The Artichoke Restaurant in Chiltern

We had a great time celebrating our anniversary here. The venue is charming, staff very friendly and the food was delicious (Artichoke Tasting Menu, c.£100 per person). Deducting one star from atmosphere as it was very quiet on a Thursday, a bit more of a buzz would have been nice.

Compliments to Valentin and Nicholas for great choice of wines and interesting information. Well done to Chef for great food pairings. And of course to everyone for the friendly welcome (back) and fantastic service. As usual 10 out of 10 all round.

The locally shot partridge with a braised pear and pear purée was divine! A great combination. The venison was superb as it showcased the shoulder and the saddle with an elderberry glaze which was the perfect amount of sweetness with the succulent venison meat. We just love the Artichoke. Always delivers always superb

The food was exquisitely presented and truly delicious. Food intolerances were worked around beautifully and perfectly respected. On the evening of our booking, the set menu was our offering - but, despite the many courses appearing overwhelming, it was divine. All of us enjoyed the evening immensely. Fabulous food and delightful staff.

What a wonderful meal we had last night. The glorious tasting menu highlighted all the best of local autumn produce, complimented by the matching wines that celebrated lesser-known, but very deserving, wine producers. We were particularly impressed with the young carrots with goats cheese, hazelnuts, parsnip crisp and truffle shavings. And another mention for the pairing of dark chocolate and blackberries with the Maury Vintage Reserve Grenache dessert wine. Finally, many thanks for the charming birthday card waiting on the table - so thoughtful.

Such a great place, amazing food , wine and great service

We had been to The Artichoke before and had a sublime, faultless meal 3 years ago, and decided to revisit for our 3rd wedding anniversary. The front of house staff and sommelier were welcoming and we were shown to our table. We'd chosen here as the menu looked and sounded fantastic, but sadly there were too many errors that should not be expected from somewhere with a star. The bread was delicious and served with cultured butter which lacked imagination, and salt. There are endless options to enhance a butter with beer, garlic, bone marrow, chicken skin etc, but it's clear they didn't want to push anything with flair attached to it. I do appreciate that this is more personal taste, though. The amuse-bouche was a parsnip puree with nasturtium leaf and venison bon bon with apple puree - it was good, but the bon bon was drier than it should be with stringy meat. The 'Hand Dived Scottish Scallop' butternut squash velouté with toasted sunflower seeds and scallop was reasonable, but the over-caramelisation of the scallop (which was unevenly cooked) left a slightly bitter taste and was disappointing. The cubes of pickled apple were fantastic, though. The 'Young Carrots' was an interesting dish, but the goats curd they'd chosen to use wasn't tarte enough to offer the punch it needed to lift the dish. The hazelnuts were excellent, but the presentation was a mess to say the least. The 'Locally Shot Partridge' was the poorest dish of the night. The partridge itself was cooked well but the buckwheat was mushy, bland and unimaginative. My wife and I both had to ask for a fair amount of salt which made it much more palatable, but under-seasoned food in an establishment with a star is way below par. The roasted pear puree was a welcome touch to the dish, but given how abominably bland the buckwheat was, there needed to be far more of it. And the braised pear again, was mellow and mushy, offering nothing to the dish. The 'Cornish Monkfish' could've been the star of the show but once again was a let down on presentation, cobbled together with very little care or thought to the plate. The worst part of the night was the fact that out of the 6 mussels that my wife and I had with the dish, 5 of them had enormous amounts of grit in them. The kind where you're fearful of every bite, not knowing what you're going to crunch down on. So bad at times it felt like there were bits of mussel shell still in the dish. The 'Stonor Park Venison' was a lovely tasting dish, well cooked, pink and rested well. The red onion puree was fantastic as were the saddle and shoulder which were cooked in different ways. The elderberry glaze was lost, I wouldn't have known about it unless listen on the menu and the presentation really let the dish down. The glaze/jus should have been brought out in a separate vessel and poured at the table, rather than just thrown on there. The cheeseboard was underwhelming with very middle of the road cheeses that lacked punch. Not expecting them all the be strong and in your face, but some variety would've been nice. I enjoyed the "Amedei 70% Dark Chocolate and Blackberry' dessert, which cleared the palate well with the blackberry sorbet. Beautifully plated and the pickled blackberries offered great flavour combinations with the richness of the chocolate. Our waitress, albeit 16 years old, wasn't good enough to be working in such an establishment. I gleaned it was the Head Chef's daughter, which is why she has a job, but sadly her knowledge of anything on the menu was poor. I'm fully supportive of giving juniors experience, but if the business owners read this (hopefully they do) it was like lambs to the slaughter sending her out with her lack of knowledge and experience of the menu. She was visibly nervous, stressed and panicky every time she couldn't remember what each plate was that was being served. It's not her fault, she shouldn't be put in that position. The sommelier Valentine was simply superb, knowledgeable, friendly, accommodating and was a beacon of light, without that the whole experience would've been very different. His wine pairings were spot on and unearthed some wonderful wines we'd have not chosen otherwise. I take no pride in giving poor reviews, it's rare that I do but there were just too many things that weren't good enough, versus the £520 bill (£340 food, £180 wine), that left a bitter taste in the mouth.

Difficult to know what else to say. From the warm welcome, to the faultless service, to the brilliant choice of wine in the flight (encouraging me back to white Bordeaux), to the food, with simple, fresh, stunning flavours (superb confit!). Despite those joys, possibly the highlight was the amuse bouche crab soup....unbelievably good!

Excellent food and lovely attentive staff. Thank you for making our meal so special ☺️

What a great place! Food and service was perfect! 100% coming back!

A delightful experience with a delicate touch throughout our August menu lunch. Wonderful bread, nicely balanced flavours and beautifully presented. Attentive service. Quiet atmosphere for easy conversation.

Really enjoyable meal, with tasty and well presented food, and great service. Very reasonable price for a Michelin starred tasting menu.

We had a lovely relaxed evening thanks to the fantastic team who looked after us. And the food was delightful. We really appreciated the local provenance of the ingredients and the inclusion of game on the menu - something we love. I'm also now a convert to savoury desserts!

Every time we come to the Artichoke it's a special experience - the attention to detail, friendly and knowledgable staff and exquisite food all make for a wonderful evening. We felt so looked after - from the welcome, to the sommelier, our waiting staff - everyone was brilliant. Thank you for making our anniversary celebration so special!

Every time we go here I would why we don’t go more often!It’s funny how one ignores the class food on your doorstep. Aside from special occasions we come here at lunchtime because it’s such great value. Perfectly cooked and imaginative food and a far ranging wine list. Friendly and unstuffy service too. There are lovely walks from the restaurant to walk off the lunch.

We were a team of four . Ambiance in Amersham delightful as was this restaurant . Service very good , especially Valentine . We were there for lunch . Dislike it intensely when a server having put your order in front of you then proceeds to tell you what you have ordered … could do without that . We stuck to the set / short menu . Three chose garden pea , one the tomato as a starter . Not memorable . For the main course we all chose the duck leg , delicious . (Not sure that the slice of white bread added anything ) Then we all decided on the gooseberry / grape to finish . The rose wine was splendid . So all in all a pleasant way to chat and spend an afternoon .

For my wife and I, The Artichoke has long been one of our favourite restaurants. This time we went with friends who were not familiar with it so we were interested to see what they thought. The view at the end was unanimous - a wonderful meal of imaginative, delicious and beautifully cooked food with high quality and genuinely friendly service at a reasonable price - bearing in mind what we received. We all chose the lunchtime three course meal charged at £55 and, after an unusual mean juice based amusee bouche we all started with the tomato tartare. This was extremely tasty and a perfect starter/ base point for the rest of the meal. For the main course I had the duck confit with pickled cherries - all I need to say of it was that I would place that would place it amongst my 10 best ever courses. Just delicious. The other three had sea bream with pickled vegetables and were delighted with it. For desert we all went for poached gooseberries with gooseberry sorbet - another memorable dish. Service was as it should be - friendly and available but not oppressive. Our dietary concerns were taken seriously and (this is an important one) they were extremely accommodating and helpful to my wife who is partially disabled and the staff made every effort to help her get round this compact restaurant. It was a longish. leisurely lunch and for all us it was one where the food of great quality combined with the company of old and good friends and on a sunny, Summer day made this an afternoon that we will long remember.

Solo dining and given a great view of the kitchen behind the magician’s screen. Warm welcome, attentive but unobtrusive service and beautifully presented and subtly flavoured seasonal tasting menu. Stand out dishes were the beef tomato tartare in passion fruit dressing, rabbit ravioli with pickled girolles, delicious sea bass with red pepper bisque and the outstanding saddle of English rose veal with artichoke barigoule. The latter paired brilliantly with the Pommard. The raspberry pre-dessert was so good, not forgetting the gooseberry dessert itself. What a treat!!

Great service & great location & easy access to Heathrow airport.

We chose the set price lunch menu and wine flight. Wonderful pea starter and then a chicken leg. I had the gooseberry desert and my wife the apricot sponge. Wines matched really well and good value ( Australia, Sardigna and France for the desert wine.) Have been before and will go again !

Artichoke is a very high-end restaurant at the center of the historic city center of Amersham. It's apparently Michelin starred. Service was excellent. The amount of staff working the restaurant is incredible. They all function as a team. Everything was done correctly. The service was probably the best restaurant I have had in the United Kingdom. It was more like an American restaurant. In a country that basically doesn't tip, the 12.5% service charge probably helps recruit and keep staff. The only service issue I experienced was my table assignment. Despite only 40-50% of the tables being occupied, I was seated at what had to have been the worst table in the whole restaurant. Right at the entrance a few feet inside the door. It felt like I was being punished for eating alone. The food was from a pre-fixed tasting menu. I don't like not having a choice, so you may want to consider this if going to Artichoke. The chicken course was ruined by the sauce, which wasn't listed on the menu. I didn't eat the chicken. I would have asked for no sauce. Staff apologized and offered a free glass of champagne. The wine list is extensive. The sommelier has good knowledge. I don't understand why Charles Heidsieck is the house champagne. Charles Heidsieck isn't a bad champagne, but it's not the best. And it's certainly no better than the best English sparkling wines. I would have rather seen an English sparkling wine. Or at least some English sparkling wines offered by the glass. I ordered an outstanding dry German riesling. I seemed to be in the minority of customers, as most seemed to opt for the wine pairing option. The only reason I'm giving this a "very good" rating is the pricing. The tasting menu is advertised as three courses for 85 pounds. But the menu isn't accurate because all the courses are required, bringing the total price up to 120 pounds. There's no deduction if you skip a course or opt against dessert (as I did). This just left a bad taste in my mouth. At best, the menu situation is confused. At worst, it's deceptive. All things considered, I would consider returning because of the service and staff. But owners or management need to fix the menu.

Wonderful food Wonderful staff Wonderful place The attention to detail was outstanding.

Chicken was tasteless. Wish I'd had the lamb option. If someone else is paying I would come again. Thank you for a very pleasant lunch. Waiting staff attended gracefully to our every deviation.

The food this lunchtime was amazing thank you - very imaginative and delicious. We would def love to return sometime

A meal in heaven. The food was amazing from beginning to end. Would absolutely recommend it!

We got the tasting menu, most of which was lovely. Very attentive staff and good ambience.

A thoroughly enjoyable experience. This was a joint birthday lunch, and we were treated to friendly, cosmopolitan attention from the Italian receptionist, the delightful Nepalese table waitress and the Provençal manager/sommelier who shared his comprehensive knowledge of the uncommonly special wine flight which accompanied our lunch tasting menu. My companion had said in advance that she would not eat any bread but the black ale bread we were served was so light and full of flavour that she ate all of her share. She also praised the gnocchi and the champagne aperitif. The highlight of the menu for me was the confit duck leg, tender meat under a crispy skin with a bone to pick up and gnaw on. All dishes were the product of culinary ingenuity and decorative art as we have come to expect from restaurants selected for the Guide Michelin . There is ample, low-cost car parking just a short walk away as an alternative to the rather distant (one mile) Metropolitan station.

A thoroughly enjoyable experience. This was a joint birthday lunch, and we were treated to friendly, cosmopolitan attention from the Italian receptionist, the delightful Nepalese table waitress and the Provençal manager/sommelier who shared his comprehensive knowledge of the uncommonly special wine flight which accompanied our lunch tasting menu. My companion had said in advance that she would not eat any bread but the black ale bread we were served was so light and full of flavour that she ate all of her share. She also praised the gnocchi and the champagne aperitif. The highlight of the menu for me was the confit duck leg, tender meat under a crispy skin with a bone to pick up and gnaw on. All dishes were the product of culinary ingenuity and decorative art as we have come to expect from restaurants selected for the Guide Michelin . There is ample, low-cost car parking just a short walk away as an alternative to the rather distant (one mile) Metropolitan station.

Taster menu first class,; excellent service

What a great restaurant. We really enjoyed our evening. Our party of 4 all selected steak dishes which were cooked to perfection. The service was top notch, our host was the owner and took time to chat with us. Other options looked good but we had halloumi fries and the garlic bread which was soft, puffy, garlicky and quite delicious. A good wine list, but needs some IPAs on the drinks list. The surroundings were pleasant and I have no doubt would be quite lovely in the summer months. Recommended.

Have visited many times, and always very happy with the food and the ambience. Excellent tasting menu, great pairing wines, the staff are always extremely welcoming, and will be visiting again.

The food continues to be of a high standard, coupled with polite and courteous service. The full taster menu looked good, but we chose from the alternative menu offering 3 choices for each of the 3 courses. A superb deer dish, and great choux filled dessert.

The staff are friendly and knowledgeable, the service was impeccable. The food is phenomenal, definitely in the top three meals of my life, and worth every pence! I cannot wait to go back!

Big improvements. Loved the food. Will go again.

Another fantastic night and stunning food. I try things here that I wouldn't normally eat and discover more food items I love. 27.01.24 this place just gets better and better 🙂

We attended yesterday for a lunch sitting with our 10 moth old son. Ahead of coming, we were quite nervous about coming into the setting with our son, but from the moment we walked in, we were made to feel welcome and the level of attentiveness was second to none! This was taken a step further when Laurie came out to g see our son and engaged with him - it immediately put us at ease and set the scene for the time ahead! My partner is vegetarian has numerous dietary requirements (frankly she’s a bit of a pain!) but again, any nervousness was all alleviated by the incredibly friendly and knowledgable staff. I opted for the Lunch tasting menu. Every course was exceptional - the choices, taste, presentation and quality faultless throughout. The lunch was topped off with Laurie presenting our son with his own purée dish and dessert - going above and beyond at every opportunity. This was a truly great experience and we are already looking forward to returning! Thank you!

Had a lovely birthday dinner on Saturday evening here. The whole experience was simply amazing. Food was superb, the staff were all very friendly and knowledgeable and the atmosphere was so lovely and not pretentious. Would definitely recommend for a special occasion.

We were looking for a decent lunch in a Michelin restaurant and that’s exactly what we got. Chose the 5 course tasting menu with wine pairings. Enjoyed every course - the duck leg was large and filling, the gnocchi was superb. We enjoyed the descriptions of the wine from the staff, though 10cl didn’t quite feel like enough. We didn’t experience any of the staff issues some have described in their reviews - there were a lot of them which made the service attentive.

Service was excellent, but the food was a little underwhelming given the prices. The vegetarian taster menu especially so, it felt a little like an afterthought to the main taster menu.

Wonderful food, some good staff no doubt but one who was terribly rude. Good manners makes all the difference.

We went last night to celebrate a family birthday. Despite arriving 30 minutes early they kindly accommodated us and made us welcome. So a round of cocktails seemed the only sensible option. We opted for the a la carte menu and between us we had literally all the starters and main courses dishes, plus two of the three desserts. Their veal sweetbread appetiser along with the Cornish cod main course earning special praise; but all were really good. Some recent reviews have made mention of service deficiencies. We experienced no issues whatsoever. Indeed Mario was a delight and his advise was welcomed and appreciated. A lovely, high class celebration.

Fantastic place. Food was very tasty and a lot of creative dishes can be found here. My favourite was the Choux Bun because it was very unique and I was not expecting it to be served cold. Desserts were ok, nothing special. Service is fantastic. Restaurant is beautiful. Would recommend as a treat, date night, or just to try some new creative dishes!

A pre-Christmas celebration for hubby and I. From the warm welcome upon our arrival we were given the best possible experience and of course the food......just as wonderful as ever. Our tasting menu featured such dishes as scallop, a wonderfully seasonally savoury choux bun, partridge and a delicious but fairy-light dessert. My general gripe with tasting meus is that several courses in one feels like surrendering, but not with this one. Just the right amount of food, and not overpowering. We chose the wine paring option and were treated to an imaginative selection that gave us a tasting experience we'd never have worked out for ourselves. We've been coming to the Artichoke since it first opened, some 20 years ago (I loose track of the exact number), and what a delight to see that it is going strong with such a great team.

A bit too pretentious and full of pomp. Overall fairly poor value for money. Many other great restaurants in the area that offer much more bang for your buck. The staff appear to be a bit too keen to get involved with your meal and the enthusiasm and smiles felt very forced. we had multiple different servers throughout the night and overall it felt awkward. Something I’ve never experienced at a restaurant before. It was very disengaged and off putting when they seemed fairly relentless on ensuring you ordered another glass of wine or other drink every few minutes. Many were friendly and lovely people, but the whole experience was inconsistent and overwhelming. We had the full tasting menu, which had many courses. The bread and first few starters (scallop, pumpkin soup, sweetbread) were outstanding. The picked apple with the scallop was incredible. With the chioux bun, the staff made a weird point of telling us that it wasn’t grated cheese, but chestnuts on top in a very proud way. After that it all fell apart. The halibut was bitter and the venison was cooked poorly - not to mention it was brought out 5 minutes after a large plate of chestnuts and pine branches was placed in front of you where the smaller plate with food was then put. The sides with the venison were borderline inedible. My partner couldn’t finish hers, and I left the chestnuts and pinecones (who’d have thought?) after trying some of each and barely being able to keep them down. The portions were very small for a £120pp meal, where drinks are £15+ each and even just flat water is £5! Not to mention a “discretionary” 12.5% service charge. For £350, we left wanting more of some things but also less of many. The main (venison) left much to be desired. It really should bring it all home and tie things together - but this dish challenges you too much and leaves the meal in a bad place after starting off so well. Should be simpler and more palatable to a wide audience so people don’t leave hungry after not really wanting half the main. Overall, we knew there would be one of two outcomes from going here - ideally, a meal that we loved but was too expensive to eat often, or something that was poor value for money and we wouldn’t do again. Sadly it was the latter. Lesson learned, and will stick to other nearby places we know where the service isn’t so awkward, and you get a lot more for your money than a few bites of poorly cooked venison and pinecone.

Lovely eatery with fresh ingredients

This was our first visit to Artichoke. The menu was interesting and the food delicious and well presented. The cod was the stand out fish for us. The sommelier was excellent. He was very knowledgable, enthusiastic and engaging and answered all our questions. Unfortunately the same could not be said for the rest of the front of house staff. Their knowledge and enthusiasm was lacking and I have never had something described as ‘stuff’ in a Mechlin star restaurant before. They didn’t know the answers to any of our questions and were not passionate about the food. I expect more.

Lovely food and amazing service

Very welcoming and incredibly accommodating; especially as our group had a range of dietary requirements. Greatest compliments to the waiting staff and kitchen.

A great night out with subtle top notch food. The scallops were define and skate.

Delicious food expertly done. If only I could eat here every week! Thoroughly enjoyed our experience. Particularly the Sarrat apples.

This is a wonderful restaurant and I hesitate to recommend it since it may get even more difficult to obtain a table. However, my reason for commenting is that the last time I booked I used the Google reservation system and it did not work. I wanted to warn others not to use Google for this purpose.

Had a nice meal here. Good food and service, and fair value. Would recommend.

The food was delicious. This is the second time we’ve been and both times the service has been over stuffy, awkward and distracting. We eat in fine dining restaurants fairly regularly and there is absolutely no need for this. This time was made far worse when we were asked why we hadn’t finished a dessert. We explained it wasn’t to our taste (a savoury twice cooked goats cheesecake with an artificial tasting smoked red pepper sorbet) as we had thought it would be sweeter and have black pepper instead. The waitress proceeded to explain very patronisingly that this was our mistake as it was a cheese course and it was ‘homemade’. When I interjected to say that she wasn’t listening to our feedback and was being very defensive she repeated herself, only louder. We were refunded £10 for the ‘dessert’ (which would have been great without the lecture) and then subjected to the most insincere birthday wishes ever received. Massive shame that the front of house detracted from the food (and my birthday to be honest!)

What a brilliant restaurant with a focus on high quality food.. on walking in we were greeted warmly by most of the staff. They were two waiters dedicated to our table so the service was exceptional. The tasting menu was a real joy. Every dish superbly presented, portion size perfect, particular highlights were the scallop with celeriac purée , the scallop was perfect . Incredible skate, the duck and beef dishes were also incredible. The wine lust is interesting and varied, not too overwhelming with great wines from around the world. Greece, Armenia, etc . For a Michelin star restaurant prices reasonable . Perfect for special occasion or if you really want incredible cooking and high quality food with great service.

Solid high-end dining in cute high street setting. Service attentive. Tasting menu worth trying.

The only thing that let the restaurant down was some of the waiter service. After being sat down, we waited an age for someone to complete our order for the taster menu, had to ask for top ups of wine and water and queries about availability of tea flavours at end of meal, met with blank expression - all of which you wouldn’t expect of a Michelin starred restaurant. On the positives, the food and wine pairing was amazing - scallop dish especially - and the knowledge and enthusiasm of the wine sommelier was outstanding. Would thoroughly recommend for a special occasion out

We went for my birthday this evening. We had been previously for our anniversary and found the food amazing but it is now shocking. The bread was overcooked and hard to eat, the other starter was bland but worst was the sour spoiled scallop. When I alerted the staff about the bad shellfish they first ignored me but when i asked to speak to the head waiter, he began to blame me saying it wasnt sour - claiming that i had indigestion. Now the head waiter is claimjng that he not only knows more about the scallop only I ate but he also knows more about my body than I do. After he stood over me, yelling at me, i told him i was uncomfortable and wished to leave. Please stay far far away and plan your special evening and celebrations anywhere else!

Horrible Experience!! Poor food and attitudes! We went for my birthday this evening. We had been previously for our anniversary and found the food amazing but it is now shocking. The bread was overcooked and hard to eat, the other starter was bland but worst was the sour spoiled scallop. When I alerted the staff about the bad shellfish they first ignored me but when i asked to speak to the head waiter, he began to blame me saying it wasnt sour - claiming that i had indigestion. Now the head waiter is claimjng that he not only knows more about the scallop only I ate but he also knows more about my body than I do. After he stood over me, yelling at me, i told him i was uncomfortable and wished to leave. Please stay far far away and plan your special evening and celebrations anywhere else!

We had the most delicious meal here. All food was exquisite, wine pairings were perfect and staff were incredibly hospitable knowledgeable and friendly. We cannot wait to go back

A total delight from start to finish, amazing staff with incredible knowledge, particularly the sommelier. The food produced in the kitchen is sublime and the little extras are delightful and just incredible. Still on a high today from our meal last night, thank you. No photos sorry to busy having a lovely time.

Another excellent lunch. Full tasting menu and wine flight, superb!

As expected quality cooking very well presented, could not fault any of the dishes though desserts stood out for me. Quite a range of wines too.

The tasting menu with paired wine was excellent, as was the service. Highly recommended.

Had a beautiful Tasting Menu here with wine pairing. The food was very tasty and the wine pairing was explained why it was chosen for the course. The service was excellent and the staff absolutely brilliant. Some would say it's expensive but it was well worth it for those special occasions. You wouldn't believe from the outside (apart from the MICHELIN star plaque they received in 2019) that it would be such a beautiful restaurant and experience. Highly recommended.

A superb experience with excellent food, well presented by knowledgeable attentive staff. Would definitely recommend this lovely restaurant in Old Amersham. We will certainly be returning soon.

A truly wonderful experience at the Artichoke for a very special celebration with dear friends. The food was outstanding and the staff were exceptional from the moment we arrived. So many small touches that elevated our dining experience. One of our guests had a very specific dietary requirement and this was dealt with amazingly. I simply cannot recommend the Artichoke enough. A very big Thank You to the whole team who made this special evening truly a night to remember.

Great find! Truly Michelin star food in the heart of Amersham. Tasting menu was amazing with local seasonal produce!

Pretentious, pool value. There are a number of great high end restaurants tucked away in and around Bucks, not to mention the multitude of options a stone’s throw away in london, Artichoke isn’t one of them. The staff seem uneasy and poorly trained. They are unsure whether to be robotically efficient, or inject some personality and warmth into the role. The end result is they are disengaged, and awkward in carrying out the basics. We opted for the 3 course menu. The initial melon Gazpacho amuse bouche was poor. Overly sweet and the consistency was too watery. The starter was a scallop tartare. I’ve had this elsewhere before, and so was very surprised by the meagre portion that amounted to two teaspoons. The main course was veal. Not too bad, but not a taste sensation. The veal should have been consistently tender, but we both had slices that were tougher. Dessert was funny. I had the cheese board. This amounted to a tiny slice of a single cheese and 4 stamp sized biscuits. Tasty, but a meagre portion. The 3 course menu was over £80 pp, and our bill was £287 with wine and service, and I was left wondering where I’d seen the value, given the lack of quality of the food, the overly slight portions, and the awkward staff…..having said that, one plus however. The sommelier. He was a young Frenchman, typically over confident and keen to tell you everything he knew about wine, but a welcomed character and entertaining. We both enjoyed his interactions. So, in summary, Artichoke has served as a useful benchmark for what not to look for in a high end local bistro.

Been going for over years. Never disappoints. An absolute gem

Superb experience last night, food standards were matched by sensational service. Perfectly put together tasting menu, which was slightly adapted for my pregnant fiancé! Thanks guys!

Lovely restaurant in beautiful old Amersham. We had a fantastic meal, with great service, it really made out wedding anniversary special.

This restaurant continues to impress. This must have been our 20th visit over the last few years. Wonderful cooking and attentive but not overwhelming service. The cheese course is marvelous. Can't wait for our next visit.

Outstanding! Visited the Artichoke in Amersham for the first time for our wedding anniversary and it just blew us away. We had the seven course tasting menu together with the wine flight and we cannot recommend it enough! If you haven't been it can appear at first glance to be quite pricey, and certainly isn't in our normal budget for dining out either, but honestly it was worth every penny. There's a few bad reviews flying around but they don't represent our experience at all. Maybe it's because we don't hang out in michelin starred places normally so our only frame of reference is like most people's: normal restaurants and a few gastro pubs, and genuinely this is nothing like that at all. We can't afford to eat in places like this all the time, nor would we want to; it's supposed to be special and a cut above and that's exactly what we found The Artichoke to be. Yes it's busy when there's only a few people in, but it's a 17th or 18th century building. Service is a bit slow - probably intentionally because you're supposed to savour the dishes and wine, not bolt them down you on your way back to work, and yes, the portions are small - but you're having 5 or 7 courses for crying out loud. I wouldn't go in a big crowd; keep it small and intimate and definitely get the wine flight alongside the tasting menu if you're able to. The Sommelier is super helpful and his wine pairings were brilliant; even wines we normally think we don't like tasted amazing when paired with just the right dish. Who knew?! Would thoroughly recommend the Artichoke!

Outstanding! Visited the Artichoke in Amersham for the first time for our wedding anniversary and it just blew us away. We had the seven course tasting menu together with the wine flight and we cannot recommend it enough! If you haven't been it can appear at first glance to be quite pricey, and certainly isn't in our normal budget for dining out either, but honestly it was worth every penny. I wouldn't go in a big crowd; keep it small and intimate and definitely get the wine flight alongside the tasting menu if you're able to. The Sommelier is super helpful and his wine pairings were brilliant; even wines we normally think we don't like tasted amazing when paired with just the right dish. Would thoroughly recommend the Artichoke!

Michelin restaurant in a beautiful village. 4 weddings and 1 funeral being shot in the same area. Great service. Nice food. And great wine cave. A must do.

We had a fabulous time at Artichokes last night! Food was exquisite, service to match, we were very well looked after and enjoyed every minute! Huge thank you to everyone who made it such a brilliant experience. We will definitely come back again soon!

What a shame we revisited this once special restaurant to be bitterly disappointed. The waiting staff were untrained and unknowledgeable about the food. We ordered the wine flight and whilst we didn’t expect a glass of wine more than a few millimetres in the bottom of the glass would have been appreciated for £75. The food was mediocre and one of the staff was very rude to us. Our deserts were delivered to the wrong table before making their way directly to us. Sadly we were party to hearing how the maitre D spoke to this member of staff which was unpleasant and the atmosphere was awful. We were left waiting and unattended for ages between courses. A very expensive and uncomfortable evening - certainly not Michelin star ☹️

Disappointing and the service was shocking the waitress was rude and argumentative left us waiting for desert then took ours to the wrong table then picked it up and brought to our table then we waited 20 mins for the bill when we explained we needed to get home to Our dog she told us dogs were ok for 8 hours OMG the atmosphere was awkward and the seating extremely uncomfortable 😣 a very expensive disappointment

I had nice food, lovely service. But I have found out the front Of house staff are paid minimum wage !!! This is an outrage. Do better or get broke, please.

We went to the Artichoke in Amersham for our Wedding Anniversary on the 31st May '23. Food, service and ambience were fantastic. I do just want to highlight one specific thing that reflects really well on the restaurant and was dealt with brilliantly: I have Coeliac Disease which means I cannot eat anything with gluten in it. I rang the restaurant beforehand and they assured me they could provide me with gluten free food. Reassure, when we arrived, we chose the tasting menu and whilst there were a few changes, they provided me with a delicious and gluten free version of the tasting menu. My wife had the normal version and it was interesting to see the differences (very minor). I really appreciated the extra effort the front of house team and the chefs made to achieve a gluten free experience for me. Thank you, really well done. It shows the quality and professionalism of a place when that kind of effort is put in for one diner.

I’m afraid I must echo a number of other reviewers here: A Michelin starred restaurant this is not. I can best describe the food as “inoffensive” (though accept personal taste plays a part here) however, no M-starred restaurant should be serving duck with rubbery skin or potatoes with black spots in; both of which we experienced. When I mentioned the latter we happened to be having our table cleared by the Maitre D “oh, that is not right”, the only comment. No apology - any fine dining restaurant should be mortified by this; especially one so recently re-awarded a star. (March) Together with the tasting menu (only choice on a Saturday night) we took the wine pairing……………sommelier was French but said he felt he should choose wines from other countries; mistake. His first three (of six) choices were very poorly paired. Again I’ll accept this may be personal taste, but they were all far too sweet to accompany the paired dish. Also - with a wine “flight” I don’t expect a 175ml serving but I do expect it to more than just cover the bottom of the glass. Never paid so much (£75 each) for so little poorly chosen wine. Oh, and the sommelier turned up with a “free” serving of a red wine, “I understand you have had a problem”, I presume to “make up” for the black spot potato. Again, no apology. I describe this as a “fine dining canteen” …………….. the main restaurant was very busy and we were seated in the corridor of four tables on the route to the semi-open kitchen: So a constant procession of waiting staff rushing behind us: Less “buzzy”, more on the edge of manic. We had a succession of different servers who put the food down, robotically quoted what was on the plate and disappeared - certainly seemed no investment or belief in what they were serving. Finally, let me offer that comment about the upstairs room. If you do decide to visit this restaurant and you are a party of 6 or more then upstairs is fine; you’ll create your own atmosphere, But if you are a couple and it’s offered to you when booking, politely refuse. It has, as the other reviewer said, as much atmosphere as an airport departure lounge. As I say, not a Michelin starred establishment IMHO.

Booked a few month ago and have been really looking forward to it. Unfortunately I left very underwhelmed. Food didn't seem to have any texture, everything just seemed "soft"/"wet". That said my friend did really enjoy his strawberry dessert. But for me it all seemed way below what I was expecting. No flavours jumping out at me, no "wow" in the food I was served. Service was OK, but had to ask for menus and beer/wine selection, nothing was offered to us. Sad to say but really dissapointed.

An excellent lunch from the lunch tasting menu. Great value and excellent food. Well done. Highly recommended.

Food is amazing!! Had the lunch tasting menu. Best bread we’ve ever had.

Nice enough, but as a Michelin * restaurant would have expected better, especially given the price. Top marks for the velouté and the desert, but starter of pork belly was bland, fatty and textureless, whilst duck breast main was well cooked, but the duck cannelloni were tasteless and the whole dish lacked seasoning. If this is as good as it gets, no wonder the place was so empty. Our third visit, but sadly probably our last.

Food was very good and well presentef, lunch time tasting menu was excellent value and very tasty. Wines by the bottle were very expensive, by the glass good value again and uncommon. Somilier was knowlegable

Food was very good and well presentef, lunch time tasting menu was excellent value and very tasty. Wines by the bottle were very expensive, by the glass good value again and uncommon. Somilier was knowlegable

Fantastic sunny day in the Gin garden with attentive polite happy staff. Perfect stop off and start for the Easter bank holiday.

This just goes from strength to strength. Took some friends for dinner, had the tasting menu. We discussed if you had to leave out one course which would it be? Really hard to pick as all incredible flavours. Also the service is friendly and not over fussy. It was an absolute treat. Tonight I am trying to upgrade my smoked haddock risotto to be more like theirs. Lincolnshire poacher ordered, change in technique - I know it won't be anywhere near as good, but it will be better than my usual recipe!!!!!!

Exquisite food, both in taste and presentation. The amuse bouche to start was a thing of beauty, and each subsequent course could not be faulted. Beautiful wines, great service from friendly staff, a wonderful restaurant which fully deserves its Michelin star.

Excellent meal and service. The only fault was that both my wife and thought the duck breast was too dry and not on par with the rest of the Menu

Really great restaurant. One of the best in the north west area around Greater London.

We thoroughly enjoyed our meal at The Artichoke. The food was absolutely delicious - innovative but approachable. The wines were perfectly paired and ones that we would not have found on our own. The service was impeccable. It was the perfect choice to celebrate our anniversary. We would highly recommend it.

Originally reviewed 5 years ago. Here’s an update after visiting on 16 Feb 2023.. …I honestly can’t think of anywhere I’ve ever been to that has nailed the combination of EXQUISITE food, gentle ambience and superb, discreet service better. It was three hours of gastronomic heaven. We were so well looked after; the food had been so incredibly carefully thought through and perfectly executed, and it’s such a lovely, cosy venue with enough space to fully enjoy. Memories from last night will last a long, long, long time!

We had the tasting menu - incredible food and lovely service. A very special experience. Thank you!

The haddock risotto with Lincolnshire poacher sauce and caviar was great. Lots of different textures with the ewe's curd and artichoke. Loved the roasted and pickled beetroot with the venison. The deconstructed cheesecake was amazing especially the passionfruit sorbet. A lovely lunch.

A truly exceptional restaurant with beautiful food and welcoming staff. We travelled from London for the weekend and wouldn’t hesitate to come here again! The Chef went out of his way to share with us the history of the restaurant and the area, as well as kindly take us on a tour of the kitchen and introduce us to his staff. The service was faultless and we would highly, highly recommend!!

Impeccable. In every sense an experience to savour. The professionalisation and attention to detail from the front of house, is matched by the creativity and faultless execution in the kitchen. Thank you for a superb dining experience.

It is a decent restaurant, but vastly short of a Michelin star. While some of the food such as the shrimp apertiser and the desserts were good, they were not special. Both my lamb and my wife's halibut were overcooked. We mention this to the hostess who said she would tell the cooks. Nothing more. She tries to have a "1 star" attitude, but does not have the true hospitality spirit. I can go on; I was not offered a second cup of coffee; the waitresses were trying but we're all trainees; it took forever for our desserts to arrive and to get the bill.. There are many genuine Michelin star (& multistar) restaurants. Save you money and go to one of those.

Lovely food, great staff. A wonderful evening.