“You ponce in here, expecting to be waited on hand and foot…” Basil Fawlty
Restaurant reviews have to remember that running Cheltenham restaurants is hard work. Next time you settle down for dinner, look around. Reflect on the sheer workload around you. Seems like 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+ 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 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 9/10
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
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
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
Food 7/10
Drink 7/10
Atmos 7/10
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
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 5/10
Drink 4/10
Atmos 5/10
Petit Coco
French
Food 8/10
Drink 6 /10
Atmos 8/10
Prithvi
French/Indian
Food /10
Drink /10
Atmos /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 4/10
Drink 5/10
Atmos 6/10
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 7/10
Drink 7/10
Atmos 7/10
White Spoon
Modern British
Food 7/10
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 also added on a weekly basis.
We welcome feedback and comments from diners and restaurants.
Blogging on Restaurant Reviews and Cheltenham Culture
In addition to our restaurant, cafe and culture listings, our blog is here to take a longer look at aspects of Cheltenham. Because they amuse or interest us. Or we might write about interesting aspects of the restaurant business. Most of all we aim to be relevant, fair and up to date. If you’re an expert in a particular field we’d love to host a guest blog.
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, it’s easier for restaurants to share gushy blogger restaurant reviews.
We’re trying to publish especially relevant Cheltenham restaurant reviews that are a bit more thoughtful and considered. So thanks for reading our restaurant reviews. Finally, we’d really appreciate help in spreading the word.