The best restaurants in Wimbledon
The reservations to make to stay ahead of the game in Wimbledon
BLACK RADISH
Newcomer Black Radish has the fresh, ultra-seasonal and beautiful-on-the-plate approach of some of our favourite chefs; think Anne-Sophie Pic of Les Dames de Pic, Four Seasons Trinity Square and Ollie Dabbous of Hide. It is the hot ticket to book in Wimbledon right now with residents falling over themselves to snare a table and already a favourite among chefs including Philip Howard of Elystan Street.
Chef Toby Cartwright is the co-founde,r alongside restaurateur Marie Poutissou. They offer a short a la carte, immensely appealing to the food-minded, and a tasting menu too. We like chilled cucumber soup with trout confit and horseradish granita, whole brill cooked on seaweed with palourde clams and Gariguette strawberries with saffron ice-cream and G & T sorbet.
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WHITE ONION
Very much the grown-up village choice for inventive modern French cooking, ask for the window seat, the best table in the house. The cooking is ambitious and mostly assured. If the tempura prawn and plaice with ultra-light batter is on offer paired with classic sauce gribiche, do order this. Cheeses from La Fromagerie are excellent and desserts decadent and accomplished. Set lunch menus are good value. Be sure to book well ahead for tennis championship fortnight.
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THE IVY
Come for breakfast: the lovely terraced garden opens at 8am and should be an oasis of calm, even if visiting during the tennis championships. They offer an immense and excellent choice for breakfast: lobster topped scrambled egg is superb. Besides dishes from the original Ivy, including that crisp duck salad and shepherd's pie, there's an appealing choice of luxe comfort food and light summer dishes. For the tournament, The Ivy Cafe Wimbledon has a champagne, strawberries & cream cocktail, and a special take on their signature chocolate bombe dessert. Cloverly, it resembles a tennis ball and is made with white chocolate. The Ivy Cafe Wimbledon is, of course, good for people watching too. Novak Djokovic and Boric Becker have been spotted dining in the opulently transformed former bank. The decor is as glam as we expect from the Ivy Cafe collection: vintage mirrors, lovely wildflower prints, plus impeccable service. For the duration of Wimbledon tennis, the gorgeous floral arch around the entrance is instagram candy.
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LIGHT ON THE COMMON
A light bright conservatory space that makes a lovely spot for lunch or dinner, practically on the Common with daily specials on a chalkboard menu. The food is simple and fresh, with interesting herb/spice twists. Stand-outs include: marinated squid, piquillo pepper, olive, fennel, artichoke and basil salad; and baked harrisa salmon, watercress tabbouleh and tahini sauté potatoes. There are plenty of wines by the glass, perfect for lunch. I once visited for breakfast with Marcus Wareing and even the Masterchef Professional judged the poached eggs first class. There are plenty of wines by.the glass. It is younger sibling to Wimbledon's The Lighthouse.
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RAJDOOT
In the heart of the Village, this family run Indian restaurant is very popular amoungst tennis players. Roger Federer and the Williams sisters are loyal fans. The huge list of curries is accompanied by all of the traditional sides including naan, poppadum, raita and saag aloo. Definitely the place to go if you fancy some celeb spotting alongside your tikka massala.
Rajdoot are not taking bookings between 23rd June- 6th July, so turn up and hope for the best.
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STICKS N SUSHI
Sushi with a Nordic twist, and a good place to eat in a big group as they serve spectacular huge platters of sushi and sashimi which look really spectacular and are prepared with care and flair. Yakitori are good too especially, if there are non raw fish lovers among your fellow diners. Most tables are sharing and it is popular with families too, so not the place for an intimate post match tete a tete.
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