Things to do in Guildford
Places to eat in Guildford
The historic town centre of Guildford offers some wonderfully characterful restaurants perfect for enjoying an evening's meal. The cuisine ranges from Indian to Italian, Japanese to gluten-free, not to mention some marvellous British classics as well.
Take a turn off the High Street, wander your way down Jeffries Passage and soon enough you'll hit Raviz, perhaps our favourite restaurant in Guildford. It's a curry house but not as you know it. Imagine elegant dining, but with Keralan cuisine. It's 'fine Indian', the setting is stunning and the food is sublime.
Alternatively, Maloncho Tandoori is more like your typical curry house. You can rely on it for high-quality, reasonably priced curries, with big portions and excellent service. It's on Epsom Road, and while the restaurant doesn't look like much from the outside, Maloncho Tandoori is all about the flavours.
For you romantic so-and-sos looking for a lovely Italian restaurant on date night, Positano will be right up your street on High Street. The pretty Elizabethan building houses a delightful wood-panelled restaurant and an Italian-run kitchen cooking up authentic tastes of Italy. The wine list also happens to be one of the best in Guildford.
Another excellent Italian option is Olivo on Quarry Street. It's not quite as fancy, but the food is sublime. Our top tip: You don't want to miss out on the sweets. So, whatever you do, save room for some tiramisu.
If you get peckish while exploring Guildford, make your way to Meat the Greek at the food market for the best fast food on the planet. Every single ingredient is imported from Greece to give you gargantuan flavour across a menu of surprisingly healthy eats. The souvlaki is sensational and the gyros gorgeous.
Kinghams is a timeless restaurant offering exceptional British cooking from a 17th-century cottage in the nearby village of Shere. It's in the heart of the Surrey Hills, so if you were thinking of experiencing the great outdoors, then stop off here after you've built up an appetite. It's a 15-minute drive from our Guildford hotel and well worth the mileage for some of the best food in the area. Try the Dover sole, it's a delight.
Spanish speakers will be able to translate La Casita to 'Little House', which does a disservice to the massive tapas flavours and primo paella it's concocting on Chapel Street. The set menu is a bargain, but we tend to ignore it and branch out to sample as much of the fantastic Spanish cuisine as possible. It's all very reasonably priced and very tasty, making it one of our absolute favourite restaurants in Guildford.
Lastly, enjoy a taste of the Orient with a trip to Sushi Nara on North Street. It's a Japanese restaurant. While perfectionists and sushi experts may turn their noses up, as far as we're concerned, the sushi certainly cuts the mustard. It's delicious, fresh and well-made. Plus, the setting is nice as well.
Guildford Restaurants
Guildford Cafés
Fresco DeliKafessen on Friary Street is a fantastic independent coffee shop owned by a couple of graduates from the University of Surrey. They've taught us a lesson or two about how to run a cafe. Expect delicious Italian coffee and some unreal Greek pastries. Try the bougatsa; it's beyond belief. The savoury snacks are sublime too. Seeing them all lined up behind the counter, even if you're only calling in for a coffee, there's no way you're resisting such deliciousness.
Another great independent is Coffee Culture on Angel Gate. It serves some of the best coffee in Guildford. The menu is made up of fresh pastries and handmade paninis, bagels and toasties. It's all fab, and the cafe is a really lovely space that's owned and run by a husband and wife team who give it a real warm charm.
Canopy Coffee is the place to go for a healthy breakfast, brunch or lunch. It's a great cafe on Haydon Place. It's just down the road from The Boileroom, one of the top venues in terms of entertainment in Guildford. It does a lot of things well, but the coffee is exceptional thanks to a team of some of the best baristas in the business.
A couple of honourable mentions go to the cafe at Guildford House Gallery on the High Street. It's only small, but there's an unreal courtyard garden that's perfect for al fresco eats in the summertime. And also the Watts Gallery Tea Shop. The Watts Gallery is one of the top activities in Guildford. If you're planning on paying a visit, call into the tea shop and try its fresh, seasonal food. There are cheaper cafes in our recommendations, but the Welsh rarebit is the bee's knees.