Stratford-upon-Avon and the Heart of England Restaurants

Stratford has many reasonably priced bistros and unpretentious eateries offering a broad choice of international fare; Warwick and Kenilworth both have good restaurant options. Birmingham has good international restaurants but is probably most famous for its Indian and Pakistani "curry houses"; you'll find good choices both in the city center and out of town. The city hosts the annual Taste of Birmingham Festival in July. In the rest of the Midlands, casual spots dominate, although Ludlow has some exceptionally good restaurants.

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  • 1. Arkle at the Chester Grosvenor

    $$$$

    This sophisticated restaurant within one of Chester's most resplendent hotels is a real splurge of an experience, but completely worth it. The tasting menu, which features delicious British ingredients such as native lobster with Isle of Wight tomatoes or Scottish mussels will delight and surprise.

    Eastgate St., Chester, Cheshire West and Chester, CH1 1LT, England
    01244-324024

    Known For

    • Delicious tasting menus
    • Glamorous and decadent dining room
    • Fine British ingredients

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Sun., Reservations essential
  • 2. Hobsons Patisseries

    $

    Visitors and locals alike head for the half-timber Hobsons Patisseries to indulge in the famous savory pies or scrumptious afternoon teas. Just a couple of minutes walk from Shakespeare’s Birthplace, it’s an almost obligatory lunch stop.

    1 Henley St., Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, CV37 6PT, England
    01789-293330

    Known For

    • Delicious cakes and pies
    • Cheap eats
    • Low-key afternoon tea
  • 3. Lambs of Sheep Street

    $$

    Sit downstairs to appreciate the hardwood floors and oak beams of this local epicurean favorite; upstairs, the look is a bit more contemporary. The updates of tried-and-true dishes include herb-crusted rack of English lamb and panfried calf's liver with creamed potato, wilted spinach, pancetta, and crisp shallot. Desserts are fantastic here, and daily specials keep the menu seasonal. The two- and three-course fixed-price menus (not available for Monday lunches) are good deals.

    12 Sheep St., Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, CV37 6EF, England
    01789-292554

    Known For

    • Good-value set meals
    • One of the oldest buildings in Stratford
    • Modern twists on British classics

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: No lunch Mon., Reservations essential
  • 4. L’amuse Bouche

    $$$

    One of Malvern’s best restaurants, L’amuse Bouche specializes in French cuisine with a contemporary English edge. Start with the Severn and Wye Valley smoked salmon before sampling the Herefordshire fillet of beef or the twice-baked mature Godminster Cheddar soufflé. It also does a very good afternoon tea for two for £40. The restaurant is part of the Cotford Hotel; if you feel like making a night of it, the pleasantly traditional rooms start at £150 for a double.

    51 Graham Rd., Great Malvern, Worcestershire, WR14 2HU, England
    01684-572427

    Known For

    • One of the best restaurants in the region
    • Garden views from the elegant dining room
    • French-inspired cuisine with English ingredients

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: No dinner Sun.–Tues., Reservations essential
  • 5. Purnell’s

    $$$$ | City Centre

    Business moguls and sophisticated foodies alike can be found sampling an aperitif in a comfy armchair before moving to the sleek, slate-floor dining room at this establishment run by a Michelin-starred chef. Located in a Victorian terracotta and redbrick building, this is where chef Glyn Purnell creates his adventurous modern British fare. In addition to a few à la carte options, you can choose from a couple of different, whole-table tasting menus, depending on how adventurous you’re feeling. The "Purnell’s Journey" option includes haddock and eggs served with cornflakes, alongside monkfish masala. Chef Purnell is also finally turning his hand to vegan cooking and he also runs a bistro and cocktail bar (Purnell’s Bistro and Ginger’s Bar) on Newhall Street, which is a good deal more affordable. Prices at lunchtime are half what they are in the evening.

    55 Cornwall St., Birmingham, Birmingham, B3 2DH, England
    0121-212–9799

    Known For

    • Innovative take on British cooking, including some impressive tasting menus
    • Tables booked up two months in advance
    • Affordable lunchtime prices

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon. No lunch Tues.
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  • 6. Pushkar

    $$ | City Centre

    A vogueish dining room is the perfect setting for the inventive Punjabi cuisine at this popular curry palace and cocktail bar on bustling Broad Street. White linen tablecloths and accents of gold and amber create a plush dining setting, and the food doesn’t disappoint either. Try the spinach and prune cakes to start or the chef’s selection of five appetizers, the Pushkar Panorama, if you want to to try some unexpected flavors. Your server will guide you on the main, depending on how spicy you like things—the house specialty Tariwala Murgh is a good medium-spiced option and the buttered naan is heavenly. For dessert, try the Gajar Ka Halwa Tart, a bed of grated carrots with condensed milk and spices and a side of pistachio ice cream.

    245 Broad St., Birmingham, Birmingham, B1 2HQ, England
    0121-643–7978

    Known For

    • Good cocktail menu
    • Independent curry restaurant in a sea of chains
    • Late-night dinner service

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: No lunch
  • 7. Rose & Crown

    $$

    Plain wood floorboards, comfy sofas, sturdy wooden tables, and solidly good food and drink set the tone at this contemporary gastro-pub with rooms on the town’s main square. It’s popular with locals, and the owners take pride in offering seasonal food with a focus on sustainability that mixes British and international influences with only the best ingredients. It has a good area for outdoor dining too. There are moderately priced bedrooms that provide stylish lodging in the pub and across the lane.

    30 Market Pl., Warwick, Warwickshire, CV34 4SH, England
    01926-411117

    Known For

    • Seasonal produce
    • Great pub
    • Warm atmosphere
  • 8. Simpsons

    $$$$ | Edgbaston

    This bright and modern restaurant with rooms housed in a gleaming Georgian villa is known for its French-influenced cuisine with resolutely British ingredients. The assured and welcoming service makes it easy to savor specialties such as Aberdeenshire beef bavette and cheek or quail with elderberries and parsley, which have secured its Michelin star since 1999. A mile south of the city center, it's an excellent dining choice and has won accolates for its plant-based approach to cooking, too.

    20 Highfield Rd., Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 3DU, England
    0121-454–3434

    Known For

    • Impressive tasting menus
    • Plant-based cooking
    • Beautiful Georgian decor

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Mon. and Tues.
  • 9. The Beefy Boys

    $

    There's a bit of buzz about the food scene in Hereford at the moment, with lots of restaurants using some of the region's bountiful produce to turn out delicious dishes. This spot in the regenerated Old Market area is leading the march, with much thanks to one of Herefordshire's most prized assets that makes frequent appearances on the menu: Hereford beef. The burgers are big and messy but very tasty. The cool diner vibe, with leather booths and low-slung lighting, along with a menu of boozy milkshakes and a cracking playlist, make this a place people want to be.

    Old Market, Hereford, Herefordshire, HR4 9HU, England
    01432-359209

    Known For

    • Tasty burgers
    • Boozy milkshakes
    • Fun atmosphere
  • 10. The Kingmaker by Glynn Purnell

    $$

    Open for dinner service six days a week, this restaurant, set up under the watchful eye of Michelin-starred chef Glynn Purnell (also known as the "Yummy Brummy") is located within the Delta Hotel Warwick. Fine dining dishes are served in the large dining room, with no shortage of surprise twists—think beef rendang with scorched lime.

    Stratford Rd., Warwick, Warwickshire, CV34 6RE, England
    01926-499555

    Known For

    • Great fine dining experience at affordable prices
    • Excellent service
    • Culinary expertise

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Sun.
  • 11. The Townhouse

    $$

    Theatergoers tucking into an early supper to the strains of the piano in the bar, grandmothers enjoying afternoon tea, and couples lingering over candlelit suppers can all happily be found at this restaurant with rooms, which is part of the Brakspear Brewery. Chefs source the best ingredients locally where possible and serve up dishes such as oven-roasted duck breast and whole grilled plaice. There is also a good value pre-theater menu (£15 for two courses and a glass of wine for £3.50), which even includes steak.

    16 Church St., Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, CV37 6HB, England
    01789-262222

    Known For

    • Good-value pretheater menus
    • Chic decor
    • Sunday roast with all the trimmings
  • 12. The Walrus

    $$$$

    Run by chef couple Ben and Carla, half the excitement here lies in the ever-changing menu, which is genuinely committed to using local and seasonal produce. All the vegetables come from the restaurant's walled garden in nearby Ford, and the resulting dishes are impressive. Set menus make the price easier to swallow.

    2 Lower Claremont Bank, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, SY1 1RT, England
    01743-240005

    Known For

    • Local produce
    • Low-key fine dining
    • Friendly service

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed Sun.–Tues.
  • 13. Albion Inn

    $

    You feel as if you’re stepping back in time at this Victorian pub; the posters, advertisements, flags, and curios tell you the idiosyncratic landlord keeps it as it would have been during World War I. The candlelit restaurant forms one of the three snug rooms and, unsurprisingly, serves traditional fare such as lamb’s liver, corned beef hash, and gammon (thick-sliced ham) with pease pudding. You can stay overnight here as well.

    Park St., Chester, Cheshire West and Chester, CH1 1RN, England
    01244-340345

    Known For

    • Old-fashioned British food
    • Historic, old-school ambience
    • Local hangout

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: No dinner Sun.
  • 14. B:Eats

    $

    Located on Birmingham's revamped Centenary Square, this laid-back café/restaurant in Symphony Hall puts you right in the heart of the city's cultural action. Portions are huge, and options like buttermilk fried chicken wings and sticky maple fried chicken are served with healthy-sized Brummie bacon cakes. Open for lunch and pre-concert dining, as well as food and drinks, it also hosts intimate gigs.

    Broad St., Birmingham, Birmingham, B1 2EA, England
    0121-2896312

    Known For

    • Beautiful space
    • Pre-event dining and drinks
    • Good views of the square
  • 15. Chez Jules

    $$

    Once a fire station, this bustling bistro is now unashamedly French and rustic, with red-and-white-check tablecloths and a menu chalked up on the blackboard. Start perhaps with some moules marinières (mussels cooked in a white-wine-and-onion sauce) or French onion soup, followed by grilled sea bass or a classic rib-eye steak with Café du Paris butter. The two-course, prix-fixe menu is a great value at £16.95.

    71 Northgate St., Chester, Cheshire West and Chester, CH1 2HQ, England
    01244-400014

    Known For

    • Rural French cooking
    • Dishes that change daily
    • Good value set menus
  • 16. Clarendon Arms

    $

    A location close to Kenilworth Castle and some good hand-pulled ales helps make this pub a nice spot for lunch. You can order home-cooked food, including steaks and grills from the bar or the ever-classic fish-and-chips. Another option is to sample more upmarket fare with an international slant at the next-door Harrington’s on the Hill restaurant, under the same management.

    44 Castle Hill, Kenilworth, Warwickshire, CV8 1NB, England
    01926-852017

    Known For

    • Classic pub grub
    • Good kids' menu
    • Closed kitchen from 3 to 5:30 pm on weekdays
  • 17. Hathaway Tea Rooms

    $

    For the perfect Stratford-upon-Avon break, duck into the quaint Hathaway Tea Rooms, housed in a 17th-century building on the High Street. These tea rooms are reputedly the oldest in Stratford and serve a selection of tea, scones, and sandwiches, or you can go all out and get one of the generous afternoon teas. The decor is slightly tired, and it's not the best afternoon tea you will have but the service is first-rate and it is still rather quaint.

    19 High St., Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, CV37 6AU, England
    01789-264–022

    Known For

    • Quintessential afternoon tea
    • Tasty scones
    • Wide variety of teas and preserves to take home
  • 18. Hussain's

    $$

    The luxuriant marigolds in the window might draw you in, but locals will tell you it's the Indian dishes that are the real appeal here. The extensive menu lists plenty of balti and rogan josh choices; for a little less heat, try the tandoori chicken with mild spices, cream, ground almonds, and mixed fruits, or increase the heat a bit with jhinga bhuna (king-size prawns in a spicy tomato sauce with onions, green peppers, and coriander). Wash it all down with Cobra draft beer.

    6A Chapel St., Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, CV37 6EP, England
    01789-267506

    Known For

    • Range of tandoori specialties
    • Local curry-house atmosphere
    • Prompt, friendly service

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: No lunch Mon.–Wed.
  • 19. Itihaas

    $$ | City Centre

    Birmingham has some of the country’s finest Indian restaurants, and this is one of the best in the city. The cooking concentrates on north Indian dishes like koyla murgh (chicken marinated in yogurt and seared over charcoal) and hara bhara gosht (a casserole of lamb cooked with garlic, chili, and spinach). The decor is traditional and colonial; potted palms and portraits rub shoulders with Raj-style antiques. The restaurant also has a second outlet in the food court at Selfridge’s.

    18 Fleet St., Birmingham, Birmingham, B3 1JL, England
    0121-212–3383

    Known For

    • Delicious Indian food
    • Colonial-style decor
    • Tasty tandoori starters

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: No lunch
  • 20. Le Bistrot Pierre

    $$

    There's always a satisfied hum in the air at this large, modern, and bustling bistro, part of a small chain, that’s close to the river. It’s French and the menu makes that known; olives from Provence, sausage from the Beaujolais region, pâtés, mussels in a Roquefort sauce, beef bourguignon, and rustic French cheeses all appear. Croque monsieur (toasted ham and cheese sandwich) is a popular lunchtime dish. Vegetarians and kids are well catered for, and the service is amicable and attentive.

    Swan's Nest La., Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, CV37 7LT, England
    01789-264804

    Known For

    • Regional French cuisine
    • Riverside dining
    • Good menu for kids

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