Looking for Yorkshire restaurants? Read our guide for the best restaurants with rooms in Yorkshire, where to eat in the county’s country villages and coastal towns, and the best country pubs in Yorkshire.
The Black Swan at Oldstead
This is undoubtedly one of the best restaurants in Yorkshire. There can’t be many chefs catapulted to culinary fame on the back of a warty-skinned beetroot named after a toad. But Tommy Banks, the 28-year-old head of the kitchen at the Michelin-starred The Black Swan at Oldstead, is no ordinary chef. And his food, flavoured with seeds and leaves foraged from the hedgerows, is no ordinary food.
Crapaudine beetroot at The Black Swan at Oldstead
I’m sampling the eight-course tasting menu in the Banks family’s honey-stone village inn on the south-western corner of the North York Moors National Park. Its climax is not a meat dish (though meat makes an appearance in the form of Dexter beef and venison) but a slice of beetroot, crowned with creamy clouds of cod’s roe and horseradish. The beetroot is an ancient French parsnip-shaped variety unfortunately named Crapaudine after its toad-like skin and, in Tommy’s signature dish, it’s been cooked in beef fat for four hours. Close your eyes and you’d think its robust flesh was meat. Indeed, the chefs dub it ‘meatroot’.
The dish, like the pudding of foraged hogweed seed, honey and elderflower custard, and sheep’s yogurt ice cream that follows it – and Tommy himself – is firmly rooted in the Yorkshire soil. In this case the soil of the family farm and kitchen garden surrounding the pub, where the Crapaudines are grown, as well as delicately flavoured alpine strawberries and even lemons. Like any good gardener-cook, Tommy also preserves and pickles so produce can be enjoyed in the fallow months – as the jars decorating the restaurant shelves testify.
After staying overnight in one of the inn’s nine bedrooms (there are four in the pub itself and five in a house just up the road that once belonged to Tommy’s grandmother), I pass the romantic 12th century ruins of Byland Abbey on my way to the market town of Helmsley. Here, below the remains of the town’s castle, the Cinnamon Twist bakery (01439 772115) does a brisk trade in teacakes, monster cheese straws and the sourdough loaves that owner Mark Lazenby often works all night to produce (don’t leave without one of his exquisite mini lemon curd tarts, lined with dark chocolate and burnt brown sugar). If you’re on the hunt for picnic provisions, pick up a chubby hunter (Yorkshire’s answer to rock cakes) and a pot of rhubarb and tomato chutney at Hunters deli in the town’s market square.
Tea cakes at Cinnamon Twist artisan bakery in Helmsley
Next stop is the Vine House Café, inside the refurbished Victorian glasshouses that overlook Helmsley’s walled garden, for a rustic lunch. Beneath a sprawling vine, I try the homegrown spinach and pea soup, served in vintage crockery. I’m tempted by one of the scones but I manage to hold firm, saving space for a second course of wild mushrooms on sourdough with kale, duck egg and mushroom ketchup at Mannion and Co’s café-deli. Owner Andrew Burton used to cook in the Michelin-starred kitchen of the Star at Harome, not far from here. At Mannion the menu is more relaxed and Mediterranean, inspired by Andrew’s regular charcuterie– and wine-sourcing trips to Italy and Spain.
Wild mushrooms with duck egg on sourdough at Mannion and Co
Rosedale Abbey
Heading north-east, to the North York Moors proper, I pass pretty Hutton-le-Hole as I climb to a bleakly beautiful heather-clad plateau before dropping into Rosedale Abbey, and the Graze on the Green tea room. Here, I find another high-flying chef who has decided to follow a more simple path: co-owner James Appleton was formerly the pastry chef at the Lake District’s Sharrow Bay then at Helmsley’s Feversham Arms. Unsurprisingly, there’s a killer cake selection here (don’t miss the Yorkshire rhubarb and custard crumble cake) but the lunchtime menu also stretches to a seductive-sounding Yorkshire rarebit made with Great Yorkshire Brewery ale and mature cheddar.
Stop off at the Graze on the Green tea room for Yorkshire rhubarb and custard crumble cake
Botton
There’s more cheese – gouda, cheddar and comté-style varieties – at nearby Botton village. Run by the Camphill Village Trust, the site is a working community village housing adults with learning difficulties, and producing cheeses using milk from its own Shorthorn and Ayrshire cattle (cvt.org.uk/communities/botton-village). Botton runs a bakery too, and it’s well worth adding breads, cheeses and homemade chutneys from its shop to your picnic.
Where to eat in Egton Bridge
Following the Esk river downstream, I reach leafy Egton Bridge. It’s normally a sleepy place, but each August it reverberates with applause as the winners of the village’s gooseberry show, which has been going strong since 1800, are announced (egtongooseberryshow.org.uk). In summer, you can taste the fruits in full glory in the fool served at the village’s friendly Wheatsheaf Inn. In winter, order the sticky oxtail and fall-apart pork belly instead, then wander over to the Lickerish Tooth distillery to pick up some of its unusual wax-sealed gins.
Sheep’s Eye gin at Lickerish Tooth
Goathland
From here, I head south to Goathland (or Aidensfield, as fans of the Heartbeat TV series know it) to stay at The Farmhouse, a stylish b&b that also has two luxurious self-catering cottages (our pick is the Instagram-worthy Potting Shed, a cute timber-framed building with sheepskin-draped sofas and a table out on its terrace that’s made for breakfasting outdoors).
If you’ve somehow managed to resist the local farm shops, bakeries and delis on your way here, owners Clare and Chris Carr, or their Cordon Bleu-trained daughter Sarah, will cook you a locally inspired candlelit dinner if you order in advance. On the night I stay there’s a menu of Whitby crab with prawns, Granny Smith apple, root ginger and fennel, followed by game pie, whose pot-roasted pheasant and partridge (dispatched by Chris) are bathed in a brandy and chestnut sauce. Queen of puddings and handmade sloe gintruffles round off proceedings. It’s simple, gutsy homecooking at its best.
The Farmhouse’s starter of Whitby crab
Where to eat in Sandsend
The coast is only 20 minutes’ drive away but feels like another world. I join it at sleepy Sandsend, with its spectacular views of Whitby’s skeletal abbey a few miles south. Unsurprisingly, seafood is the star at Estbek House, a restaurant-with-rooms in an 18th-century mansion a pebble’s throw from the beach. North Sea lobster, Whitby cod and diver-caught scallops delivered fresh that morning jostle for a place on the menu created by co-owner-chef Tim Lawrence. I go for the signature seafood pie – not your usual potato-laden affair but a stack of lobster, cod, shrimps and scallops on a cream sauce. It’s elegantly paired with a Xanadu Semillon Sauvignon Blanc from the antipodean wine list assembled by co-owner David, who over the years developed a passion for the regional wines of Australia and New Zealand, and now imports many of them direct from their producers. There’s a standout cheeseboard, too, featuring Sandsend, a kelp-infused cheddar made by Elizabeth Snowdon at Whitby Cheese.
Scallops with parsley root purée at Bridge Cottage Bistro
Across the beck is the Bridge Cottage Bistro. In its seaside location you might expect paninis and jacket potatoes but chef-owner Alex Perkins produces a much more imaginative range of dishes. First, though, I meet Steve. Steve, as regulars know, is Alex’s sourdough starter. It has just celebrated its eighth birthday and produces a superb loaf, with just the right degree of spring in its step. Served with home-cultured roasted yeast butter, it’s so good it would make a meal on its own. But I dive into a plate of scallops paired with parsley root purée, then lemon sole with burnt butter and capers. If you’re visiting on the Sabbath, book in for the slow-cooked Sunday menu, when you can relax over a comfortingly slow-cooked main and pudding for a bargain £15.50.
Bridge Cottage Bistro at Sandsend near Whitby
Where to eat in Whitby
I wind up my tour at Whitby – weird and wonderful in equal measure. Among its many claims to fame are being the port from which Captain Cook took his first seafaring steps, in 1746, and being the setting for Dracula. Another is herrings, and in the cobbled old town you can still taste kippers in the hut where Fortune’s has been smoking for five generations. Grab one to fortify you before tackling the 199 steps to Whitby’s ruined 7th-century cliff-top abbey.
Lobster cassoulet with a lovage herb crust at The Star Inn
Serenaded by seagulls as I cross the swing bridge over the Esk, I climb the streets on the other side to reach the Whitby Deli, where the Extraordinary Garlic Pickle is a locals’ favourite and you’ll find Yorkshire cheeses, craft beers and gins galore. But the newest arrival on Whitby’s food scene is chef Andrew Pern’s vast, nautical-themed The Star Inn the Harbour. Its lengthy please-all menus, and adjoining ice-cream parlour are a far cry from Pern’s more formal Star Inn. My lobster cassoulet with a lovage herb crust is a mix of posh and homely. It certainly scores for novelty, but the delicate flavours of lobster are slightly eclipsed by the grain mustard.
Pick up some garlic pickle at the Whitby Deli
Time your visit right and you’ll coincide with a goth weekend, when the black-clad tribe parades the streets in regency dress and top hats, and attends a vampire’s ball. Whether you happen on them or not, the food in this bleakly beautiful corner of Britain is certain to bewitch you.
Check out the best restaurants in Birmingham and other places to eat and drink in Birmingham with our local foodie guide…
Opheem – best new restaurant in Birmingham
Originally from Aston, North Birmingham, with Bangladeshi parents, Aktar Islam has made a name for himself as one of the Birmingham’s leading chefs, and Opheem is his first solo restaurant. Focussing on Indian culinary traditions married with modern techniques, this is fine dining with dialled-up flavour. Choose from Herdwick lamb loin with tongue beignet and bone marrow sauce, or tandoori cauliflower with lentil bhaji and coconut milk, and curd dumpling with milk sorbet and finger lime.
The room is dark with a large twinkly-light chandelier dominating the dramatic space, with brown leather chairs, clothless dark wooden tables and grey walls. There’s also a private dining room, and a bar, where you can have small plates and snacks.
Chef Aktar Islam opens his latest restaurant Opheem on Summer Row.
Yorks Bakery Café – best brunch in Birmingham
Weekends are built for brunch in Birmingham, as is small local chain, Yorks Bakery Café. Head to its latest opening, in the Ikon Gallery, and order a locally roasted coffee while deciding between avocado smash (with feta, sumac, mint and lemon) and shakshuka. yorksbakerycafe.co.uk
Loaf – best bakery in Birmingham
Distract yourself from Cadbury World, just down the road, by taking a cookery class at Loaf in Stirchley. Learn to make your own sourdough, dosas, danish pastries and more (there are also expert pig-butchery courses), then grab a croissant from the bakery on your way out. loafonline.co.uk
The Wilderness – best British restaurant in Birmingham
Cooking that focusses on native, often foraged, British ingredients and a theatrical, boundary-pushing approach (don’t be surprised to find an arrangement of ants on your plate) have made The Wilderness the hottest restaurant in Birmingham. Book early and enjoy the ride.
Warehouse Café – best vegetarian food in Birmingham
Allison Street has played host to a vegetarian restaurant for over 30 years and the Warehouse Café is a Birmingham institution. Visit for unpretentious vegetarian and vegan food such as spinach and buckwheat fritters, tofu curries or beetroot bhajis. thewarehousecafe.com
Opus – best value meal in Birmingham
If you want a real treat but you’re on a budget, book a table at Opus and order from the prix fixe menu: £25 buys you three elegant courses such as ham hock terrine, Brixham Market fish of the day and vanilla crème brûlée. opusrestaurant.co.uk
Raja Monkey – best curry house in Birmingham
Birmingham is famous for its baltis and the Balti Triangle, in the south of the city, is where you’ll find the highest concentration of curry houses. If you’ve only got time for one, head to Raja Monkey on the Stratford Road. It does great dosas and puris but the thalis are the way to go here; the Rajasthani version includes a rich mutton curry. rajamonkey.co.uk
The Edgbaston – best cocktail bar in Birmingham
The art deco-inspired cocktail lounge at The Edgbaston is the ideal spot for a tipple. Toast your evening with a Howzat Highball (Tanqueray gin, elderflower, cucumber, fino and violet leaf) or go earlier in the day for afternoon tea with a kick. theedgbaston.co.uk
Digbeth Dining Club – best street food in Birmingham
The area around Eight Foot Grocer, in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter, is becoming known for its bars and restaurants as much as its gold, and this pint-sized deli is a great place to stock up on locally produced items (including Pip’s Hot Sauce and Cuffufle preserves), or to grab a sandwich, salad or soup to go. the8footgrocer.com
Original Patty Men – best burgers in Birmingham
Cutting their teeth on the street food scene before partnering with Siren Craft Brew to launch their own restaurant, Original Patty Men serve the best burgers in Birmingham. Big Vern’s Krispy Ring is a meat patty encased in a doughnut; it sounds weird but it works. originalpattymen.com
Looking for Edinburgh restaurants? We have found the best places to eat in Edinburgh. From the top restaurants in Edinburgh to places for brunch, cafés and bars, we have all of the local favourites here…
Best restaurants in Edinburgh
27 Elliott’s
In a nutshell: Founded by cookbook author Jess Elliott Dennison, 27 Elliott’s is a small, neighbourhood café in Edinburgh’s Southside serving seasonal breakfast, lunch and soon-to-launch supper clubs.
Who’s cooking? Jess is in the kitchen,having previously worked for Stoats Porridge and Jamie Oliver’s food and homeware range.
What’s the vibe? Laidback in leafy surrounds, with sharing tables, long benches and a great window seat. Serving food on locally crafted, hand-thrown ceramics, 27 Elliott’s is all about celebrating Scotland’s best produce in an accessible, seemingly effortlessly cool way.
What’s the food like? A weekly changing menu, scrawled on a blackboard, follows the seasons and embraces local producers wherever possible – think organic milk, sourdough loaves from a nearby bakery, coffee from an Edinburgh roastery. You won’t find much meat on the menu – but for those that eat it, you won’t miss it.
Breakfast dishes of sage-fried eggs with lemony greens and crunchy sourdough toast, and bay-roasted cherries, strained yogurt, toasted almonds and honey are moreish.
Lunch plates including red-wine-braised butter beans and herby aioli, and orange-braised carrots, herb-flecked pearl barley, cranberries and walnuts really show off Jess’s creative cookery skills. There are pickles and ferments, too, as well as fresh pasta with homemade ricotta. Flavours are simply but expertly brought together, with vegetables the stars of the show.
And the drinks? Fermented ginger beer and homemade sodas, preserved fruit cordials, trendy shrubs, loose-leaf teas, hot chocolates and iced coffees are served alongside great espressos.
olive tip: Breakfast here is too good to ignore – so don’t be bound by traditional mealtimes and make sure you order something from the breakfast and lunch menu for the best experience. And then come back for homemade ice cream and seasonal cakes and bakes – sea salt and chocolate rye cookies and roasted berry galettes, anyone? – you may be too full after ‘brunch’.
In a nutshell: A stripped-back, 16-seater dining room proving a welcome addition to the burgeoning restaurant scene in Leith, Edinburgh.
Who’s cooking? Former Castle Terrace chef Roberta Hall-McCarron, who previously trained at The Kitchin. Assisting her is Rose Gregory, previously head chef at The Fat Pony.
What’s the vibe? A neighbourhood bistro with bags of style. ‘Wee’ in the true Scottish sense of the word, with commissioned artworks created from old shipping charts on the walls. With an open kitchen and seats at the bar, it’s relaxed and welcoming.
What’s the food like? Simple ingredients are treated with respect and well seasoned, the finished dishes contemporary without being too clever. Lunch has smaller plate options, while dinner follows a more conventional three courses.
The stand-out dish of crab, tomato gazpacho, pepper, celery, cucumber was unbelievably good. Light and refreshing, perfect for the summer evening it was served on. Lamb ‘selection’ was equally delicious and included a perfectly pink fillet, lamb liver and crispy lamb belly croquette served with anchovy potatoes and hispi cabbage.
Desserts include a dark chocolate raspberry tart and local cheeses, but the highlight was a malt panna cotta, earl grey caramel, malted crumb, earl grey madeleines, charred orange and orange confit. Think tea and biscuits wrapped up in a beautiful dessert!
And the drinks? A great selection of local spirits including Leith gin and a well-curated wine list from Edinburgh wine merchants L’Art Du Vin. An apples-and-pears papegaai was a spot-on match for a main of hake and smoked aubergine.
olive tip: Go for lunch with a large-ish group and order one of everything – dishes such as crispy fish, caper and cornichon purée and haggis sausage roll with turnip ketchup make us want to return.
The Little Chartroom, 30/31 Albert Place, Edinburgh, EH7 5HN
Fhior – for Scottish cooking
Chef Scott Smith (ex-Peat Inn, near St Andrews) opened buzzy restaurant Norn and quickly gained a brilliant reputation for his four or seven-course tasting menus ‘fiercely focused’ on sourcing produce from sustainable, ethical and passionate suppliers. Norn has unforunately closed but keep an eye out for our review of Scott’s new restaurant Fhior. In the mean time listen to our podcast with Scott, where he shares some secrets about ancient Scottish cooking techniques.
Langoustine dish at Fhior
Scran & Scallie – for traditional Scottish food
This stylish gastropub is headed up by Michelin-starred Tom Kitchin and Dominic Jack. Tuck into the likes of scotch broth, pig’s ear carpaccio with sauce gribiche, or hearty braised hogget shoulder. Order the beef and ale pie and try Tom Kitchin’s own beer Yer Ben.
BABA – for Middle Eastern food
This mezze bar and grill is awash with colour, from distressed turquoise walls to coloured tiles and decorative hanging rugs. Tables are comfortably spaced and there’s some roomy booths to slip into or, if you are feeling more sociable, a large raised communal table in the middle of the room.
The menu promises food inspired by the Levant with small and large dishes designed to share – you can see the chefs at work on the huge open charcoal grill that runs down one side of the restaurant. We chose a mix of snacks, mezze and grill dishes. Perfectly crisp little cauli fritters were served with a punchy zhoug (a spicy coriander sauce) and tempered by cool crème fraiche. A mezze plate of baba ganoush was lovely and silky with a drizzle of pomegranate molasses to cut through the creaminess and scooped up with pillowy, puffy flatbreads hot from the grill.
Larger plates from the grill are super-generous – we tried a Goosnargh chicken leg with harissa hummus, pomegranate and pickled cabbage and slow-cooked lamb shoulder with giant couscous, preserved lemon and tahini yoghurt – either would have made a meal on their own. Our only mis-step was forgetting to order a salad or veg on the side to balance some of the richer offerings. We did finish with a sweet/sour pomegranate and mint sorbet, though, which was a beautifully zingy way to end.
Edinburgh Food Studio – for supper club vibes
Part restaurant, part supper club, Edinburgh Food Studio is event dining. An exciting space created via crowd-funding to explore and experiment with Scotland’s raw, often overlooked, ingredients.
Three nights a week (Thursday to Saturday) Ben Reade, who was formerly head of research at the Nordic Food Lab in Copenhagen, and his partner, Canadian chef Sashana Souza Zanella (or a handful of guest chefs and foragers depending on the week – check the calendar), create seven-course tasting menus and demos for diners crammed around two cosy, communal tables. It’s a dining adventure – and one of the hottest tickets in town.
The Wee Restaurant – for neighbourhood bistro vibes
Over the Forth Bridge, Fife-favourite The Wee Restaurant turned 10 in 2016, and spawned a little sibling in the heart of the capital. At the sibling kitchen’s helm is Edinburgh-born Michael Innes, fresh from three Michelin-starred El Celler de Can Roca in Girona. In a low-key space, the menu features the likes of white onion and thyme soup, chive cream and white truffle oil; and grilled sea bass, spiced crab and spring onion risotto with baby artichokes, micro fennel and salsa verde.
Many places brag about their organic credentials, but there’s now a Soil Association award to prove them: Organic Served Here. And the first UK restaurant to bag it is Cafe St Honoré, the cosy French bistro-style restaurant tucked away down Edinburgh’s tiny, cobbled Thistle Street.
Chef Neil Forbes’ daily changing, seasonally focused, menu notched up three out of five stars for sourcing 50-75 per cent of all its ingredients from certified organic farmers, growers and processors. Classics include grilled Scrabster Gurnard with Clyde valley tomato and cucumber; Gartmorn Farm confit duck leg and lentil salad; and a wild mint crème brulee and shortbread to finish.
Haymarket’s frantic, rackety Chop Chop serves some of the best dumplings outside Hong Kong. Jiao zi, chewy little boiled numbers; guo tie, potstickers of a violently addictive nature, especially the beef and chilli; even peanut dumplings for pudding.
This legendary restaurant has been serving 100% vegan and vegetarian food since it opened in 1962. General manager Barrie Henderson has seen a huge growth in interest in vegan food, particularly over the past five years. He says: “Many people are switching to more sustainable food sources.”
His bestselling dishes include butternut squash stuffed with herbs and pearl barley, served with garlic-creamed spinach and sautéed cavolo nero, and a vegan Thai crêpe filled with red lentil pâté, bean sprouts, smoked tofu, sugar snap peas and baby corn.
In a nutshell: Serving up food inspired by the Irani cafes of 20th Century Bombay expect all day hospitality in a 1920’s era ‘Grade A listed’ three storey building formerly used as a warehouse for Forsyth’s department store.
What’s the vibe? Old family photos from Bombay adorn the walls as you walk up the stairs which giving off a warm welcoming feel.
Bentwood chairs and ceiling fans, reading lamps, booths, wooden bookcases and partitions, it’s cosy despite the number of tables and customers. The view across St Andrew’s Square from the window seats is lovely should you be lucky enough to get one.
The Permit Room is worth a visit even if you’re not in for one of the fantastic cocktails on offer. Housed in the basement it’s a space dedicated to ‘delicious tipples’ and the decor reflects the rest of the building.
What’s the food like? The Dishoom signature Black Daal simmered for 24 hours to create a rich deeply flavoured dish deserves to be mopped up with a soft Roomali Roti bread, truly delicious.
Prawn Koliwada are the tastiest morsels of crunchy crispy prawns you’ll ever have, and dipped in a tamarind and date chutney provide a great starter dish while awaiting the rest of your dishes.
Vegetable dishes such as the Pau Bhaji, a mash up of vegetables you can pile high on a bun, and Chole Bhatura, a hearty bowl of spiced chickpeas served with fried bread are confidently spiced plates of food and a side dish of Raita is encouraged should you need a spoonful of minty yoghurt to cool your mouth.
And the drinks? In the dining room order tipples, lassis and coolers, sodas or wine and beer from the menu. Dishoom’s specially crafted IPA by Mondo Brewing Company is a great accompaniment at lunch or dinner. All wines on the list are available by the glass and won’t break the bank.
olive says… Dishoom is a ‘mini’ chain but you would never know. What they’ve created in Edinburgh is pretty special.
In a nutshell: Opening in one of the oldest inns on the Royal Mile, the White Horse Oyster and Seafood Bar is the latest venture from the team behind the city’s Chop House Bar and Butchery (read our review here).
What’s the vibe? With exposed stone walls and leather banquettes the restaurant has an upmarket feel akin to its two sister restaurants in Market Street and Leith. Interior-design lovers will love the work that’s gone into the extensive refurb, from the cast iron radiators to the stunning marble green bar top which gives the restaurant a luxurious bistro feel. The vibe is casual, unstuffy and very cool for this part of town.
What’s the food like? The menu contains plenty to lure in seafood fans, from platters (the ‘full house’ is a sumptuous two-tiered affair that includes half a lobster, pickled mussels, clams, king crab legs, oysters, scotch bonnet salmon, tuna tartare and dressed crab) to small tapas-style dishes that offer the likes of monkfish satay, chargrilled octopus, sesame tuna, crab scotch eggs, hand-dived scallops and plenty more.
Highlights were the monkfish satay which had just the right amount of bite and the chargrilled octopus, which was surprisingly tender and smoky, straight off the grill.
And the drinks? There’s plenty of choice for fizz by the glass – perfect for those dropping in for an oyster or two – and the bespoke cocktail list is equally exciting. Seaside gin mixes Edinburgh Gin with manzanilla sherry, sea salt, pickled samphire and seaweed mist. It had a salinity which went incredibly well with oysters and shellfish – a must order!
olive says… Staff are super knowledgeable about the produce and the wine list, and are happy to discuss pairings with you if you ask.
In a nutshell: Civerinos Slice opened in Edinburgh’s Old Town in May 2017. This second city centre destination for the award-winning Civerinos has 80 covers and serves 11 different pizzas by the slice in an informal, New-York-style street food dining room, where eating with your hands is strictly encouraged.
What’s the vibe? Civerinos is big, noisy, and fast paced. Food is served on paper plates, you eat with your hands, and it gets messy. But while the vibe is relaxed, staff are efficient (food comes out quickly) and are passionate about what they’re serving.
What’s the food like? Pizza, by the slice and 20-inchers. There are 11 to choose from but if one of these doesn’t appeal you can create your own. Our recommendation, order a few slices of each to try as much as possible.
Fresh ingredients are key, along with a secret Italian family recipe: a semi-sourdough base is slow proven for 72 hours. Pineapple Controversy with San Marzano tomato sugo (sauce), buffalo mozzarella, glazed smokehouse pork shoulder, charred pineapple and rocket is a Hawaiian seriously updated.
The Capo-cosa, topped with wild boar and fennel salami, artichoke, olives, peppers and a boiled egg, is another great combination.
And the drinks? Civerinos’ slushy cocktails, which include Frozey, (a frozen rosé wine drink), are a great summer accompaniment to your slice. Otherwise, you can opt for Italian wines by the glass or carafe, and a small selection of craft beers.
olive says… A little bit of NYC in Edinburgh’s Old Town.
In a nutshell: Le Roi Fou opened its doors in Edinburgh’s New Town in March 2017. Swiss-French chef Jerome Henry, previously of Mosimann’s London, has cooked in some of the best restaurants in the UK and has now set down his roots in Edinburgh where he sources the best Scottish produce available.
What’s the vibe? A beautiful space has been created; muted colours, gold velvet curtains, white linen tablecloths, walnut furniture and walls crying out for some artwork to be hung (which we are led to believe will soon follow).
What’s the food like? Simple and elegant defines the menu at Le Roi Fou. Produce is as fresh as it gets. The restaurant is less than two miles from the sea so expect to see appearances from Isle of Skye scallops, native oysters, spiced fish soup and grilled Scottish monkfish on the menu. Asparagus season was celebrated in style during our visit and was prominent on both starters and mains.Steak tartare was delicious and later, too, seared dry-aged beef fillet.
And the drinks? The wine list is pleasingly short and features mostly French wine with the odd Spanish and Austrian option. The sommelier is on hand to assist with your choices and exudes much enthusiasm in doing so.
olive says… Le Roi Fou is informal fine dining in a part of town that lacks anything similar to the classic cooking and gastronomic expertise that Jerome delivers.
Great British Menu chef Tony Singh’s Road Trip pop-up restaurant went down so well during the festival last year that he’s back. For a two-year stint, at least, at The Apex Grassmarket hotel where he’s dishing up recipes reflecting his Scottish Asian heritage.
Dishes range from haggis pakora to coriander and lime cured salmon and Filipino fishballs, poached and fried street-food style. The New Town Burger, meanwhile, is from the ‘posh end of Auld Reekie’ made for sharing with Highland Wagyu beef, truffled onions, cheese and millionaire’s dressing.
“I feel that businesses have an obligation to pay something back to their local community and this place was born with the idea of being socially responsible,” says Elaine Mason, who runs Union of Genius, a soup café that opened in Edinburgh seven years ago.
The café business grew so fast that by 2013 Elaine needed a bigger kitchen. This also enabled her to produce soup for the Care Van run by the City Mission and Bethany Christian Trust. The van goes out around Edinburgh every night of the year, distributing hot soup, hot drinks and clothes to rough sleepers.
“We donate 150 litres of soup every month to the Care Van, and any extra they may need through the month is supplied at cost,” says Elaine.
“Our café and van run a ‘suspended soup’ and ‘suspended coffee’ scheme – customers can buy a soup or a coffee for someone in need, and we hold it until it’s needed. We also top up the scheme ourselves, which means that we will feed anyone who comes in hungry.”
For Elaine and her staff, the main satisfaction is knowing that they are making a difference to the lives of people in the community, but she admits that it’s hard not to get emotionally involved.
“We serve everyone – office workers, students and homeless folk – they all like their soup, but it can be hard sometimes, especially when someone’s been dropping in each day for a few weeks and then suddenly stops coming in. Sometimes it can be good news – perhaps they’ve been housed elsewhere – but other times you find out they’ve been attacked and are in hospital.
“Our staff really care and it does make a difference to people’s lives – a quick chat, a friendly smile and a bowl of hot soup does spread a bit of cheer on a cold day. It’s so easy for people to fall through the cracks. To be able to help, even a little bit, is incredibly important to me.”
For a gourmet caffeine hit head to Brew Lab‘s new venue, a former lock up in the West End. While the company’s first speciality coffee shop is in a historic building in the university quarter, the new venue has a stripped back, contemporary look with clean lines and neon lighting.
You can take your coffee geekery to the next level with barista classes or professional training in the state-of-the-art lab here. Or just sit back and order a cold brew (the bar includes a Cold Brew Coffee tap, so they serve Nitro Cold Brew on draught).
These boys really know their coffee. Last time I stopped by I was given probably one of the best espressos I’ve ever had, from Round Hill Roastery.
Which coffee to order: Grab an espresso, grab a filter, grab a comic off the shelf – just steer clear of milk. You won’t need it.
Century General Store & Cafe
Although coffee is a huge focus for the team at “Cenny Genny”, the brunch here takes the spot light. Awesome menu, awesome coffee.
What to order: The corn fritter and an Assembly flat white.
Lowdown Coffee
The coffee industry on a whole has its fingers on the pulse when it comes to design, but few stores do it quite as well as Lowdown. This hidden gem on George St. sources its coffee from Koppi in Sweden.
Artisan Roast
On foodie enclave Broughton Street is Artisan Roast, a teeny temple of serenity for those who worship the reviving bean, wallpapered in old coffee sacks. Earnest, beardy boys serve their own roasts and blends; we have a staggeringly good house espresso, and chilli, vanilla and cinnamon hot chocolate to a soundtrack of swamp rock. A sign reads ‘JK Rowling never wrote here’.
Paul Gibson started out by brewing small batches of beer in his Edinburgh garage before converting a 1973 VW campervan (named The Hoppy Camper) to house his brewing equipment and serve beer around the city. In 2017, he upscaled to an industrial unit and has been brewing on a larger sale for the past year.
The tap room opened last August to allow people to enjoy beers such as the Cherry Grenade morello cherry-infused stout at source. Now open Friday evenings and Saturdays, the tap room has introduced food to pair with the beers and local restaurant East Pizzas has designed a bespoke menu with ale-friendly toppings such as chorizo, potato, red onion, parsley oil and smoked mozzarella, creating the likes of a ricotta, spinach, mozzarella, truffle salami and lemon pizza.
This Scottish brewery makes Belgian style beers. Over 40 of their own are on tap and there’s a cellar of bottled classic Belgian beers.
Manna House – for baked goods
Popular artisan bakery and patisserie, Manna House, is hidden away on Easter Street at the back of Leith Walk. It’s not on the tourist trail but is worth a detour to stock up on picnic provisions for a schlep up Arthur’s Seat.
Making and baking everything they sell, the bakery’s range of daily breads includes rye, pain de campagne sourdough and spelt and honey, while speciality loaves are baked on rotation, from feta and mint to crispy onion and olive and coriander.
Follow a sugary trail to THE MARSHMALLOW LADY shop and café. These fluffy featherlight concoctions come in seasonal flavours; pick up some whisky ones now or wait until summer for fresh raspberry.
Deli di Rollo – for Italian produce
Deli di Rollo has been a Musselburgh institution for over a hundred years, ever since Domenico di Rollo upped sticks from his small Italian village and opened an ice cream parlour in this east coast fishing town.
Last year the family branched out by opening a deli in Edinburgh, selling paninis to go and, more importantly, its famous ice cream (flavours range from lemon sorbet to caramelito and pistachio).
Mooch around among jaunty blue and white striped awnings clustered beneath the castle. Stock up on crumbly Scottish tablet, artisan breads and cold-pressed rapeseed oil or tuck into a pot of porridge from Stoats Porridge Bar. Flavours range from cranachan (raspberries, sweet toasted oats, honey and single cream) to Balvenie doublewood whisky and hone.
Among the 60 or so cheeses crammed into champion cheesemonger I. J. MELLIS’ Grassmarket branch are Scottish favourites tangy Isle of Mull cheddar and organic semi-soft Criffel from Dumfriesshire. New to the range is Auld Reekie from Aberdeenshire, a delicately smoked, tangy cow’s cheese.
The Principal Edinburgh Charlotte Square opened in 2017 on the former site of the Roxburghe Hotel, in Edinburgh’s New Town. The hotel consists of seven interconnected Georgian Townhouses which gives it a kind of cosy, clubhouse feel even though there are 199 revamped rooms and suites squirreled away upstairs.
The vibe is relaxed, friendly and inclusive. Staff are generous with recommendations and directions for the local area and, although it’s quite a large hotel, it feels intimate and boutique-like.
Paul Kitching’s restaurant on this leafy Georgian terrace in Edinburgh is easy to spot; its brightly coloured numerals standing out against historic granite. The high-ceiling period dining room’s muted décor contrasts sharply with Kitching’s Michelin-garlanded, tastebud-tricking skill. Pairings startle and tantalise – seabass with celeriac and hazelnuts, chicken with fennel and pear (three courses £48; five for £68).
After dinner, retreat to one of the four bedrooms, where retro furniture and big mirrors surround a vast bed. Two of the rooms face the Forth; and two overlook the garden and monument-studded Calton Hill. Breakfast includes salmon with caviar.
The Witchery
The Witchery is no newcomer. The buildings housing this cluster of sumptuous suites at the top of the Royal Mile date back to the 16th century. As a restaurant with rooms it’s been around since 1979. However, it’s still the benchmark for theatrical, decadent dining with suits of armour in the rooms, ornate antique four poster beds and sumptuous drapes.
The cooking is traditional but comforting (think platters of fruits de mer, whole Dover sole, steaks and roast venison; you can even order haggis, neeps and tatties). But breakfast is the real highlight. The breakfast hamper delivered by your butler to your suite is the ultimate indulgence. thewitchery.com
Looking for food festivals to visit in August? Here’s our round-up of the best food festivals taking place this month, from one of the hottest food events in Oxfordshire, to a craft beer festival in London. Check out all of August’s foodie events, here…
Wilderness
One of the hottest food events of the year, Wilderness festival in Oxfordshire combines the off-beat fun of the modern British music festival (woodland walks, feasts around the campfire, wild swimming, and, of course, a top-notch music line-up) with seriously good food: join one of the long table banquets to enjoy fine wines and bespoke menus from Yotam Ottolenghi and Simon Stallard of the Hidden Hut.
Why not sit in one of the festival’s beautifully decorated field restaurant tents – try Italian delights from Café Murano or a seasonal menu in the Petersham Nurseries tent. Some top chefs will also be hosting chefs’ tables – indulge in a Swedish feast from Michelin star restaurant Agrikultur who will be cooking using locally-sourced produce they find in the area.
With appearances from many other restaurants – including Patty & Bun, Salon and Som Saa – this festival is a one-stop trip around some of Britain’s finest restaurants.
London’s Tobacco Dock will come alive for three days of beer, breweries, food and music this August. Over 65 craft breweries will be showcasing their beers, from big names like Brewdog to the lesser known Affinity Brew Co. and Ireland’s Whiplash.
Vist The Vaults, where HonestBrew will be doing a tour of exciting up-and-coming breweries, or sample some exclusive Wild Beer barrel-aged brews including Velvet Underground, Wineybeest and Sourdough.
London’s finest restaurants will be serving up dishes to soak up the ale, so stop by Luca for plates of pasta, Pitt Cue for wood-smoked ribs or Hoppers for Sri Lankan dosas.
Seafood lovers rejoice: Lymington festival is back for two days of fish-based culinary wizardry in the New Forest. Steve Bulmer, Jane Devonshire and Alex Aitken are amongst the line-up of chefs showing off their skills in the demonstration kitchen, or join author Richard Fox for a seafood BBQ masterclass.
Over 90 food and drink stalls will be offering up produce to graze on, as well as live music from the likes of The FB Pocket Orchestra and local musician Lucas Raye.
A star-studded line up in both music and food sees the likes of Clean Bandit and Craig David sharing the spotlight with Mark Hix, Tommy Banks and Richard Bertinet at this ever-popular Cotswolds festival.
Well-loved street food trucks will be there to offer sustenance after dancing the night away – try Oli Bab’s halloumi fries, Made of Dough’s top-notch pizzas and Breddos Tacos’ baja fish – or head to the NEFF Big Kitchen where award-winning chefs Raymond Blanc and Will Bowlby will demonstrate some impressive kitchen tips and tricks. Supper clubs, a cheese hub and a vintage funfair will also be part of the festivities.
This August, London’s Carnaby Street is showcasing the best of the West End’s food and drink with a summer party. Expect lobster buns from Claw, plates of fresh pasta from Pastaio and dumplings from Jinjuu, all at discounted prices.
Visitors will be given the chance to dine al fresco as communal picnic tables line Carnaby street (handily also making it easier for you to go back for seconds). If you need a place to relax after all the indulgence, head to the Newburgh quarter which will be kitted out with bean bags, deck chairs and live DJs.
A must for meat-eaters, Meatopia is chiefly concerned with how to cook various meats over an open flame and many of the demo dishes being showcased here have been created exclusively for the event. Plus, there’ll be the chance to get the lowdown on craft beers at Melissa Cole’s Craftopia.
Try smoky barbecued delights from one of olive’s favourite Middle Eastern and North African restaurants, Berber & Q, or taste one of the best burgers in town from Patty & Bun. New for this year, Freddy Bird of Bristol’s The Lido and Sam Bryant of Coal Rooms will be joining in on the fun.
The original cool country house hotel, Babington, was one of the very first Soho House Group properties to open, two decades ago this September. Tucked away down an avenue of trees outside Frome (check out our foodie guide to the best places to eat and drink in Frome here), in the Somerset countryside, the honey-stone 18th century manor house is part members’ club, part hotel (it’s open to all but there are reduced rates for members) – and still running at such high occupancy rates that it can be harder to find a free room there than a stray hair on a hipster beard.
Babington is the creation of Nick Jones who, like that other pioneering British hotelier, Robin Hutson (ex-Hotel du Vin and Soho House, now of the Pig hotels), is renowned both for being exceptionally hands-on, and for putting more store by his gut than by conventional corporate strategies. Happily Jones’ instincts with Babington were on the mark. If the hotel’s recipe for stylishly decadent surroundings, casual but carefully crafted food and drink and a playful, unsnobby attitude feels familiar today that’s testament to how much Jones’ blueprint has been copied by others over the last 20 years. When Babington opened it was revolutionary; most upmarket hotels were still employing uniformed staff, starched tablecloths and guest dress codes.
Babington House: the original cool country house hotel
And the vibe?
Fun. Jones is a stickler for details when it comes to the guest experience; expect showers to be powerful and hot, and minibars to come not just with an array of local drinks such as Wild Beer Co Evolver IPA (even the milk for tea and coffee is sourced from a local dairy) but also a proper kettle, a pot to make tea, a little silver tin of homemade double chocolate chip cookies and a beautifully presented cocktail tray that stretches to craft mixers, fresh citrus fruits and zesters.
Create fresh and flavoursome cocktails in your bedroom courtesy of a well-stocked drinks tray
Check out our best cocktail recipes here, including:
Entertainment is also in plentiful supply. Within the extensive grounds, you’ll find a gym, two swimming pools (one indoors, under a beautiful timber-trussed ceiling, the other a sleek outdoor number fringed by a giant L-shaped green-and-white striped lounger), tennis courts, a football pitch, croquet lawn, cricket pitch, beautiful sage-green, leather-seated bikes to borrow, a cinema and a sauna, hammam and steam rooms. Overlooking the extensive kitchen garden there’s also a full-service Cowshed spa (book a marhalika massage, an intense but deeply relaxing and unusual treatment that blends Swedish and Thai methods – think sports massage mixed with acupressure).
Members can also tap into a host of organised talks and workshops; recent events have included a Be Good To Your Gut brunch with Eve Kalinik, a wild food foray through the woods, fields and hedgerows around the estate and a supper with Gill Meller.
Relax with a dip in the hotel’s outdoor pool
Which room should I book?
All of the hotel’s 33 rooms are atmospheric and beautifully, if femininely, styled but price may dictate that you go for an attic room in the main house (pretty, with the cheapest rates). If you’re less concerned by finances, there are larger rooms in the main house and the coach house. For slightly more seclusion, there are also three bedrooms overlooking the walled garden that each come with private patios and outdoor soaking tubs but these are the only rooms in the hotel where we felt the design didn’t quite sing (though many regulars disagree and specifically request them). If you want to splash out, book the ‘playroom’, the largest room in the house. Set within the main building it’s 700 square feet of decadence with a four-poster bed, a bathtub big enough for two and a full bar, complete with crystal decanters.
One of the stylish bedrooms in the main building at Babington House
For groups of friends, the old gatekeeper’s lodge, at the end of the main drive, is a self-contained, three-bedroom cottage. Or, if you’re seeking a rustic hideaway but don’t want to rough it, The Cabin is a neat option. A two-bedroom wooden lodge (adults-only), set overlooking a lake, it may have a wood-burning stove and a kitchen that’s a little bit Fired Earth and a lotta Little House on the Prairie but, beneath the country styling, it’s every bit as pampering as the hotel’s other rooms and suites; there are two bathrooms, a kitchen ready-supplied with grocery basics and an outdoor bath.
In all the rooms, the detail is the impressive thing: full-length mirrors come as standard, there are armchairs in larger bathrooms so that you can chat while one of you has a bath, chargers are provided for laptops and phones, hot water bottles are supplied for chillier nights and, in addition to the full-size Cowshed toiletries, smaller vanity items are supplied in the bathrooms to take-away (not just toothpicks and shower caps but deodorant, moisturiser, toner, toothpaste and shaving cream).
If you take a fancy to Babington’s soft grey bath robes, you can buy these and more – a lot more – via the company’s Soho Home website. Each Soho House property has its own range of customized items, grouped under the various Houses (the Babington pool towels, for instance are green and white striped, whereas the Barcelona – check out the best places to eat and drink in Barcelona – ones are coral and white) but a more general range stretches to crockery, glassware, bedding, skincare, armchairs, beds, lamps, even vintage furniture.
One of the cosy Cabin bedrooms at Babington House
What’s good to drink?
Babington’s wooden floored, velvet chaired, Morris wallpapered bar draws a crowd at several points of the day. At the very least, pop in before dinner to perch on one of its red leather bar stools and sip on a cocktail – try a fresh but punchy Eastern Standard (Bombay Sapphire or Grey Goose with muddled cucumber, mint and lime) or a Walled Garden Collins (Bombay Sapphire with freshly picked garden herbs, lemon and soda). For non-drinkers there’s also a choice of non-alcoholic cocktails, including a Stimuless (Seedlip Spice 94 with espresso, demerara and grapefruit oil).
Over dinner, take your pick from a sizeable range of Old and New World wines available by the glass, carafe and half bottle as well as by the bottle (we went for a deliciously smoky French Pinot Noir but more adventurous choices include a Pinot Bianco from Slovenia – check out our guide to the best places to eat and drink in Slovenia– and plummy Chateau Musar from Lebanon). The house red (a Grenache) and white (Vermentino) are both from the Languedoc and start at £24 but prices range up to £790 for a Chateau Margaux Grand Cru Classe.
Stop by the bar before dinner and sip on one of Babington House’s inventive cocktails
And to eat?
The Soho House group has a knack for spotting trends just as they are landing and Babington’s approach to food was an early example of that. Where other hotel restaurants, 20 years ago, were chasing Michelin stars, Babington did away with dress codes and stuffiness and went for a much more casual approach: comfort food done with finesse. That attitude has remained, making for a very decent hotel dining experience.
The sun-dappled Orangery, here set for breakfast but glammed up at dinner with white linen cloths
Book a window table in the main restaurant, the Orangery, and enjoy sweeping views of the lawn and the lake through towering Georgian windows while you eat. Curve-backed sage leather chairs, white tablecloths and posies of fresh flowers set a glamorous, slightly botanical tone. It’s all very Instagrammable but be warned: the drinks list comes with a request not to use phones or take photos.
Under head chef Neil Smith, the dinner menu is understated and ingredient-led (that kitchen garden comes in handy). It’s also bang up-to-date: think charcoal-grilled meats, honeyish, coal-roast sweet potato with yoghurt and dukkah and Cornish plaice served with sweet little shrimp. The standout of our meal was a dish of salt-flecked, charcoal-grilled venison, burnished outer crunch giving way to soft pink meat, atop a decorous little puddle of light, meaty gravy and a giant, caramelised leek.
Puddings are simple and comforting, with a hint of childhood nostalgia: strawberry ripple sundaes, gin and tonic jellies, salted peanutchocolate mousse and a range of homemade ice creams and sorbets. We went for a cheese board and, while the cheeses were impressively local (Westcombe cheddar, Bath blue and a Somerset goats cheese coated in ash), and generously portioned, the presentation was a little clumsy.
For some guests the hotel’s lavish breakfasts are the main reason to check in. Pick a table in the Orangery and you’ll be served a juice shot while you wait for coffee or tea to arrive (apple, celery and mint on the morning we stayed).
In the deli bar, just beside the Orangery, a continental spread covers a high counter. Help yourself to organic yoghurt, house-made granola, pastries, chia coconut pudding, fruit salads, fresh compotes, Bircher muesli, ham, mozzarella, breads baked in house and various juices.
Take your pick from an indulgent breakfast spread
If you’re after the hot stuff, there’s garden rhubarb and pistachio porridge (in season), classics such as boiled eggs and soldiers, kippers, eggs Florentine and a half or full English. Or go for something slightly lighter: tomatoes and a fried egg on rye with sriracha or avo on toast with poached eggs and chilli. As with the cheese course the previous evening, our porridge and avo on toast were full of flavour but not entirely elegantly presented (a much better state of affairs than the opposite way around, of course).
After a more liquid start to the day? Choose from a long menu of House Press juices (grapefruit, orange, lemon, turmeric and cayenne pepper), botanicals (orange, mango, passionfruit, ginger, lime, cacao and maca) and shakes (cold-brew coffee with raw cacao, cashew, MCT reishi and Himalayan salt), another Soho House spin-off brand.
A delicious bowl of granola, chia porridge and melon
Avo on toast with poached eggs
Any other food experiences I shouldn’t miss?
Afternoon tea. Neil Smith also happens to be an avid baker and this complimentary spread of cakes, laid out in the deli bar each afternoon, is dangerous territory for sweet-toothed guests. Wander past its orange sweet cream profiteroles, homemade scones, fresh tarts, cookies, cakes and mini pavlovas at your peril.
Pretty pavlovas, part of the complimentary afternoon tea spread
Is it family-friendly?
“Babington House is a club for adults, but we are child-friendly” is how the hotel sums itself up. We’d definitely count it as family-friendly, though you might want to avoid visiting during the school holidays if you’re seeking a more grown-up escape. Children are welcome, with a few dining restrictions (no access to the restaurant for under-10s after 7pm, no children’s dining in the bar, no access to the bar for under-18s after 7pm) and swimming pool restrictions (check current child swimming times before you visit).
Dedicated facilities include a Teeny House (a staffed play space for under-8s) and The Loft, a similar area for older children. How much access you get is dependent on whether you’re a member or an overnight guest and is always on a first come, first served basis.
In terms of bedrooms, go for a stable block room if you have children in tow. Large, split-level suites with board games and Xboxes supplied, these come with an en-suite bedroom for grown-ups upstairs and bunk beds plus a wet room below, for children.
The restaurant serves a simple, crowd-pleasing lunch and early evening kids’ menu (think margherita pizzas, pasta, salmon with peas and potatoes, cheeseburgers, jelly and ice cream, fruit salad and yoghurt).
Teeny House – a staffed play space for under-8s
What can I do in the local area?
Walk, drive or cycle over to The Talbot at Mells or the adjacent Walled Garden Café for lunch. Head over to Bruton to visit the Hauser & Wirth Gallery and have lunch at the Roth Bar & Grill (see here for other places to eat and drink in Bruton). Hang out in Frome, strolling between its independent shops and restaurants – or catching the Frome Independent market if you’re visiting on the first weekend of the month. For a day out Bath is 30 minutes’ drive away, Bristol just under an hour.
Or just borrow a pair of wellies from the boot library by Babington’s side door and head out on a walk around the estate’s lake, or off into the countryside. Then return to the hotel and read the papers by the fire in the peaceful wood-panelled library room.
Babington House’s cosy, wood-pannelled library
Words by Rhiannon Batten
Images by Babington House/Soho House and Rhiannon Batten
Looking for Liverpool restaurants? Check out the best places to eat in Liverpool, including cafés, bars and restaurants. Here’s our local food and drink guide to Liverpool…
Best bakery in Liverpool
Baltic Bakehouse
The Baltic Bakehouse serves the best bread, baked goods and brunch in Liverpool. Hidden in an industrial area behind the docks, the bakehouse is stripped back to basics with exposed brick walls, mismatching wooden tables (each with its own toaster) and metal shelves stocked with loaves of sourdough and other local produce.
Spend hours over breakfast here, spreading toast with jam and peanut butter from the help-yourself jars, or sit in cosy corners tapping away on your laptop, munching on bacon sandwiches while Fleetwood Mac fills the air.
Order a bowl of yogurt topped with banana, honey and nutty granola for brunch, but don’t leave without trying one of the pastries from the impressive spread on the counter. We loved the bear claw, a jazzed up almond croissant – crisp, flaky layers of pastry filled with rich marzipan and topped with flaked almonds – that can be torn apart from the ‘claws’ on the side.
At lunchtime, the sandwiches are a must. Thick slices of freshly baked bread are filled with everything from roast pork to jerk chicken. Or, for real indulgence go for the UGC – an ultimate grilled cheese sandwich made with comté, mature cheddar, leeks and onions.
A cosy coffee shop-cum-bar, this sleek Scandi-style spot is great for lunch and early evening drinks before a night out in Liverpool. A white-tiled bar strung with fairy lights sits across one side, while vases filled with single stems of flowers and lush plants hang from the ceilings.
At lunch, order a Reuben sandwich and a smooth flat white (these are presented on dinky silver trays with moreish chocolate wafers on the side), or, in the evening, go for plates of scorched broccoli and grilled halloumi while you browse the eclectic and intriguing cocktail list (choose between a ‘Guido’ – a mixture of toasted oat, whiskey, walnut, clarified apple and burnt sugar, and ‘Hot Kid’ – a combination of vodka, condensed milk, fernet, pistachio, espresso and thyme).
Opening in 2010, Bold Street Coffee was one of Liverpool’s first speciality coffee shops, serving cortados and bacon butties to a hip, hungry crowd. Earlier this year it had to move out of its home at 89 Bold Street but is currently crowdfunding to get back home, so watch this space. In the meantime, the team are collaborating with another independent, serving their signature brunch and coffees in Santa Maluco. Stop by for a long black before a slice of pizza or two.
Tucked away on one of the Liverpool city centre’s back streets, Root focusses on serving speciality coffee. Take a seat on one of its high stools and sip a refreshing nitro cold brew as you work, or choose the tasting flight for a little sample of each. Wicker chairs are dotted around the outdoor space but if you don’t have time to sit down, grab a flat white and slice of almond cake to go.
For Liverpool’s best selection of street food all under one roof, head to the Baltic Market in the Baltic Triangle. The large warehouse space, kitted out with white-washed walls and communal tables, is home to traders serving dim sum, falafel wraps and veggie tacos. Spend an evening sitting under the fairy lights and enjoying a drink from one of the pop-up bars, or order a wood-fired pizza to takeaway and eat it out by the docks.
For the best pizza in the city head to Santa Maluco, a buzzing Brazilian-style rodizio pizzeria and cocktail bar in the business quarter, serving pizzas by the slice. Vibrant graffiti murals of Christ the Redeemer grace the walls while industrial-style wooden sharing tables, lit by low-hanging lights, fill the large open space.
Crisp, smoky bases with charred crusts are topped with indulgent and inventive toppings. While margherita is on the menu, choose ‘What the Duck?’ topped with shredded duck, cucumber and char siu sauce, or ‘Ma-Donner’ with minced lamb, sriracha yogurt and mint dressing for the full experience.
In the sunnier months grab a table outside, among a breezy post-work crowd.
For fine-dining in the city’s Georgian quarter book a table at the Art School. This restaurant, in Liverpool’s former art school’s life drawing room, has chef Paul Askew at its helm. The greenhouse-style roof basks the simply laid tables in warm natural light, while attentive staff gently weave among the latter, pouring glasses of wine and offering chunks of squidgy focaccia.
Choose the tasting menu for a selection of five delicate dishes, all prepared in the small glass-windowed galley kitchen that sits across one side of the room. On our visit we tried nuggets of salty tempura fried eel followed by tender scallops with smooth cauliflower purée, toasted hazelnuts and matchsticks of sharp Granny Smith. The standout was crisp-skinned, flaky halibut on a bed of sweet tomatoes, smoky aubergine purée and meaty crab, drizzled by a sherry vinaigrette.
After your meal, head downstairs to the cellar bar for glasses of Champagne and plates of cheese and charcuterie (if you still have room that is) in a more intimate environment.
If you’re looking for hearty barbecue food head to Slim’s Pork Chop Express, on the edge of Chinatown.
The lively American BBQ joint with a British twist has Asian-inspired elements thrown in too, so expect trays of smoked brisket, pulled pork burgers and fried chicken wings.
Food is messy and fun, so don’t be afraid to get stuck into plates of fried chicken and “lo pan” fries. We loved the tender strips of chicken, which come coated in crunchy cornflakes, while twice-cooked skin on fries are generously drizzled in punchy curry sauce, chilli and spring onion before being topped with deep-fried salt and pepper siu mai.
Head next door to Salt Dog Slims for a post-dinner drink at the bustling bar where exposed brick walls are covered in an eclectic mixture of posters and Polaroid pictures.
Opened in 2017, Wreckfish is Gary Usher’s fourth restaurant in the north west, with a focus on simple, bistro-style food made with great produce. Expect flamed mackerel with green olive tapenade, confit leek with parsley gnocchi and fresh ricotta and hearty desserts such as marmalade sponge and crème brûlée.
Visit on a Sunday for a traditional roast with all the trimmings or a choice of lighter dishes such as roast cod with capers and mussels.
In a nutshell: Combining a restaurant, bar and deli, Lunyalita brings authentic Catalan charm to The Royal Albert Dock Liverpool.
Who’s cooking? Owner Peter Kinsella heads up the kitchen team at Lunyalita, the “little sister” of the existing Lunya restaurants in Liverpool and Manchester. Passionate about cooking from scratch, here Peter can be found rustling up a wide variety of tapas.
What’s the vibe? The understated décor is pepped by colourful velvet sofas and chalkboard menus, while a bustling open kitchen means there’s plenty of atmosphere. If the sun’s shining, head outside to the ground-floor terrace or upstairs champagne balcony – both overlook the dock.
What’s the food like? If you like either of the Lunyas, chances are you’ll feel the same about Lunyalita. The menu is different, though. There’s a choice of hot tapas (think classics – gambas pil pil, tortilla and more); cured meats, fish, vegetables and salads; as well as big sharing platters, a range of paellas and the like (including arroz negro and fideuá) and bits to pick at, such as roasted Catalan almonds, salty Spanish crisps and giant Gordal olives.
Slow-proved bread from local bakery Baltic Bakehouse with tangy tomato got things underway on our visit, followed by fried courgette flower stuffed with Monte Enebro goat’s cheese, calamari in bubbly batter, chicken croquetas (the flavours change daily) and fried chorizo with honey and fennel seeds. Belly pork from the specials worked well with its accompanying passion fruit and quinoa salad, while kimchi added welcome sharpness. And a deli veg platter, laden with cheese, crisps, olives, salad and kikones (giant baked corn) served us well. Galician favourite, a rich and dense almond cake (tarta de santiago) and a smooth crema catalana, fragrant with orange and cinnamon, took care of dessert.
And the drinks? Wine and beer is sourced from Spain, as well as the coffee, which comes direct from the award-winning Café Saula in Barcelona. You can also order sangria (three ways), a huge range of sherries and Spanish spirits, and cocktails. If you’re a fan of gin – be sure to check out the selection here, too. It’s said to be one of the biggest collection of Spanish gins outside of Spain, with new additions being added all the time (with a rogue Ginsmith Marshmallow from Liverpool, for good measure).
olive tip: Don’t leave without ordering the patatas bravas. Peter’s is a potato lover and he rotates suppliers throughout the year to source the best. Chunky-cut, fried potatoes with sweet and smoky tomato sauce and creamy aioli, these are a simple delight.
For small plates and spot-on cocktails, pay a visit to Maray on Bold Street. The buzzing vibe starts here in the afternoon and carries on well into the evening, as friends cosy up in the intimate restaurant digging into burrata, roasted cauliflower with pomegranate and lamb koftas.
Arrive early for a seat at the bar and order the Whip Royale – a concoction of cucumber gin, prosecco and fragrant lavender, or keep it classic with a gin and tonic, each perfectly paired with a garnish.
This family owned Catalonian restaurant in the centre of Liverpool is a haven of Spanish produce and cuisine. The bright and airy space is ideal for a big family lunch or a fun dinner with friends.
Lunya’s extensive menu covers dozens of Spanish cheeses and cured meats, sharing deli platters and plenty of tapas dishes, as well as freshly-made traditional paellas and even Segovian baby suckling pig to share (must be ordered 48 hours in advance).
We recommend choosing a selection of tapas dishes to share. Don’t miss the signature crispy chicken strips coated in super crunchy tortilla chip pieces and served with punchy Catalan dip. Seafood fideua comes in a tiny little black pan, sizzling with thin fideau noodles in black squid ink sauce with pieces of springy squid and plump Mediterranean prawns.
If you’re struggling to choose, go for one of the tapas banquets that cover all of the classics – tortilla, patatas bravas, albondigas meatballs and Iberico meat and cheese platters.
Peruse the authentic Spanish products in Lunya’s deli on the way out. Shelves heave with elegant bottles of regional wines, sherries and vermouths, while a large counter is filled with fresh padron peppers, piquillo pepper hummus and Spanish cheeses (such as manchegos, huge wheels of strong cabrales blue cheese and soft scooping torta cheese). There are plenty of cured meats to choose from, including Spain’s hero acorn-fed Ibérico ham.
In a nutshell: The latest venture from Chris Edwards and Owain Williams, the owners of successful Liverpool restaurant Filter + Fox, Belzan describes itself as a neo-bistro and bar serving seasonally led dishes.
What’s the vibe like? Belzan has a charming neighbourhood feel, with a minimal decor of white painted brick walls, simple candlelit tables and pendant lighting. Hip without trying too hard, it’s the kind of place you wish could be a fixture on every street.
What’s the food like? Small sharing dishes are the style here with five recommended to feed two. Thick slabs of chargrilled bread and butter sprinkled with sea salt got our meal underway and silence ensued as we devoured the first plate to arrive, incredibly smoky and tender pork collar yakatori with shisho mayo.
Hake with braised chicory and harissa crema was comforting and indulgent, with a bold kick of spice. We then moved on to truffled celeriac with melted tunworth cheese and puffed barley. Like a sophisticated take on cheese fries, the sweet and earthy celeriac wedges paired well with the creamy intensity of the melted tunworth.
A dessert of barbecued banana with banana ice cream, salted caramel and chocolate delivered the fun of an American diner-style dessert – the banana took on a syrupy quality which worked well with the caramel and chocolate
And the drinks? The small but perfectly formed cocktail list is filled with exciting creations. We ordered the Corpse Bride, a heady combination of Monkey 47 Gin, Lillet Blanc, grapefruit, lemon and pastis.
The wine list brings together a pleasing variety of old and new world wines on a menu annotated with quirky descriptions.
olive says… Belzan is a real find and it pulls off the tricky feat of feeling welcoming and familiar, while maintaining a unique persona packed with charm.
In a nutshell: Röski opened late in 2017 in the stylish Georgian quarter of Liverpool, with ambitions of gaining Michelin stars for its contemporary approach to fine dining.
What’s the vibe like? At around 30 covers Röski has an intimate feel and the minimal décor ensures the focus remains on the food. Stylish bronze light fittings add a splash of warmth to the neutral grey and white room and the eclectic soundtrack ranges from Florence and the Machine to jazz.
What’s the food like? We opted for the seven-course tasting menu and a snack of tapioca crackers with potted shrimp, edible flowers and a burst of citrus got the meal off to a promising start. A starter of red deer venison with creamy potato espuma, game gravy and garden courgettes was hearty and rich.
Röski’s take on scouse brought the traditional stew up to date – tender, 100-day-aged slow-cooked brisket from local butcher Edge & Son was topped with barbecued carrot and swede, parsley powder and tangy ‘drunken’ onions marinated in beer.
Middle Eastern-inspired roasted and caramelised cauliflower with parmesan custard and tuile was an appealing vegetarian course, and came with frozen apple and a piquant madras curry oil that worked well with the nutty cauliflower.
Yorkshire forced rhubarb, caramelised white chocolate and silky ‘builder’s tea’ ice cream came with an array of leaves doused in essence of rhubarb which billowed across the table, while edible silver leaf and candyfloss completed this theatrical creation.
And the drinks? There’s a wide variety of wines available, including mid-range and premium options and tasting menus can be paired with matching wine flights.
We sipped chilled Jacquart Brut Mosaïque Rosé champagne before moving on to a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc from the Yealands Estate, with notes of wild thyme and citrus.
olive says… Röski delivers on its promise to breathe new life into fine dining, serving food to get excited about, with bold flavours and meticulous presentation.
In a nutshell: Our Kitchen owner Tara Maguire (who also owns a nearby yoga studio) wanted to create a place to eat, drink and socialise that caters to vegans and vegetarians as well as those looking for nutritious food and drink, on Liverpool’s Bold Street.
What’s the vibe like? There’s a relaxed feeling to the space here and a minimalist décor gives a nod to Scandinavia, with neutral colours, polished wood, tiled walls, and bulbs suspended from the ceiling with vibrant multi-coloured wiring.
What’s the food like? Panko-breaded olives with herby vegan yogurt should be ordered whatever your appetite – you’ll keep returning for more, long after the last bite. Brie and mango quesadilla was surprisingly light, with salad leaves and avocado on the side.
So-called ‘ultimate nachos’ lived up to their name and tasted as good as they looked, with a fiery kick from jalapeños and spicy beans, and moreish toppings of cheese, guacamole and fresh lime. Roasted cauliflower cheese with crispy chilli onions was another winner – the onions giving this familiar favourite a welcome twist.
Raw desserts, including lemon curd power ball and chocolate and cashew cheesecake, are an interesting finale. Chocolate brittle had plenty of texture from added fruit and a pleasantly bitter flavour.
And the drinks? Choose from smoothies, nut milks, shots and tonics as well as vegetarian and vegan wines and beers, some of which are also organic. We tried a ‘green giant’ signature smoothie, a refreshing blend of avocado, banana, spinach, pineapple, coconut water and spirulina.
olive says…Our Kitchen is a vegetarian and vegan restaurant that has wide appeal thanks to its easy-going, positive atmosphere and reasonable prices.
In a nutshell: Akitchen, bar, off-licence and event space rapidly carving out its own niche.
What’s the vibe like? The bar and restaurant is a spacious, bright and informal space with exposed brickwork, polished wooden tables, pot plants, chalkboard menus and a shelf brimming with colourful jars of house-made pickles
What’s the food like? The small plates were sophisticated without trying too hard; twice-cooked chunky chips with rich beef gravy was the embodiment of uncomplicated comfort food.
Southern fried chicken delivered a sublime combination of flavours: succulent chicken in a golden crumb was paired with a wedge of fluffy cornbread and maple syrup, while popcorn added intense sweetness and a contrasting texture. Chunks of on-trend pickled watermelon on the side added a refreshing tang.
Octopus risotto conjured up a taste of the sea with a slight saltiness from its ink, the pan-fried, pickled tentacle was extremely tender. Truffle gnocchi with chestnut mushrooms and crispy sage was another triumph, full of intricate flavours, with an earthy depth of pungent truffle, meaty chestnut mushrooms and pillowy gnocchi.
There was a choice of panna cotta or lemon cheesecake for dessert and the latter was zesty and light, which worked well with the topping of (unfortunately out of season) strawberries bursting with sweetness and some playful popping candy.
And the drinks? The cocktail list breaks away from the strict classics. Garden Negroni (gin, Aperol, Cocchi Rosa, maraschino and mint) and Praise Bee (vodka, honey, orange bitters, grape and sparkling Chenin Blanc) both sounded appealing, and White Port and Tonic was an up-to-the-minute alternative to G&T.
olive says… Buyers Club is a great all-rounder where you can dine, drink and listen to music. The star of the show is undoubtedly the dazzling and affordable (£6-£9 each) small plates, but the service, too, is cheerful and efficient.
Looking for West Cornwall restaurants? Planning a foodie roadtrip through Cornwall? Read about our favourite Penzance restaurants and places to eat in Penzance, Cornwall, as well as St Ives restaurants and where to eat in Newlyn…
Then travel up the coast to Port Isaac and Bude via the villages of Wadebridge, St Kew and St Tudy.
St Ives, Cornwall
St Ives may be the end of the road in geographical terms but visiting Far West Cornwall doesn’t mean having to navigate a culinary cul-de-sac. St Ives is well known as a ‘foodie hot spot’. The jumble of winding alleys that once knotted together a humble fishing village are now lined with chic shops, galleries and delis. Make sure you don’t overlook the fresh mackerel sold from an ice bucket and honesty box up a tiny alleyway away from the seafront.
The Allotment
This deli in St Ives is perfect for picnics. The counter and shelves heave with Cornish produce, from locally grown fruit and veg, to wines and Cornish cheeses. You can take away a picnic hamper made to order full of freshly made scotch eggs, goat’s cheese tarts and Ann’s pasties. You can even tuck into a takeaway curry. Leave room for homemade cakes, including epic rock buns.
There are more Cornish pasty shops than you can shake a rolling pin at in St Ives, but our vote for the best in the region goes to Penzance’s Cornish Hen deli.
Looking for the best ice cream in St Ives? Ice-cream wars are waged between Kelly’s vans and the classy Moomaid of Zennor parlour – the latter’s Shipwreck Extra Stormy flavour (salted caramel ice-cream with chunks of honeycomb and chocolate) is a winner.
This bright and breezy restaurant serves the unlikely combo of rum and seafood. The food menu has a section dedicated to ‘po boys, rolls and tacos’, as well as a selection of small plates including popcorn shrimp with Creole dipping sauce and fresh crab and tomato bisque. Larger dishes put exotic twists on classic seaside favourites – Jamaican beer-battered fish and chips, Louisiana gumbo and Cajun blackened fish with a spice crust. As its name suggests, crab is a highlight – don’t miss the soft shell crab burger.
Wash it down with one of the shack’s extensive list of rums (light, gold, spiced, overproof… all sorts!), or try a rum cocktail (Flor de Cana extra dry rum with ginger liqueur and thyme, raisin-infused Black Seal rum with Creme de Cacao and Aztec chocolate bitters, or a straight-up Old Fashioned).
Down a tiny little St Ives backstreet, this place serves legendary Cornish beef burgers. The classic Blas burger piles a beef patty from Trevaskis Farm with pickled cucumber, salad and aioli. Add Davidstow Cheddar or Cornish Blue cheese, chilli relish or chargrilled corn salsa for less than a quid, or vegetarians can go for a black bean burger. Oh, and there are banana splits (a vegan option too) for pud!
This little shop is where to head to for villainous-tasting but virtuous snacks. The raw chocolate ‘pies’ and raw fudge are all vegan and completely moreish.
From St Ives head past the sandy cove at Porthcurno, the breathtaking Minack Theatre carved into the cliff and tiny and teetering Mousehole (pronounced mow-zel). Because it’s at Penzance where the food scene really snaps at St Ives’ heels.
The Shore
On the other side of town, Bruce Rennie (formerly of the The Gurnard’s Head gastropub near St Ives) opened his own fish restaurant, The Shore, at the end of last year. Find space for lobster and spider crab, served shredded in a powerful bisque, followed by delicate steamed sole on squid ink linguine with a velvet crab sauce.
The owners of Penzance’s small but award-winning Polgoon vineyard, John and Kim Coulson, were Newlyn fish merchants until a winemaker inspired them to plant vines; they also produce artisan cider and apple juice, and run tours and tastings. As their daughter, Emma, pours me a 2014 bacchus single variety white, she tells me that their first wine won the UK’s best rosé back in 2006.
This autumn Rennie is teaming up with Susan Stuart who recently revamped the old Penzance Arts Club and turned it into a luxury b&b, Chapel House, to run gourmet foraging and cookery breaks. The six rooms all have sea views, painted white floors and vibrant modern artworks. The huge, stone-flagged, kitchen diner in the basement is the scene of Susan’s regular weekend suppers, and lengthy brunches. I try the breakfast speciality: cod’s roe, smoked bacon, samphire and a poached egg. It’s a cheap, nutritious dish and it’s easy to see how it became a favourite with fishermen.
The art scene is another area where Penzance is stealing the limelight. St Ives might have the Tate and the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden, but Penzance has long been an artistic hub, home to the Newlyn Art School and galleries such as The Exchange and Newlyn Art Gallery.
Then there’s the Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens. Its verdant grounds are full of art and are also home to The Kitchen, a café serving charcuterie boards and bowls of mussels steamed in Polgoon cider with garlic, parsley, lemon and cream.
Where to stay in Penzance: Artist Residence hotel
A coolly colourful 17-bedroom hotel in Penzance’s old quarter, this hotel has a relaxed vibe (checked blankets, yellow Roberts radios, contemporary artworks) and a retro-chic restaurant and bar, The Cornish Barn. The menu includes meat and fish from its in-house smokehouse but I tuck into tapas-style dishes of deep-fried squid with chilli, lime and salt, and parsnip rösti with caramelised shallots and goat’s cheese. Dessert is rum-infused crème brûlée, hazelnut brittle and homemade banana ice cream.
Head out to Newlyn, a fishing port on Cornwall’s wild western fringe, to watch trawlers unload their catch then make a beeline for Stevenson’s – a fishmonger with its own fleet of boats. Along with buckets of vermilion crab, its shelves are lined with the likes of dried dulse and kombu from the Cornish Seaweed Company.
The Tolcarne Inn
Some of the pubs in Newlyn still veer towards gritty, but Ben Tunnicliffe’s gastropub, The Tolcarne Inn, is the perfect pitstop. Just a pebble’s throw from the harbour, the all-fish menu majors in dishes such as fillet of mackerel with pomegranate and avocado salad – the fruit’s tartness cutting through the oily fish.
In Newlyn the cinema is the place to eat. No, not gourmet popcorn. At Newlyn Filmhouse you can enjoy a steaming bowl of Thai fish stew, aromatic and spicy and sprinkled with peanuts.
Suzie Sinclair and Alastair Till moved back to Cornwall from London. What they missed most, Suzie tells us, was grabbing a bowl of noodles after the cinema. So they converted a 19th-century fish merchant’s warehouse, next to shellfish specialist W. Harvey & Sons, into a sumptuous cinema and café bar with an Asian-influenced menu and a vague Pirates of the Caribbean vibe (dark wood floors, columns wrapped in rope).
Last port of call is Ben’s Cornish Kitchen in Marazion, run by Ben Prior and his brother, Toby. The dessert caught our attention. The sweet curry plate is an exotic assembly of curried rice pudding, cardamom ice cream, a poppadom, coconut purée, mango curd, ginger jelly, spiced caramel, coriander leaf. A sweet surprise, it’s worth going out on a limb for.
Wadebridge, Cornwall
Strong Adolfos
The villages inland are often neglected in favour of the honeypots of Padstow and Port Isaac. But, for foodies, there’s plenty to draw you up-country. Near Wadebridge, Strong Adolfos serves burgers, soups and cakes to surfer dudes, families and grannies alike.
That the name is a twist on the circus strongman from Pippi Longstocking (the classic children’s book series) makes sense when you learn that co-owner Mathilda Friström Eldridge is Swedish. As does the menu of Swedish chocolate balls and carrot and parsnip cake Mathilda serves alongside locally roasted Origin Coffee (origincoffee.co.uk).
Carrot and parsnip cake at Strong Adolfos. Photograph by Clare Hargreaves
Rising Ground (Relish deli)
The market town of Wadebridge, sedately straddling the River Camel, may not have flashy restaurants, but it does have its own coffee roastery, Rising Ground, based inside Relish deli and café. Pick up a bag of Ethiopian sidamo, with its earl grey undertones, then head along to nearby Baker Tom’s to stock up on sourdoughs and sunny saffron buns to go with it (bakertom.co.uk).
Loaves at Baker Tom, Wadebridge. Photograph by Clare Hargreaves
St Kew, Cornwall
Aunt Avice’s Pasty Shop
No trip to Cornwall would be complete without a pasty, but the best in the area involve some serious tracking down – nip behind the petrol station at St Kew Highway and look for the signpost to Aunt Avice’s Pasty Shop. Eighteen years ago, having been made redundant, Peter Gill and his wife, Avice, started making pasties to Peter’s mother-in-law’s recipe. This stipulates potato, onion and beef skirt, but – unusually – no swede. It’s the pastry, though, that makes their pasties famous, says Avice as she deftly crimps a line of them in her 50s-style kitchen next door. “Never hold a pasty by its crimp,” she instructs. “Hold it by one end and eat it like an ice-cream cornet.” I do as I’m told, and bite into its rich, doughy pastry and fall-apart filling. They’d keep any Cornish miner going for a while.
Make pasties at Aunt Avice pasties, St Kew Highway. Photograph by Clare Hargreaves
St Kew Inn
Ancient St Kew Inn, with its high-backed wooden settles and flagstone floors, is as convivial as pubs come, and its honest food clearly gets a thumbs-up from local resident Gordon Ramsay, who is often spotted supping here.
The lane opposite St Kew Farm Shop (with a café) leads to more booze: Haywood Farm cider made from apples grown on Tom Bray’s family farm. The day to visit is Sunday, when there’s live music and cheese tasting in the ancient barn where Tom presses the apples.
A gastropub-with-rooms that prides itself on creative cocktails and scrupulously sourced seasonal ingredients that shine in uncomplicated dishes such as Porthilly mussels with fennel, cider and dill, or summer risotto with broad beans, courgettes and lovage butter (sttudyinn.com). Enjoying a new lease of life since the energetic Emily Scott took it over in 2015, the inn not only makes its own sausages but also boasts homemade St Tudy ale (brewed by Padstow Brewery) and its own wine (produced in Bordeaux). Bedrooms, in a converted barn opposite, are small but stylish.
Home cured bacon and homemade sausages at St Tudy Inn. Photograph by Clare Hargreaves
Port Isaac, Cornwall
Fresh from the Sea
Back on the coast, amble among the slate-hung whitewashed cottages that cascade down a gap in the cliffs at Port Isaac. Life here revolves around the tides and the fortunes of the town’s five remaining fishing vessels, which mainly land crab and lobster.
Fisherman Calum Greenhalgh catches the shellfish, which he carries 100 metres from his boat, Mary D, to the café where his wife Tracey cooks it for lunch. At the top of the hill overlooking the harbour at Port Isaac, the aptly named Fresh From The Sea opened in 2010 and now attracts customers from as far afield as Australia and Canada.
Served on locally baked bread, perhaps accompanied by a glass of Padstow Brewery beer or Cornish Camel Valley wine, the crab sandwich (which local Michelin-starred chef Nathan Outlaw claims to be the best he has ever tasted) and the lobster salad are safe bets. Other options include Porthilly oysters, homemade smoked mackerel pâté and toast, or a simple Davidstow cheddar cheese and chutney sandwich.
Lobster at Fresh from the Sea, Port Isaac. Photograph by Clare Hargreaves
Nathan Outlaw’s Fish Kitchen
In pole position to grab the best catch is Port Isaac’s wonkiest and oldest building, once two fishermen’s cottages but now housing Nathan Outlaw’s Fish Kitchen. Although it’s Michelin starred, this tiny restaurant is so tightly packed that everyone relaxes.
For simpler, more modern dining there’s Temple, offering “edibles and threadables” in a pavilion-style building. The ethos is planet-friendly, homemade and healthy, which applies both to the clothes and skincare products it sells, and to the food and drink (including a water-based kefir) it serves in its café. At night, the place morphs into a laid-back restaurant, making the most of impeccably sourced ingredients (organic, unhomogenised milk, for instance, is bought direct from a nearby farm). It’s no surprise that flavours are reminiscent of Ottolenghi – head chef Craig Tregonning previously worked at the branch in Islington. The breakfast menu’s zesty mushrooms with dukkah are well worth getting out of bed for, but the dish I’ll be ordering again on my way back to Paul Ainsworth’s No 6 is the toasted sourdough sandwich filled with home-fermented kimchi and mature cheddar. It slings all other toasties into the shade.
Zesty mushrooms with dukkah at Temple, Bude. Photograph by Clare Hargreaves
Where to stay in Bude: The Beach at Bude
Workaday Bude, horseshoed around the vast sands of Summerleaze Beach, is a lot more low key than manicured Padstow and Port Isaac. But it still does (relatively) posh at The Beach at Bude, a boutique hotel teetering on the cliffs. Don’t be put off by its slightly bling feel, because the food (produced by Bath Priory-trained Joe Simmonds) is excellent – try the elegantly gutsy herb-crusted lamb striploin with cassoulet.
Looking for Manchester restaurants? Want to find the best local café in Manchester’s Northern Quarter? After the best brownie in the city? We’ve found the best places to eat and drink in Manchester, from the trendy Northern Quarter, to revamped Salford.
Rudy’s – best pizza in Manchester
Rudy’s is a unanimous favourite among Manchester’s foodies. With its original site in up-and-coming Ancoats and a newly opened branch on Peter Street, it’s a go-to place for pizza and cocktails with your pals.
Pizza dough is made on site twice a day and cooked for no longer than a minute to produce a springy base. Choose from toppings including classic margherita with buffalo mozzarella, spicy ‘nduja sausage with tomato and fior di latte, or white pizza with smoked mozzarella, Tuscan sausage and wild broccoli.
The aperitivo list uses some of our favourite Italian brands to create twists on classic cocktails – gin fizz is spiked with Cynar (a bittersweet artichoke leaf liquer) and Disaronno is mixed with Limoncello, lemon juice and fresh basil for a refreshing Amaretto sour. Otherwise go for a creamy dolci colline prosecco, bright and citrusy Sicilian white or forest-fruity Puglian red.
Bundobust is many things (craft beer haunt, Indian street food hangout, veggie restaurant) but it sells itself as a ‘beer and Indian joint’. The basement bar is filled with casual, communal tables that encourage interaction with fellow punters, and has a relaxed order-at-the-bar system that keeps the crowd mingling.
The food menu is all about vegetarian Indian street food. We suggest opting for one of the combos that arrive on wooden trays – a modern twist on the thali. Plant-based are filled with paneer and mushroom tikka skewers marinated in yogurt curd, crisp onion, broccoli and kale bhajis spiced with fennel, and tarka lentil dhal to mop up with deep fried bhatura flatbread. Our highlight was the bundo chat – layers of crisp samosa, sweet-and-sour tamarind and frilly little crunchy bits on top.
Beers include collaborations with Leeds brewery Northern Monk and several Manchester breweries (see some of the best in the Beermoth section below). There’s simple house chai for a booze-free option, though you can add a dash of bourbon or cognac if you’re after more of a kick.
You wouldn’t expect to find this zen little space hiding down an alley near Victoria Station. Blond wood benches, panelled walls and a spotless sushi counter help to create a calm ambience in which to enjoy some sushi.
All the Japanese classics are there – neat little nigiri rice piles topped with wagyu sirloin or freshwater eel, sashimi slices (pickled mackerel, sea bream, scallop) cut with precision, and tightly-rolled maki cylinders filled with salmon and avocado, hand-picked crab or pickled veg.
There’s a whole section dedicated to unique cuts of tuna, ranging from lean akami to fatty otoro. Daily specials include salmon head, lamb rack and pork belly on springy sushi rice. Book in advance, as this tiny room gets rammed.
This backstreet drinking den is a hidden secret (look out for the leaf motif above the inconspicuous door). Though it’s above ground, the cocktail bar feels like a speakeasy, with candles flickering on wooden tables, brown leather booths hugging a mottled black and white brick wall, and a record player spinning blues and rock and roll.
Apron-clad owners Adam Day and Shane Kilgarriff mix up clever concoctions behind the white-tiled bar. There’s an unsung commitment to zero waste – no garnishes and a constantly-changing menu that allows the guys to utilise small-batch cordials, vermouths and bitters made in-house using hyper-local produce foraged from the outskirts of the city.
Examples of cocktails on our visit were a Twinkle that incorporated Chorlton elderflower cordial and fennel bulb liqueur, a Sour Butter Gimlet with lemon-and-asparagus-infused gin, and Whisky Mac (homemade ginger wine and blackcurrant leaf-infused Scotch). For something really boozy, go for the Rabo de Galo, served martini-style with cachaça, homemade vermouth and an intense grapefruit caramel.
If you’re in search of comfort then head to this canalside bakery for indulgent brownies and stay for cuddles with Maru the chow chow (aka lion dog).
The light and bright space beside New Islington Marina is kitted out with sleek scandi furnishings (concrete, pale wood, muted tones). Behind a counter heaving with freshly baked loaves and cakes there’s a huge area dedicated to baking. Pollen is famous for its sourdough loaves (try the Pollen rye, oat porridge, five-seed sour) and Manchester tart cruffins, but don’t miss the moist and zesty lemon and poppy seed cake and the decadent salted caramel brownie topped with cocoa nibs.
The owners support small foodie entrepreneurs with supper clubs and pop ups, so check out the website for Asian food from Pippy Eats and more…
This popular antipodean cafe drags loyal Northern Quarter locals out of bed at the weekend for its epic brunches. Emily’s homemade banana bread is treacly and dark, spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg with a fragrant vanilla mascarpone. If you’re really hungry, the hefty French toast is very popular, laden with homemade summer berry compote, almonds, whipped vanilla mascarpone and salted caramel; while corn fritters with a choice of toppings make a worthy savoury choice.
Federal’s owners are committed to excellent sourcing, with sourdough bread brought in from Lovingly Artisan in the Lake District, and coffee carted up from London’s Ozone Coffee Roasters (try a signature espresso martini made with vanilla infused vodka and Ozone espresso).
It’s a lovely spot to spend a few hours – above wooden floorboards mustard banquettes hug two sides of the almost triangular corner room, and lush green plants spill out of tiny hanging pots.
This trendy foodie outlet sits under the flyover near Manchester Met and Manchester University. Strings of exposed light bulbs cast a hipster twinkle over the self-contained courtyard, and there’s a sun-soaked garden filled with long wooden tables where you can while away summer afternoons.
Peruse the artisan beers on tap and by the bottle at Öl nanobrewery. Try one of their own brews or go for the local Cloudwater IPA, brewed under the railway arches around the corner. Otherwise sit in the shipping container above Takk coffee and sip espressos or iced lattes from sleek black bamboo cups.
The rotating street food offering showcases Manchester’s up-and-coming vendors. We tried Firebird Hope chicken sandwiches – the crunchiest outer shell covering extremely succulent pieces of chicken thigh with Koji mayo and green slaw.
With the main space in the Northern Quarter and a funky outpost in one of Hatch’s shipping containers, this sleek coffee shop is an ode to Scandinavia. The owners are obsessed with all things Nordic (particularly Reykjavik), so opened this ode to the region complete with the house Nordic Style espresso (roasted by Clifton Coffee in Bristol), cosy ‘hygge’ vibes and trendy baristas.
At the Oxford Road shop, there’s a more contemporary Scandinavian them, with a turquoise coffee machine, plenty of blonde wood and funky grey tiles create a calm backdrop to enjoy your coffee, or purchase one of the handy reusable cups and get an iced coffee to take away.
This upmarket tapas restaurant opened in 2016 and has quickly gained a reputation as Manchester’s go-to spot for a splash-out dinner.
Set over three storeys of a converted townhouse, there are plenty of choices when it comes to seating – a ground floor bar framed with shiny black tiles and seats that spill out onto the pavement, and red leather stools overlooking the open kitchen on the first floor, allowing punters to inhale aromas from the Josper grill. Then there’s el Gato Negro’s trump card, a swish rooftop bar, complete with sliding roof, where you can enjoy a glass of fresh and fruity Albariño wine from Galicia.
The restaurant’s small plates menu sees chefs adding modern twists to traditional tapas dishes. Though we thought some additions weren’t needed (Galician octopus, for example, was so soft and beautifully finished on the Josper grill that it didn’t need the punchy pickled shallots), other dishes really shone – long, slim heritage carrots were drenched in walnut pesto, miso and aubergine purée, while croquettas entailed an extra cheesy béchamel encased in crisp breadcrumbs.
This small shop on buzzy Tib Street is jam-packed with bottles, cans and kegs of beers from Manchester, as well as from the UK and across the globe.
Brews from the inner city include neon-packaged Runaway Brewery (smoked porter, summer saison, American brown ale), Track Brewing Co. (visit its weekly brew tap events under the arches of Picadilly), and Cloudwater, which has gained a global reputation for itself over the past few of years.
The friendly staff sure know their porters from their DIPAs, so make sure you pick their brains. We came across a fab new favourite from Northern Ireland after describing our preferences.
The Bagel Shop by Eat New York – best bagels in Manchester
This Northern Quarter newcomer is the latest hangout for hip young Mancunians. There are screens indoors to enjoy the footie, or grab a bagel or burger and set up camp in nearby Piccadilly Gardens for a gourmet picnic.
Bagels are top-notch – tempura-battered aubergine is meltingly soft and really holds itself up to the doughy bagel base. For something more classic, go for the homemade salt beef or pastrami smoked for 15 hours in ‘Old Buddy’ the smoker.
Co-owned by DJ/tea enthusiast, Mr Scruff, bright, busy Teacup (55 Thomas Street) majors on top regional ingredients and simple, honest dishes. Its baked beans with smoky bacon bits on home-baked sourdough is ace.
Common (39-41 Edge Street), is the quintessential N/4 hangout, and the menu at this hip, arty bar is now overseen by Aumbry chef, Laurence Tottingham. Look out for New York Jewish delicatessen specials, the homemade salt beef sauerkraut stack for instance, or Common’s pastrami-topped Reuben burger and classics like lamb kofta kebab.
Where to stay in Manchester – The Cow Hollow Hotel
Looking for a boutique hotel in Manchester for a foodie base? When a hotel’s reception doubles up as a cocktail bar you know you’re in for a good time. After a friendly Northern greeting, continue up the statement stairs to a cosy reception area that’s all exposed red-brick walls, gilt-panelled mirrors and hanging plants.
This unique style continues through to the hotel’s sixteen bedrooms; the building was previously a textile warehouse, so some come with impressive marble fireplaces, wooden floors and original beams.
Owners Muj and Amelia have catered to every need for an inner-city break, with super comfy beds, REN toiletries and even hair straighteners and curling tongs to prep for a night on the town (plus earplugs to block out any unwanted wake-ups).
Make the most of the complimentary early evening prosecco and snacks, or sit at the hotel’s swish marble and wood bar to order classic cocktails. There’s no restaurant, but the central location means favourites such as Bundobust and Rudy’s are a five-minute stumble away. After dinner, kick back and watch Netflix in bed with a round of milk and cookies (delivered to your room before 11pm), or head out to embrace the buzz of the Northern Quarter’s bars.
In the N/4, drinking late is no less than mandatory. Keep following the ale trail all the way to one of Marble Beers’ microbrewery bars 57 Thomas Street (57 Thomas Street) is a legendary boozer and music venue, The Castle Hotel (66 Oldham Street; ) and Port Street Beer House (39-41 Port Street). If you’re still peckish, Slice (1a Stevenson Square) serves authentic, Roman-style al taglio pizza till late.
Other great restaurants in Manchester
Australasia – for blow-out Asian fusion
Australasia (1 The Avenue), a glam subterranean bar-restaurant goes on late and gets busy. Visit pre-dinner to enjoy a rose and lychee martini.
Chef Michael Caines’ ABode (107 Piccadilly) stands out for its urban-loft style and good food.
What else to see and do in the Northern Quarter
The boho Northern Quarter [N/4] is crammed with indie record shops, vintage stores and boutiques. Don’t miss Richard Goodall Gallery (59 Thomas Street), with its unique collection of music-focused art, and Manchester Craft and Design Centre’s cute jewellery workshops (17 Oak Street).
Craving culture? Check the listings at N/4 art spaces, Kraak (Little Lever Street) and Twenty Twenty Two (20-22 Dale Street), or detour to Manchester Art Gallery (Mosley Street).
Pick up the food-shopping pace at Bonbon Chocolate Boutique (9 John Street) – chocolatier Joel Collins’s salted caramels are sensational, Wood Wine and Deli (42 Tib Street), and revive yourself with a peerless flat white at North Tea Power (36 Tib Street).
Words by Alex Crossley and Tony Naylor
Trust olive Food and arts journalist Tony Naylor was born, lives and works in Manchester. olive’s digital editor Alex Crossley has family in Manchester and visits regularly.
Looking for restaurants in Leeds? Yorkshire’s largest city combines glitzy clubs, bars and Victorian arcades with an arty undercurrent that buzzes with live music, proper pubs and independent shops and stallssuch as The Corn Exchange.
Leeds’ food and drink scene has evolved over the years, adapting to the city’s diversity, and it now boasts some of the best independent places to eat and drink in the country. From trendy new-wave coffee shops to craft breweries, casual dining restaurants to street food trucks, Leeds has become a serious foodie hub.
Check out our top places to eat and drink in Leeds…
North Star Coffee Shop & General Store, Leeds Dock – best coffee in Leeds
This calm, contemporary glass-fronted space at Leeds Dock (also pictured above) is a hangout for local chefs and business owners on their days off. Gather with friends around one of the large wooden tables or nestle into a cosy nook to enjoy a moment of peace with your coffee.
North Star has travelled the globe to find the best beans in the business, and it rotates its offer of not one, but two contrasting single origin espressos to ensure they satisfy varying taste buds. Baristas use geeky coffee equipment to bring out the best of the beans – delicate Ethipioan coffee is dripped through a Kalita filter and served in a glass carafe, and the toffee notes of the Colombian batch brew is blasted out of a huge jet on the counter. There’s even a tap that provides water in three different temperatures to let loose-leaf Storm teas shine.
The adjoining roastery is a constant flurry of activity, with the state-of-the-art coffee roaster turning away and sacks ready to be filled with the day’s beans and carted off to coffee shops and restaurants across Yorkshire.
North Star has collaborated with Noisette Bakehouse to offer some of the best sweet treats we’ve tried in a long time. There are queues out of the door to bag the first blueberry muffins of the day, and warm custard tarts are to die for. Don’t leave without trying the four-cheese buttermilk scones, made with rye flour to really hold the Parmesan, Red Leicester, Cheddar and cream cheese (and served warm, with proper butter made using acorn dairy milk from the Yorkshire Dales). Or, go for the Morning Cake – so unique that creator Sarah Lemanski has trademarked it. This twist on an American coffee cake has a sour cream cake base with a thin layer of cocoa and tonka bean and a crisp apple streusel topping, dusted with an icing sugar sunshine in a nod to the early riser.
Leeds Indie Food’s previously annual two-week food festival has become so popular it’s now a weekly affair, Eat North – a street food market that pops up every Saturday at craft brewery North Brewing Co. in Sheepscar.
The best street food trucks and independent restaurants from Leeds and Yorkshire descend upon the brewery tap each week. Rotating vendors include Manjit’s Kitchen, The Pulled Swine and Tikk’s Thai Kitchen, with sweet treats from Poffertjes King, and coffee from Rabbit Hole Coffee, Laynes Espresso and other city favourites.
With mini festivals such as vegetarian- and vegan-themed VegNorth and special late-opening DJ nights, Eat North is a great way to discover the area’s independent food and drink traders. Here are our favourite street food stalls in the UK.
Originally a small espresso bar, Laynes Espresso expanded in January 2017 and now offers an earthy space to relax in with tiled floors, exposed brick and plenty of dark wood.
This trendy coffee shop showcases blends from roasters around the world, as well as the best from London and even the city’s own roaster, North Star (see above). Learn the tricks of the barista trade at one of its on-site workshops, grab an espresso on your way to the station down the round, or sit in and savour the smooth texture of one of the best flat whites in the country.
The all-day food menu includes local classics such as Yorkshire rarebit with Henderson’s relish on caraway-seeded rye toast, and a decadent home-baked ham hock and Doreen black pudding hash.
Take time over one of the exotic dishes on the brunch menu, from shakshukawith dukkah and harissa butter, to sweetcorn fritters with halloumi, chimichurri, poached eggs and pickled chilli. In-house baked goods are to die for – cinnamon rolls, cardamom and almond cake, and coffee cake made with the house espresso – while additional treats from local baking company, Noisette Bakehouse (more info above),plumps up the sweet treat offering with salted caramel brownies and rye flour cookies.
This innovative restaurant and bar combines vegetarian Indian street food with a huge range of craft ales. A bustling place where food is served in disposable bowls with biodegradable cutlery, it offers a casual dining experience with small plates and low prices.
Owners Marko Husak and Mayur Patel have taken inspiration from Gujarat, where Mayur’s family is from, along with the street food vendors of Southern India and Mumbai.
With no curry option, or meat, Bundobust is a world away from old-school curry houses, but dishes such as vada pav (a fried spicy mashed potato ball served in a brioche bun) and bundo chaat (a samosa of pastry, turmeric noodles, yogurt and tamarind chutney) have gained cult status. Try the onion bhajis: aromatic with garam masala and ajwain, filled with lush onion and cauliflower, the batter lifted by threads of spinach.
On the drinks front, this bar provides a platform for independent brewers such as Kirkstall Brewery and Northern Monk, and offers limited edition ales and collaborations. Its menu is succinct, tempting and all-vegetarian, from spicy nuts to massala dosa, a mini crêpe with potato and onion dry fry, lentil soup and coconut chutney.
Nonna’s polpette and spaghetti; rabbit, pancetta, white wine and potatoes; and almond and raspberry polenta cake – these are just three reasons why locals flock to Zucco, tucked away in one of the leafier suburbs of Leeds.
Run by brothers Rosario and Michael Leggiero, it’s a cool and contemporary place with black and white floor tiles, white subway wall tiles and a beaten tin ceiling.
Pop in to Yorkshire beer, wine and charcuterie specialist, Friends of Ham, for sharing platters and small plates. Choose from the extensive charcuterie list – (here’s how to make your own) – we tried Barbaresco salami from Piedmont, prosciutto from Parma, and popular British bath chaps, made from the pig’s cheek. Small dishes include spicy ‘nduja on sourdough toast with cornichons, traditional Spanish anchovies, and ham hock and black pudding terrine.
Wines are curated with the utmost care. Take the Renata Pizzulin Clagnis as an example, a subtly spiced, fruity Italian red wine made by a couple as a weekend project in the northeastern Friuli region of Italy. This is what we loved most about Friends of Ham, the care and attention in sourcing the best of the best and serving it unpretentiously in a warm and friendly environment.
There’s a lot to like about Ox Club, a modern British restaurant in Headrow House, a former textile mill built in the early 1900s. It feels and looks great: warm lighting, cool rustic-industrial design. The staff are bright, its craft beer list is unusually interesting and the pricing is keen.
The focal point is the Grillworks grill imported from Michigan – it’s used to cook everything from hanger steak to guinea fowl, hake and razor clams. Expect delicate accompaniments such as buttermilk polenta with tea and molasses brine; creamed flageolet beans with bacon jam; or Jerusalem artichoke with mushrooms and ymerdrys (a Danish sugared rye bread crumb).
Although vegetarian options are limited, the side dishes are all innovative and vegetable-based: try brussels sprouts with bacon and cured egg yolk, coal-roasted beetroot with muscovado walnuts, or kale with chard, cider and golden raisins.
The Real Junk Food Project – for sustainable dining
What started five years ago as a single ‘pay as you feel’ café serving creative dishes using waste food has grown into more than 120 similar operations across seven countries. It was set up by chef Adam Smith after he saw the scale of poverty and food waste when he was working in Australia. Keen to make a difference, he returned to the UK and launched The Real Junk Food Project (TRJFP) in his home city of Leeds.
The food in the cafés is donated by several major supermarket chains as well as other cafés, restaurants and even food banks. Smith says the chefs in TRJFP cafés get creative with the menus because they have to adapt to what’s arriving in the kitchen each day.
“We’ve had Michelin-starred chefs helping in the kitchen and they’ve struggled with the concept because there’s no structure – in fact, some of them had to bring their own ingredients, which was against the principle! On the other hand, I’ve had a Syrian asylum seeker who would throw everything into a pan and make some incredible meals.”
Always with the aim of abolishing surplus food, TRJFP has grown into a network of cafés and opened eight ‘social supermarkets’ and the launch of Smith’s most ambitious project yet, Fuel for School, which provides food that otherwise would have gone to waste to feed students, and educates them about food and how to avoid waste.
The father of a four-year-old son, Adam says he is determined to make an impact through educating children about food waste, which is why his team delivers surplus food to some 15,000 school children in the Leeds and Bradford areas.
“Spending time in schools, I’ve seen how a powerful message can be delivered to young people. If you show them a tonne of fruit and vegetables that have been wasted but are perfectly edible, it has a direct impact.
“Fuel for School will be our greatest legacy because in 10 to 15 years’ time those children will be the next consumers and employees, and they’ll have this model ingrained in them. They are the future.”
What started out in Leeds two years ago has spread south, with Wolf sites now in Reading and London. Manchester and Nottingham are next. It’s on-the-go Italian street food made using predominantly British ingredients, including pasta bowls, salads and piadas (founder Tim Entwistle describes the latter as being “like Italian burritos”).
“We use a piadina flatbread, which is heated on our hot stone, brushed with olive oil and garlic, then filled with marinated meats such as lemon chicken or spicy Italian sausage.”
The twist is that the piadas are then stuffed with some spaghettini, drizzled with hot sauce or freshly made pesto and finished with fresh vegetables, then wrapped up like a burrito.
“Our customers love it – they can tailor them to suit their tastes, whether they want classic Italian with basil pesto and lemon and rosemary chicken; or something different, such as steak and cheesy alfredo sauce. The combinations are endless.”
This week we celebrate Yorkshire Day with web editor Alex Crossley (who also happens to be from Yorkshire!). Alex returns to her home county to explore the independent food scene in Leeds including a lesson in British charcuterie from Friends of Ham as well as matching speciality coffee with Yorkshire-made sweet treats at North Star.
olive magazine podcast ep63 – Leeds independent food scene special
Looking for restaurants in San Sebastian? Read our guide to the best places to eat and drink in Donostia San Sebastian. Including local favourites and must-visit haunts of Jose Pizarro (London’s favourite Basque chef). From Michelin-starred restaurants to San Sebastian’s best casual pintxo bars and bars to drink Basque txakoli wines.
Michelin-starred restaurants in San Sebastián
A picturesque port and resort on the Bay of Biscay, San Sebastián has notched up 16 Michelin stars. There are seven three-star restaurants across Spain and three of them are here: Akelarre, Martin Berasategui and Arzak, the bastion of chef Juan Mari Arzak. It has the second highest number of Michelin stars per square metre after Kyoto in Japan, and more than Paris.
Jose Pizarro, London’s favourite Basque restaurateur, loves Arzak. This three Michelin-starred restaurant continues to push the boundaries of Spanish food, turning it into art. It’s no wonder Arzak is included in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. A visit here will be one of the best food experiences you will ever have.
The brightest in the constellation is Mugaritz. Chef Andoni Luis Aduriz’s insatiable appetite for pushing limits and unwavering loyalty to local ingredients and traditions results in a show-stopping tasting menu, with dishes like trompe l’oeil olives and beer, or perfect pork under autumn ‘leaves’. Read our extensive interview with Jessica Lorigo, head chef at Mugaritz.
Mugaritz restaurant, San Sebastián
Best pintxo bars in San Sebastian
Mimo San Sebastián pintxos crawl
Embark on a pintxos – also called txikiteo in the Basque country – crawl with Mimo San Sebastián. Weave through the crowded warren of alleyways in the Parte Vieja or Old Town. There’s no delicate way to eat pintxos, traditionally a slice of baguette teetering with food and speared with a wooden toothpick or pintxo – hence the name. The juices soak into the bread, run down your chin, coat your fingers and are smeared onto paper napkins, which are tossed on the floor.
Pintxos were born because “it’s not our custom to entertain at home. We meet friends for a drink and snack before dinner”. It’s one of the reasons that, originally, there were no sweet pintxos – these were pre-dinner snacks, not the main meal. You also went to one or two places not the string of bars you working your way through on this tour.
There are over 100 pintxos bars to choose from, mainly in the Old Town, and so a tailored tour is a good way to narrow it down. The guide’s top tip: ignore the piles of pretty pintxos on each bar’s counter and order dishes chalked on the blackboard. These are cooked fresh to order and each bar has its own specialities.
At Goiz Argi the speciality is the brocheta de gambas, a juicy prawn served on a skewer, soaked in a sweet and sour garlic, pepper and onion marinade. The mari Juli baguette with salty slivers of smoked salmon, sardine and oily green pepper is equally moreish, with a glass of txakoli, the local sparkling white wine.
Poured from great height to aerate it, the feisty, fruity white splashes into a tall tumbler. It conjures up vibrant green apples and has a slightly salty aftertaste. The grapes are grown on the coast near the towns of Getaria and it has denomination of origin status – as has the local idiazabal sheep’s milk cheese. The smoked version is more traditional as it was originally made in windowless shepherds’ huts and smoked naturally rather than by design.
Borda Berri
Borda Berri in the Old Town makes all its pintxos to order. The menu’s perfectly executed takes on traditional dishes change regularly, but piquillo peppers stuffed with beef cheek and the grilled octopus are perennial favourites, along with legendary risotto pintxos made with idiazabal.
Fermin Calbeton Kalea, 12; 00 34 943 43 03 42
La Cuchara de San Telmo
At the long, thin rustic wooden bar with a tiny open kitchen at one end and no pintxos on the counter, order cochinillo, melt-in-the-mouth suckling pig with quince sauce and mollejas – veal sweetbreads and apple – majestically matched with a full-bodied Navajas Crianza from Rioja.
Casa Urola
Anchovies, goose barnacles, baby peas, white asparagus; the menu at Casa Urola reads like a greatest hits of seasonal local produce. Under the deft control of chef Pablo Loureiro, and making the most its charcoal grill, the restaurant focuses on updating traditional Basque dishes.
Tuck into an Instagram-perfect plate of alcachofa con praliné (artichoke with cardoon, mojo sauce and almonds) and txipirón, a mound of squid with creamy white bean sauce and the original pintxo, the Gilda; think a cocktail stick crammed with salty anchovies, fat juicy olives and local guindilla pickled peppers.
There’s a restaurant upstairs where chef Pablo Rodil serves a contemporary take on rustic Basque cuisine. A starter of charcoal-grilled artichoke hearts and cardoons with almond cream, salty praline and crisp Iberian ham is delicious, as are the sautéed baby broad beans with borage, artichoke and egg on potato cream. Another Basque delicacy: charcoal-grilled hake cheeks are soft, salty and delicate.
A Fuego Negro
If you visit this modern, molecular-focused pintxo place in San Sebastián, you have to try the pajarito frito (little fried bird). The bird is marinated in vermouth, roast garlic and honey, then left for 24 hours so the flavour really infuses. There’s a tasting menu of nine new-wave pintxos for those who want to sit in and linger over dinner.
José Ignacio and Amaia have run this Basque-style bar in San Sebastián’s old town for over 25 years, and it serves some of the best pintxos you’ll find. Try the craband prawns with a glass of txakoli.
Zeruko
It’s hard to stick to the brief of ignoring the counter-spread at Zeruko – one of the new-wave, experimental (swap bells and whistles for smoke and foam) pintxo bars. This is food-porn nirvana. The intricate pintxos look more like modern artworks than snacks. And that’s part of the beauty of pintxos. You can graze on mini-molecular Michelin-style dishes for a fraction of the price. Most cost no more than three or four euros. The signature dish, however, is la hoguera, a sliver of salt cod served on a tiny smoking grill then folded onto a piece of toast with caramelised onions, carrot cream and parsley pearls, a test tube shot of parsley as a chaser – pure theatre.
Atari Gastroteka
This bar by the overblown baroque basilica of Santa Maria is a great place for dessert. The torrija is a cross between bread and butter pudding and French toast, made with brioche soaked in custard and then caramelised.
Best bars in San Sebastián
Bodega Donostiarra
This is Jose Pizarro’s favourite place to enjoy the Basque sunshine out on its terrace with a cold beer. He always orders the chicken wings, but the tomato salad is amazing too.
A midday vermouth is a Spanish weekend ritual, and Bar Txurrut’s picturesque terrace is the best spot for enjoying one. Try artisan vermouth, doctored with a touch of bitters and a dash of Amaro, shaken and strained into a chilled glass.
Plaza De La Constitución, 9; 00 34 943 42 91 81
Best food shops in San Sebastián
Oiartzun – for ice cream, pastries an coffee
Taking a stroll along the Boulevard while eating an ice cream is an obligatory summer evening tradition in San Sebastián. Various ice cream shops line the shaded avenue, but Oiartzun stands out for its artisanal, made-from-scratch flavours like torrija and New York cheesecake.
Sit at the counter at the back of the shop and order like the locals – a “cafe con espuma” (coffee with foam) and a little palmita heart-shaped pastry.
Aitor Lasa – for Spanish produce
Artisan deli Aitor Lasa is rammed with oils and preserves, local charcuterie and cheeses and baskets brimming with mushrooms to create the ultimate Spanish picnic to take to La Concha beach.
La Bretxa market – best food market
Buy ingredients from 19th-century La Bretxa market. San Sebastián is bordered by the sea, mountains and fertile Ebro valley and Basque cuisine reflects this bountiful natural larder. Local farmers sell their produce outside every day except Sundays, the stalls are piled high with the area’s famous artichokes and asparagus, beans in every hue (red, white, green, and black beans from Tolosa), petit pois so sweet they’re known as green caviar, and guindilla peppers.
The fish and meat markets are inside, underground. Here you can find local specialities such as chistorra, a cross between chorizo and sausage, and salt cod (bacalao). At the fish counters there are mounds of percebes (gooseneck barnacles), a typical delicacy. Hake is popular as is turbot cooked over a grill with olive oil and garlic. On the stalls the gills are exposed, a vivid red to show that the fish is fresh.
More restaurants to try in San Sebastián
Topa
Rowdy and colourful, all graffiti-covered walls, loud music and raw, recycled materials, the Basque-Latin American mash up tells the story of Basque immigration to Latin America.
Try the iconic tacotalos al pastor vasco, marinated in Basque pepper and cider vinegar instead of citrus, and topped with roasted apple in place of pineapple. The corn tacos (‘talos’ in Basque) are blended with millet – its usage locally predates corn – to enhance the flavour. Meanwhile, kalimotxo, that love-it-or-hate-it local tipple of red wine and cola, enriches braised veal empanadas. Another borrowing comes from Mexican chef Enrique Olvera’s kitchen: a 1,100-day-old mole that is ‘fed’ daily with Basque spices for an infusion of subtle local flavour. And to drink? Pisco cocktails and micheladas come up against euskojitos (Basque mojitos) and the local txakoli wine. The idea of authenticity is thrown wide open.
Zelai Txiki
Call Zelai Txiki the day before to reserve the suckling pig and suckling lamb, served straight from the wood-burning oven and carved tableside. Or, if you prefer something less flamboyant, try the homemade charcuterie, then hake with clams, and finish with melon soup and coconut ice cream.
Where to stay in San Sebastián: Hotel Maria Cristina
The glamorous belle époque Hotel Maria Cristina is within staggering distance and a fitting base for the gourmet capital of Spain. The hotel, which nudges up to the Parte Vieja and overlooks the River Urumea, was exquisitely revamped in 2012, the year that marked its centenary. Renowned filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar has stayed here, along with a string of Hollywood luminaries from Bette Davis to Woody Allen. Its food credentials include its own concierge-designed DIY pintxos trail, a gourmet shop where you can stock up on gastronomic souvenirs from local wines to smoked olive oil and Basque cookbooks, while in the basement there’s the sleek, state-of-the-art cookery school.
The cookery school is run by Mimo San Sebastián, set up in 2009 by British expat Jon Warren, whose passion for the region’s gastronomy led him to leave his lucrative job in the city in London. They offer pintxos tours, cookery classes, wine and sherry tastings, vineyard tours and trips to sagardotegiak (aka cider houses). These pepper the surrounding region especially near the town of Astigarraga. The houses dish up set menus featuring salt cod omelette, chorizo cooked in cider, and idiazabal with quince and walnuts along with as much cider – lightly sparkling, cloudy and refreshingly sour – as you can drink from the huge barrels.
The chef, Mateus Mendes, begins by teaching how to clean squid and carefully remove the ink sac. During the morning, soak and sear, beat, blend and blanch, and get to handle a blowtorch. Then sit down to eat the lunch you’ve cooked: a delicate dish of squid with sweetcorn and tart green apple and, for dessert, creamy sweet torrijas, for example.
Drive down narrow lanes flanked by towering green hedges on Cornwall’s wild Atlantic coast to discover Kudhva, an off-grid glampsite near Trebarwith Strand. Set up by leatherworker Louise Middleton, this disused quarry has been transformed into a verdant enclave where visitors can stay in tree tents, rigged above ground, or in one of four kudhva – compact wood-and-metal cabins on stilts.
And the general vibe?
Kudhva means ‘hideout’ in Cornish and the site feels very much like a retreat, one that immerses you in the natural world. Turning off the road and heading up the rough track that leads to the site, a car will only take you so far before you have to go by foot uphill, pausing midway to admire the views of the sea beyond. Once you’re there, discover willow groves lush with ferns, slate-and gorse-strewn hills and dense woodlands.
In the midst of this bucolic setting is a self-catering glamping site. Expect flushing toilets, solar-powered showers (using water from the site’s own borehole), a communal kitchen and even an outdoor hot tub, while the rustic surroundings are reflected in the décor – much of the furniture and structures are wooden and handmade, with jars of velvety fern fronds and wildflowers decorating most surfaces.
Kudhva’s shared kitchen
Which room should I book?
In contrast to their untamed setting the kudhva (designed by Ben Huggins of New British Design) look starkly futuristic, standing on stilt-like wooden legs like escape pods from a spaceship. Clamber up a ladder to get inside and you’re met with a Scandi-esque vibe, all pale-wood surfaces and washed-out blues. There’s a small living area – prettily outfitted with Turkish towels, flowers, a homemade candle and books to read – and a mezzanine sleeping area. It’s very snug (tall people may find it too tight a fit) but light-filled thanks to full-length windows that offer lovely views of the surrounding greenery. In keeping with the off-grid nature of the site there’s no electricity, but torches are provided. For maximum privacy and pretty views of the fields and sea, book Kudhva 4.
What’s good to drink?
Kudhva doesn’t have a permanent bar onsite but the area is full of drinks producers, from traditional Tintagel Brewery to quirky The Wrecking Coast, which makes an unusual gin distilled with clotted cream. Elsewhere, explore local vineyards Trevibban Mill (check out the rustic Italian dishes at onsite restaurant Appleton’s, headed by the former head chef of Fifteen Cornwall) and Camel Valley (known for its award-winning sparkling wines), or cider maker Haywood Farm. Visit the latter on Sundays to join its cider socials, with live music.
And to eat?
Each kudhva has its own firepit, or you can cook in a shared kitchen. At nearby Hilltop Farm Shop, in Slaughterbridge, stock up on Cornish produce, from locally made wines, beers and gins to Davidstow cheddar, wild garlic pesto and freshly baked sourdough. Slightly further afield, Boscastle Farm Shop does homemade quiches, pies and cakes, and has a butchery selling meat from its own herd of Ruby Red cattle.
If you prefer a less DIY approach, seafood specialist Tan & Mor and boutique caterers Beautiful and the Feast (which also owns eatery Temple in Bude) are happy to send chefs to cook for you on site. Just make sure you give them plenty of notice.
If booked ahead, the campsite can also provide you with a pricey (£35) but indulgent breakfast hamper of local bacon, sausages, sourdough, coffee and milk.
Fresh bread from Hilltop Farm Shop
Any other food experiences I shouldn’t miss?
Kudhva’s lush setting means it’s a great spot for foraging (ask at reception for the site’s foraging guide), from hunting for wild strawberries to picking botanicals, like water mint and wood violets, for cocktails. Once a month the Sunday Services sees Kudhva put on a spread of locally sourced food and cocktails, with music from local DJs. Plans are also in place to introduce cookery courses with Tan & Mor – check the website for updates.
Is it family friendly?
Those with toddlers and babies would find it challenging getting in and out of the cabins, and while there’s plenty on the 45-acre site that older children would enjoy exploring, bear in mind that the vibe of Kudhva is very mellow and quiet, and might be somewhere you’d prefer to visit sans enfants.
What can I do in the local area?
Exploring Kudhva’s 45 acres – from wild swimming in its reservoir to practising yoga in the willow groves (the site recently trialled regular yoga sessions, which it hopes to continue in the summer months) – will easily while away a lazy afternoon. Further afar there’s also plenty to explore; beach combing and mussel picking can be had at nearby Trebarwith Strand (though head to Polzeath, half an hour’s drive away, if you’re after a classic sandy beach) and, as this is surfing country, ask at reception if you’d like some recommendations for instructors. The rugged coastline also offers plenty of walking opportunities – Kudhva is very near the South West Coast Path – and is fringed with postcard-perfect fishing villages and hidden coves.
Restaurant-wise, the likes of Nathan Outlaw in Port Isaac and Rick Stein’s empire in Padstow are the most well known destinations but it’s worth taking time to explore the region’s lesser known gems. Head to Pilchards Café, in tiny Port Gaverne, for fresh local crab piled high on sourdough toast, and garlicky grilled prawns in a setting just metres from the beach, and stop by roadside café Strong Adolfos for Cornish-Swedish fusion plates and Origin coffee. For something different, Debbie Warner’s Wild Wine Club organises monthly alfresco wine feasts in beautiful locations across Cornwall (including Kudhva).
Read our guide to some of the best bars and restaurants around Exmouth, Devon and, some of the best places to stay in Devon and around the Exe Estuary,including The Pig at Combe, and Lympstone Manor.
River Exe Café
“At The Fat Duck, Heston Blumenthal gives his customers seashells playing the sound of crashing waves while they eat fish. Here we have the sounds and smells of the sea all around us” says chef Chris Dayer inside the River Exe Café, set on a barge in Devon’s Exe Estuary.
Getting here by water taxi from Exmouth is part of the adventure. Most visitors have to book months in advance, but there is some passing trade. “Kitesurfers land here in their wetsuits and come in to warm up,” says Chris.
The fruits of the estuary’s waters don’t disappoint. Chris buys much of his seafood direct from local fisherman and, if you want to sample them all, he does a mixed seafood platter, including sensational scallops in port and parmesan. There’s local booze, too, notably Copper Frog gin, distilled in Exmouth (check out our favourite British gins here).
There’s plenty else to detain foodies in pretty Topsham, whose high street of small independent shops (including the lovely Cooks Aweigh kitchen shop) feels a world apart from nearby chain-bound Exeter.
The Pig and Pallet
Quirky is what this little corner of Devon does well. The Pig & Pallet café, inside a former sail loft on the quay at Topsham, claims to be a marriage of East Coast USA and West Country UK; meat, rather than fish, is king. The café’s owners crafted it – out of discarded pallets, hence the name – as a stall from which to sell their nitrate-free Good Game charcuterie (bestsellers: rabbit salami and Devon fire chorizo). But their hot offerings became so popular that the stall quickly morphed into a rustic dining space. I tackle a beef burger made from Devon’s own Red Ruby breed.
The meat is reared a few metres away at Darts Farm, also home to an excellent farm shop. Pigs – outdoor-reared in Powderham, across the estuary – also make an appearance in The Pig & Pallet’s pulled pork, served in spectacularly good cornbread baps baked in nearby Shaldon.
Nip into Country Cheeses, one of a trio of cheese shops originating in Tavistock. Try Sweet Charlotte, Country Cheeses’ own emmental-style cow’s milk cheese. “Charlotte may be called sweet but she has quite a bite,” the woman serving warns.
Pebblebed Winery
Back on Topsham’s waterside, discover wood-fired pizza and wine in the cellars of Pebblebed winery. Beginning in 1999 as a half-acre community-run plot, it now has 25 acres and produces some seriously good sparkling wines. Sign up for a tasting with tapas in the cellars, or for a tour of the vineyard at nearby Clyst St George.
For booze with a longer history, stop at the Bridge Inn, largely untouched since the 18th century and famous for hosting the queen’s first outing to a pub, in 1998.
At Topsham’s The Salutation Inn protégé Tom Williams-Hawkes produces top-notch food both for the coaching inn’s evening restaurant and its daytime Glass House café. When we visit, the great-value set lunch in the café includes a choice between Darts Farm Red Ruby beef and tarragon gnocchi, followed by crème brûlée.
But the Exe estuary is not just about ancient inns and street food from make-do-and-mend cafés. Clotted-cream-hued Lympstone Manor by Michael Caines sits in a ringside position overlooking the estuary – proof that East Devon can scrub up as smart as Devon’s better known South Hams. Michael has transformed a tired Georgian mansion into a triumph of New England-style design in palettes of taupe and dusky blues. He’s even planted a vineyard (its first vintage should be on sale by about 2022).
Michael is clearly enjoying his dual role of chef and hotelier. “This is it,” he tells us, straightening a pot on the verandah as we watch the sunset sky turn raspberry-coulis-pink over the estuary. “There’s nowhere in the world I’d rather be than here.” We’d struggle to disagree, especially after enjoying his eight-course tasting menu in one of the hotel’s three dining rooms. Its classic dishes attest to a chef at the top of his game: sumptuous but not over-elaborate, packed with multi-layered flavours. A standout is the fillet of Darts Farm Red Ruby beef, perfectly balanced with a horseradish and shallot confit and silky celeriac purée. But the showstopper (which anyone who ate Michael’s food at Gidleigh Park will remember) is the chocolate orange dessert, in the uncannily lifelike form of an orange.
Michael’s influence does not stop at Lympstone. In 2004 he founded the now annual Exeter Festival of South West Food & Drink and he’s trained many of the chefs in the region’s inns.
Where to eat and drink in North East Devon
Five Bells Inn
Gidleigh-trained chefs are impressing inland, too. At the thatchedFive Bells Inn, Ian Webber produces bold-flavoured specials, such as duck leg confit with celeriac purée, alongside burgers and steaks.
The roadside location of The Jack in the Green at Rockbeare, amid a sprawl of new housing, may be less appealing but Matt Mason’s cooking is equally assured, drawing on East Devon’s rich larder for anything from Kenniford Farm free-range pork to edible organic flowers from Maddocks Farm.
Salmon and Prawn roulade at the Jack in the Green
The Rusty Pig – Ottery St Mary
Enjoy the porcine delights of The Rusty Pig, a relaxed ‘feasting house’ named after the hue of the Oxford Sandy and Black pigs that owner Robin Rea turns into charcuterie. Belting breakfasts are the big thing here, and in the evening, hedgerow cocktails and pot-luck suppers.
As well as antique shops, the market town of Honiton, a few miles north-east, has a pleasing number of traditional food shops, as well as Toast Café and The Holt tapas bar/restaurant. The latter two are owned by Otter Brewery, which takes its name from the river valley in which the town stands.
Chef Tim Maddams at Otter farm
The Pig at Combe – Honiton
There are more piggy pleasures at The Pig at Combe, the latest addition to the Pig hotel chain’s litter. Housed in an Elizabethan manor, its red-brick-walled gardens supply the kitchen with everything from tree spinach to shiitake mushrooms. “We have great produce here, so there’s no need to over-complicate things,” says head chef Daniel Gavriilidis. “The garden is boss, so we’re driven by what’s in it at any time, and the same goes for our suppliers. Being limited makes us more creative.” Seated under the glass chandeliers in its grandiose yet laidback dining room, tuck into featherblade of Red Ruby beef from nearby Pipers Farm. It’s an ingredient chef is particularly excited about. “The cows are slow-growing, and not slaughtered until three years old. That creates meat with wonderful marbling.” If you want a more informal vibe, grab a wood-fired flatbread in the old garden folly.
Run by former River Cottage gardener Mark Diacono. Mark has made a name for himself by cultivating unusual fruit and veg. He now runs courses from his Kitchen Garden School, employing top talent to teach anything from food writing (Diana Henry) and food photography (Patricia Niven) to preserve-making (Pam ‘the jam’ Corbin). I did the food photography course, and with former River Cottage chef Tim Madams cooking our food, it wasn’t hard to feel inspired.
Down river is Otterton, a village of whitewashed cottages just west of the Regency seaside resorts of Sidmouth and Budleigh Salterton that is home to Otterton Mill. This ancient watermill has been restored to its original purpose of using water power to stone-grind flour. In the shop you can buy flour, and bread and cakes made with it, or, in the café, home-baked crab-shaped rolls crammed with Devon crab.
Head along the shoreline, known as the Jurassic Coast for its rocks (they span 185 million years). Food stops include the thatched Old Bakery Tearoom and The Masons Arms in pretty Branscombe and, near the Dorset border, Trill Farm and River Cottage, both famous for their cookery courses and feasts of homegrown produce.
Head to the fishing village of Beer, tucked beneath wooded limestone cliffs. On the shingle here are four brightly painted fishing boats, the last working vessels of what used to be a much larger fleet. Buy their crab catch from the shack at the top of the beach and settle on the pebbles. It might be blowing a gale, but savouring East Devon’s seafood to the crashing of the waves is hard to beat.
HOW TO GET TO EXMOUTH AND WHERE TO STAY IN DEVON
Clare stayed in the self-catering Shepherd’s Hut at Coombe Farm, Northleigh, which costs from £99 per night for two (airbnb.co.uk).
Looking for the best places to stay in Cornwall? After a bed and breakfast on the Cornish coast? Want to find a romantic hotel in Cornwall?
We’ve rounded up the best foodie hotels in Cornwall, from seaside bed and breakfasts to Cornish farmhouse retreats, as well as restaurants with rooms to stay in Cornwall…
Artist Residence, Penzance
A coolly colourful 17-bedroom hotel in Penzance’s old quarter with a relaxed vibe (checked blankets, yellow Roberts radios, contemporary artworks) and a retro-chic restaurant and bar, The Cornish Barn.
The menu in the restaurant includes meat and fish from its in-house smokehouse, or tuck into tapas-style dishes of deep-fried squid with chilli, lime and salt, and parsnip rösti with caramelised shallots and goat’s cheese. Dessert is rum-infused crème brûlée, hazelnut brittle and homemade banana ice cream.
Perched on Falmouth’s waterside, with its own private pontoon, The Greenbank is a little piece of Cornish history in itself, originally serving as a lodging house for sea captains during the town’s maritime heyday before becoming a full-blown hotel (20th century guests included Florence Nightingale and Wind in the Willows author, Kenneth Grahame, whose most famous book is thought to have been based on letters he wrote while staying there).
Super-comfy king size beds, crisp sheets, fluffy robes and a white-tiled bathroom complete with huge walk-in shower and White Company toiletries all added to the luxurious feel, as did the calm and muted colour palette, speckled with little flashes of sea-blue.
Breakfast is equally impressive as the view you get while eating it (the Water’s Edge restaurant runs the whole length of the front of the hotel). If you don’t fancy a Full Cornish you can tuck into smoked haddock and poached eggs, eggs Benedict or porridge with Rodda’s clotted cream.
Looking for romantic hotels in Cornwall? The only routine at The Scarlet, a hotel perching on the edge of Mawgan Porth, is the regularity of the tide: the cool waters pulling back to reveal soft golden sand and thousands of lead-coloured mussels that cling to the rocks as stubbornly as guests lie on the loungers a few metres above.
Rooms, which are spread over five levels, come with their own outdoor space and open-plan bathrooms to ensure the connection with the view is never broken. The goosebump-inducing outdoor pool is naturally filtered with reeds, while the indoor pool is heated by solar panels.
Dinner is served in a dramatically quirky three-AA-rosette dining room that makes most sense when the curtains are pulled back to reveal the views. One day you might have Cornish hake with lobster ravioli, cured ham, lobster bisque and cucumber, the next a twice-baked Cornish Crackler cheese soufflé with candied walnut and Devon Cox’s apple salad. Like the hotel as a whole, it’s well considered but far from formal.
There are 66 acres of meadow, copse and wooded riverbank to scour for the perfect picnic spot at Coombeshead Farm. Once the dairy farm for the Trelaske estate, this is the latest venture from British chefs Tom Adams (of London restaurant Pitt Cue) and April Bloomfield (who set up Michelin-starred gastropub The Spotted Pig in the States). A working farm, guesthouse and (if all goes to plan) a cookery school, it’s a pulse-racing addition to Cornwall’s culinary scene.
There are just five bedrooms (and one adjoining bunk room) in the rambling 18th-century Georgian farmhouse, which squints over at Dartmoor on the horizon. Plus a dining room where Adams and Bloomfield dish up dinner at the ‘feasting table’ – expect produce from their smokehouse, curing and pickling rooms.
For breakfast there’s homemade yoghurt, bread, freshly milled oats and grains, preserves, butters, ham, bacon and cheeses to tuck into. The aim is also to breed Mangalica pigs, renowned for their rich-red ham and marbling, while workshops (for guests only) in the outbuildings will span the spectrum from whole carcass butchery to breadmaking, pickling and curing and, coming full circle, all things dairy.
Drive down narrow lanes flanked by towering green hedges on Cornwall’s wild Atlantic coast to discover Kudhva, an off-grid glampsite near Trebarwith Strand. Set up by leatherworker Louise Middleton, this disused quarry has been transformed into a verdant enclave where visitors can stay in tree tents, rigged above ground, or in one of four kudhva – compact wood-and-metal cabins on stilts.
In the midst of this bucolic setting is a self-catering glamping site. Expect flushing toilets, solar-powered showers, your own fire pit, a communal kitchen and even an outdoor hot tub, while the rustic surroundings are reflected in the décor – much of the furniture and structures are wooden and handmade, with jars of velvety fern fronds and wildflowers decorating most surfaces.
The best bed and breakfast in St Ives… Breakfast is an art form at Trevose Harbour House, in the higgledy-piggledy artistic hub that is St Ives (home of the Tate Modern and the Barbara Hepworth Museum). A jaunty boutique B&B, with six nautical-themed rooms, a smattering of Ercol and harbour views, the focus is firmly on local and organic.
Start with a smoothie ‘shot of the day’ then choose from their version of the continental or a hot dish. The continental is a smorgasbord of homemade bircher muesli, granola parfait, organic yoghurt, fresh fruit, seasonal fruit compote, homemade organic multigrain granola, freshly baked pain au chocolat, pain aux raisins and local organic bread smeared with homemade jams. Along with the full English, cooked options include a hot croissant filled with runny Cornish brie, ham and tomato.
Looking for hotels in South Cornwall? Fowey is a pretty, buzzy harbour town. Set in a designated area of outstanding natural beauty, the town has a rich maritime history and, in season, the harbour is still filled with yachts (there’s also a Royal Regatta each summer).
Narrow cobbled streets wind uphill from the quayside and there is a lively independent shopping, eating and drinking scene. Sitting in a prime position right on the quayside is Havener’s Bar and Grill, a restaurant with five stylish bedrooms and an apartment above it.
The hearty food menu has plenty of pub classics such as fishand chips, steak and burgers but also offers some slightly more refined cooking with lots of local fish and seafood.
Fancy a Cornish afternoon tea? Listen to our great scone debate on the podcast here…
Chapel House, Penzance
One of the best bed and breakfasts in Cornwall… Nobody has coined the right term yet for the ‘B&B plus’, according to Susan Stuart, owner of Chapel House in Penzance. Many luxury B&Bs now offer far more than a traditional guesthouse yet don’t fall into the boutique hotel category. Chapel House, once the Penzance Arts Club, is certainly one of those.
Relishing a new lease of life after an extensive renovation, the stately Georgian builing is now light and bright, with six sleek bedrooms and walls hung with striking modern artworks.
As well as slap-up communal breakfasts (sizzled cod roe, samphire, smoked bacon and poached egg is a Cornish speciality) Stuart hosts gourmet suppers, long Sunday brunches and lunches, foraging and feasting weekends, guest chef demos, Saturday morning children’s cookery classes and has a home-from-home, right-to-roam attitude to the fridge.
Luxury B&B Trewornan Manor may date back to the 13th century but its attitude to food is firmly forward thinking. Close to the Camel Estuary, and surrounded by 25 acres of gardens and meadows, the four-bedroom property (Porthilly and Daymer feature freestanding tubs) is fast becoming a gourmet destination.
Highlights include an honesty bar stocked with Sharp’s Doom Bar, a beer brewed down the road in Rock, and Camel Valley sparkling wine; breakfasts that focus on the best Cornish produce (butcher Philip Warrens in nearby Launceston is one of the suppliers); and a location that’s just a napkin’s throw from Rick Stein’s empire in Padstow.
Another fab b and b in Cornwall, the previous winner of Alistair Sawday’s ‘most praised breakfast award’ Haybarton is a farmhouse B&B with just three pretty rooms on Cornwall’s picturesque Roseland Peninsula.
After tumbling out of bed and gazing out over rolling farmland as you run a bath in the roll-top tub, you can wander downstairs to its flagstoned dining room to feast on scrambled eggs (from their own Maran hens), sausages and bacon from the local Kernow Sausage Company, homemade granola baked in the Aga and local artisan breads spread with homemade marmalade and locally produced honey.
Emily Scott’s gastropub in the little Cornish village of the same name is also home to simple, stylish bedrooms, too. Good news for fans of her rustic, seasonal menus, as you can stumble straight up to bed after dinner.
Looking for street food on the Caribbean islands of Trinidad and Tobago. Check out where the locals go for roti, doubles and snacks with a view of the Caribbean sea…
Doubles at Trinidad Airport (Piarco International)
Wake for an early flight from Trinidad airport and you’ll be rewarded by catching the doubles run in the terminal’s food court. The vendors prepare this moreish street food snack with lightening speed, sloshing ladles of curried chickpeas between two fried flatbreads before twisting them into a pasty shape. They often run out by 7am but you can also find doubles on most street corners across the island. Look out for Mitch’s Doubles in the Woodbrook district of Port of Spain.
Doubles in Trinidad
Snacks at Eden’s Sweet & Sour Hot Spot
This is a snack shop with a view if ever we saw one. On the way to Trinidad’s Maracas Beach stop off at this pretty pink stall and eat all manner of sweet (and savoury) treats while perched on a lookout point over Maracas Bay. Devikah Singh has been providing a mainly sugar-fuelled pitstop here since 2011, selling coconut fudge, coconut sugar cakes and rice cakes with ginger and spice seasoning. Try the tart and refreshing pineapple chow (pineapple soaked in garlic, peppers, lime juice and chadon beni, a Trinidadian coriander) or kurma – sweet, deep-fried dough biscuits spiced with cinnamon.
Eden’s Sweet & Sour Hot Spot, Maracas Bay, Trinidad
Shark ‘n’ Bake at Richard’s Shark ‘n’ Bake
A hub of ‘shark ‘n’ bake’ vendors have congregated at Maracas Beach to create what is now a local institution. Mom’s is where the locals tend to hang out but Richard’s Shark ‘n’ Bake is the best known. Queue up for pockets of fried pitta-like flatbread filled with ‘shark’ (meaty lionfish nowadays) and make your way round the condiments stand to pimp your own epic sarnie. Slide your tray between salads, fresh tomato, cucumber, crunchy shredded cabbage and marinated vegetables, then pour over a generous drizzle of sauce (sweet and sour tamarind, punchy garlic or fiery chilli to name a few).
Richard’s Shark ‘n’ Bake, Maracas Beach, Trinidad
Roti at Kanhai Roti
The islands’ multicultural heritage ripples through the local food culture, with its far-flung influences. One of them is the islanders’ penchant for rotis, wrap-like savoury pancakes filled with curried meats and vegetables that are found throughout India and South Asia. From a stand on the corner of Clarence Street and Western Main Road in Port of Spain, Kanhai Roti rolls out yard after yard of rotis and fills them with curried goat, beef or liver. Pull back the paper packaging and be prepared to get your hands messy.
Roti in Port of Spain, Trinidad
Gyros at Queen’s Park Savannah, Port of Spain
Another payoff of Trinidad’s multicultural society is the popularity of Middle Eastern and Eastern Mediterranean wraps, gyros – pitta stuffed with spiced grilled meat, salad and garlic sauce. Head to Port of Spain’s vast park (where the legendary carnival makes its colourful mark once a year) on a weekend and you’ll find gyros vendors, ladies ladling out hot corn soup (with optional cow heel!), Jamaican jerk chicken and much more.
Pastelles in Lopinot
Up in the hills of Trinidad, French Creole and Venezuelan culture reign. Large wooden houses with verandas sit amid tropical flora and an abundance of fresh produce in villages such as Lopinot. Built around a former agricultural estate, Lopinot is shaded by vast, magical trees and is a popular riverside liming (gathering) spot. It’s also where locals often make pastelles; pork and beef is seasoned with pimento, thyme, vibrant red yucu pods, chive and onions and wrapped in thin cornmeal pastry before being flattened, wrapped in banana leaves and steamed. These treats are traditionally served at Christmas or Easter, and the whole family comes together on a Sunday to make hundreds. If you’re invited to take part, grab your chance. (Organise a trip with In Joy Tours)
Making pastelles in Lopinot, Trinidad
Crab at Store Bay
For the past few decades the Store Bay Ladies have been selling their homemade crab and dumplings at the idyllic turquoise bay of the same name on Tobago. The government recently funded a project to give these stalls a more permanent home in colourful huts. Head to Miss Trim’s – set up by 81 year old Miss Trim who recently passed the business on to her eighth child, Meisha – to enjoy blue-black crab in a blend of coconut milk and spices. Miss Trim adds extra cloves to the spice mix of coriander, pimento, garlic, ginger, chives and onions for a personal touch. The crab is cooked in its shell, the soft flesh ready to bite into and the juices to be soaked up by homemade cornmeal dumplings.
Crab and dumplings at Store Bay, Tobago
Dasheen at Blue Food Festival
If you are on the islands in October, head to the Blue Food Festival at beautiful Bloody Bay on Tobago. Against this stunning tropical backdrop people from all over the island compete to showcase what they can do with its signature crop, dasheen. This root vegetable turns a blueish colour when cooked, hence the name of the festival. Try it with other “provisions” from the island – plantain, sweet potatoes and yams – and, if you’re adventurous, with local game such as iguana and armadillo. From midday there is a great festival vibe, with steel bands, DJs and plenty of Caribe beers and Shandy Caribe.
Flights from Heathrow to Trinidad cost from £481 return (britishairways.com). Double rooms at Castara Retreats in Tobago start from £85 (castararetreats.com) or at Kapok Hotel in Trinidad start from £122 (kapokhotel.com).
Looking for Padstow restaurants? Few stretches of British coast harbour more culinary talent than the Atlantic-bashed area around Padstow, where Ainsworth and Rick Stein reside have their seafood restaurants. Here’s our pick…
No 6 Paul Ainsworth
There are only a handful of restaurants we’ve been to where we’ve wanted to book a return visit upon first bite. Chef Paul Ainsworth’s pin-sharp No 6, located in a tiny Georgian townhouse in Padstow, is one of them. The morsel that did it? A plump, deep-fried Porthilly oyster served with charcoal mayonnaise and chunks of soul-satisfying sourdough.
Despite the hype around it, No 6 avoids being stuffy. Ainsworth, who trained under Gordon Ramsay and won TV fame through Great British Menu, has the playfulness and boyish energy of a labrador puppy. The décor is just as lively, with outrageously bright Cole & Son Miami wallpaper (bring your shades), and windows on to the kitchen’s theatricality.
The food is equally free of fussiness, stripped of cheffy canapés and tasting menus in favour of à la carte dishes such as a Jacob’s ladder ragu with spaghetti; raw seabream served on a slaw of sand shrimp with tuna-rich katsuobushi mayonnaise; and tournedos Rossini made with chicken instead of the usual steak. The latter – a stuffed chicken breast topped with morels and a cold parfait of livers from duck, goose and chicken – is laced with a rich madeira sauce, its stock derived from an entire chicken.
A few cobbled streets from No 6, Padstow’s Prawn on the Lawn offers tapas-style fish plates (crab som tam, whole mackerel with ’nduja and fennel, Porthilly mussels with clams and manzanilla) in white-tiled, bistro-style surroundings.
Paul Ainsworth happily gives credit to Rick Stein, who established The Seafood Restaurant more than 40 years ago, for putting Cornwall’s north coast on the food map.
Hot Shellfish with Parsley, Chilli, Olive Oil, Garlic and Lemon Juice
Craftworks
Above Padstow town, Craftworks produces pop-up nacho and taco suppers (think Cornish beef brisket with shredded Little Gem, taco slaw, salsa, soured cream and red onion pickles) from its food truck at Trerethern Farm. You sit on straw bales to eat while gazing over the fields of Padstow Kitchen Garden (where much of your supper comes from) and the cornfields that flank the Camel Estuary (padstowkitchengarden.co.uk).
Narrow country lanes from Padstow tunneling through beech trees lead to Trevibban Mill, a vineyard and apple orchard that produces ciders and wines, and houses a wood-and-glass restaurant run by Andy Appleton, previously head chef at Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen Cornwall.
As at Fifteen, Appleton offers a creative interpretation of Italian cooking, including Middle Eastern ingredients such as harissa that he freely admits would have Italians spluttering over their spaghetti. But it works. Lunch kicks off with deep-fried sage leaves wrapped around anchovy fillets, followed by wild garlic agnolotti filled with fermented leeks and ricotta. The rose harissa fish stew (Trevibban’s must-eat main) and homemade squid ink linguine with Cornish scallops and ’nduja pangrattato are equally delicious. And of course it all begs to be accompanied by wines produced just a cork’s pop away (try the sparkling pink brut).
Rose harissa fish stew with fregola at Trevibban Mill, Padstow
Rick Stein’s Cookery School
Rick Stein has been credited with putting Padstow on the map (and creating bottle-neck traffic jams during the summer hols). Book into his Seafood School now to beat the queues and choose the best classes from the school’s new programme which includes everything from cooking with kids to becoming a chocolate expert, or simply keep it to what Stein is famous for.
The Original Fish & Shellfish course, the school’s most popular, has new menus for Rick Stein’s Seafood school this summer, including some exciting Asian flavours, while its new skills workshops take in everything from fish filleting to Far-Eastern steaming. Among the new One Dish evening courses you’ll find Madras Fish Curry. Learn how to cook Rick’s perfect hot and sour southern Indian curry as seen in his travels on the subcontinent.
Looking for affordable Italian hotels? We’ve found the best Italian hotels for foodies in Piedmont, Tuscany, Sicily, Puglia and everywhere in between. Check out our round up of the best Italian hotels for those on a budget…
Il Borgo del Balsamico, Emilia Romagna
Modena is synonymous with one of Italy’s most celebrated ingredients: intensely flavoured balsamic vinegar made from fermented grape must. The area around the city of Reggio Emilia is a hub for the vinegar’s production, and also happens to be where you will find Il Borgo del Balsamico. At this historic guest house, in Botteghe Albinea, sisters Cristina and Silvia Crotti produce DOP and IGP vinegars. It’s a lovely setting – an 18th century villa and farmhouse surrounded by wisteria draped gardens abundant with damask roses and fruit trees.
You can visit the tasting rooms as a day tripper but we recommend booking to stay over in one of the property’s three, refined guestrooms (plus one apartment); think parquet floors, Venetian plasterwork and carefully chosen antiques. There’s a small pool in the gardens too.
Calling Locanda al Colle a bed and breakfast is a bit of an understatement. This 12-room guesthouse has many of the perks of a five-star hotel with its antiques and art, saltwater pool and immaculate gardens. Adding to the exclusive feel is its tranquil location, on a pine and olive tree-dotted hill outside Camaiore (also easily reached from seaside resorts like Viareggio, Forte dei Marmi and the pretty town of Pietrasanta).
The overall vibe is informal but impeccable, and the same could be said of the food, with everything freshly made each day, from the sourdough bread and granola at breakfast to the cakes for afternoon tea. Resident chef Gianluca also conducts cookery lessons in the kitchen and, twice a week (on Wednesdays and Saturdays) hosts sociable dinners serving homemade ravioli and more on the candlelit terrace (on Monday evenings simple suppers of Tuscan soup and bruschetta are also available).
Less well-trammelled by British visitors than other corners of the country, Basilicata is sandwiched between Campania (to the north) and Calabria (to the south). Its rumpled Tyrrhenian Sea coastline is short but sweet at just 30km long, with mountains rising abruptly from the sea. Maratea, its principal town, is a charming cluster of buildings dotted with twisting alleyways and over 40 churches. Also in town, La Locanda delle Donne Monache is a former 18th century convent, now a smart hotel, with a pool and views over the countryside to the sea.
The hotel’s Il Sacella restaurant embraces the flavours of the province – chillies and pork are popular regional staples – and the menu features local sausages from Maratea, homemade pasta with mussels, shrimp and cuttlefish and baked sea bream washed down by Basilicata’s signature wine, the red Aglianco del Vulture.
The Maremma is a corner of Tuscany where you can still find countryside roamed by traditional cowboys called “butteri” and Antica Fattoria La Parrina is the perfect stop for a window into rural life down on the Tuscan farm. As well as making well regarded wines and grappa, the farm also produces cheese, honey, olive oil, fruit, vegetables, pasta, flour and meat – there’s an on site shop that would put many a farmer’s market to shame.
Overnight guests (it also doubles as an agriturismo) can also enjoy the farm’s bounty on the breakfast table, as well as at lunch and dinner; everything is made onsite. Guests can picnic in the grounds, enjoy wine tastings, join a Tuscan cookery lesson or even go boar hunting on the estate. The property’s 12 bedrooms, housed in the solid farmhouse at the centre of the estate, channel rustic charm rather than country chic and there’s a pool, gardens and the beach resorts of the Tyrrhenian Sea a short drive away.
A 19th century farmhouse in the rural heartland of Sardinia, Domu Antiga is out in the countryside near Gergei, surrounded by empty plains and olive groves roamed by more sheep than people. The sensitively restored building is now home to four airy guestrooms whose owners are passionate about local traditions.
Guests can jump on a cute Piaggio Ape van and tour the Unesco World Heritage-listed archaeological site of Su Nuraxi at Barumini. Alternatively, join chef Maria Grazia’s bread and cheese-making classes or try your hand at making local pasta shapes, like the island’s unique malloreddus gnocchi. Maria also oversees the guesthouse’s lavish breakfasts, and cooks dinner on request (expect grilled vegetables, local ravioli and Sardinian cheeses). There’s also a pizzeria and a winery close by.
The regimented vines and gently undulating patchwork of one of Italy’s most prestigious wine regions, the Langhe-Roero Monferrato, is a worthy entry on the Unesco World Heritage list. Within it, Tenuta Caretta is a sprawling estate near Piobesi d’Alba that encompasses damask rose-pink buildings stretching to a winery, a 10-room inn and two restaurants (one of which is Michelin starred).
Book into the inn and you can choose between differently themed tastings of the estate’s different wines (including Barolo, Barbera d’Alba and Nebbiolo), as well as local cheeses and cured meats. Best of all, order one of its new picnics – created by head chef, Flavio Costa – and go vine trekking on a gentle 2.1km route through the surrounding vineyards, looking out for the perfect spot for lunch; a picnic blanket and corkscrew are included.
With rolling hills, ancient towns and beaches lapped by the limpid waters of the Adriatic, Le Marche’s under-the-radar charms are many. Hotel Emilia commands a haughty spot on the Cornero Riviera, a slice of dreamy coastline south of Ancona mostly given over to a national park. In addition to its 30 guests rooms, there’s a pool, an artsy vibe, a restaurant focusing on local dishes and fabulous sunsets.
While you’re there, take the serpentine road down to Portonovo, however. At night the loungers are tidied away and tables are set up on the beach. Seafood is the order of the day, namely the acclaimed wild mussels found in the bay, some of the sweetest you’ll ever taste and harvested in the traditional way. Served in a number of guises; sautéed with lemon, served with spaghetti or with “paccheri” and fennel as is the case at Da Giachetti (ristorantedagiachetti.it). Il Laghetto (illaghetto.com) and Da Emilia (daemilia) are two more to try.
It’s a family affair at the Masseria Susafa, a sprawling estate that has been owned by members of the Saeli-Rizzuto family for five generations – brothers Manfredi and Tommaso are now at the helm. The fortified, 19th century farmhouse at its heart sits at the foot the Madonie mountains, near Polizzi Generosa, and is the focal point for overnight guests. Around the farmhouse are 18 simple but chic guest rooms. Between terracotta floors and exposed beams are restful ricotta-coloured walls and the odd pop of olive green or tomato red from a headboard or throw.
A restaurant is housed in the old granary and flavours here take their inspiration from the traditional Sicilian table. Vegetables, herbs, fruit and organic olive oil all come straight from the farm and the menu is elegantly rustic (think tomato salads, caponata and creamy risottos). Join a cookery lesson if you can drag yourself away from the pool.
Unsurprisingly it’s all about wine at the Planeta Wine Estate, just outside Menfi in south-western Sicily. As one of Sicily’s most well established and highly regarded wine producers, Planeta has five different territories dotted around the island but Menfi is where it all began, back in the 16th century. At nearby La Forestiera (part of the estate) there are 14 guestrooms set amid regimented vines, plus a restaurant whose menu is informed by its surroundings – the herbs of the countryside and seafood from the nearby coast.
Sip a glass of Nero d’Avola on the pool terrace or visit one of Planeta’s wineries for an in-depth tasting. As well as the pool, in the warmer months guests have access to the Lido Fiori on the beach at Porto Palo di Menfi, 10 minutes’ drive away. Planeta also has vast olive groves at Capparriva producing DOP Val di Mazzara oils; guests can sign up for a tasting and learn about harvesting and pressing.
In time-honoured Pugliese farming tradition, breakfast is the most important meal of the day and, at Masseria Montenapoleone – a stylish farmhouse hotel – it is served in the atmospheric surroundings of the Old Stables. Freshly picked fruits from the farm, dried fig tarts straight from the oven, citrus carpaccio with cinnamon, local cheese and cured meats are just some of the treats on offer for the first meal of the day.
The warm sandstone farmhouse, which dates from the 1600s, has 16 guestrooms and is surrounded by a plane of silvery olive and almond trees. Just outside Fasano, on the Salento coast, it is very much a working farm, dedicated to organic produce. Guests are encouraged to pick their own fruit and vegetables and to go behind the scenes to learn more about Puglian cuisine.
Palazzo Seneca, Norcia, Italy: hotel and restaurant review
“Moviti!” Truffle hunting expert, Nicola, bellows across the densely tree-covered Sibillini Mountains in Umbria. “Lulu! Nina! Dove vai?” (“Where are you?”). A young black cocker spaniel emerges from under a large oak tree to deliver a black king (a prized local variety of truffle) to Nicola, while an older spaniel, Nina, keeps her nose to the ground in search of the next treasure.
Also in these mountains, within the stunning Sibillini National Park, is Norcia, one of the foodiest towns we have ever come across. Enter through one of seven gates in the town’s heart-shaped, ancient walls and you soon discover a network of paved streets rich with foodie delights – café and restaurant tables spilling onto pavements and traditional food shops, Norcinerias, packed with prosciutto, cheeses, spelt and truffles.
As well as abundant produce this area, in central Italy, is known for its warm welcome. True enough, 83-year old local, Elso, greeted us like we’d known him for years as we sipped on café marocchino in one of the town’s cafes (espresso with milk froth and a dusting of cocoa).
Sicily’s largest city is famous for its street food, but don’t miss the grilled fish, suckling pig cooked with pears and breakfasts (yes, really) of brioche buns filled with gelato. When it’s hot outside, pop along to Gelateria La Delizia for a soft brioche bun filled with rich gelato. We recommend the pistachio, almond and coffee. Why not get three to try them all? After that sweet fix, head on over to PerciaSacchi for the best pizza you’ll find in Palermo. The base is made from a sourdough starter, while the topping are strictly seasonal and local. After all the food, you’ll need a cold aperitif. Head over to Vineria Arrè Gusto for a craft beer and glass of wine from small producers.
Stone archways, cobbled lanes and steps edged with scarlet geraniums link the tightly packed houses of Montecchio, Umbria. As we soon realise during our holiday here – a foodie homestay trip based at Casa Jole, a cosy and welcoming property just outside the village – Montecchio is the prettiest of the many stone-built medieval villages that dot the wooded hillsides south of Orvieto where mushrooms, truffles and chestnuts grow.
Wine and olives too, of course. The village is within the Colli Orvietani PDO olive oil zone (it also belongs to Italy’s Città dell’Olio network of olive oil-producing locations) and the Orvieto Classico wine area and is surrounded by vines.
Wine has always played a fundamental role in the local economy: the Etruscans invented an ingenious system for wine-making in Orvieto, digging three levels down into the tall spur of yellow tufa-stone which serves as a pedestal for the city, treading the grapes on the first floor, allowing the juice to flow down a level where it fermented in vats before being transferred to the lower floor for ageing.
Wines from nearby Valpolicella, Soave and Custoza, in Verona’s busy bars, are perfect accompaniments for rich north Italian risottos, fluffy polenta and gelato made with wild fennel and figs. For a plate of creamy polenta, check out Al Bersagliere. They offer slow food, cooked by the owners wife, using only the best fresh ingredients. The focus really is on the ingredients – there are over 20 olive oils to choose from. If you’ve got a yearning for fish, head on over to Trattoria ai Piloti for paccheri ai piloti (pasta with prawns, tomato and aubergine) and scallop gratin. Midday on Sunday is the best time to go though, that’s when the seafood risotto is brought round.
In my white Fiat 500, I snaked hungrily along the coast heading towards Gallipoli, and the southernmost tip of Italy. I had come to Puglia, the province that teeters in the heel of Italy, to explore its west coast. A rocky landscape beside the Ionian Sea, dotted with wild, remote beaches, I was also discovering that this affordable, sun-kissed region makes an excellent foodie road-trip. Starting my four-wheeled tour, first stop was the town of Porto Cesareo. Here, I walked along a powder-white beach before lunching on fresh mussels and clams, their salty juices soaked up by pieces of fried bread, at Trattoria al Gambero (19 Piazza Nazario Sauro, 00 39 0833 569 123). With a terrace overlooking the marina it was an ideal spot to enjoy a glass of the local rosé, made with Negroamaro grapes. Not for me, though; first, I had more driving to do.
the team reminisce about their favourite foodie adventures in Italy; plus, editor Laura talks about the recent renaissance of authentic, regional Italian restaurants in the UK
olive magazine podcast ep62 – Gibraltar gastronomy and Italian food adventures
Looking for the best restaurants in Barcelona? We’ve found the best places to eat in Barcelona, including the top tapas restaurants where the locals eat, coffee shops and food markets.
Check out our Barcelona guide here…
Best tapas restaurants in Barcelona
El Xampanyet
Escape the tourists of El Barrio Gótico to join locals in the bars of neighbouring El Born. This one is particularly popular among locals, who come to drink the bar’s own-brand cava before a night on the town.
There are tapas bar clichés aplenty – cigarette boxes framed on pale-yellow walls, a zinc bar showcasing Catalan dishes, blue-tiled alcoves at the back for when it gets busy (all the time) – but it’s the real deal. Come for the cava (served by the glass or in litre bottles), and stay to soak up the loud, chaotic atmosphere. Tapas are simple but on-point – order as the locals do with ‘pimientos con carne’ to receive a plate of blistered padrón peppers and soft, pink pluma ibérico pork.
Carrer de Montcada 22, +34 933197003
Bar La Plata
Pop in to this pretty, old-school tapas bar, on a corner in El Bairro Gótico, to pick on the same four dishes it’s been serving since opening in 1945 – piles of little fried fish (pescaditos), glistening anchovy montaditos, a simple tomato salad with chopped onion and olives and Catalan butifarra sausage.
There’s a handful of tables in the tiny room, made all the more cosy with framed photographs, blue tiles covering the corner bar and barrels of sherry sitting snuggly next to rows of vermouth bottles. Glass doors open onto the pavement on both sides to ensure it doesn’t get too stuffy, and to encourage passers-by to chat with punters.
This atmospheric bar-cum-café has been going since 1940, and is still a cosy hangout to kick back with a café con leche or a glass of red. Lamps protrude elegantly from wood-panelled walls lined with black and white photographs, a large marble-topped mahogany bar curves along two walls and mirrored shelves reflect row after row of pretty spirit bottles.
Traditional tapas (homemade croquettas, patatas bravas, Galician octopus) sit alongside modern dishes such as mini burgers with foie gras, confit artichokes, and mussels cooked in coconut milk with chilli and coriander. Vermouth is served over ice with a gobstopper-sized olive, and there are plenty of artsy events, from live music to poetry nights.
A cosy old bar that fills up with locals gathering for a glass of vermouth and some tapas, Bodega Quimet oozes charm and authenticity. It’s in a neighbourhood not yet overrun with tourists, and the grilled octopus is so good it’s almost life changing.
Carrer de Vic 23; 00 34 932 184 189
Pepa Pla
Let your waiter guide you through the impressive collection of natural wines at bookshop-turned-restaurant Pepa Pla. With old bookshelves as a backdrop, enjoy an array of small plates to share – just make sure you leave room for the unforgettable pistachio tiramisu.
A vestige of the days when Barceloneta was still a fisherman’s quarter, homely La Cova Fumada is as authentic as it gets. Get there by noon to bag a seat beneath painted beams and strip-lights and feast on baked artichokes, pristine grilled sardines, and wine from the barrel.
Carrer del Baluart 56, 00 34 932 214 061
Best bars in Barcelona
Bodega Fermín – for craft beer and wine
Locals visit Bodega Fermín to fill up their wine bottles from its barrels but, for fans of craft beer, the rotating selections on tap and by the bottle make it well worth a visit, too. Order a board of local cheeses and pair it with a citrussy IPA.
The smallest bar in Barcelona, 33 by Santi Ortiz, is an overlooked gem as far as craft cocktails are concerned. In this little temple dedicated to elaborate but affordable concoctions, order The Tree in the Clouds – a dreamy concoction of rum, agave, mountain pine liqueur, lime and Cardamaro.
Slip into tiny Bar Zim for wines by the glass with farmhouse cheeses and organic charcuterie. (Carrer de la Dagueria, 20).
Best cafés in Barcelona
Granja M Viader
Locals line up at long-standing breakfast spot Granja M Viader before the shutters rise. Go for a thick, velvety hot chocolate with churros, or one of its famous ‘bikinis’ – a cheese-and-ham-filled toasted sandwich.
A gleaming glass box amongst the rabbit-warren streets of the Barri Gòtic, Satan’s Coffee Corner is a strikingly Scandi-inspired pit-stop for a classic café con leche or the geeky, fruity charms of a cold-press.
The coffee shop serves a unique Japanese breakfast – try the omelette with rice and vegetables or a rice bowl topped with Japanese kimchi, pickled vegetables and poached eggs.
There’s a newer branch of Satan’s Coffee Corner in Casa Bonay in Eixample.
Granja La Pallaresa
Carrer Petrixol was once known as the sweet street thanks to its legion of granjas (old-fashioned dairies) hawking churros and hot chocolate so thick you could stand a spoon in it. They’re a dying breed these days, but Granja La Pallaresa is still busy doing what these places have always done (Calle Petritxol 11, 00 34 933 022 036).
Cosmo La Central
When the shopping wears you out go to Cosmo La Central to rest your feet. Head upstairs at this bookshop and, at the back, you will find a lovely café with a beautiful terrace. Or go earlier and grab an energising breakfast board. cosmolacentral.com
Cosmo La Central
Best restaurants in Barcelona
Barraca – for lunch with a sea view
Blow away the cobwebs on a crisp winter’s day with a brisk, 20-minute walk from the Born to the beach at Barceloneta. Reward yourself, overlooking the sea at Barraca, with perfectly made rice dishes and a bottle of natural, S02 white from Lleida.
Can Borrell – for a rural lunch in the countryside
A 20-minute train journey to Sant Cugat, plus a 40-minute stroll through the Barcelona countryside is worth it for lunch at rambling farmhouse Can Borrell. Calçots are a wintry treat – grilled, long-stemmed onions that are wrapped in newspaper, steamed and served on roof tiles with romesco sauce and various grilled meats.
The best fish in Barcelona isn’t by the seafront but tucked in Poble Sec at Casa José Montalbán. With little more than a grill and a fryer, it produces stellar fish and seafood, from crisp fried anchovies and sweet baby razor clams to grilled wild turbot off the bone. (Carrer de Margarit 31, 00 34 934 423 143).
Kaiku – for paella al fresco
Make the most of year-round sunshine with lazy paella lunches al fresco. Kaiku has a lovely terrace on Barcelona beach.
Vegetarian restaurant The Green Spot is on a mission to charm even the most hardcore of carnivores. Dishes in this airy, beautifully designed space are a celebration of all that is plant-based. Don’t miss the rhubarb and strawberry crumble.
Plant-based rhubarb and strawberry crumble at The Green Spot
Can Dende – for brunch
A Brazilian couple run Can Dende, a breezy brunch spot that’s handily close to the beach if you’re planning a day in the sun. The fried green tomatoes with Brazilian cheese is divine. Carrer de la Ciutat de Granada 44; 00 34 646 325 551
Best food shops and markets in Barcelona
Van Van Market – for street food
Barcelona is famous for its street-food markets but one of the best is Van Van Market, which takes place in a variety of shifting locations. Keep an eye out for the Caravan Made food truck with its gourmet sandwiches (fried calamari, marinara meatballs and more). vanvanmarket.com; caravanmade.co
Street food in Barcelona
Boqueria – for traditional food market vibes
After the Sagrada Família, the Boqueria food market is the most popular destination in town. Get there before 11am to beat the crowds and rub shoulders with local chefs over a plate of eggs and a glass of cava at El Quim de la Boqueria.
Even if you don’t plan to shop at age-old Casa Gispert the toasty smell of coffee, chocolate and spice is irresistible. It’s a great place to stock up on marcona almonds, dried figs, saffron and smoky pimentón.
If you’re a fan of fermentation and a craving strikes, head to Ferment 9. Prebiotics and probiotics rule here, with shelves stocked with all manner of delicious kimchis and kefirs. ferment9.com
Olis Oliva – for olive oil
At diminutive Olis Olivine at Santa Caterina market, Ana Maria will happily give you a tasting of her latest finds. Look out for bottles from the D.O. Siurana (Priorat), Empordà (Costa Brava) and Mallorca, which make some of the best oils in the country.
Check into hip Casa Bonay, a renovated mansion where traditional hydraulic floor tiles are mixed with Gaudí’s iconic paving stones, adding a hint of edginess to its ground floor lounges, coffee bars and restaurant.
Stylish, pared-back bedrooms redefine luxury with hand-woven blankets from Els Teixidors, maxi-bars stocked with premium gin, vodka and single malt, and room service in the shape of a tiffin tin to be eaten in bed.
Casa Bonay makes other foodie hotels seem dull by comparison. Start your day with an alkalizing, antioxidant juice and a mango chia seed breakfast bowl from Mother’s in-house juice bar, with a cold-pressed coffee lovingly crafted by Satan’s Coffee Corner.
Think light, bright, Asian-influenced dishes for lunch at another in-house dining option, Elephant, Crocodile, Monkey, which transforms into an innovative bistro by night, serving sharing plates of wondrous dishes like fried oysters with fennel salad and black garlic alïoli, year-old, dry-aged beef tartare with mulato chilli and egg yolk, and slow-baked tomatoes with almonds, chickpeas and shiso leaf.
Take vermut (vermouth) on the wood-decked roof terrace before dinner, and afterwards hit one of the jewel-coloured velvet sofas in the hotel’s bar, Libertine, where grown-up cocktails are mixed with aplomb by a team of savvy mixologists.
Base yourself on the greenest side of Poble Sec at food lovers’ favourite Hotel Brummell. This boutique hotel boasts a rooftop pool, bright and modern rooms and vending machines stuffed with wine and snacks.
Brummell Kitchen’s tropical oasis is where to head for brunch at the weekends. Tuck into dishes from around the world – Caribbean arepas, acai bowls and huevos rancheros to name a few – in the light and airy courtyard.
Fly into West Sweden’s foodie hub, Gothenburg, and explore the city’s seafood, coffee and craft beer scene with our foodie guide here. Then, pick up a car and drive north for an hour to reach West Sweden’s Bohuslän coast, a series of islands and peninsulas (Orust, Skaftö, Tjörn) jutting into the North Sea. Drive through forests and pass by quintessential coastal villages strung between rugged rocks, stopping off for Swedish fika in forest huts, local craft beers on sun-soaked wooden jetties and quiveringly-fresh fish inside painted clapboard cafés.
Ladfabriken b&b, Hälleviksstrand, Orust
Drive to the very Western peninsula of Orust island, off the coast of West Sweden, and you’ll find this remote b&b marked with a Swedish flag. Kuru the dog bounds out to greet guests into the dollshouse-like former fish crate factory. Sunshine bounces around the open space, which owners Johan and Marcel have kitted out with quirky furnishings – giant letters in playschool hues strung up on one wall, colourful sofas covered with even brighter throws, and cabinets bursting with knick-knacks and 50’s crockery. Each white-paneled room is unique (a chest of drawers covered in funky blue tuna tin packaging here, a turquoise chair with arms that curl up into a wave there), and given the couple’s trademark idiosyncratic stamp.
There aren’t many options for guests to dine out in the area, so the couple have taken it upon themselves to swot up on their kitchen skills and now whip up sharing dinners for their guests. Simple Swedish cooking makes the most of local ingredients, including the catch of the day from neighbouring Skargrak Sea via Larsson’s fish shop in nearby Mollösund.
Dishes are served family-style at a communal table covered with a retro tablecloth – tuck in to huge cod fillets on a bed of leeks and mushrooms in a buttery cheese sauce, fish around for shrimp, ling and red tuna in an ‘east meets west’ soup with an Asian coconut cream, ginger and lemongrass base, and cut a slice of caramelised rhubarb tarte tatin topped with cream.
Breakfast is a similarly homely affair, seeing the table laden with Priest cheese, Swedish emmental, Leksand crackers and an array of homemade preserves – rosehip marmalade, cowberry, lingonberry and more. Local strawberries get plenty of light throughout the long summer days, so they’re extra sweet and served with fresh mint.
During the day, take a kayak out on the crystal-clear water, go wild swimming in the archipelago, kick back with a book on a deckchair in the rocky garden, or clamber over rocks following blue dots to the picture-postcard Swedish hamlet of Edultshall. Here, among red and white clapboard houses, families gather around barbecues on little jetties outside their boathouses.
Drive 10 minutes down the road from Ladfabriken to Mollösund, another pretty town at the end of the peninsula (note: the road is a dead end). Park outside the church and follow signs to Larsson’s fish shop, winding over cobbles between clapboard houses.
Spot the impish dancing Lekande boys on the side of a barn and turn down a narrow alleyway to the harbour where a sign marks the way to ‘boiled crab’, ‘fresh fish’, ‘salted herring’. Order a bag of shrimp to eat on the go with a choice of toppings (chilli sauce, dill, garlic…) then wander along the waterfront to Café Emma for homemade pastries and cakes.
This pretty red building dates back to 1904, and has maintained various features from the building’s history – pad across vintage carpets covering creaking wooden floorboards, down narrow corridors lined with pale green and white striped wallpaper, to find the hotel’s cosy, individually themed bedrooms; pots of flowers and a delicate vintage dress in the maid’s room, old photographs and an ancient hat on a hook in the granite worker’s room, and a stethoscope and an ancient doctor’s trunk (it can be turned into a child’s bed) in the large doctor’s suite.
Take traditional fika in the drawing room, a conservatory decorated with traditional white dressers and lace tablecloths, with vases of flowers on the tables and plenty of foliage decorating sash windows. There’s a cabinet dedicated to Swedish afternoon tea time, heaving with glass jars of buttery biscuits, drawers neatly packed with teabags and mugs lined up ready to fill with filter coffee.
Hop off the jetty at Grebbestad harbour into ‘Signe’; fisherman Lars’ boat was built in 1952 and named after his grandmother. Chug out of the harbour into the archipelago, passing timber houses on deserted granite islands that in times gone by hosted several pubs and had reputations for drinking and brothels.
Continue through the clear waters until a tiny black hut comes into view on Lars’s private island. Hop off the boat and help Lars cart up nets filled with fresh mussels and oysters; 90% of Swedish oysters come from the waters around Grebbestad, and Lars sure knows how to shuck, his current record being 100 oysters in 30 minutes.
After a lesson in shucking, duck into the cabin, kitted out as the ultimate Swedish cosy den – a little stove that gently heats up a pale blue pot of mussels, illustrations of seabirds on the walls painted by Lars’ wife, a wooden table made from salvaged wood from the bottom of the sea. Wrap up in cosy throws and slurp juices from the freshest mussels, finishing with creamy homemade coconut slices.
A 100-year-old shipyard is an unlikely location for a hotel, but this one, in Fiskebäckskil, has become a destination for foodies thanks to its restaurant, Brygghuset. Fiskebäckskil used to be a holiday village, so the surrounding houses have verandas, the streets are cobbled and pristinely manicured gardens are full of roses.
The restaurant’s owners decided to open a dozen bedrooms for punters to stay the night (there are thousands of whiskies to try at the bar, so it became a necessity!). Each one is designed around a local character, from Anna-Stina, the area’s first female taxi driver, to Sander the ferryman, who ferried passengers to and from the island in times gone by. Squishy beds are some of the comfiest we’ve curled into, furnishings add cosy touches against dark green and blue painted walls, and bathrooms are kitted out with power showers and Swedish toiletries.
Before dinner, wrap up in a fluffy white robes and pad down the harbour’s long jetty to Slipens’ floating spa. A red wooden hut with an open roof houses a large jacuzzi and sauna, so you can soak up the steam as well as the serene harbour life (and enjoy a sparkling wine/Swedish beer or two at the same time).
This popular restaurant focuses on seasonal seafood caught straight from the Atlantic by a fisherman named Manfjärd – mussels in the summer, lobsters in the autumn, oysters in winter and mackerel in spring. Start with crayfish with wild garlic followed by cod in a rich shellfish sauce with deep-fried, crouton-like potatoes (paired with a minerally Riesling). Finally, a chocolate pie is given a Swedish twist with liquorice ice cream and liquorice panna cotta.
Peruse Sweden’s largest selection of whiskies (1600 varieties and counting) at Joeys Whisky Bar; if you’re finding it hard to choose plump for the apple and woody spice notes of hyper local Smögen Swedish single malt.
Baked in Brick in a nutshell: Evolving from a back-garden pop-up to an internationally award-winning, street-food trader, Baked in Brick is now in its first permanent home in Birmingham’s funky Custard Factory.
Baked in Brick, Birmingham restaurant
Who’s cooking?
Lee DeSanges started throwing (pizza) shapes in his garden four years ago. Inviting friends over for the fruits of his hand-built, wood-fired oven, he soon realised he was onto something, and upgraded to a 1964 Mini Cooper (complete with a charcoal fire pit under the bonnet and a wood-fired oven in the boot) so he could sell his creations on the hoof. Fast forward three years and Lee’s creation, Baked in Brick, was named Best Street Food in Europe, and has now formed roots in Digbeth.
Calzone at Baked in Brick, Birmingham
What’s the vibe?
The new, 60-seater pizzeria, which opened in July (2018), is seriously relaxed with rough-and-ready wooden-clad booths, tables and chairs, exposed industrial ceilings, with looming fans, and a Mini Cooper breaking through the wall.
What’s the food like?
There’s charcuterie (learn how to make your own charcuterie here) and cheese, and the odd salad, but obviously the star attraction here is the pizza (discover our best pizza recipes here). The majority are served with mozzarella and San Marzano tomato sauce, which is a good start. Beef shin ragu and wild mushroom calzone won the title of best street food dish at the British and European Street Food Awards, and its meltingly tender meat with rich sauce stands up. The dough, too, is impressive – bouncy, crisp and with plenty of flavour – and works well in another iteration, topped with goat’s cheese, caramelised red onion and grape chutney, with wild rocket and a slick of onyx balsamic.
Pizza at Baked in Brick, Birmingham
And the drinks?
We seemingly drank the bar dry of gin but the beer is good, and there are plenty of sterling (and trendy) non-alcoholic options too, including Jarr kombucha.
olive tip: Sharing is caring – so order a couple of pizzas as part of a group and share. That’s a particularly good idea if you like the sound of the blanco pizza, topped with bechamel sauce, oak-smoked chicken and boulangere potato. It’s delicious, but potentially a bit rich after a few slices.
Looking for places to eat in Naples? Want to find the best pizza in the Southern Italian city? Local food writer Gina Tringali shares her insider tips for the best restaurants in Naples, along with traditional cafés, local street food haunts and pre-dinner aperitivo bars.
Antica Osteria Pisano – best for authentic Neapolitan food
For home-style Neapolitan food in Naples head to Antica Osteria Pisano, going strong since 1947. Order the marinated anchovies, zeppoline di mare (fried dough with seaweed) and fried calamaretti to start, then pasta with seafood and a bottle of greco di tufo. End with a glass of house amaro, made with herbs.
Local Neapolitan food at Antica Osteria Pisano
Ai Monti Lattari deli – best food market hangout in Naples
In Naples’ bustling Pignasecca market, Ai Monti Lattari deli sells Neapolitan snacks like taralli and tortano (pork- and cheese-studded bread). Ask Eva for a tasting of her family’s fior di latte, provola affumicata and caciocavallo cheese. Via Pignasecca 10; 00 39 081 551 9554
Pizza a Portafoglio di Gennaro Salvo – best street food in Naples
Wander along Via Toledo toward Naples’ Piazza Plebiscito for street food at Pizza a Portafoglio di Gennaro Salvo. Order a pizza a portafoglio (it’s folded like a wallet), a crocchè di patate and frittatine di pasta. It’s worth the wait. Via Toledo 244; 00 39 081 2665 1218
Crispy folded pizza at Portafoglio di Gennaro Salvo
Pizzaria La Notizia – best pizza in Naples
Visiting Naples without eating pizza would be blasphemy. Head to smart Vomero and Pizzaria La Notizia for a classic with a twist, the margherita DOP or the San Gennaro with yellow piennolo tomatoes, oregano, anchovies, black olives, parsley and basil.
Join the boisterous lunch crew at Trattoria da Nennella in the Quartieri Spagnoli for home-style dishes served at tables adorned with red-and-white-checked tablecloths. Try the creamy pasta and chickpeas or pasta with potatoes and provola cheese for the ultimate Neapolitan comfort food.
Il Vero Bar Del Professore – best place for coffee in Naples
Trattoria da Cicciotto – best seafood restaurant in Naples
Ask for a table overlooking the bay at Trattoria da Cicciotto, where elegantly dressed Italians take in the view of Capri while dining on the freshest local seafood. Order spaghetti alle vongole cooked perfectly al dente by chef Vincenzo.
Cantine Sociali – best place for cocktails in Naples
Fashionable locals mingle on the outdoor patio at Cantine Sociali in upscale Chiaia. Follow suit by savouring a glass of prosecco, Fiano di Avellino or a pre-dinner cocktail.
Moccia a Posillipo – best café in Naples
Whether you’re craving a sweet, flaky sfogliatella, a rum-soaked baba with whipped cream, a pillowy pizzetta or just a caffè, pull up a seat on the balcony at Bar Moccia a Posillipo and you can enjoy them with unparalleled views of the sea, Mount Vesuvius and the bay.
Soulcrumbs – best hip restaurant in Naples
Natural wines, speciality coffee, sourdough bread, fish and vegetables take centre stage at hip caffetteria Soulcrumbs. At dinner order the smoked tuna, miso mayo and cherry tomato smørre-brød, or the clam soup with lemongrass and chilli served over cold rye noodles, and a glass of Canlibero Iastemma Vino Bianco.
Smoked tuna smorrebrod at Soulcrumbs
Centrale del Caffè – for coffee
Chic coffee bar Centrale del Caffè sells three coffee blends by the kilo. Go early for a cappuccino and a brioche roll, or after lunch for a caffè (espresso) and a slice of torta della nonna (custard cake).
Whether you prefer your sfogliatelle flaky (riccia) or smooth (frolla), Attanasio Sfogliatelle, a cult bakery 10 steps from the city’s Central station, comes up trumps. They’re served warm, straight from the oven, filled with sweetened ricotta and candied citrus.
Pignasecca market – best traditional food market in Naples
Graze your way around lively Pignasecca market, Naples’ oldest outdoor food market. Stalls are filled with sputtering clams, fresh bread and fat, ripe tomatoes, but keep your eyes peeled for holes-in-the-wall selling pizza a portafoglio; piping hot pizza, folded over.
Via Pignasecca
Le Zendraglie – for a traditional, family-run vibe
No frills Le Zendraglie packages offal for steadfast locals or serves it at its few tables. The Fiorenzano family transforms these cuts into traditional Neapolitan delicacies, including a selection of seafood and vegetarian dishes. Try tender centopelli (tripe) dressed with freshly squeezed lemon or a bowl of pasta and beans.
Via Pignasecca 14; 00 39 81 551 1993
Gay Odin chocolate – best chocolate in Naples
It may have nine shops across the city but Gay Odin still makes chocolates with artisanal savvy. At the Via Vetriera outlet you can get a sneak peak at their production and buy a box of the foreste; shaved milk chocolate shaped like logs.
Friggitoria Vomero – for street food snacks in Naples
Take the funicular to upscale Vomero for fritti (deep-fried snacks) with a panoramic view of the bay. Friggitoria Vomero serves delicious fried arancini, polenta and potato croquettes, scooped into a paper cone, to go.
Via Domenico Cimarosa, 44; 00 39 81 578 3130
Veritas – for fine dining in Naples
At Veritas, chef Gianluca D’Agostino (previously of Locanda Locatelli) delivers elegant food that’s big on regional and Mediterranean flavours. Order the ‘dalla terra alla luna’ tasting menu or go à la carte and savour his signature dish, mezzi paccheri pasta with pomodorini del piennolo; Vesuvian tomatoes with mussels and green peppers.
Visiting Naples without eating pizza would be sacrilege. For the best, head to the seafront at Mergellina and pizzeria 50 Kalò di Ciro Salvo. Order a stellar marinara, or one with braised escarole (endive), gaeta olives and piennolo tomatoes, and grab a local craft beer to drink with it.
Well-heeled locals converge in trendy Chiaia to sip on wine and cocktails. Follow them into rustic wine bar Enoteca Belledonne for a glass of coda di volpe.
Osteria La Mattonella – for simple pasta dishes in Naples
10 Simple classics In Quartieri Spagnoli take the hidden lift beside Ponte di Chiaia and step back in time at Osteria La Mattonella. Hand-painted tiles from the early 18th century line the walls of the Marangio family’s simple restaurant. Order the pasta alla Genovese; pasta with a beef and three onion – white, yellow and Tropea – sauce.
Via Giovanni Nicòtera 13; 00 39 81 416 541
Il Maracolo dei Pesce – for seafood in Naples
Out past fishermen’s boats at Mergellina minuscule Il Miracolo dei Pesce serves the daily catch to take away or eat in. Try fried mullet, sea bass or anchovy balls and grilled fish.
Largo Sermoneta 17; 00 39 81 769 0778
Pan’e Muzzurell’ – for food shopping in Naples
In the city’s historic centre cubicle sized Pan’e Muzzurell’ sells a range of top-notch local groceries. Grab a DOP cheese – a chunk of provolone del Monaco or mozzarella di bufala – or a made-to order-sandwich. Via Domenico Capitelli 14; 00 39 81 551 5030
Il Gelato Mennella – for gelato in Naples
A few choice flavours made with natural local ingredients is what Il Gelato Mennella offers. If you’re a nut lover order a scoop of nocciola di Giffoni made with = hazelnuts from Salerno, and another of noci di Sorrento made with walnuts from Sorrento.
La Trattoria Castel dell’Ovo – for a local seaside dinner in Naples
To skip dinner at the seaside resort of Borgo Marinaro in the shadow of Castel dell’Ovo would be a shame. Locals flock to barebones restaurant La Trattoria Castel dell’Ovo, aka ‘O Tabbacaro, to dine on zuppa di cozze (mussels and octopus sauté) and spaghetti with vongole.
Via Luculliana 28; 00 39 81 764 6352
HOW TO GET TO NAPLES
Return flights from various UK airports to Naples cost from around £60 return (easyjet.com; ryanair.com).
Food writer Gina Tringali divides her time between Rome, Naples and Sicily, designing foodie tours and writing for Casa Mia Italy Food & Wine Tours (italyfoodandwinetours.com) and GT Food & Travel (gtfoodandtravel.com).
