“You ponce in here, expecting to be waited on hand and foot…” Basil Fawlty
Restaurant reviews have to bear in mind that running a restaurant is hard work. Really hard work.
Next time you settle down for dinner, look around. Reflect on the sheer workload. It’s like hosting a perpetual dinner party, from having the right glasses to sourcing the right kind of flaky salt. A nightmare of logistics and graft. So, we approach restaurant reviews with enormous respect for what they do and always look for good things to say.
On the other hand, dinner at a Cheltenham restaurant can easily push £200-£300 for two at the top end. So it’s useful to know what’s what. Our aim is also to write Cheltenham restaurant and cafe reviews that tell you what the all-important ambience is like.
Finally… we’re not a pushover. If restaurant reviews score a ‘6’ or more, it’s a good score.
L’Artisan

French
Food 8/10
Drink 7/10
Atmos 8/10
Bill’s Cheltenham

Contemporary European
Food 6/10
Drink 6/10
Atmos 8/10
Bottle of Sauce

Burger/Pizza-Based Pub
Food 8/10
Drink 8/10
Atmos 8/10
Champignon Sauvage

French
Food 9/10
Drink 9/10
Atmos 7/10
Cicheti

Italian Tapas (Yep. Read on.)
Food 6/10
Drink 7/10
Atmos 8/10
Coconut Tree

Sri Lankan
Food 7/10
Drink 8/10
Atmos 9/10
Curry Corner

Bangladeshi
Food 7/10
Drink 5/10
Atmos 7/10
Daffodil

Modern Eclectic
Food /10
Drink /10
Atmos /10
East India Cafe

Indian
Food 8/10
Drink 6/10
Atmos 8/10
Fat Toni’s

Pizza
Food 8/10
Drink 7/10
Atmos 6/10
Giggling Squid

Thai
Food 7/10
Drink 6/10
Atmos 8/10
Gin and Tea Bar

Indian snacks plus Gin / Tea.
Food /10
Drink /10
Atmos /10
Ginger and Garlic

Korean / Asian
Food /10
Drink /10
Atmos /10
Gridiron

Steak/Burger
Food 2/10
Drink 5/10
Atmos Now Now Closed
Grill 49

Steak/Burger
Food 7/10
Drink 7/10
Atmos 7/10
Holee Cow

Burger Moved Premises 2018
Food 7/10
Drink 7/10
Atmos 8/10
The Ivy Brasserie

British
Food /10
Drink /10
Atmos /10
Kibou

Japanese
Food 8/10
Drink 8/10
Atmos 8/10
Koj

Japanese
Food /10
Drink /10
Atmos /10
The Looking Glass

Modern British
Food 7/10
Drink 8/10
Atmos 7/10
Lumiere

Modern British
Food 8/10
Drink 8/10
Atmos 6/10
Old Courthouse

French
Food 7/10
Drink 7 /10
Atmos 8/10
Olive Albero

Italian
Food 4/10
Drink 4/10
Now closed Click for Details
Petit Coco

French
Food 8/10
Drink 6 /10
Atmos 8/10
Prithvi

Indian Infused Modern
Food 9/10
Drink 7/10
Atmos 9/10
Purslane

Fish
Food 8/10
Drink 7/10
Atmos 8/10
The Railway

Thai Street Food Pub
Food /10
Drink /10
Atmos /10
Real Burger

Burger
Food
Drink
Atmos Now Closed Down.
The Retreat

Wine Bar, Bistro, Venue
Food 6/10
Drink 6/10
Atmos 7/10
The Royal

Pub Restaurant
Food 6/10
Drink 7/10
Atmos 7/10
Simpsons

Fish & Chips
Food 8/10
Drink 6/10
Atmos 8/10
Suffolk Arms

Pub with Pizzas
Food /10
Drink /10
Atmos /10
Suffolk Kitchen

Independent bistro-restaurant
Food /10
Drink /10
Atmos /10
Svea

Swedish
Food 7/10
Drink 7/10
Atmos Closed. Click for info.
The Tavern

Bar Restaurant
Food 8/10
Drink 8/10
Atmos 8/10
Vinnie’s

Plant Based
Food 6/10
Drink 7/10
Atmos 6/10
White Spoon

Modern British
Food 7/10
Drink 7/10
Atmos 8/10
WoodKraft

Modern British
Food 8/10
Drink 7/10
Atmos 8/10
Restaurant reviews
Critical Cheltenham offers authentic restaurant reviews, rather than recycled press releases. Firstly, our aim is to give you an understanding of what to expect. Secondly, remember that even if we didn’t enjoy it, you might. Furthermore, please also remember only to compare like-with-like. In Cheltenham you can either try a Michelin starred restaurant or have the best falafel in town, but there’s no sense in comparing restaurant reviews of wildly opposite types. Hence our restaurant review scores are pitched according to the ambition of the restaurant.
Things move surprisingly quickly in Cheltenham. Consequently new restaurant reviews are added frequently. We try to keep up to date on changes and closures. Get in touch if not.
We welcome feedback and comments from diners and restaurants.
Blogging on Restaurant Reviews and Cheltenham Culture
Critical Cheltenham is a restaurant review site, not a blog. We occasionally put out Cheltenham blog type articles if something especially interests, amuses or annoys us. Or we might write about aspects of the restaurant business. But restaurant, cafe and culture listings are what we’re really here for. Most of all, we’re just trying to be honest,relevant, fair and up to date.
We face an unusual problem in running this site. Most of all, because we don’t write favourable restaurant reviews in exchange for a free meal. We set out to write about the pros and cons of every restaurant fairly. This sometimes means that we don’t always get shared on social media. Let’s face it, restaurants love to share gushy blogger restaurant reviews. Even if they’re zero help in deciding what the place is like. You can help us by sharing and telling your friends.
We aim to write publish especially relevant Cheltenham restaurant reviews that are a bit more thoughtful and considered. So thanks for reading our restaurant reviews. We’d really appreciate help in spreading the word.