Best restaurants in Chiswick

The latest venture from independent bar group Darwin & Wallace has an open, naturally lit, stripped-back feel – in keeping with the building’s fire station history. Emergency call-outs have been replaced by relaxed all-day eating and drinking, helped by a colour scheme of soft pinks, chalky whites and pale greys, plus seasonal British cooking. The menu ranges from small and sharing dishes – pig’s cheek and black pudding croquettes, perhaps, or crispy peppered squid – through to more substantial main courses. We enjoyed delicately spiced ginger chicken cakes coated in a light golden crumb with zingy lime coriander mayo, and mini sausages smothered in a sticky-sweet honey and mustard glaze. Next, an accurately cooked sea bass (soft flesh, crisp skin) arrived with baby artichoke, buttery new potatoes, asparagus and a crème fraîche tartare sauce; chicken Kiev was satisfyingly crunchy, the tender meat stuffed with garlic butter. Pudding of bitter dark chocolate tart was accompanied by a fluffy mousse and a nostalgic slice of chocolatey Rice Krispies cake. To drink, the selection of classic cocktails is boosted by various spirit infusions, house-made syrups and sherbets. Rounded off by an attractive courtyard space, this elegant venue makes a welcome addition to leafy Chiswick.

Lots of restaurants promise to transport you to Italy, but Villa di Geggiano makes a more convincing case than most. The jolly white and green exterior is a dead ringer for the namesake 15th-century palazzo and wine estate near Siena while, in summer, there’s outside seating under the vines in the spacious courtyard – Chianti transplanted to Chiswick.

The surprises continue inside, where the owners’ connections with the London art world have made for an eclectic interior that mixes contemporary works with antique pieces from the palazzo. The eccentric sense of character is picked up by chatty staff who seem completely at home in the one-of-a-kind surrounds.   

The owners’ other connection is the wine world; the family of co-founder Count Andrea Boscu Bianchi Bandinelli owns Villa di Geggiano in Tuscany and were the first people to import Chianti to Great Britain in 1752. The estate’s wines can be sampled in a comfortable lounge bar that is one of Chiswick’s hidden gems, while the Count himself hosts wine tastings once a month.

Pasta was the highlight of the menu for us. Gnocchi with asparagus sauce, radicchio and walnuts, and pappardelle with Tuscan wild boar, both delivered intense flavours and satisfying textures. Starters of burrata with grilled asparagus and balsamic reduction, and bresaola with sweet and sour shimeji mushrooms, taggiasca olives and rocket pesto, were both beautifully presented, while tiramisu pleasingly majored more on sugar than coffee.

Only our main courses seemed a tad disappointing; duck breast with Savoy cabbage, bacon and cranberries, and lamb cutlets with sweet and sour red cabbage and pea sauce, were both a shade tough.

Still, you could eat very well here by ordering a pasta as a main course, and in any case, this is very much a restaurant that is all about the overall experience. Excellent pasta washed down with fine wine, served by welcoming staff in convivial surrounds: what could be more Italian? 

Character aplenty suffuses this sizeable old pub, constructed on a corner site towards the end of the 19th century and now owned by the Metropolitan Pub Co. Don’t miss the stonking skylight in the dining area, adorned with cherubs and glitzy chandeliers – though the place as a whole isn’t overdressed. Its unreconstructed bar is stocked with real ales and the menu takes inspiration from Spain. There’s a great garden to enjoy in good weather as well. Tuck into classic tapas such as chipirones, tortilla and ham croquetas, or order them as a starter if you’re taking the three-course route. Main courses aren’t entirely Iberian, so you’ll find rib-eye steak with peppercorn sauce, and chicken pie for two, sitting alongside pork, chorizo and bean stew. Finish with chocolate brownie or sherry cream with raspberries. The wine list sticks to Europe, apart from Spanish-speaking Argentina and Chile, though there’s nothing from Sussex. The Duke would not be amused.

A row of west London townhouses makes a good home for this animated brasserie where everything from breakfast through to late dinner is provided, not to mention a Champagne cocktail or two. There’s an art-deco spin to the interior with its banquette seating and spectacularly colourful floor tiles, which all makes an energetic space for an English breakfast or a croque monsieur, before the all-day menu kicks in with sandwiches, salads and hot food such as pumpkin risotto or pork belly with crackling and apple slaw. Steak frites is a speciality, and there are “great” Saturday brunches and “superb” Sunday lunches, rounded off by the comfort of a plum crumble, perhaps. Drink draught Chiswick Bitter or European lager, or perhaps something from the short, well-rounded wine list. With “fab service”, terrace tables and a laid-back vibe, HRB is the complete neighbourhood package.

Sitting pretty, just a stroll from the Thames, Annie’s is the sort of place where romantically inclined women yearn to bring their beaus. It’s easy to see why: the rococo interior of this cosy, corner restaurant features flying cherubs on ornately framed mirrors, a profusion of flowers, flickering candles and abundant fairy lights. Love-struck couples aren’t the only constituency, however. Families swoop here early doors, drawn by a brunch menu that ranges from toasted bagels with smoked salmon to eggs Florentine or the ‘full Monty’; others drop in for “homely” Sunday roasts and all-day, brasserie-style options such as sticky duck salad, moules marinière, shepherd’s pie or shrimp surf ‘n’ turf. Cocktails and fairly priced wines (including nearly 20 by the glass) go well with easy bar snacks, while pavement tables and a spacious private dining room offer further possibilities.

“Wonderful modern French food” is the attraction at Le Vacherin, which also wins praise for its “consistently good service” and “warm, intimate, romantic ambience”. The clean lines, authentic trappings and white linen tablecloths lend a Parisian air to this dyed-in-the-wool bistro, which is “great for a celebration” as well as a cosy dinner à deux. Chef Malcolm John’s menu is classic and elegant, from starters of escargots de Bourgogne or seared foie gras with boudin blanc to suprême of sea trout with crayfish and crab bisque or an assiette of duck with preserved cherries. Sharing options including rock oysters, pot au feu or chateaubriand add to the romance, and desserts stay with the classics – think apricot tarte Tatin or crème brûlée with orange madeleines. Also check out the “incredible steak-frites offer”. The wine list favours France, but doesn’t exclude the rest of the world – note the selection of the month.

The Silver Birch is a West London haven for seafood lovers, with chef Nathan Cornwell bringing a world of experience from iconic restaurants like The Barn at Moor Hall. Choose between a la carte or a tasting menu with optional wine pairing for the full experience.

Regularly trumpeted as the “crown in Chiswick’s restaurant scene”, La Trompette is the kind of place that gives neighbourhood restaurants a good name, and the fact that it sports a Michelin star without putting on airs or charging the earth is something to be applauded. Whether you’re here for a special dinner or a sociable midweek lunch, the elegant dining room always gives off good vibrations with its contemporary artworks, polished floors, well-spaced tables and views over a smart terrace. La Trompette’s cooking is all about muscular European flavours and clever ideas, with lots of intricate detailing on the plate – as in a starter of char-grilled Cornish squid with chickpeas, green harissa, cucumber and shaved fennel. Prime ingredients get the attention and respect they deserve, be it Welsh lamb with summer turnips, garden beets, rainbow chard and ewe’s curd or Cornish cod accompanied by gnocchetti, English ceps, cavolo nero and hazelnut pesto. After that, the mighty cheeseboard is a must, but we also suggest dipping into desserts such as the muscovado custard tart with roast cherries and crème fraîche. Full marks for the spectacular 600-bin wine list too.

‘Quick and easy, unfussy and unpretentious’, gregarious Vinoteca’s winning formula matches the oenophile virtues of a top-notch wine emporium with a penchant for smart brasserie cooking. Wine flights and by-the-glass selections are unmissable, and the full list of around 250 bins is stuffed with helpfully annotated bottles from every corner of the winemaking globe – although judicious food-matching suggestions are the mini-chain’s ’biggest USP’. British cheeses and European charcuterie are mainstays of the menu, but the regularly changing line-up runs from crispy confit duck, pear, orange and walnut salad (recommended with a glass of Weissburgunder 2011) to Cornish hake with cockles, arroncina beans, lemon and samphire – perfect with a Kumeu River Chardonnay 2007 on the side. Light airy interiors, funky lighting and retro posters create just the right mood, and the bill is always easy on the wallet.

If this sweet cocktail lounge were in the West End rather than deep in leafy Chiswick, there’d be queues outside for a table. In the wrong hands, tiki can look tacky, but here a Polynesian/Californian-inspired interior – a mismatch of jungle succulents, jingly-jangly prints, jumble-sale kitsch and covetable retro and rattan furniture – is an exercise in how to nail 1950s beachcomber boho with panache. Priced £9-£11, house cocktails might include Salted Caramel Vodkatini, Raspberry Flirtini and Little Bird’s eponymous signature (a tropical sparkler made with vanilla and ginger-infused rum, passion fruit, cassis and French fizz). Graze on elegantly presented small plates in the charming sun-trap patio garden: Angus beef sliders; charred cauliflower with red pesto and sour cream; tuna tartare, avocado and corn chips; cherry and bitter chocolate profiteroles; or coconut pannacotta with pineapple salsa.