The Best Restaurants in Chiswick | West London Dining
Words by Ross Clarke
Chiswick’s food credentials are quite literally in its name.
This West London neighbourhood started life as Ceswican, meaning ‘Cheese Farm’. And while there’s still a regular cheese market each month on its famous High Road, you’ll also find more antique places, artisan delis and bike shops than you can shake a middle-class stick at, along with a host of gourmet hotspots.
Luckily, we’ve done the heavy lifting (mostly of wine glasses) and rounded up the best places to eat in Chiswick on your behalf…
The Silver Birch | ££££
Recently voted ‘Most Likely to Appear in a Richard Curtis Movie’ (by us), The Silver Birch projects that kind of relaxed chic-ness that most neighbourhood wine bars & eateries aspire to. The menu is completely seasonal and as locally sourced as possible, meaning you can expect dishes such as steamed skate wing with hazelnut relish and leeks, but you’ll also find a handsome selection of British cheeses on the menu as well as an extensive (but well-curated) wine list.
Details: 142 Chiswick High Road, W4 1PU | Book here
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Angies | ££
Set up by South African chef Angie Steele (who spent 8 years working with Gordon Ramsay honing her skills), this bright café by Turnham Green station serves up nourishing and healthy plates packed full of flavour. On the all-day brunch menu, expect to see the likes of avo toast, Turkish scrambled tofu, and a buttermilk chicken burger – but those in the know come here for the salad boxes, where you can mix & match from options such as lentil and smoky aubergine, and courgette and feta fritters. If the sun’s out? You should snag a seat on the tiny, tiled patio at the front.
Details: 114 Chiswick High Road, W4 1PU | No bookings
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La Trompette | ££££
Chiswick’s Michelin star restaurant really gives the area something to blow its own trompette about. Sibling to the similarly awarded Chez Bruce in Wandsworth, La Trompette is refreshingly laid-back given its culinary pedigree. It feels like a neighbourhood spot which just happens to serve an exquisite menu, and that’s reflected in the unpretentious presentation of the food. Tuck into rabbit raviolo with white onion velouté, tender venison loin with creamed potatoes and roasted beets, or some sumptuous dauphinoise croquettes served with the eponymous trompette mushrooms. Cutely, the famous tarte tatin & calvados ice cream dessert is listed ‘to share’.
Details: 5-7 Devonshire Road, W4 2EU | Book here
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The Crown | £££
In what was once the local police station on Chiswick High Road, you’ll find the comforting delights of The Crown. This smart gastropub is a classy affair, and while the interiors are elegant with leather booths and marble tabletops, there is an easy and laid-back atmosphere regardless of the time of day. Sunday roasts are sizeable, while the seasonal main menu offers up brasserie classics such as beef tartare, chicken Milanese and seafood risotto alongside an impeccable wine list. If the weather’s nice, ask to sit in the pretty centre courtyard and try not to eavesdrop on the Ladies Who Lunch At Chiswick Restaurants, who frequently like to do their Lunching there.
Details: 210 Chiswick High Road, W4 1PD | Book here
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Kalamari | ££
Right on the Chiswick boundary, Kalamari is an informal family-run Greek restaurant that’s been serving up the best of the Mediterranean to Chiswick’s discerning foodies for 25 years. Stuffed vine leaves, taramasalata, and kalamari (naturally) top the starters menu, while slow-roasted lamb, whole sea bass, and brandy cream meatballs make up the pick of the mains – all served with a backdrop of Parthenon-style columns, artificial vines and bougainvillea, painted scenes of Greek fishing harbours, and a statue of a harp-playing angel. Yes, this place is wonderfully kitsch, but the food and service are stellar.
Details: 4 Chiswick High Road, W4 1TH | Book here
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D Grande | £££
This colourful Tex-Mex restaurant didn’t have the easiest of starts, given that it opened almost exactly at the same time as Lockdown One dropped. Thanks to giant bifold doors at the front, it pivoted to perfect its takeaway (there were queues for the margaritas to-go) before mercifully finally being able to take sit-in diners. Expect tacos loaded with brisket or vegan carnitas, grilled chicken burritos and enchiladas, as well as vats of gloriously gooey queso.
Details: 132 Chiswick High Road, W4 1PU | Book here
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High Road Brasserie | £££
The ground floor of Chiswick’s swish branch of Soho House is, graciously, open to all. It takes the form of High Road Brasserie, a plush, loosely retro-styled all-day diner specialising in classics like chicken milanese, moules frites and prawn linguine – all bookended by some exemplary brunch dishes and Sunday roasts. There’s a gorgeously sleek cocktail bar here, too – put to good use preparing the famous Picante De La Casa with Patron Reposado tequila, chilli, coriander, lime & agave.
Details: 162-170 Chiswick High Road, London, W4 1PR | Book here
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Napoli On The Road | £££
With its signature lemon tree in the middle of the restaurant to scoot around, a giant pizza oven and usually hordes of hungry diners, Michele Pascarella and the team at Napoli have their work cut out. Thankfully, they’re probably the best pizza slingers in Chiswick (and now Richmond, too), firing out perfect plates of crisp pizza loaded with toppings such as Fior di latte cheese, 24-month- aged Parma ham, burrata, caramelized figs and basil, at a rate of knots. Oh, and don’t leave without ordering the bocconcini – small fried pizza dough balls fried served with Nutella and pistachios.
Details: 9A Devonshire Rd, W4 2EU | Book here
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Sushi Bar Makoto | ££
This unassuming restaurant on Turnham Green Terrace is no bigger than your nan’s living room, which means it’s always worth getting here early for lunch. You can choose from the full traditional menu of nigiri, maki, donburi, hand rolls and more, or if you’re feeling overwhelmed with choice, plump for one of the set menus and be pleasantly surprised as you sip your miso.
Details: 57 Turnham Green Terrace, W4 1RP | No bookings
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Parle Pantry | ££
Sisters Ruken & Dee head up this completely vegan café with the wild premise that you can have delicious food and coffee without the need for animal-based products. Insane, we know. Somehow they pull it off. Freshly made sandwiches, homemade soups, salad boxes and sweet treats are all on offer along with great artisan coffee and organic cake. Need to stock up on pulses, dried fruit or herbs? No problem, the café is also a tiny grocery shop. Grab a seat in the window bar and watch the goings on of Chiswick High Road as you sip on your oat-milk flat white and snack on a vegan brownie.
Details: 97 Chiswick High Road, W4 2ED | No bookings
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No 197 Chiswick Fire Station | £££
Ask anyone in West London for dependable, safe, all-encompassing recommendations for a restaurant in Chiswick, and they’ll probably send you here (although they’ll just call it the Old Fire Station). The huge central bar takes pride of place in this sleek, white, minimalist place from the neighbourhood gurus behind No 32 The Old Town and 601 Queen’s Road. They do a bit of everything food-wise, from breakfast pancakes to sharing small plates (try the roast squash, carrot and turmeric humous), grilled sea bass and chips, to aged topside of beef Sunday roasts. Head straight through to the back to find their hidden sun-trap terrace – perfect for post-work drinks or lazy weekend brunches.
Details: 197-199 Chiswick High Road, W4 2DR | Book here
Enjoy this whole ‘eating out’ thing? Because there are some pretty neat restaurants in West London as a whole…