Lets Discover · Richmond

Best Restaurants, Bars and Things to Do in Richmond, London

Richmond is an affluent town and neighbourhood in south-west London on the south bank of the Thames, bordered by Kew to the north, Twickenham to the west, Kingston upon Thames to the south and the river to the east. The area is centred on Richmond Green, Richmond Hill and the streets running between them, with the Thames towpath providing a riverside eating and drinking corridor that is among the most pleasant in London. Richmond Park — at 2,500 acres the largest of the Royal Parks — gives the neighbourhood an open space that is unmatched anywhere within Greater London, and the food and drink scene reflects the area's character as one of the best-preserved market towns within the capital, with independent restaurants, quality gastropubs and a Saturday market on the Green. Creators on Lets Discover have recommended venues across Richmond covering restaurants, pubs, cafes and cultural landmarks.

What's on in Richmond

Upcoming events at venues in the area

Sat 9 May

Hampton Court Palace, Gardens & Maze Tickets

Hampton Court Palace

Hampton Court Palace offers a visit to the historic royal residence of Henry VIII with ornate apartments, costumed guides, and access to the formal gardens and maze. The experience combines historic interiors, landscaped grounds, and garden exploration suitable for all ages.

Tickets available

Sat 9 May to Sun 31 Jan

Henry Moore: Monumental Nature

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

moore's monumental bronzes placed among kew's oldest trees for the first time. a new way to see both the sculptures and the gardens.

Tickets available

Sat 9 May

Temperate House Yoga Experience at The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Temperate House Yoga Experience at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a guided yoga session held inside the Temperate House, combining seasonal-themed flows with live acoustic music in a botanical setting. Evening sessions feature soft candlelight and all sessions include post-session refreshments.

Tickets available

Sat 9 May

Forest Bathing at The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Forest Bathing at The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a guided shinrin-yoku experience through Kew's arboretum led by practitioners from the Forest Bathing Institute. The session focuses on sensory, mindful walking and simple techniques to reduce stress and support overall wellbeing for adults.

Tickets available

Fri 15 May

Tai Chi Sessions at The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Tai Chi Sessions at The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew are outdoor tai chi classes teaching gentle Yang-style movements, standing meditation and joint-loosening exercises. They focus on improving flexibility, strength and stress reduction in the gardens of Kew, available as an introductory six-session block or individual sessions.

Tickets available

Sat 16 May

Silent Disco at The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Silent Disco at The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a headphone-led dance party inside the Temperate House combining DJs, immersive music channels and a botanical setting. The event features wireless headphones with multiple channels, a party atmosphere within the Temperate House and bar service.

Tickets available

Thu 21 May

Nash Sessions at The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew - A Regency Garden Soirée

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Nash Sessions at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is an evening concert series set in Kew's historic glasshouse combining classical crossover arrangements and live string quartet performances. The L'Inviti String Quartet presents reimagined pop hits, jazz and swing in an elegant, garden-soirée atmosphere at Kew Gardens in London.

Tickets available

Wed 10 Jun to Sat 20 Jun

Hampton Court Palace Festival

Hampton Court Palace

Live music in the Base Court, where Henry VIII once held tournaments. The sound carries differently through that much stone.

Tickets available

Creator picks in Richmond

Verified recommendations from Lets Discover creators

1
David Lloyd Hampton
Recommended by Ana Sheppard · Take the heat as your sign to get a @davidlloydclubs membership. AD It means you can get access to loads of clubs acr…
2
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Recommended by Ana Sheppard · From FREE days out to arty adventures, kid friendly theatre, and festivals throughout the capital - got you covered for …
3
Twickenham Stadium
Recommended by Ana Sheppard · From FREE days out to arty adventures, kid friendly theatre, and festivals throughout the capital - got you covered for …
4
Richmond Park
Recommended by Ana Sheppard · From skyline views to farms, play cafés, galleries, and museums - here’s your ultimate autumn inspo to keep young London…
5
The National Archives
Recommended by Ana Sheppard · From skyline views to farms, play cafés, galleries, and museums - here’s your ultimate autumn inspo to keep young London…
6
Cheeky Chops Play Cafe
Recommended by Ana Sheppard · From skyline views to farms, play cafés, galleries, and museums - here’s your ultimate autumn inspo to keep young London…
7
Bushy Park
Recommended by Ana Sheppard · From FREE outdoor activities to creepy crawly dinners, themed park fun and storytelling in cemeteries - we've got you co…
8
WWT London Wetland Centre
Recommended by Ana Sheppard · 🎃⭐️October Half Term in London 🎃⭐️ Spooky trails, glowing gardens and loads of free family fun all over the capital �…
9
Hampton Court Palace
Recommended by Ana Sheppard · 🎃⭐️October Half Term in London 🎃⭐️ Spooky trails, glowing gardens and loads of free family fun all over the capital �…
10
Hampton Court Palace Ice Rink
Recommended by Ana Sheppard · ⛸️ London festive ice rinks for 2025/26❄️⛸️ Bundle up, grab the kids, a mate, or a date and head on down to these Londo…

About Richmond

Richmond has the food scene of a prosperous English market town that happens to sit inside Greater London. The independent restaurants on George Street and around the Green have a permanence and quality that reflects a local population willing to spend properly on a meal and expect consistency in return. The gastropub tradition is particularly strong here — several of Richmond's best meals are found in pubs that have been operating in the same buildings for a century and have no intention of changing.

The Thames is central to how Richmond works as a food destination. The riverside path between Richmond Bridge and Twickenham is one of the best walks in London in good weather, and the pubs and restaurants with terraces overlooking the water make eating and drinking here a different proposition from most of the city. Richmond Hill provides a further dimension, with the view from the top — one of the few stretches of English countryside protected by an Act of Parliament — making the walk up to it a natural part of an afternoon in the neighbourhood.

Lets Discover creators who cover Richmond know the area at its best and their picks reflect the places that reward a proper visit rather than a quick stop — the gastropubs worth walking to, the restaurants that deserve a table rather than a chance encounter.

George Street and the streets running off it toward Richmond Green contain the main cluster of independent restaurants and cafes, with a mix of neighbourhood dining rooms, wine bars and all-day cafes that serve both the resident population and visitors arriving by train or from Richmond Park. The Green itself and the surrounding streets have a number of pubs and restaurants with outdoor seating that come into their own in good weather. Richmond Hill, climbing from the town centre up to the park, has its own small cluster of restaurants and the Roebuck pub at the summit, which has one of the best views from any pub garden in London. The riverside between Richmond Bridge and Petersham Meadows provides a run of waterside pubs and restaurants, of which the White Cross is perhaps the most reliably excellent. Kew Road, connecting Richmond to Kew Gardens, has its own set of neighbourhood restaurants and cafes that are worth knowing.

History and culture in Richmond

Richmond's history is largely royal. Richmond Palace, built on the bank of the Thames in 1501 by Henry VII, was one of the most important royal residences in Tudor England and was the favourite palace of both Henry VII and his granddaughter Elizabeth I, who died there in 1603. The palace was demolished during the Commonwealth period, and the buildings that replaced it — including the row of houses on Richmond Green — incorporated some of its stonework. Richmond Park was enclosed as a royal hunting park by Charles I in 1637, provoking significant local resistance that led to the courts establishing a right of public access that has been maintained ever since. Kew Gardens, just to the north, began as the private gardens of the royal family in the 18th century and was given to the nation in 1840. The view from Richmond Hill, looking over the bend in the Thames toward Twickenham and Marble Hill, is the only rural view in England protected by an Act of Parliament — the Richmond, Ham and Petersham Open Spaces Act of 1902.

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