The Top Ten Restaurants In Leamington Spa

Did you know – Culture Trip now does bookable, small-group trips? Pick from authentic, immersive Epic Trips, compact and action-packed Mini Trips and sparkling, expansive Sailing Trips.

Oscar’s may look small and unassuming but it is one of the best spots for food in Leamington. The bistro has received excellent write-ups from the Michelin Guide, and was awarded four stars out of five in the prestigious Harden’s Guide. Serving up classic French food, Oscar’s sits on Chandos Street in the middle of town. It’s one of the Coventry Telegraph’s ten best places to eat in Warwickshire, and has also received excellent reviews for the food in the national and local press. On the menu you’ll find dishes like field mushrooms roasted in garlic and rosemary on brioche, moules marinières, steak frites, and côte du boeuf with sauce béarnaise.

La Coppola is situated on Regent Street in Leamington and serves up high-quality Italian fare. Chef Fabio Giacalone brings over plenty of ingredients from Sicily, Campania, and Parma and offers an à la carte menu with bruschetta and antipasti to start such as Campania mozzarella, prosciutto with melon, fresh sardines and calamari. You can then move onto main courses of pizza, pasts, risotto or dishes like veal with parmesan and aubergine, pan-fired chicken with Italian sausage and sun-dried tomatoes in white wine and pepper sauce.

Elma, serves up highly-rated Turkish cuisine with a touch of Greek influence in there too. You can order meat platters to share and lots of dishes are prepared on the traditional charcoal grill. The platters include Mediterranean meats with mozzarella and olives or a mix of mezzes, then there are stuffed vine leaves and main courses like kereviz guvec, a chicken stew with saffron and orange, and kuzu pirzola, lamb chops marinated and served with chips and rice. And if you’re not feeling adventurous you can have a fillet or sirloin steak with gorgonzola or red peppercorn sauce, it will be equally delicious.

The Fox and Vivian is a traditional pub on Clarendon Avenue in Leamington, offering consistently excellent food and gaining fantastic feedback. It’s extremely popular so book ahead to guarantee yourself the chance to sample the food and the craft beers available from the bar. The menu is full of interesting burgers: steak burgers with melted cheddar, or blue cheese and field mushrooms, and goat’s cheese and caramelized onion. Or you can opt for a full rack of BBQ ribs or a half chicken off the chargrill.

Just outside Leamington is the village of Offchurch, once a stronghold of King Offa of Mercia in the Anglo-Saxon age. The Stag is a gastro pub beneath a traditional thatched roof, with a reputation for great food. Chef Nigel Brown trained under Raymond Blanc and since opening The Stag in 2008 has won the National Food Pub of the Year in The Publican magazine. The menu is Anglo-French in feel and takes advantage of lots of fine Warwickshire produce. The dishes include twice baked Berkswell cheese soufflé, roasted wood pigeon, and steaks sourced from Aubrey Allen’s butchers on Warwick Street in the town.

Rather than serving up typical Indian cuisine, Kayal quite specifically offers the seafood recipes of the Kerala region of India and has been featured on The Hairy Bikers cooking program. Dishes are influenced by Portuguese colonialism, traditional spices, and the wonderful seafood available in Kerala. However seasoned a curry lover you are you’ll find something new to try here, like the Njandu curry of crab cooked in the shell with spices or Tilapia Pollichathu cooked in a spice paste and wrapped in banana leaves before steaming.

The Moorings has built a reputation for good food and drink. The proof is in the pudding: The Moorings won the Pub of the Year Award for 2012 at the Eagle Star Awards. You’ll find this excellent pub on the banks of the Grand Union Canal in Myton, just outside the centre of Leamington. Among the options for dinner are roasted pigeon breast, charcuterie of Suffolk salami, chicken liver parfait, and Suffolk chorizo; and delicious Cotswold sausages with onion marmalade, red wine jus and bacon butter.

Just south of Leamington in the Warwickshire countryside is the Mallory Court Hotel. There’s the brasserie or dining room to choose from but you’ll need to book ahead in both cases. The dining room has three AA Rosettes, and the brasserie has two, choose the dining room for a more formal feel, and the brasserie for something more relaxed. Both have won praise from Michelin for their contemporary, seasonal British and European cuisine. To give a sample of the dining room menu, there are dishes like glazed pork cheeks, roasted artichokes, and Berkswell cheese to start; then saddle of fallow deer with black garlic, risotto, and deer ragout fritter for mains.