Vanilla Pod in Wycombe

Chef MacDonald is a master of his craft. Consistently good food year after year, and many customers feel the same as I do that this restaurant is hugely under-rated. Without doubt, working in your own kitchen produces great food every single day. See how many great reviews he receives. I highly recommend this charming restaurant .

We were taken by a neighbour who had been before. Seated at the table, drinks ordered. Served with a selection of rolls including tomato, beetroot and treacle options and cold butter. Food order taken then served a tasty Amuse Bouche. Starters were Quail, Trout Mouse and Scallops. Followed by fillet of beef and fillet of lamb. Pre dessert followed which was an apple purée topped with Greek yogurt. Desserts consisted of vanilla panna cotta and chocolate tart. The food was all served hot where necessary and was exceptionally tasty. Excellent venue (converted house), great friendly service and very personable. Great value and quality with a vast range of wines to choose from. All in all, can’t wait to return !!!!

A fabulous birthday lunch. Great service and excellent food. We were very impressed with lunch. The beef in particular was melt-in-the-mouth. Great quality

Our favourite restaurant which never disappoints. High quality, beautiful food. Great service. Fabulous wine selection. We happily make a 3 hour journey (6 hours in total!) to eat in this amazing restaurant.

A very intimate restaurant with amazing food and very attentive staff I highly the restaurant and will definitely return .

We went on a Tuesday evening, so it was quiet hence only 4 stars for atmosphere, but it was intimate. The service and food was outstanding, and great value in our opinion. Well worth a visit and we will certainly return.

This place is a hidden gem, small nice and cozy. I celebrated my 30th birthday and have been spoiled with some amazing dishes! I was blown away by the all the flavours I got from this 7 course meal 🤤 It’s the best meal I’ve had so far and I have definitely not left the place feeling hungry!

This place is a hidden gem, small nice and cozy. I celebrated my 30th birthday and have been spoiled with some amazing dishes! I was blown away by the all the flavours I got from this 7 course meal 🤤 It’s the best meal I’ve had so far and I have definitely not left the place feeling hungry!

This was our first time to The Vanilla Pod Marlow our friends had been many times the staff greeted you very well the restaurant is not very big but a lovely atmosphere with white linen on the tables which is very rare sight. We had the set lunch which all of it was excellent and very well priced. We will definitely go back

Exceptional food. Exceptional service. Would highly recommend! We had the nine course tasting menu and every course became my new favourite dish. I was blown away by the fact there is only one chef creating all of this artwork. Incredible.

So many things to enjoy about dining here, classical French cooking and menu, lively but genial atmosphere with a mature knowledgable clientele. A pleasure dining here on every occasion. The value for money is outstanding too.

We had the 7-course taster menu. The food was very good and a lovely dining experience. Would have benefited from some background music to create a bit of atmosphere as most tables were of couples speaking in low voices. Staff very attentive, perhaps a little too keen to clear your plate as you had just finished your last mouth full. These are little things that would have made the experience 5 Star rather than 4 but should not stop people visiting for the food.

As always, the food was first class. Perfectly cooked, and unique choices of dishes are on offer: none of the menus are of the standard, tedious, corporate kind. The ambience is quiet and unshowy, the service charming - and all at such a reasonable price. Our favourite restaurant for years. Long may it continue!

Delicious food, and warm, welcoming staff. Would highly recommend - 5 stars!

Great food, great service,great value. There is nothing negative to say really. It’s a small, friendly, quite gentile frenchish restaurant. Amazing value - GO!

Beautiful divine food served by attentive staff in a wonderful atmosphere.

Always a pleasure to eat here. Unlike its over-rated “starred” neighbours, the food is really good value and well presented. A lovely convivial atmosphere too, that feels like a classy restaurant, not a pub. Deservedly No 1 in the town. This experienced reviewer highly recommends this restaurant to you.

Exceptional Tasting Menu. Totally delicious and served well with sufficient time between each course to make it comfortable. Some of the courses were truly exceptional but this doesn't detract from how really good all the others were. Will visit again soon. Great ambience and a caring service. Well priced for such excellent food. Visited this December 23 and the A La Carte Menu was excellent. Risotto with Brie and Chestnuts as Starter, followed by Loin of Lamb and finishing with Vanilla Panna Cotta with a most delicious chocolate cremeux. Service was great and this restaurant is highly recommended.

Our lunch today was disappointing. Yes, an excellent variety of bread rolls and complementary delicious 'cuppa soup'. However, two of us ordered the duck for the main course, which arrived too 'rare' for the average pallet, sitting on a small pile of mashed potato with a couple of green sprigs. I sent mine back for more cooking and our friend only ate the outside cooked areas. Desserts very disappointing. Half a pear with a bit of crumble on the plate. We had to ask for some cream to go with it. Service was great but ....we will not be returning.

Yet another excellent meal. I have been going to this restaurant at least a couple of times a year since soon after it opened over twenty years ago. I have never had a poor course, let alone a poor - or even average - meal. It is incredibly consistent and incredible value - £25 for three courses on the set lunch menu and £45 for three courses on the à la carte menu. For some reason, other restaurants in Marlow get more hype - but it's a mystery to me why that is. Highly recommended.

Excellent restaurant, superb food, fantastic service. Thank you to the Vanilla Pod team.

We ordered the 7 course meal - a truly amazing experience, food was outstanding, service brilliant, has to be my favourite restaurant in Marlow. Good restaurant if you're gluten free- almost everything in the Savour the Experience menu was gluten free!

Small restaurant providing great food and service. You must book. Street parking or car park nearby 4 mins.

Excellent food and friendly staff.

What a great find! There are 2 dinner menu choices - a 6 or 9 course - with optional wine pairing which was reasonably priced. The restaurant is small and only has c8-10 tables. The food was truly outstanding - the monkfish with truffle cauliflower purée was my fave. The service was great (students from the local schools). They have the balance of creating a vibe that is relaxed but also feels special. It’s not one for people who want showy or a buzzy atmosphere.

Hired the whole restaurant for a comapany meal last week. Feedback from the team has been ammazing, everytime I speak to someone who attended the meal they all comment on how amazing the food, atmosphere & service was. Will definately be booking again.

Just an amazing experience. Never fails to delight. Visited for lunch with friends. The food was absolutely delicious. Lovely warm welcome, dietary needs catered for, exquisite food at exceptional value for money. Would highly recommend. You need to book as very popular.

It is very easy to claim you have found a new favourite restaurant and then realise a couple of years later you haven't returned. Well I did return for lunch on Saturday and it was just as good as the first time. The mini bread rolls were delicious and although the starters weren't to my particular taste they were still perfectly cooked and beautifully presented. My beef fillet was cooked exactly how I requested and was incredibly tender. The apple and currants pastry was also very tasty and brilliantly matched with clotted cream. The service was delightful and I have already booked return visits.

Came here for a birthday celebration, the lunch set menu was excellent. Food and wine was delicious, very good value! Definitely would recommend.

Love the Vanilla Pod. A real treat. Unexpected. Excellent food and service. It's surprisingly not super expensive. Will do again.

A gem of a place. Often dine here. Great value and really good food. Great local to dine in.

Without a doubt the best meal I experienced during my week in London. And I chase good food whenever I travel! Attentive service, a solid wine list, and food that is both beautiful and of the highest quality. Not inexpensive, and reservations are a must, but it was worth every pound. We chose the 7 course Savour the Experience menu. There was an amuse bouche as well, a small "espresso" shot of a rich wild mushroom broth that was simply amazing with the fresh bread provided. My companion has a dairy intolerance, and the kitchen had so issues preparing food to her requirements. We got both of the main options: a poached turbot and a beef filet, which we shared. I won't go into great detail on the various courses - each was simply amazing in presentation and flavour. Portion sizes were spot on, and neither of us felt over-full at the end of our 2 hour meal. Marlow is pretty small town, and we took advantage of the perfect weather to walk after dinner and take in the (lively) night life. Next time when I'm back in London for work, I will be returning to The Vanilla Pod.

We ate here on Saturday night with friends. The food was amazing! The scallops, the Hake, the duck, the lamb, the jelly surprise…. Just everything. We had the wine pairings too - everything was great. Fantastic value and head and shoulders above the Hand and Flowers. Booking is essential

Wonderful lunch with friends. We chose from the fixed priced lunch menu, the food was delicious and beautifully presented. Couldn't fault it, along with reasonably priced wines from the house selection. I have being going to the Vanilla Pod for years and Michael continues to work his magic in the kitchen, awesome - by far the best restaurant in Marlow.

I booked the Vanilla Pod end of July 2023 as a celebration and welcome home for a significant other who had just returned home from a deployment abroad and I wanted somewhere special to mark their birthday but would also not be too overwhelming for...

Delicious food served by very pleasant staff in an elegant venue.Lunch is excellent value at £20 for 2 courses and £25 for 3 courses.We travel a fair distance to dine at The Vanilla Pod but always agree that it is worth the drive and is one of our favourite restaurants. We look forward to our next visit.

Amazing food, so delicious. Had taster menu 9 courses, it was fantastic. Staff so lovely and friendly and professional. Thank you, we will be back soon. Great portion sizes as well.

Don't know why I am reviewing this little gem. With only 8 tables I should be keeping it a secret. Don't know if it has any Michelin stars but it beats any other Michelin starred restaurants I have been to in Berkshire.

Superb tasting menu giving some of the local celebrity restaurants a run for their money.

10/10!! This is a very very good restaurant from the initial booking through the 7 course taster and finally coffee. Not too expensive either, the ambience and food were fantastic. Well decorated tables and no noisy background music. Never forgetting the excellent service from the...

I was honestly amazed how good value it was considering the ratings and quality. It's certainly not a cheap place to eat, but it was an outstanding experience. Make sure you book plenty in advance, they do not have many tables.

Wow, what a culinary experience. We had the 9 course tasting menu and was amazing. I can honestly say that every course was wonderful and we struggled to decide on a favourite. In the end we agreed the whole experience was a delight. The chef,...

As it was a special family occasion, I wanted to book somewhere magical. I contacted The Vanilla Pod with little hope of a reservation and, understandably, they were fully booked for Saturday lunch. However, the owner, very kindly, placed us in the private dining room...

The Vanilla Pod in Marlow really is a little gem. We had the 'Savour the Experience' 7 course tasting menu for £60 pp for my wife's birthday, which was excellent value for the quality of the food. We had a delicious amuse bouche of celeriac...

I experienced fantastic food and service on my recent visit here and would highly recommend a visit!

We had a lovely get-together with old friends not seen for a long time - and the Vanilla Pod was the perfect half-way between us venue, with a truly delicious lunch. It simply couldn't be faulted - apart from the use of ipads for the...

Delicious and elegant food of a high standard, served by efficient and personable staff. Between us we ate a quail starter followed by chalk stream trout and scallop esabeche followed by stone bass. We served excellent warm rolls and an amuse-bouche of deeply flavoured soup...

Been twice now. First time was good and worth the price. Second time was weak food and not value for money.

Great food and service, it was a little quiet however it was a Tuesday, a little background music perhaps....

Visited here with friends for my wife's birthday. 4th time here and this restaurant is consistently very good. 3 course set lunch menu which is a bargain. Service is both friendly and excellent.

Lovely food and friendly service with a gorgeous 7 course tasting menu in nicely quirky surroundings. The birthday evening was made extra special by being able to have a private dining room. The tasting menu was varied and well done and very reasonable at £60...

Gorgeous food and presentation. Perfect service. Beautiful calm, comfortable ambiance. Deserves a star!

We came as a group of 14 for a golden wedding anniversary celebration, and we all had a fantastic time! The food was delicious and we enjoyed the wine flight to accompany the meal which was also amazing. All of the staff were lovely and service was brilliant. The quality of the food/wine/service is great value for money, a really lovely experience all round. We will be back 100%.

Went for lunch with friends and were seated downstairs. It is a small intimate restaurant with not many tables. There is a room upstairs which seats more than 6 people. We chose to go with the special lunch menu which is reasonably priced. The food...

Absolutely stunning food! Very attentive and well trained young staff Would highly recommend anyone go and visit!

Excellent service together with excellent food. Went for the 7-course tasting menu. Each course was served professionally with good explanation of the wine pairings. Staff were well trained and helpful.

This was probably the 4th time at the Vanilla Pod, but this time with some friends and for lunch. Seven of us were sat at the large table upstairs. The value of the food was super - 2 courses for £20 per person or 3...

We went to celebrate a significant birthday and had the private room at the top of the building as they were unable to seat more than 6 downstairs- not ideal as we wanted to be in the main restaurant- and we wish we had been,...

My wife and I had dinner here on Friday 31st March. We enjoyed the 7-course tasting menu and were able to make slight alterations to suit a few dietary issues we have (the chef was incredibly flexible in doing so) This was hands down one...

Visited the Vanilla Pod on Saturday 18th March to celebrate a 40th birthday. Large group, over 2 tables with two babies & buggies!. The staff were amazingly accommodating and made us feel welcome and assisted with the little ones. Serve was excellent and food was...

Its number 1 in trip advisor and we can see why! We ate there on Friday for my husband’s birthday – so glad we chose this place the food really is lovely. We had the 9 course tasting menu on the whole it was stunning...

Stunning food and a favourite of ours. 7 course menu was fantastic. Service was polite and friendly but could do with a little more training and tightening up if I'm honest.

I was very much looking forward to my first visit to The Vanilla Pod for lunch and it totally met my high expectations created by previous reviews. The selection of mini bread rolls was a real treat. My smoked salmon rissoto was delicious and I...

The cooking talents of Chef Patron Michael Macdonald never cease to amaze me and that is why we return. The 4 of us elected to have the 7 course Savour the Experience menu with the selection of 5 wines which were expertly paired with each...

We visited from Norway and were absolutely delighted with the ambiance, service and most importantly, THE FOOD. We had the 7 course tasting menu with accompanying 5 wines The menu was beautifully balanced and the wine choice superb. The courses were served with perfect intervals,...

Excellent value for the food in this quaint very cosy restaurant. It is small and it is easy to hear each other talking without having to shout. The food is beautifully presented and the wine is reasonably priced for what it is.

Excellent restaurant and great food. Nicely done for valentines and always good to try taster menus and 9 courses Service was great but general atmosphere was flat. No music and felt like you had to whisper

Top of my bucket list for many years gas been a gastronomic taster menu with accompanying wine flight. I can't begin to describe how absolutely incredible the food is, how wonderful the ambiance is, how fantastic the staff are. Just blown away.! We've eaten in...

I had my second visit at vanilla pod last Saturday evening. What an outstanding restaurant. Better than some Michelin stars I’ve been to. The staff is lovely and attentive, the food is marvellous (well cooked classic food full of creativity and surprises) The atmosphere is very warm and calm. I can’t wait to visit again.

Overall experience was delightful. Staff very friendly, efficient and accommodating. Food I must say was outstanding in my opinion, compliments to the chef. Quiet small dining area however suited me. Expensive but worth every penny, will be back!

Cosy little restaurant with delicious food. Really good value for lunch. Have visited 3 time in the last couple of months with different people, everyone was impressed. Very busy last time but the staff were friendly and service was pretty good under the circumstances. Majority...

A pre-Christmas dinner, and our first visit. The tasting menu was really diverse and each course was stunning without a single dud amongst them. Couldn’t recommend the quality of the cooking more highly. A couple of bits of feedback. Firstly, whilst the service was great...

We feel so privileged to be living in Marlow and even further privileged to be able to visit a restaurant like the Vanilla Pod. We have reviewed the Pod before but it is to our mind a perfect place to have a meal, Michael McDonald's...

perfect room upstairs for groups of up to 8 maximum comfortably; great food, friendly service and extremely good value; the food is particularly good and has never disappointed; if there was one constructive feedback point it would be that i think the establishment needs a...

Been to this restaurant many times over the past 20 years. I think it just keeps getting better. Great food and service and all from a lovely position in beautiful Marlow.

Great Food as always and lovely service. Will go back as soon as possible.

Ample parking in local carparks. A small restaurant with a somewhat cramped feel. However the attentive service and food are excellent and, having lived in the area for 8 years ,am amazed I have not found this venue before. Comfortable seating and , although noise...

Lovely food would definitely go there often.

This is the third time I’ve visited this restaurant and each time the experience has been great Where else can you get a three course meal at Michelin star quality for £25 not mentioning an amuse-Bouche and a sorbet My wife went for that deal...

We came in today for a birthday celebration and had the set lunch. The risotto to start was fantastic and the beef was cooked to perfection. The cheeseboard was very tasty too. Each course just got better and better and it represents outstanding value for...

A very good restaurant serving extremely good food with excellent service. You'll always get a pleasant surprise here, like the amuse boucle or the pre-dessert. Good selection of wine and great value, especially at lunch when they offer a 20 quid set menu for two courses! Small, cosy and quiet. Don't go if you want roaring crowds!

Excellent service from start to finish. The 7 course tasting menu was very nice but lacked flair or a wow factor that Michelin starred places have. I think with a few tweaks to the menu they’ll get recognised. The ambiance and layout was very boujee.

We went for lunch to celebrate our umpteenth wedding anniversary. We chose from the a la carte menu. Included with the 3 courses was a variety of hot bread rolls, a very tasty amuse bouche and a delicious mixed fruits sorbet. All the food was...

Our second visit to this fabulous restaurant, to celebrate a special anniversary. We loved the calm simple elegance, the attention to detail, the fabulous attentive staff, and of course the delicious food and wine! We had the set lunch menu, 3 courses at a very...

A relatively small dining space with limited, well spaced seating which gives an intimate feel. My partner and I had the nine course tasting menu and I now can't do my trousers up! The food and service were a delight. The portions were very generous...

Fine dining at a reasonable price. Good service, excellent food, excellent presentation, excellent staff. Would definitely recommend. You will needed to book in advance as this place is very popular. Update, returned a couple of weeks ago and was disappointed. Staff not so attentive. Pointed out to the waiter there was a fly in glass of wine in one of our party. He apologised and brought a fresh glass. However, the wine was not of the same quality as the bottle on the table even though the waiter insisted it was the same. He eventually replaced it with another glass which was OK. His attitude was disappointing and put a cloud over the evening. Also, the presentation didn't appear as good on our previous visit-we had made an effort to travel from South Wales so overall we were disappointed and will not be returning. Perthaps they just had a bad evening.

Always a favourite destination and the 7 course tasting menu lived up to all expectations. Amazing flavours and combinations in every course. As it was a special occasion we didn't take photos but rest assured every dish was a picture

We had the 7 course tasting menu. Every dish was beautifully presented and tasted exquisite. The staff were efficient and friendly.

Once again, The Vanilla Pod kindly hosted Sir William Borlase's Grammar School's literary society, The Shelley Society, for its annual dinner in the private dining room, which used to be T S Eliot's living room. This is a lovely room for an intimate celebration and...

A well executed 7 course meal experience, highly recommended, great service and exceptional food. A really warm welcome and staff; attentive front of house from time of arrival to leaving, always checking on our food experience and satisfaction. Great portions so you might want to take it slow. Would highly recommend. My only 1 comment would be that the window table we occupied is also opposite the chefs kitchen door so we watched repeated comings and goings, in and out, but otherwise fantastic.

Had a lovely 7 course tasting menu last night. Beautiful courses, flavours, presentation and service. Such good value too. We will be back soon.

Small, comfortable max would be 24 customers. Staff and service practically flawless. The food! We were sat next to an inactive log filled fireplace. The space makes conversation difficult for older ears, fireplace acting as an amp. The room has 6 tables and is 2...

As usual superb service and food. Cannot fault any part of our experience. Even the AC was set at a very comfortable level. Can strongly recommend for either lunch or dinner and tasting menu with the wines is a wonderful treat.

Really lovely food and friendly staff. We had the 9 course tasting menu with the beef and it was superb! It’s a nice, small and cosy restaurant at a fair price. The beef was amazing! 😋

Amazing food in a cosy and relaxed atmosphere. Absolutely brilliant

A small but perfectly formed restaurant. Excellent attention from the welcoming staff and the service throughout was attentive but not obtrusive. Everything was served on cue and in a quiet and helpful manner. All requests were immediately dealt with and it was a very relaxing...

I enjoyed my dinner at the Vanilla Pod. I went there with my wife for our Anniversary. We had the seven course tasting menus with the flight of wines. This is the only real fine dining place in Marlow and has been there for years. It’s a small intimate dining room that seats around 20. The service was very good with very young but efficient staff. The food on this occasion was a little disappointing as it didn’t live up to its normal standards. My thoughts are that they are trying to keep the price the same as before all the inflation and as a result have had to cut back on the ingredients. Don’t get me wrong it was still a very nice meal but for £135 a head it should be. I will almost certainly return and give it another try. Hopefully it will have its mojo back.

Nice atmosphere, we got the 7 course dinner. Very tasty and nice staff

Incredible service and beautiful food. Cannot recommend enough. All the serving staff were highly impressive however Lilly was outstanding. The tasting menu was superb and excellent value given the quality of ingredients. The atmosphere was relaxed and friendly. Restaurant had air con which was a...

Thoroughly enjoyed dining at this wonderful and intimate restaurant. The food was fresh, well presented and absolutely delicious. Service was excellent.