Places to eat in High Wycombe

It might just be our imagination, but restaurants specialising in cuisine from Kerala seem to be very much in vogue at the moment. A shining example is Kappad in the High Street, just 10 minutes’ walk from our High Wycombe Central hotel. Named after the beach where the Portuguese explorer Vasco Da Gama first landed, it calls itself the benchmark of Kerala cuisine. Among the South Indian delicacies on offer here are deep-fried lentil doughnuts, batter-fried boiled egg and backel squid as well as more familiar curry dishes.

A more traditional curry house experience can be found at Taste of India. A relative newcomer on the High Wycombe restaurant scene, it claims to be one of the pioneers of the UK curry revolution. Its wide-ranging menu includes everything from tandoori, biryani and other traditional specialities from all regions of the sub-continent. It also hosts special events including an Elvis Night!

If your preference is for traditional British fare, then head for the highly-rated Dashwood Arms in the nearby village of Piddington. It's a classic country pub that comes with a word of warning – the portions are huge! Known locally as "The Dash" and named after the famous Dashwood family, its menu has everything from Sunday roasts including chicken, leg of lamb or rib eye beef to Pieminister pies and the more unusual, yet delicious, hanging kebabs.

While the Dashwood Arms offers a wide choice for vegetarians alongside its steaks and burgers, the true meat-lovers’ paradise in High Wycombe in is the Bluegrass BBQ Smokehouse. The restaurant has a special offer called Meat 'n' Three in which you can choose one type of smoked meat from a selection including the likes of sliced brisket, pulled 'Boston Butt' pork and hickory chicken wings plus any three sides from a range featuring Texan fries, BBQ pit beans and cheese nachos. And for extra authenticity, it has American beverages such as cream soda and root beer.

No town the size of High Wycombe would be complete without a high-class Italian eaterie - and it’s Dolce that fits that particular bill. Only a mile and half from our High Wycombe/Beaconsfield hotel, it’s situated in the attractive village of Wooburn Green, which boasts the claim to fame that exterior filming for Fawlty Towers took place there (don’t look for the original Wooburn Grange Country Club though, as it sadly burnt down years ago). Dolce aims to charm its clientele with an authentic Italian experience and offers treats such as pan-fried veal, meatballs, whitebait, mussels and sea bass as well as a wide selection of pizza and pasta options.

For a memorable café visit, the place to go is The Works. Not only is it heavenly for those with a sweet tooth - you can choose from sundaes, crepes and waffles and other hot desserts - but there's also an exciting Ice Cream Experience. This entails being whisked away to the restaurant's "Engine Room" and choosing from one of over 20 flavours to make your very own ice cream which then goes into a blast freezer ready to be taken home.

If all that sounds like too much of a sugar rush for you, there are lots of other options for a simply great cup of coffee. Among the places you might want to try in High Wycombe’s burgeoning barista scene is Hatch Coffee, which uses top-notch importers and roasters such as Chartley and Frank & Earnest.

Slightly out of the centre in West Wycombe, you’ll find the popular Apple Orchard café and shop. Ideally placed for a stop-off en route to the Hell-Fire Caves, one of the must-see High Wycombe activities, it sells gifts, jewellery, garden accessories, furniture and beds - and after browsing that little lot, you'll probably be peckish enough to fancy something from the array of cakes, savouries and sandwiches on their coffee shop menu.

For a more homely vibe, try the Tin Kitchen. Located in the unlikely setting of an old carpet shop near the Quadrangle housing estate in the town’s Totteridge district, it has earned a reputation for one of the friendliest local cafés around. The Tin Kitchen has no pretensions, just a no-nonsense menu providing breakfast, brunch and other tasty snacks, all adhering to their motto “Always free range, always sustainable, always tasty”.

Another gem off the beaten track is Back Street Coffee in the nearby village of Stokenchurch, which is easily accessible just off the M40. Burgers, baguettes and breakfasts are all popular items on the menu - and it now also hosts regular live Comedy Ladder events

If you’re into spotting local celebrities, why not give Pony Espresso a whirl? It serves a wide range of sandwiches, wraps, salads and jacket potatoes which are so tasty that Wycombe Wanderers football manager Gareth Ainsworth is said to be among its regular customers!

"So delicious, I almost turned veggie!" That's one verdict on Rhinobair, a café which bends over backwards to make sure vegetarians and vegans are catered for properly. Its menu features not only tempting-looking smoothies, but things like avocado on toast and vegan BLTs!

Rounding off our selection is the Vanilla Pod Café and Patisserie - a slightly more upmarket alternative to some of the other eateries we’ve looked at. Not to be confused with a similarly-named restaurant in nearby Marlow, this is a refuge away from the hectic reality of everyday life where you can enjoy a refined cup of Moroccan mint tea or sample exotic snacks such as merguez sausages and baklava.