5 set menus with a Thames view
Fixed prices with the Thames doing the decorating
Everyone wants the window seat by the river. Almost nobody wants the bill that usually comes with it. A table on the Thames, a set menu, and you can imagine you're looking at crystal blue water.
We've gone the length of the river for this one, from a Grade II-listed pub on the Isle of Dogs to a Michelin kitchen above the Richmond towpath. Five spots where the view is the only thing that's eye-watering, with set menus that leave room for a second bottle.
01 · The Gun
Docklands
A Grade II-listed Fuller's pub looking straight across the water to the O2.
On the tip of the Isle of Dogs, The Gun has been pulling pints since the days of the docks, with open fires inside and a riverside terrace that stares right across the Thames at the O2. The weekday set lunch is £23 for two courses or £28 for three (Monday to Friday, 12 to 3pm). Centuries of dock history, and one of the best river views in east London.
02 · Sticky Mango
Tower Bridge
Pan-Asian sharing plates on the Shad Thames bank, in the shadow of Tower Bridge.
Right on the water's edge at Shad Thames, Sticky Mango does pan-Asian small plates that travel from Thailand to Vietnam to Malaysia. The lunch set is £24.95 for two courses or £29.95 for three, Monday to Friday until 6pm. Grab a table by the glass with Tower Bridge filling the window, and order for the whole table.
03 · Rick Stein Barnes
Barnes
Cornish seafood and white tablecloths on one of the quietest bends of the river.
The London outpost sits on a leafy stretch of the Thames at Barnes, all white tablecloths and day-boat fish brought up from the West Country. The set menu is £24.95 for two courses or £29.95 for three, and (rare for a place this good) it runs every single day, lunch and dinner. Eat well, then walk the towpath off.
04 · The Coal Shed
Tower Bridge
Fire-cooking and riverside tables at One Tower Bridge, two courses £19.
Tucked into One Tower Bridge, right on the riverside walk, The Coal Shed cooks bold seasonal plates over open flame. The set lunch is some of the best value on the water: £19 for two courses or £24 for three, Monday to Friday until 6.30pm. Steak, fish and smoke, with the river just outside.
05 · The Dysart Petersham
Richmond
A Michelin-starred lunch overlooking the Thames at Petersham, from £75.
Out west where the river runs green past Richmond, The Dysart is a one-star kitchen in an Arts and Crafts house looking over the Thames towards Petersham Meadows. The set lunch is £75 for three courses or £85 for four, served Thursday to Saturday. The splurge on this list, and worth every penny for a riverside Michelin meal at a fraction of the usual price.
Book the table by the window, order the second bottle, and let the river do the rest.