Local Area Guides
Where to Eat in Kingston upon Thames: A Food Guide for Guests at The Hermes Hotel
Kingston upon Thames has been quietly building one of the best dining scenes in south-west London for years — a mix of riverside pubs that have been here forever, independent restaurants that have arrived more recently, and the kind of Saturday market energy that makes a morning walk into town feel like a proper outing rather than an errand. From The Hermes Hotel on Portsmouth Road, almost all of it is walkable. Here’s how to eat well from your front door.
Morning
The riverside is the obvious destination for a first morning — the cafés and bakeries along the Thames at Kingston are eight minutes on foot, and there are few better ways to start a day than coffee with a view of the river. Go early before the weekend crowds arrive.
For something more substantial, Kingston town centre (ten minutes on foot) has the full run of independent cafés alongside the market — the kind of high street that still has places worth walking to rather than past.
If you’d rather not leave the building, every room at The Hermes comes with a Nespresso machine — the simplest possible start before a day on the river.
Coffee with a view of the Thames — the obvious start to a first morning. Go early before the weekend crowds arrive and you’ll have the river mostly to yourself.
View on map →A full French breakfast on Riverside Walk, overlooking the Thames — open from 9am, good eggs Benedict, and a terrace when the weather cooperates.
View on map →Lunch
The Canbury Arms, a short walk from The Hermes along the riverside, is the local recommendation that most guests end up returning to — a proper Thames-side pub with a kitchen that takes things seriously. The kind of lunch that turns into an afternoon without much effort.
The Boaters Inn, also on the riverside, is the more casual alternative — good for a pint and something straightforward if the weather’s cooperating and you’d rather be outside.
Côte Brasserie in Kingston town centre handles the reliable, wellexecuted French brasserie lunch — useful for a quick, good-quality meal before or after the market.
North Kingston’s most-loved local — seasonal British cooking, a garden terrace, and the kind of lunch that turns into an afternoon without much effort. The Sunday roast is the one to book ahead for.
View on map →Right on the Thames in Canbury Gardens, with a riverside beer garden, sunset balcony, and a seasonal menu. The casual, dogs-welcome option when the weather cooperates.
View on map →On Riverside Walk with panoramic views of the Thames — steak frites, croque monsieur, and the reliable set lunch that handles a quick, well-executed meal without fuss.
View on map →Afternoon
Rick Stein in Barnes is fifteen minutes by car and worth the trip — one of the better fish restaurants in south-west London, with a menu that changes with the catch. Easier to book ahead.
Mignonette in Richmond is twenty minutes away and already one of the most-talked-about bistros in south-west London — a 30-seat French bistro with a Michelin Bib Gourmand (2025 and 2026) that handles lunch as well as it handles dinner, at prices that make it genuinely worth the drive.
Rick Stein’s only London restaurant, on the Thames in Barnes — an ever-changing menu that celebrates the seasons and the best British seafood. Book ahead; river-view tables go fast.
View on map →A 30-seat French bistro on Kew Road with a Michelin Bib Gourmand — opened September 2024, already one of the best-value restaurants in south-west London. Book well ahead.
View on map →Evening
The Canbury Arms comes into its own after dark — the riverside setting is better once the day-trippers have gone home, and the kitchen handles dinner as well as it handles lunch. For something further, Richmond’s independent restaurant scene is twenty minutes away and consistently strong — a good evening destination if you’re combining dinner with a walk along the Thames from Kingston to Richmond via the Thames Pathway.
The garden terrace is better once the day-trippers have gone home, and the kitchen handles dinner as well as it handles lunch. The most reliable evening option in Kingston itself.
View on map →Richmond’s most exciting new opening — seasonal French cooking that punches well above its price point. The independent restaurant scene around Richmond is worth the drive for dinner.
View on map →The Hermes Hotel sits at the point where the Thames Pathway meets Portsmouth Road — which means almost everything above is either a walk along the river or a short drive on one of south-west London’s best-connected roads.
Staying at The Hermes Hotel? View the rooms or read more about Kingston in The Hermes Edit: An Honest Guide to Kingston upon Thames and 48 Hours in Kingston: How to Do London Properly.