The story
On the banks of the Thames in the village of Bray, The Waterside Inn has long been regarded as one of Britain's most serious French restaurants. The setting — Ferry Road, Berkshire — is quietly dramatic: water on one side, a discreet country-house calm on the other. It is the kind of place where the room itself asks you to slow down.
At the heart of the restaurant is Chef Alain Roux, who continues the culinary tradition established by the Roux family. The cooking is rooted in classical French technique — precise, considered, and without the need for spectacle. That commitment to rigour earned The Waterside Inn a place among The World's 50 Best Restaurants, appearing in both 2004 and 2005, recognition that confirmed its standing not just within the United Kingdom but on an international stage.
The restaurant currently offers two dedicated lunch experiences, both personally presented by Chef Alain Roux. Lunch des Amis is a refined four-course midweek and Saturday affair — described as "a lunchtime escape" — available Wednesdays through Saturdays. Sunday Lunch is framed as "an indulgent four-course ritual," a fitting description for a room where French cuisine is treated with genuine ceremony. Both experiences run through spring 2026.
For those who want to extend the experience, rooms are available — each one including a French continental breakfast served in the bedroom. Overnight guests are guaranteed a table for dinner, and dining at The Waterside Inn on at least one evening is part of the arrangement. It is a considered way to structure a stay: the restaurant and the inn are inseparable here, each reinforcing the other.
A private dining room accommodates parties of up to eight guests booked online, or larger groups by arrangement. The main restaurant takes a maximum of six guests per table — a detail that speaks to the intimacy the kitchen is designed to deliver.
Recognition
Ambience
Details
History
Exceptional cuisine
'Unique, authentic and elaborate,’ this ‘ restaurant avec chambres ‘ has always been about keeping it in the family. Founded by Michel and Albert Roux in 1972, it’s currently in the safe hands of Michel’s son Alain, who has presided over the place since 2002 – although there has been a significant change of dynamic in the kitchen of late, with Fabrice Uhryn promoted to executive chef. Refined haute cuisine in all its gilded finery is the order of the day, and readers confirm that the results are ‘unflashy, clever, skilled and perfect' in every way. Impeccable ingredients of rare quality are treated with a respectful sense of occasion: the langoustine soufflé is a winning opener, served with a truffle-scented cassolette of langoustines, or you could marvel at the seasonal splendour of white asparagus stuffed with creamed morels and finished with an almond and mint sabayon. Among the main courses, tender grilled rabbit fillet presented on celeriac fondant with a rich Armagnac sauce and candy-sweet glazed chestnuts had one recipient reaching for the superlatives, while cuisine ancienne is given full rein when it comes to whole braised Dover sole accompanied by lobster mousseline, asparagus tips and a voluptuous Champagne and chive sauce. Occasionally, the kitchen steps out of its Gallic comfort zone, but it's back to the home country for a flurry of intricately fashioned desserts. Alain Roux is a master patissier by trade and his confections range from a fabulous rhubarb mousse to a dark chocolate délice flavoured with lime, citrus tutti-frutti and pomelo sorbet. Service is correct in every detail, but it’s also ‘approachable, knowledgeable and friendly’. Of course, all of this may cost you a king's ransom – especially if you deep-dive in the vintage treasures of the aristocratic, Francophile wine list – but who could resist the serene willow-shrouded riverbank, the ‘absolute cosiness’ of the main salon or the seductive Gallic charm of it all.
3 Rosette Award for Culinary Excellence
Location
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