29 Best Restaurants in Stratford-upon-Avon and the Heart of England, England

Within one of Chester’s most resplendent hotels, this sophisticated restaurant with its curved booths and tables draped in white linens is a real splurge but completely worth it. Seasonal tasting menus (no à la carte optons) featuring delicious British ingredients such as native lobster with Isle of Wight tomatoes or Scottish mussels will delight and surprise.

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, in part thanks to one of Herefordshire's most prized assets, which 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. There is also a location in Shrewsbury.

This family-run (by four brothers) riverside café-restaurant, a short walk away from the castle and other attractions, feels like a secret dining spot, but it's quite popular. The location, by the weir of the River Teme, creates a soothing setting for what is very much feel-good food: the wholesome, original dishes use seasonal local produce and are infused with global flavors. Vegetarian and vegan options are excellent, and drinks pairings are suggested. There is a great wine list and local beer, as well as home-pressed kombucha from Shrewsbury (the family has a restaurant there too) and other tasty booze-free drinks. Even if you're not hungry, this is a great spot for coffee and a paddle. 

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.

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

One of Malvern’s best restaurants specializes in creative French cuisine with a contemporary English edge and top-notch English produce. 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. The restaurant is part of the Cotford Hotel, which has pleasantly traditional rooms.

Business moguls and sophisticated foodies alike can be found sampling an aperitif in a comfy armchair before moving to the sleek contemporary, slate-floor dining room at this Michelin-starred establishment. Located in a Victorian terra-cotta and redbrick building, this is where chef Glyn Purnell creates his adventurous Modern British fare. In addition to a reasonable set menu, theràe is a bigger and more adventurous tasting menu that might haddock and eggs served with cornflakes, alongside monkfish masala. Chef Purnell is also turning his hand to vegan cooking. Price quoted is for three courses.

The dark-wood paneling, antique furniture, thick curtains, and intimate lighting of this 16th-century hall make this a distinctive dining spot for Modern British cuisine. Chef Adrian Badland and his partner Miriam Lawley (the keen eye behind the exquisite and tasteful makeover) offer a cracking roast dinner and other hearty but elevated dishes featuring local Shropshire produce. It has some charming, luxe guest rooms, too, that are very well priced.

Bright and modern, this 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 helped secure it a Michelin star since 1999. A mile south of the city center, it's an excellent dining choice that has also won accolates for its plant-based approach to cooking. 

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. Chefs source the best ingredients locally where possible, including meat from Stratford's own Barry the Butcher, and serve up hearty dishes such as pork loin, rib-eye steak, or a signature fish stew.

You feel as if you’re stepping back in time at this Victorian pub; the posters, advertisements, flags, and curios tell you that 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.

Located on Birmingham's 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 hearty 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 snacks and drinks, it also hosts intimate gigs, often for free.

At one of the most exciting restaurants in Hereford (but not an actual bookstore), you can browse the nice selection of books while you kick back for a leisurely brunch or dinner with great updated British food and drinks in a hip atmosphere. The Sunday roasts have become a must for locals. The laid-back yard, shared with the burger joint and pizza place next door, is one of the city's coolest hangouts.

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 with some moules marinières (mussels cooked in a white-wine-and-onion sauce) or French onion soup and move on to grilled sea bass or a classic rib-eye steak with Café du Paris butter. The two-course, prix-fixe menu is a great value.

A location close to Kenilworth Castle and some good hand-pulled ales help make this pub a nice spot for lunch. You can order home-cooked food, including steaks and grills from the bar or 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.

Although there are lovely rooms in this 1850s Victorian redbrick building near Ludlow Castle, the main draw is the food. Two modern dining rooms, The Terrace and the Orangery, have lovely views (the former of a garden, the latter of the countryside), and both serve high-quality, seasonal dishes such as pea and asparagus risotto or rack of lamb with dauphinoise potatoes. The lounge bar is a great spot for pre- or post-dinner cocktails.

The only pub in Britain to be licensed under two names (the more informal one came courtesy of American GIs who were stationed here during World War II), this is one of Stratford’s most celebrated and consistently rated pubs, attracting actors since the 18th-century days of thespian David Garrick. Along with your pint of bitter, you can choose from the extensive pub-grub menu of fish-and-chips, steaks, burgers, and grills; there are also good-value light bites. Now part of the well-established Greene King Inns, it's not the most characterful of pubs. Still, the lovely veranda that overlooks the theaters and the river makes it worth a visit.

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 and mixed fruits, or increase the heat a bit with jhinga bhuna (king-size prawns in a spicy tomato sauce with coriander). Wash it all down with Cobra draft beer.

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.

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.

A location a little hidden away from the main throng makes this gastropub a popular choice for locals and in-the-know visitors. Inside, the wooden tables and floors have a worn, lived-in look that helps create a relaxed atmosphere, and the secret courtyard is a real delight. Local ales are on tap, but it’s the inventive menu with twists on favorite pub dishes that really hits the spot, with items such as the shrimp burger or the Asian-inspired coleslaw served with some dishes.

Hearty, warming meals are offered at this informal, family-style restaurant in a 16th-century building on the main dining street near the theaters. The updated English and international dishes win praise from the locals. There’s a good range of light options and fixed-price menus as well. Make reservations a month ahead in summer.

A stylish 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, neutral hues, 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 sample some unexpected flavors. Your server will guide you through the mains, 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, served with pistachio ice cream.

Plain wood floorboards, comfy sofas, sturdy wooden tables, and solidly good food and drink set the tone at this contemporary gastropub 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, mixing British and international influences. The set menu from noon to 6 pm is very good value. There's a good area for outdoor dining too. Moderately priced bedrooms provide stylish lodging in the pub and across the lane.

Something of a local institution, this popular stalwart of the Birmingham curry scene has been serving up impressive baltis and a good selection of other Indian dishes since 1987 in a smart dining room with glass-topped tables and henna-decorated walls. Tradition dictates that a proper balti, a one-pot dish, should be served to the diner in the thin metal dish in which it was cooked to ensure that no flavors are lost.

Family-run, this longtime restaurant takes a more formal, old-fashioned approach to service. The menu of traditional Italian favorites is cooked from family recipes and includes main dishes such as veal sirloin grilled with rosemary and garlic butter and black linguine with crab-claw meat and scallops. Upon arrival, sip an aperitif in the lounge before being escorted to your table for a silver-service, white-tablecloth meal. Pre-theater dinners are a good value.

The imaginative, bistro-inspired menu varies each day at this café and wine bar set in a 15th-century building. Tempting British and European-style dishes include confit leg of duck bigarade with dauphinoise potatoes and seared beef fillet Stroganoff. To dine before curtain time, arrive early or make a reservation. The building, largely unaltered since the late 1400s, has lovely flagstone floors and oak beams.

Run by chef couple Ben Hall and Carla Ernst, the Walrus creates culinary excitement in this sleek modern space through its 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 beautifully presented and impressive. The tasting menu is available at all times, though diners can order from the à la carte menu on Wednesday and Thursday evenings and Saturday lunchtime. For something more spontaneous, food and drinks (including delicious cocktails) are now served in the bar, for which no booking is required.

Near the main row of shops and cafés in Ironbridge, this river-facing pub with a large outdoor terrace offers relaxed dining and light lunches in its bar area and a more refined but hearty menu in the country-style dining room. Staff are friendly and helpful, ingredients are of a high quality, and the pub also has some comfortable rooms for those looking to stay the night.