Restaurant in Ripley, United Kingdom
Michelin-recognised pub, serious food, fair price.
The Anchor in Ripley is a Michelin Plate-recognised Modern British pub in a 400-year-old building, priced at ££ with a set lunch, à la carte, and five-course tasting menu. It delivers cooking well above its price point, with a genuine bar program built on Home Counties ales and craftily mixed cocktails. Booking is easy; the tasting menu is worth it if you have already done the à la carte.
The Anchor earns a clear recommendation: this is a Michelin Plate-recognised pub in a 400-year-old building on Ripley's High Street that punches considerably above its ££ price point, and booking it ahead of a Surrey day out is a direct decision. If you have been once and ordered from the à la carte, the five-course tasting menu is the logical next step — and the drinks program here deserves more attention than most visitors give it.
The physical room does a lot of work before the food arrives. Low beams at the entrance are a genuine hazard for taller guests — duck as you come through the door. Inside, wood and stone floors run beneath modern furnishings that sit comfortably against exposed brickwork, lead-light windows, and the kind of timber framing that only comes with four centuries of use. The overall effect is a pub that has been updated with care rather than stripped of its character. A courtyard at the back extends the seating and, on a reasonable day, is where you want to be. The room reads as intimate at lunch and busier at dinner, so if you are returning specifically for a conversation-led meal, a weekend lunch booking gives you the space and the pace to make the most of it.
Kitchen works across several formats: a set lunch (good value at ££), a five-course tasting menu, and an à la carte that covers both ground. The common thread is seasonal British produce handled without unnecessary complication , the aim is to let natural flavours read clearly on the plate rather than obscure them with technique. That approach shows in dishes such as crispy venison with Cumberland sauce and radish, cured trout with beetroot, kiwi and grapefruit gel lifted with pickled jalapeño, and skrei cod with shellfish and pearl-barley risotto. Guinea fowl breast with sweetcorn purée, bacon and a crispy onion loaf is a representative main: approachable in concept, precise in execution. Sides such as hash browns with harissa mayo are on-point rather than afterthoughts. On dessert, the kitchen leans into updated British classics , an Arctic roll reworked as a modern dish, and a vanilla cheesecake with gingernut crumb and marinated pineapple. If 'The Jaffa' is on the menu when you visit, order it.
Bar program at The Anchor is worth treating as a destination in its own right, not just an accompaniment to the meal. Real ales from Home Counties breweries anchor the draught selection and connect the pub to its geographic context in a way that a generic lager list would not. The cocktail list is described as craftily mixed, which at this level of operation tends to mean a concise, seasonally influenced selection rather than a sprawling menu of every classic. The wine list is international in scope with eight house selections available by the glass or carafe , a practical structure for couples or solo diners who do not want to commit to a full bottle. If you are returning as a regular, working through the wine-by-glass list across a tasting menu is an efficient way to cover more ground without the outlay of a full bottle per course. The drinks program positions The Anchor closer to a restaurant with a genuine bar identity than to a pub that also happens to serve food , which, at ££, is a meaningful distinction.
For Modern British cooking in a pub format at ££, The Anchor sits at the leading of what Surrey can offer at this price tier. The nearest direct comparison for the pub-dining format is Hand and Flowers in Marlow, which operates at a similar register but is harder to book and marginally pricier. If you are considering a day trip that centres on a serious meal in a historic room, Gidleigh Park in Chagford or Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons in Great Milton represent the ££££ ceiling for that format , the gap in price is significant, but so is the gap in formality. For a closer read on what the Michelin Plate recognition means in practical terms, look at hide and fox in Saltwood and 33 The Homend in Ledbury as peer references , both operate in the same tier and share the same approachable fine-dining register.
Booking difficulty at The Anchor is rated Easy, which means walk-ins are possible but a reservation is worth making, particularly for weekend evenings and the tasting menu. The tasting menu format benefits from advance notice on dietary needs. For our full guide to eating and drinking in the area, see our full Ripley restaurants guide, our full Ripley bars guide, and our full Ripley hotels guide if you are making a night of it. You can also explore our full Ripley wineries guide and our full Ripley experiences guide for broader trip planning.
Reservations: Recommended; easy to secure with reasonable notice. Dress: Smart casual suits the room , neither a jacket requirement nor a come-as-you-are pub. Budget: ££ per head, with the set lunch the lowest-commitment entry point and the five-course tasting menu the highest. Address: High St, Ripley, Woking GU23 6AE.
The Anchor fits naturally into a broader circuit of serious British cooking outside London. Midsummer House in Cambridge, Opheem in Birmingham, and Restaurant Andrew Fairlie in Auchterarder are worth considering if you are building a longer trip around cooking at this standard. For the leading end of Modern British, CORE by Clare Smyth in London, The Fat Duck in Bray, L'Enclume in Cartmel, and Moor Hall in Aughton represent what the format reaches at ££££. The Anchor is not competing at that level , it is offering something more accessible and, for many diners, more useful on a regular basis.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Anchor | Modern British | ££ | Taller diners may wish to duck their head as they enter this 400-year-old pub, with its low beams being a sign of the building’s characterful touches. Wood and stone floors add to the appeal, while modern furnishings blend in with the historic roots. The choice of menus offers something for everyone, from a tasting option to a good value lunch and an à la carte. Across them all is fresh seasonal produce cooked with care in unfussy preparations so the natural flavours shine through.; It may date back to the 16th century, but the vintage timber-fronted Anchor is now a clever blend of old and new – pastel tones with exposed brickwork, lead-light windows, beams and smart wood furniture – while a trump-card courtyard is overseen by staff who are genuinely helpful, well-informed and attentive to a fault. The kitchen treads a neat line between cleverly executed fine dining and approachable modern-day pub food, with British and European influences intertwined, and ‘careful consideration for every flavour in every part of a dish’. On the plate, that might mean crispy venison with Cumberland sauce and radish or an on-trend pairing of cured trout, beetroot, kiwi and grapefruit gel with a hit of pickled jalapeño. To follow, keen sourcing shows in dishes such as skrei cod with shellfish and pearl-barley risotto or guinea fowl breast paired with sweetcorn purée, bacon and a crispy onion loaf. Sides of hash browns with harissa mayo are on the money, likewise desserts such as a modern twist on Arctic roll or vanilla cheesecake with gingernut crumb and marinated pineapple. Set lunch deals and five-course tasting menus broaden the Anchor’s all-round appeal. Real ales from breweries in the Home Counties vie with craftily mixed cocktails, while eight house selections by the glass or carafe head up the well-spread international wine list.; Taller diners may wish to duck their head as they enter this 400-year-old pub, its low beams a sign of the building’s characterful touches. Wood and stone floors add to the appeal, while modern furnishings blend in with the historic roots. The choice of menus offers something for everyone, from a tasting option to a good value lunch and an à la carte. Across them all is fresh seasonal produce cooked with care in unfussy preparations so the natural flavours shine through. If it’s on the menu, don’t miss ‘The Jaffa’ for dessert.; Michelin Plate (2024) | Easy | — |
| CORE by Clare Smyth | Modern British | ££££ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Restaurant Gordon Ramsay | Contemporary European, French | ££££ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Sketch, The Lecture Room and Library | Modern French | ££££ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| The Ledbury | Modern European, Modern Cuisine | ££££ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Dinner by Heston Blumenthal | Modern British, Traditional British | ££££ | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
What to weigh when choosing between The Anchor and alternatives.
At ££, yes. The Anchor holds a Michelin Plate (2024) and runs a menu format — set lunch, five-course tasting, and à la carte — that gives you options at different spend levels. For Surrey, this is serious cooking at a price point that doesn't ask you to commit to a full fine-dining outlay. If you want Michelin-level technique without London prices, the case for booking is clear.
Ripley itself is a small village on the A3 corridor, and The Anchor is the standout option at this level in the immediate area. For comparable Modern British pub cooking in Surrey at ££, you'd need to look further afield. London's Michelin-recognised pubs exist but carry higher prices; The Anchor's combination of Michelin recognition, ££ pricing, and a 400-year-old building is difficult to match locally.
The five-course tasting menu is the format to book if you want to see the kitchen at full stretch. The à la carte is solid, but the tasting menu reflects the kitchen's approach to careful sourcing and seasonal produce across a more considered arc of dishes. At ££ pricing, it sits well below what a comparable tasting menu would cost in London. If the format suits your group, it's the better choice over à la carte.
Booking difficulty is rated Easy, meaning walk-ins are possible, but weekend evenings fill faster than weekday slots. A reservation 1–2 weeks out is sensible for Friday or Saturday dinner. For the tasting menu specifically, booking ahead gives the kitchen notice and ensures availability. The set lunch is the most accessible entry point if you're flexible on timing.
The database doesn't detail a specific dietary policy, but the menu structure — à la carte, set lunch, and tasting menu — across seasonal British produce suggests reasonable kitchen flexibility. check the venue's official channels before booking if you have specific requirements, particularly for the tasting menu format where substitutions are more involved.
Yes, particularly for occasions where the setting matters as much as the food. The 400-year-old building with low beams, stone floors, and a courtyard gives the meal a sense of occasion without the formality of a city fine-dining room. The five-course tasting menu is the natural choice for a celebratory booking. At ££, it's accessible enough that the price doesn't become the memory.
The venue database doesn't specify a private dining room or maximum group size. The courtyard mentioned in the Michelin notes suggests some capacity for larger parties in good weather. For groups of six or more, check the venue's official channels to confirm table configuration and whether the tasting menu can be run for the full table.
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