Eating and Drinking in Windsor

Langton House has researched the following establishments, or we have had recommendations from our guests, on all the following. We do try to keep the information as up to date as possible, but we can not be held responsible for any mistakes or inaccuracies. The views expressed are purely our own and are meant as a guide to help you discover the best pubs and restaurants in Windsor.

1. Local Pubs

The Vansittart Arms
105 Vansittart Road, Windsor Tel 01753 865988. Great food, great atmosphere and probably the best local pub in Windsor. Very mixed age range of local drinkers, and consistently high standard, in the Good Pub Guide most years. This has been my personal favourite for many years. Sold on in 2006 but as far as can be determined the same high standards are being maintained.

Lime Bar and Grill
22 Sheet Street. Tel 01753 862031. Good food at reasonable prices. The upstairs restaurant has a lovely atmosphere, the downstairs bar is a friendly and relaxing place to drink. Can be quiet as it is away from the main shops and restaurants, so usually a good bet for finding a seat even during the busy weekends.

The River House
10 Thames Street, Windsor. Tel 01753 620003. The only real riverside pub in Windsor, it is always packed in the warm summer evenings. Renovated in 2005 from a dingy pub into a restaurant and bar, but tables right out to the river are a definite improvement. Food is not cheap (but this is Windsor!) but it is good quality.

The Trooper
St Leonard's Road. Good, friendly local pub serving traditional pub food. Very male orientated, good for watching sports on TV, and a favourite with the contract workers who are away from home during the week.

Bar Ha! Ha!
Unit 40, Royal Windsor Station. Tel 01753 770111. Based around the Central Windsor station, good food and busy atmosphere. Part of the building incorporates the original Royal waiting room (where you can see Queen Victoria's toilet)!. One of the busiest bars in Windsor, great location for a tea or coffee any time, but it gets full to bursting almost every Friday and Saturday night. A wonderful place to drink outside in the summer months.

The Two Brewers
34 Park Street. Tel 01753 855426. Lovely small English pub situated at the top of the Long Walk. Excellent food in lovely surroundings, open fires in winter, very good for Sunday lunch. Featured in the Good Pub Guide. Just possibly the best pub in Windsor.

The George
77 High Street, Eton. Tel 01753 861797. Very good pub only a short walk over the bridge into Eton. Good food with pretensions at being a Gastro Pub, so expect the prices to reflect this. Beer prices seem a bit steep even for Windsor, but the beer garden is nice enough.

Waterman's Arms
Brocas Street, Eton. Tel 01753 861001. A lovely Old English pub serving good value food in a quiet traditional pub setting. Good size portions giving excellent value for money. Serves good fish and chips - that most essential of English dishes!

The Prince Arthur
29 Grove Road, Windsor, Berkshire, SL4 1JD Tel 01753 83249. www.theprincearthur.net Recently suggested by one of our guests who has researched many local pubs, he maintains this is his favourite!

The King and Castle
15-16 Thames Street, Windsor, Berkshire, SL4 1PL Tel 01753 625120 Refurbished in 2006 and is now no-smoking inside all areas. Very reasonable prices for a Windsor pub. Massive outside seating area, so great for summer nights. Food is standard (but good) and reasonably priced and the coffee is good. Upstairs offers lovely restaurant seating in more intimate surroundings, same menu but waitress service. Good daytime child's menu. Currently one of my favourite places.

Havana Café
3 Goswell Hill. Tel 01753 832960. Cuban setting, it is one of a few establishments under the railway arches which adds to the great atmosphere. Serves wonderful cocktails. Very popular for late night weekend eating and drinking and becoming a bit of a late night dancing venue for the over 30 year olds.

2. Local Restaurants

Thai Square
29 Thames Street. Tel 01753 868900. Wonderful Thai restaurant in stunning surroundings. Consistently recommended by my guests as well worth a visit.

Tiger Garden
47/49 High Street Eton. Tel 01753 866310. Luxury Indian food in an elegant old English heritage building. Formally The Cockpit, check out the cock fighting pit in the rear buildings, famous for staging illegal cock fighting events through the centuries and with royal patronage, obviously now long since banned!

Cornucopia
6 High Street. Tel: 01753 833009. www.cornucopia-bistro.co.uk Good quality European food in pleasant surrounding.

The Drury House
4 Church Street. Tel:01753 863734 Very quaint Old English restaurant. Great cream teas and good old fashioned English fare.

Saffron
99/101 St. Leonards Road 01753 855467 - Indian restaurant with a difference, not just good, excellent! Southern Indian food a specialty. Now my favourite Indian by far! www.saffronspice.co.uk

The Viceroy
49-51 St Leonards Road. Tel 01753 858005. Consistently good Indian restaurant, but bettered by Saffron and Elaichi.

Elaichi
71, St Leonard's Road. Tel 01753 866677. Personally rated as one of the best Indian restaurant in Windsor.

Al Fassia
27, St Leonards Road, Windsor. 01753 855370. Excellent Moroccan food in a friendly atmosphere. Excellent Vegetarian range of food. A little expensive, but the food quality is worth it. We have had a few guests tell us it beats most of the top London Moroccan restaurants.

Hong Kong Chinese Restaurant
2 Alexandra Road. Tel 01753 833759. Extremely busy local Chinese, consistently good quality food at a reasonable price.

House on the Bridge
Windsor Bridge. Tel 01753 860914. A lovely riverside restaurant with views up to the castle, fairly expensive, but the quality speaks for itself. Many of our guests have eaten here and generally found it to be good but not particularly good value for money, you pay extra just for the view!

La Tasca
Unit C10, Windsor Royal Station. Tel 01753 852288. Spanish Tapas Bar. Very busy. Portions not quite large enough for some, but the open air atmosphere and food quality makes up for this. Think twice before eating here in winter, can be very cold.

Jasmine Peking
35 Thames Street. Tel 01753 861500. Wonderful Chinese food in the shadow of the castle. A small dance floor makes it a favourite with groups who want to stay in one place for the evening.

Café Rouge
Windsor Royal Station, Thames Street. Tel 01753 831100. The usual high standard of French cuisine from the Café Rouge chain. Children's menu available.

Gilbey’s Bar and Restaurant www.gilbeygroup.com
82-83 High Street, Eton. Tel 01753 854921. Lovely restaurant serving well presented English food. This has been a Windsor favourite for many years.

Latino
3 Church Lane. Tel 01753 857711. Wonderful Greek food in the old street of Windsor. During the warm summer evening all the tables are out in the cobbled streets, great atmosphere and great food. A real feast. Well recommended by our guests.

Monty’s Riverside Restaurant www.montys-riverside-restaurant.co.uk
Windsor Bridge. Eton Tel 01753 854479. Just across from the House on the Bridge, this is a little more reasonably priced than House on the Bridge, but with still excellent quality food and the views along the river are exquisite. Having eaten here in late 2006 I was impressed with the fresh and good quality food ingredients, all very obviously home cooked.

Charlie’s Horse
4 Goswell Hill. Tel 01753 858090. Located under the arches, this bar/restaurant serves excellent Mexican food and is a good place for some pre-dinner cocktails.

Francesco’s
53 Peascod Street. Tel 01753 863773. Reasonable Italian. Very child friendly, good value and good food.

The Palm Court
Bexley Street. Tel 01753 865552. Good local restaurant. Relies allot on local trade as it is off the beaten track and as it has been here for years that in itself is a testament to how good it is. Good children's menu.

Carluccio's
Unit 27, Royal Station Tel 01753 852019. Excellent Italian food, child friendly and a bustling environment especially around lunchtimes. Prices very reasonable for the quality of food served. It takes a lot to impress me with Italian food - this place did impress me!

Nando's
10 Thames Street Tel 01753 856 993. Chicken restaurant, good choice of children's and vegetarian food.

Ye Dang
Minton Place, Victoria Street Tel 01753 620980. Korean Japanese restaurant. Excellent food, lovely surroundings and not at all bad value for money. We had a meal here in late 2007 and thought it was great.

Windsor Grill
65 St Leonards Road Tel 01753 859658. Antony Worrall Thompson's fourth Grill restaurant. Lovely surrounding and a good meal. The selection of fresh breads was particularly impressive.

Outside Windsor - Included to ensure the very best of this countries restaurants are mentioned!

Monkey Island Hotel www.monkeyisland.co.uk
Monkey Island Lane, Bray. Set on an island on the Thames river, this perfect setting includes a most excellent restaurant. Fairly pricey, but the setting will be hard to match and so will the food and the friendly superior service. We were married here, and are somewhat biased, but we both love this place. Sold in early 2007, we await a full new review.

Waterside Inn www.waterside-inn.co.uk
Ferry Road, Bray Tel 01628 620691. A Michelin 3 Star restaurant. Expensive but with such a reputation it is difficult to beat, except by the Fat Duck perhaps? We ate here in 2006 and agreed with our guests and friends who have recommend it as a definite eating experience. Very "French" in the wines, food and style of service. Now run by Alain Roux, son of the world famous chef Michel Roux, Alain wandered about chatting at the end of the evening and was a pleasure to talk to. Don't be put off by the reputation of the place, as the staff were really there to help and guide you through all the wines and menu. One thing of note was the cheese board. Amazing choice and a cheese specialist there to help you, he asked me what sort of cheese I liked, then produced these and a couple of others all arranged around a plate and I was given instruction on which to eat first and the order, weakest to strongest. Fantastic! Overall, very unpretentious which surprised me. For the money, we had a real eating experience, but with so much competition locally we may not be back for quite a while!

Fat Duck www.fatduck.co.uk
High Street, Bray. Tel 01628 580333. In January 2004 the Fat Duck was awarded Michelin 3 Stars and was voted the second best restaurant in the world in 2007!. Slightly less expensive then the Waterside, the Fat Duck is famous for its varied menu. Highly recommended for that extra special occasion. An amazing wine list with an exceptional amount of wines available by the glass. Definitely one for the true "foodies" out there. Heston Blumenthal has become more famous than the restaurant now with TV shows and a real science approach to food that has enabled him to get a grant for food research! He now owns the Hinds Head in Bray which is on our list to check out soon.

The Palmer Arms www.thepalmerarms.com
Village Road, Dorney Tel. 01628 666612 Uncomplicated English food (with occasional forays into Wales & Scotland !) with the “twist” generally indicating regional Mediterranean influences. Near enough to the Thames path to make the detour for lunch, but phone ahead!

Mulligan's
134 Horton Rd, Datchet, SL3 9HE 01753 591173 Sonja and I had a lunchtime meal here in March 2008 and were very impressed. I had a battered Pangasius - native fish from Vietnam, a very large portion of wonderful succulent fish with fresh peas and new potatoes, too much for me to even contemplate finishing and Sonja had a Mouël marinade a starter as her main course which was again very large and excellent. Well worth the trip!