extremely well-balanced and superbly executed dishes, while the superb front of house team exude good cheer and do a consistently great job.

A set menu is tweaked daily and served in its simplest form at lunch (two choices per course), with a few more options for dinner. It fits the bistro vibe, though the repertoire strays deliciously beyond predictability – from a bowl of local asparagus soup with smoked chalk stream trout to hand-rolled cavatelli with Parmesan emulsion, spring vegetables and basil pistou. In the evening, the kitchen ups its ambition a notch or two, so you might find ceviche of sea bream with chilli and blood orange followed by calf’s liver with pancetta or a thoroughly Gallic combo of French guinea fowl breast with young leeks, white asparagus (French, of course) and a morel/vin jaune sauce. Finish perhaps with dark chocolate and hazelnut tart with pistachio ice cream – we’re in bistro territory, remember – or a sublime panna cotta with ginger and rhubarb.

Restaurant manager Theo Armyras is an engaging enthusiast of all things drinkable and will steer you towards such delicious offerings as a Spanish rosado from Rioja’s family-owned Bodegas Perica (at £11.50 a glass). Selections by the 500ml carafe keep proceedings true to bistro-dom, although there's always plenty to explore – from minerally Chablis Premier Cru, Thomas Labille ‘Montmains’ 2020 to big hitters from Bordeaux and the Rhône Valley.

‘From “oyster happy hour” to beautifully roasted sharing platters, this place has so many nuances to keep locals coming back, and to drag Edinburgh’s food fanatics away from Stockbridge and Leith,’ noted a fan of this ‘relentlessly good’ neighbourhood bistro in Bruntsfield. Fans of tinned fish and other booze-friendly snacks make a beeline for the broody little wine bar in the basement, although the main action takes place in the bright, unfussy dining room at street level. Despite the postcode, chef-patron Stuart Smith’s cooking is anything but parochial, and he is currently delivering some of the best seafood in the city.

Small plates form the bulk of the menu, backed up by ‘market fish’ specials (perhaps ‘perfectly cooked’ John Dory on the bone accompanied by pak choi, carrots, fries and aïoli). Salt cod mousse with herb oil and grilled sourdough is a fixture, but also look for wonderfully sweet Gairloch langoustines with emerald-hued wild garlic mayo or pickled mussels with carrot, buckwheat and fermented peach hot sauce. Away from the sea, you might find Denhead Farm asparagus with white beans, walnut and guanciale or slow-cooked lamb shoulder accompanied by friggitelli peppers, roasted onion and goat’s curd.

For afters, readers have singled out a ‘suitably tart’ lemon posset and a well-judged chocolate mousse with miso caramel and hazelnuts. The comprehensive but accessible wine list has a distinctly French accent and at least a dozen options by the glass, while a separate, more indulgent 'cellar list' is available for those seeking to mark an occasion – or to create one.

There's no lack of smart dining pubs in North Norfolk, but a brilliant neighbourhood bistro? Head to Cromer for a refreshing change of format and a dose of cosmopolitan cool. Opened in 2024 by Daniel Goff (fresh from 15 years running the Dun Cow in Salthouse) and local artist Ruth Butler, their transformation of a former butcher's shop has lifted the spirit of the seaside town and amassed legions of firm fans.

A bar at the front serves as an informal drop-in, perhaps for a frosty Fino Martini and snacks of warm brioche buns, oysters and gildas – a line-up to rival any in the capital. But Ruth’s colourful paintings and a welcome full of warmth and personality will lure you into the smart, blue-hued dining room at the back.

There’s simple elegance to a menu in tempo with the seasons and littered with the best of Norfolk’s produce and beyond. Cromer crab might appear in a dainty tart with samphire, in a soufflé with shellfish bisque, or in crispy fritters with crab chutney, while larger plates take in local line-caught sea bass or a guinea fowl suprême with a knockout tarragon brioche pudding and sauce vin jaune. A mention must go to the superb-value £15 lunch specials, perhaps steak haché with peppercorn sauce and a generous side of excellent parmentier potatoes, plus a glass of wine. 

The enthusiasm inspired by Fino’s perfect pitch gets neighbouring tables talking, not least when it comes to dessert. Our lemon posset was extraordinarily good; artfully tangy with Norfolk strawberries in their sweet, fragrant prime. But so was the gently warm, gooey treacle tart with a short buttery crust. Drinks uphold the theme of approachability, with a 460ml Lyonnaise pot heading up the bottle list for exploration, while a line-up of unfiltered sherries is a nod to the restaurant’s namesake. ‘I feel incredibly lucky to have Fino open on my doorstep,’ said one of many readers who wrote in to sing its praises. We couldn’t agree more.

An enterprising local resource par excellence, this ‘really cool’ spot spreads itself like proved dough over two floors of a Grade II-listed building on thriving Trinity Square. The adjoining Hearth Bakery (open Thu-Sun) is great for daytime sustenance (as well as bread), while the first-floor restaurant is in the hands of Ryan Telford, who has stints with big-name chefs including Bruce Poole and Phil Howard under his belt. Each area of the place has its own allurements: perhaps partake of an orange espresso Martini before beginning your ascent.

The format of small plates preceding larger ones may be par for the course, although the smaller items are quite substantial in themselves. Roasted bone marrow with sourdough, parsley and shallot salad has a familiar nose-to-tail ring about it, while Szechuan honey-fried chicken with roasted sesame seeds and smacked cucumber takes its cue from the global larder. If you've paced yourself sufficiently, move on to BBQ salmon with dashi, sea herbs and pickled apple, grilled pork pluma with fennel, choucroute, chanterelles and mustard velouté or a mixed grill for two (open-fire cooking is high on the agenda here).

On Sundays, there are roasts to beat the band (including fish and veggie options), prior to seasonal fruit crumbles, chocolate fudge cake or sticky toffee pudding with bourbon-laced toffee sauce and custard. The good-hearted friendliness of the impressively knowledgeable staff is commended by one and all (‘some of the waitresses are pure sunshine,’ noted one regular). Slates of tangy whites and savoury reds by the glass lead off a wine list that inspires confidence, and bespoke pairings also receive a big thumbs-up.

The sophisticated big sister to Slad’s Woolpack Inn, this all-day bistro marries a modern European menu with a decidedly old-world French vibe. Large windows flood the long, narrow white room with light, while linen-draped tables, black leather banquettes, rich mahogany sideboards and a parquet floor evoke the understated elegance of a bygone era.

The menu is arranged as a series of sharing plates of escalating size, brought in order, so that one might start with an oyster or oeuf mayonnaise from the snacks, before a more substantial dish of clams with Tropea onion and asparagus or beef tartare with pommes allumettes. Portions are generous, with the final dishes (maybe a butterflied mackerel scattered with agretti and bottarga) the size of a conventional main course.

Will Rees (formerly head chef at Wilsons in Bristol) and Oliver Gyde spin magic from sustainably sourced local ingredients, including salad leaves grown in owner Dan Chadwick’s walled garden at nearby Lypiatt Park. Lashings of grass-green olive oil, presumably not locally produced but none the less delicious for it, enriches many dishes and looks so pretty against the white plates. The standout from the short dessert menu is a decidedly grown-up apple tarte tatin, caramelised to within an inch of its life and served with crème fraîche.

Should you wish to take advantage of the impressive list of low-intervention and artisanal wines, Stroud train station is a mere stumble away. Service from the team of young, passionate staff brims with pride and enthusiasm.

Aspirational dining in Bury St Edmunds takes off in the shape of James Carn's classy venue, a Lark ascending into the realms of highly accomplished contemporary cooking. There are a few tables on the pavement and the interior is plainly furnished in café style, complete with a variety of soothing pictures, while staff 'make every customer feel special and appreciated'.

A thoroughly modern menu structure furnishes a wealth of choice for nibbles and small plates, the appetisers perhaps taking in truffled-up wild mushroom arancini, egg mimosa or servings of silky-textured coppa. As the plates get larger, the combinations of flavours and textures become more artful and stimulating – as in halibut tempura with seaweed tartare, monkfish cured in ginger and gin, splashed with blood-orange dressing, or beef tartare with a hash brown, jalapeños and sour cream.  The larger plates sound resonant Mediterranean notes: a piece of cod teamed with a fishcake of salt cod and parsley sauce, or equally inviting Ibérico pork presa and confit potato with chorizo jam and harissa jus. The tasting menu encompasses a very inclusive sweep of the range – well worth considering if you're in the mood to kick back and let the kitchen show its paces.

At the finishing line, desserts mobilise vivid fruit flavours for the likes of passion-fruit posset with pistachio granola and yuzu sorbet, although cacao fiends won't be able to resist the coconut-laced chocolate mousse, made with premium gear from Tosier, (a family producer on the Suffolk coast). Wines are an imaginative spread offered at prices it's hard to argue with – even at the top end, where some glittering vinous treasures await.

A genuine restaurant du quartier, if ever there was, this Crouch End spot is run by the titular duo of Robert Reid at the stoves and Jean-Christophe Slowik (JC, to the army of regulars) out front. If only one of them is French, he is at least bubbling over with enough unabashed Gallic bonhomie for two. Battleship-grey panelling, undressed tables and a trio of blackboards busily covered in numerous chalk-scribbled specials form a backdrop to Reid's assured bourgeois cooking.

You might easily guess what's on the menu, sight unseen (soupe à l'oignon gratinée, garlic-buttered escargots, Bayonne ham with celeriac rémoulade for starters), although you might not anticipate the panache with which the dishes are realised – or the uncommon quality of the raw materials. Moving on, mains might bring entrecôte or ribeye steaks with béarnaise sauce and piles of frites or smoked haddock in mustard sauce topped with a poached egg.

The non-meat alternative of, say, artichokes with ratatouille and chickpeas in cumin-scented roast tomato sauce shows more consideration for veggies than you might find in many a traditional French bistro. Finish with rum baba and apricot compôte or tarte fine aux pommes. A French wine list covers all bases, with glasses from £7.95, plus still or sparkling Kir to start.

With so many chains dominating the centre of Winchester, it's refreshing to discover James Harris and Nicole Yeoh’s impeccable Malaysian restaurant, just a 10-minute walk away. The couple have taken over the Green Man pub and created an inviting, welcoming space. Serene, confident and much-loved locally, it’s a draw for those dining for pleasure, or when a relatively informal meal is in order – several tables were tucking into the £13 early-evening express dinner of 'night market' fried chicken (or oyster mushrooms) with jasmine rice and a sweet-sour mango and cucumber salad when we visited.

The menu, divided into small and large plates, combines carefully sourced British ingredients with a fusion of Chinese and Malay culinary traditions from Nicole’s Nyonya heritage: chargrilled beef satay, for example, showcases medium-rare Hampshire bavette steak that’s been marinated in galangal, ginger, tamarind and sweet soy butter, accompanied by a wonderful wild garlic sambal (foraged by James). South Coast day boats provide the seafood for dishes such as hot-and-sour poached monkfish tail, or there could be a vivid pairing of Wye Valley asparagus with burnt tomato and garlic confit sambal.

A highlight of our visit was char sui pork neck (from Sussex), marinated in Cantonese BBQ sauce and grilled to perfect tenderness, with hoisin and black cherry glaze, orange chilli sauce and English pak choi. Desserts are in a similar vein, from banana spring rolls to pandan burnt Basque cheesecake served with Hampshire strawberries. The bar offers keg, cask or bottled beers and a creative selection of vibrant cocktails, while everything on the enterprising spice-friendly list of global wines comes by the glass or bottle. 

An attractive, modern-looking spot in a parade of shops in the heart of Rhiwbina (a suburb of Cardiff), Mesen offers a relaxed take on contemporary small-plate dining. On the day we visited, it was gloriously sunny and the whole frontage had been opened up to create an alfresco feel, with chairs and tables laid out on the street. Inside, there’s plenty of wood, leather and modern art, with a view into the kitchen at the rear.

The cooking is charcoal-fired, pairing chargrilled meat and fish with fresh, zesty flavours. The juicy, crunchy-skinned charcoal chicken, perfectly matched with ripe peach, cucumber and a fruity dressing, is a case in point, but it's easy to forgo meat altogether with the likes of plump, cheese-filled gnocchi, lightly charred and dressed in a lively walnut pesto. Geographically, the reach is broad, from various rösti and tostadas – perfectly soft and crisp, topped with tender pork belly and a fruity salsa – to rib of beef with Café de Paris butter or native lobster with confit garlic and finger lime.

The charcoal fire also services desserts such as grilled pineapple with grapefruit sorbet, and the whole offering sits comfortably alongside a thoughtful selection of European wines. In addition, there’s a real feeling of team spirit about the place – expect efficiency, friendliness and attention to detail throughout.

A 'field to fork' farmstead restaurant is always a bracing proposition, and this one, deep in the Pembrokeshire wilds is no exception. Whatever beaten track there might be hereabouts (actually the B4320 near Hundleton), they're off it. It's a testament to the success of the formula that somewhere so remote can still receive as many nominations as it does for our Best Local Restaurant awards, with the super-friendly, helpful and enthusiastic staff receiving lots of plaudits.

You eat in the former milking parlour, perhaps snuggled into one of the old stalls, beneath clumps of pampas hanging from the rafters, with an open kitchen at one end generating a steady stream of ingenious and heterogeneous plates from Michelle Evans' fertile culinary imagination.The seasonal set menu is a rolling feast that changes every day depending on supplies from the farm and beyond, but the following should give a clue to the kind of food on offer: asparagus with crab, pickled chilli, lemon and dill, with the brown meat folded through a silky mayonnaise; baked whole bream with romesco; glossy, golden-crusted mutton, leek and smoked Snowdonia cheese pie served with garden kale and Café de Paris butter. Veggie options are always intriguing too – perhaps wild mushroom and truffle arancini or BBQ hispi cabbage lathered in umami-rich miso butter with some chilli heat and soothing, creamy aïoli.

Dessert could bring chocolate mousse or cherry and tahini ice cream; otherwise, opt for a plate of Welsh cheeses. There might also be honey madeleines by the half dozen, too. 'Even the drinks are in season,' gasped one reporter, wholly appreciative of a rhubarbed-up version of pisco sour – although there are some 'fantastic natural wines from a young importer,' too.

Tucked away in a small courtyard off Angel Row, this new venture from veteran Nottingham chef Dan Coles occupies the lofty hidden unit that previously housed Kushi-Ya. Inside, it’s still a sparse space with lots of original beams, bare brick and cast iron radiators, plus posies of dried flowers to soften the mood. Dishes arrive ‘well-staggered’ from the tiny open-to-view kitchen, with the emphasis firmly on locally sourced, seasonal ingredients. Snacks set the tone, from crusty soda bread served with Marmite butter or whipped cream cheese and chives to plump, juicy skewered sausages with a sweet marmalade glaze and mustard dipping sauce.

To follow, there’s a choice of meat, fish and vegetable dishes highlighting rather than obscuring the quality of the produce on offer. A serving of perfectly cooked, pearlescent cod came with a spot-on hollandaise sauce and crunchy samphire, while a well-rested, blushing hanger steak showed similar restraint, with some asparagus and a dill-flecked sauce gribiche as bedfellows. Dessert might bring crème brûlée or a parsnip cake with honey butterscotch and stem ginger ice cream, although we were bowled over by a richly flavoured but feather-light chocolate mousse accompanied by whipped Chantilly with spikes of sour cherry livening up the whole shebang. 

To drink, Cidentro cider from Melton Mowbray, plus beers from Nottingham’s Neon Raptor, Thornbridge and other local brews, line-up alongside cocktails and a slate of reasonably priced wines. There’s a genuine neighbourhood feel to the place and value for money is assured, especially with the option of a one-course weekday ‘worker’s lunch’ (Wed-Fri) including a glass of wine or beer. Regular themed nights and special Sunday lunch sessions involving Midlands drinks specialists add to the local fun.

One of the ‘coolest’ places to move to in 2025 (according to The Times), Newnham’s recently elevated reputation rests more than a little on the opening of this fantastic boutique bistro and bottle shop. Beautifully restored from its previous incarnation as a Post Office, the formerly derelict building remains artfully distressed – think bare plaster ceilings and rough wooden floors – yet very stylish. Owners Ben Thompson and Florence de Maré are both successful designers, and it shows. Head chef Fred Page, most recently of Marle at Heckfield Place, commands the room from behind a high-top counter surrounding his open kitchen. You can sit at that counter, or at a scattering of tables around the room – there are no bad spots here. 

Likewise, there are no bad choices on Page’s weekly changing menus, which show a deep love and respect for the abundant local produce in this overlooked corner of Gloucestershire – some of which comes from the owners’ nearby smallholding. Everything is made in-house, from the cordial in your rhubarb Bellini to the unbelievably crispy olive oil-soaked spelt rolls, and Page’s small plates tease out the very best from his chosen ingredients. Feast on a snack-sized, oozingly rich pig’s head croquette with a tart, tarragon-infused sauce ravigote, a plate of perfectly executed, lemon-scented chard and ricotta ravioli, or a hearty bowl of zarzuela with monkfish, octopus and cockles. If you can resist a hunk of local cheese with homemade chutney and bara brith, pudding could be strawberry and elderflower meringue. Excellent-value lunchtime deals are also available. 

Wines by the 175ml glass or 375ml carafe are chalked on a blackboard, or you can choose something special from the additional 'premium' list. This is, of course, a bottle shop, so there’s plenty more choice on the shelves behind you. Delightfully warm, personal service makes you feel like an old friend – or, at least, a very welcome new one. 

Neil Bentinck took York by storm when he arrived in 2016 and started serving exciting, inventive modern dishes with a pan-Asian twist. Since then, he has barely put a foot wrong, earning Skosh something of a cult following – scoring a table means booking well in advance. There’s nothing showy about the 40-seater restaurant, a palette of grey and yellow, rustic hand-thrown crockery and wooden tables, with a row of stools at the chef's table overlooking the open kitchen.

The name Skosh is a contraction of the Japanese word sukoshi (meaning small), a clue that the kitchen delivers small plates – around 25 of them at prices ranging from a few pounds for a Lindisfarne oyster with cucumber and jalapeño granita to just under a tenner for miso-glazed hake with courgette, pickled lemon and sunflower-seed pesto. You could limit yourself to three dishes per person, but it's worth splashing out – especially when the line-up promises fried popcorn chicken (with a sweetcorn sauce and Thai basil), cauliflower pakoras with mint, tamarind and yoghurt, or tandoori pigeon skewers. It’s only a mouthful, but a cube of sea trout cured in kecap manis (sweet soy sauce), topped with marshmallow and finished with peanut and lime is outstanding, while their lovely sourdough is served with Acorn Dairy butter and gunpowder salt.

And if there is one unmissable item, it’s ‘hen’s egg’, a dish that has been on the menu since day one: a ceramic eggshell is filled with a mousse of Summerfield's cheese, but dig down and you'll find a mix of egg yolk, crunchy crumbs, leeks, black vinegar and sweet sherry (ingredients are tweaked from time to time). Drinks are equally eclectic, from seasonal cocktails and craft beers to a slate of global wines. 

At this pint-sized wine shop, bar and café, it was once a case of turning up and hoping, but an online booking system now ensures the avoidance of disappointment. And disappointed you would be if you were to miss the locally supplied menu on offer here. Start with smart nibbles of anchovy and ricotta crostini or the covetable air-dried mangalitza ham from Coombeshead Farm (with some Coombeshead sourdough on the side).

A spring visitor gasped at the deliciousness of St Eia's take on the classic rarebit, as well as Newlyn crab piled heftily on toast and served with cucumber pickle. Vividly dressed salads might mobilise Stichelton, pear, walnuts, quince and radicchio into a colourful assemblage, but heartier appetites are not neglected either –especially when platefuls of beef bourguignon and mash are at hand.

Neal's Yard cheeses are hard to resist in the context, but sweet things range from lemon posset to mincemeat frangipane tart with clotted cream. An excellent wine list embraces much from the biodynamic and skin-contact universe. A glass of something inspiring might tempt you to take home a bottle of it from the well-stocked shelves.

Tucked discreetly in between a butcher's and a bakery in a seaside village on the Llyn Peninsula, the Dining Room might almost be missed, except that a cascade of local recommendations suggests that it is very much on everybody's radar. It's a front-room bistro operation done in soothing neutral colours, with calming lake views on the walls to counterpoint the happy buzz of custom.

Chef-owner Si Toft's career began in northwest England before he crossed the border, embarking on a mission to showcase the best Welsh produce on a tight ship three evenings a week. Expect Anglesey black beef, Cardigan Bay fish and Penderyn whisky to crop up regularly on the frequently changing menus. Lightness and freshness are the hallmarks of an opener that sees a prawn mousse dressed in kefir with cucumber and dill, or there might be asparagus pakora with sweetcorn dhal and 'Maccies curry sauce' (we couldn't possibly comment). Prime Welsh lamb rump makes a suitably majestic main dish, rendered pink and served with pickled anchovies, ratatouille veg and punchy salsa verde. The fish option could be megrim sole in bouillabaisse with fennel, tomato and leek.

A canny understanding of sweet treats results in a gooseberried-up Basque cheesecake or an ice-lolly of blackberry and limoncello with chia pudding – as well as a cocktail offering that runs from a Turkish Delight Martini to a Midget Gem Negroni, which may explain why everybody seems to be having such fun. A broadly based wine selection includes some of the new generation of Welsh wines, but is a little thin on by-the-glass options.

Is there anything more nourishing to the soul than fresh fish and seafood cookery? With its prime materials gathered from the day-boats less than 40 metres away from the front door, the Dory Bistro ensures that Pittenweem is amply supplied with evidence of its allure. Ruth Robinson's kitchen teems with local lobsters, crabs and langoustines, as well as locally landed fish – not to mention game from estates in Fife – and there is an art gallery to peruse too while you work up an appetite.

The striking enthusiasm of readers' reports is powerful testimony to the success of the formula. A couple who stuck to the blackboard specials were treated to sweet-cured halibut with radish, salad leaves and garlic bread, before joining forces to tackle a whopping Dover sole in caper butter, served with fennel and romanesco. The menu makes all kinds of classic moves too, from an opening gambit of Cullen skink, garnished with a crisp ball of smoked haddock and salmon keta, to richly sustaining pasta such as tagliatelle replete with clams, mussels and lardons in white wine, garlic and cream.

Visitors also applaud the restaurant's friendly atmosphere, and it's worth saving space for desserts that might be as simple as a gingery spin on rhubarb and custard, or as creatively stunning as layered ice cream of miso and vanilla with miso pearls and a caramel tuile. On-trend varietal whites from Pecorino, Picpoul, Verdejo and Grüner Veltliner furnish plenty of fish-friendly choice.

You can't deny the good vibes that emanate from this unassuming but ‘joyful’ venue – a rural café-cum-restaurant housed in a converted threshing barn not far from Tiverton. Part of the attraction is the setting with its magnificent views over the Devon hills, combined with staff who are as helpful and pleasant as can be – and the fact that the place is admirably family-friendly. However, it’s the firm focus on good-value food in all its seasonal, sustainable and local glory that draws diners back.

A huge wood-fired oven is at the heart of the operation, dominating the busy open kitchen at one end of the long dining room, with imaginative, carefully made sourdough pizzas being the stars of the show. But there’s much more. Share a wood-roasted stuffed flatbread with ricotta, red onion marmalade, truffle and thyme or keep a ‘small plate’ of baked Brixham scallops in the shell with wild garlic and lemon butter all to yourself.

 Among the bigger plates, you might find wood-roasted estate venison with new season’s potatoes, purple beetroot and carrots or an unusual ‘orzotto’ with roasted fennel and broad beans (a winner for one reader). For afters, honey and lavender-scented iced parfait with macerated strawberries is spot-on for seasonality. The Lost Kitchen is also a hit with those who simply want to stop by for coffee and cake – although booking is advisable for this, too.

To drink, there are plenty of well-chosen wines by the glass, but don’t miss the home-brewed Perdu IPA (made with unused organic sourdough grain) or LK’s own Wylde Ferment cider. Designated drivers are also well served by the thoughtful list of mocktails and classic soft drinks (including homemade lemonade) – so ‘find a seat on the terrace, sit back, relax and smell the sweet peas!’

It may be small, with just four tables and a counter across the window of an unprepossessing building, but the Small Canteen has a big heart. ‘A warm welcome is always on the cards,’ notes one regular. The concise menu is squashed and smudged onto a blackboard in Sam Betts’ ever-so-slightly chaotic ship, which is run with immense verve and generosity.

Start with good chewy bread plus dips of mayo, salsa verde and romesco. After that, a glistening slab of confit chicken terrine comes with pickled prunes, baked gnocchi are richly endowed with Gorgonzola, kale and hazelnuts, pork cutlet is served with chard and squash, and skate wing gets the traditional treatment with brown butter, capers, shrimps and tenderstem broccoli. Everything here is rich, abundant and delicious. It seems that the chef is unfamiliar with the concept of portion control: starters are the size of a main course and mains are too good to refuse.

Tables are so closely packed you get to know your neighbours, who may also provide good reports of the saffron, raisin and apple cake with honey and mascarpone ice cream or a fabulous three-parter involving chocolate mousse, blackcurrant sorbet and honeycomb. We don’t know how Betts manages to pull off such an ‘adorably priced’ menu, but we are very glad he does – especially when the blackboard also lists cocktails, juices and organic lemonade. Organic wines come in at £7 for a 500ml carafe of Tempranillo or Odes à la Gascogne, and there are regional craft beers too, with names like Redcastle Crusader, First Chop and Love Lane Baltic.