Best restaurants in Shropshire: where to eat and drink in this lush gastronomic county

W3Y7P0 UK, England, Shropshire, Ludlow, Ludlow Castle

Looking for the best places to eat in Shropshire? Expert Tony Naylor has shared his must-visit recommendations, from spruce country pubs in Hodnet to micro-seasonal restaurants.

For more exciting restaurants and weekend ideas for food lovers, check out our best UK city breaks, best pubs with rooms and foodie day trips from London by train. Also discover more of the best restaurants in Cambridge, best restaurants in Cornwall and best restaurants in Bristol.

Best places to eat and drink in Shropshire

CSONS, Ludlow

Strike it lucky and you may see salmon leaping Dinham Weir from CSONS’ riverside terrace. It is a remarkable sight, one of many in this green nook beneath Ludlow Castle. A café-restaurant and takeaway kiosk, CSONS itself offers vivid entertainment. Mains are colourful, globally inspired mixed plates. Various sides, salads and sauces orbit star ingredients, such as Ludlow lamb barbecoa or a Spanish adobo treatment of Shropshire pork. Two more CSONS are located in Shrewsbury and Hereford. csons.uk

CSONS interiors, including banquette seating in neutral tones and a large window overlooking terrace

Mortimers, Ludlow

One of the country’s most handsome dining rooms, this wood-panelled hideaway is the kind of restaurant where, once you step over the threshold, real life happily melts away, as pleasure takes precedence. It is a precious quality which chef-owner Wayne Smith ensures with his deftly executed, broadly modern British dishes of, say, salmon with baby beets and horseradish crème fraîche, or beef with confit onion mash, shallots and baby leeks. mortimersludlow.co.uk

The Pheasant, Neenton

This community-owned country pub has quite the foodie rep. Its sharing Sunday roast platters of local meats with all the trimmings are one highlight. Elsewhere, key staples (steak frites, beer-battered haddock) anchor fast-changing, seasonal menus closely inspired by Shropshire’s abundant larder. Inventive takes (lamb and spiced tomato lasagne, for example) nestle among classic dishes. The stewards of this success, chef Mark Harris and manager Sarah Cowley, also run Bouldon’s The Tally Ho Inn. pheasantatneenton.co.uk

The Beefy Boys, Shrewsbury

Particular about your patty? Then the name Beefy Boys may well be familiar. In the past decade this outfit has picked up multiple awards for its 21-day-aged Hereford beef burgers. Notably, the Boys’ burgers can be customised by choosing between four different patty options, including Cali-inspired mustard fried and hip Oklahoma-style smashed onion patties. thebeefyboys.com

The Walrus, Shrewsbury

Head upstairs for classy cocktails and snacks (dressed crab and sriracha mayo; bone marrow with homemade bread and pickles) or into the modish restaurant. There chefs Ben Hall and Carla Ernst create impressive modern British plates such as olive oil poached cod, cabbage, lemon gnocchi and brown shrimp with a parsley velouté, or Herefordshire beef with crispy potato, braised cheek and peppercorn cream sauce. the-walrus.co.uk

The Walrus interiors, featuring a marble top bar, plush bar stools and wine rack

Saxtons Deli, Church Stretton

Nicknamed ‘Little Switzerland’, Church Stretton, a small valley town in the Shropshire Hills, is one of the region’s prettiest walking spots. But before you yomp up Long Mynd’s peaks or explore Carding Mill Valley, stock up at Saxtons Deli. Its sausage rolls, stellar quiches and sandwiches will amply reward your exercise. As will its glazed lemon tart or fidget pie, Saxtons’ update of Shropshire’s traditional deep-filled ham, apple and potato pie. saxtonsdeli.com

Saxton deli food items, including cheese, quiche and sausage rolls

Embers, Ironbridge

Located in the Coalbrookdale woodlands, live-fire cooking expert Adam Purnell’s indoor-outdoor café-restaurant and cook school celebrates barbecue in all its forms, from low ’n’ slow smoking to firebowl feasts. Expect fire-cooked full breakfasts, lunch dishes of, for example, pulled pork hash or smoky mushroom birria tacos, and steak extravaganzas on Friday and Saturday nights. If visiting Telford, swing by spin-off Emburgers, and note the Embers Fire Festival (Ironbridge, May). emberscafe.co.uk

Adam Purnell ‘Shropshire Lad’ - Hosting the BBQ Stage at the Shrewsbury Food Festival 2019 alongside ’Priscilla Queen of the Firepit’. — Copyright: Jamie Ricketts

Docket, Whitchurch

Stuart and Fran Collins travelled the world in hospitality before opening smart, comfortable Docket. Stuart, who has worked under such rigorous legends as chefs Gary Rhodes, Gordon Ramsay and, during his time at Gidleigh Park, Michael Caines, draws on all that experience across a tasting menu of accomplished, contemporary dishes. These might range from panisse-style chickpea chips dressed with chicken salt, black garlic and edible flowers (from Docket’s kitchen garden) to a classical-leaning duck with morels and green asparagus. docketrestaurant.com

Bobby's Tacos, Shrewsbury

As a destination, Shrewsbury is steeped in history. But the Dough & Oil team are busy bringing its food scene bang up to date, both at D&O – home of A1 sourdough pizza – and at the similarly convivial Bobby’s Tacos. Bobby’s concise menu majors on fresh masa (corn dough) tacos topped with, for example, slow-cooked chilli lamb, pickled cabbage, jalapeños and pineapple and lime salsa. At weekends it also serves brunch burritos. bobbystacos.com

Tacos and potatoes served on a metal tray at Bobby's Tacos

Wild Shropshire, Whitchurch

A Michelin Green Star holder for its sustainability initiatives, this micro-seasonal restaurant wants to make diners think. Guests are only given menus at the end of their meal, so chef James Sherwin’s modern, innovative cooking is judged on flavour alone. Fans adore the impact achieved in dishes such as crumpets, birch syrup and burnt cream, or sweetbread, parsley and koji. These draw heavily on produce from the restaurant’s one-acre farm and its fermentation lab. wildshropshire.net

Fine dining dish on wooden table at Wild Shropshire

The Bear Inn, Hodnet

Relaunched in 2021 after a thorough makeover, this 16th-century coaching inn is now a spruce country pub of real charisma. Its 12 bedrooms were individually styled by interiors ace, Octavia Dickinson, while chef Joe Andrews’ food is creating a similar wow factor. Expect dishes such as pork wellington with sage, apple, carrot and a cider jus, or ox cheek, mash, quince, roscoff onions and a corn crumb. The kitchen draws on vegetables grown in nearby Hodnet Hall’s 200-year-old walled garden. thebearinnhodnet.com

The Bear Inn interiors, featuring wooden ceiling beams, red leather banquette seating and wood panels

Fraiche, near Oswestry

Chef Marc Wilkinson likes to showcase his ambitious food in intimate, distinctive settings. The original Fraiche on Merseyside was a magical, Michelin-starred cocoon. Its Shropshire successor seats eight in a chic space that has been created at Marc’s home. He is chef, server and host at each memorable service. Expect tasting menu teasers such as turbot, smoked eel and grilled leek to manifest as visually stunning, highly imaginative dishes. BYO wine. restaurantfraiche.com

Foodie neighbourhood spotlight

Ludlow

In the 00s, Ludlow was home, remarkably, to three Michelin starred restaurants. Those venues are no more but the town’s focus on local, seasonal shopping and eating remains strong. From ace sandwich shop, Vaughans, to fine dining at Mortimers, good food is at the heart of Ludlow life.

Explore around Castle Street’s main square (home to the bimonthly Local to Ludlow Producers’ Market) and you will find some incredible indie shops. Highlight include The Mousetrap for artisan cheese; butcher DW Wall & Son; Harp Lane Deli (and its new next door eatery, No 3 Church Street); and seafood bar and fishmonger The Fish House. Just outside town, the polished Ludlow Farmshop similarly reflects the rich food culture of The Marches. That scene is celebrated every September at the Ludlow Food Festival, a regular since 1995. If visiting its beer focused spin-off, May’s Spring Festival, explore Ludlow Brewing Co’s tap bar, and cosy pubs such as The Unicorn, The Church Inn and The Blood Bay. The riverside The Charlton Arms is a good shout for Sunday lunch and dishes such as its sharing duck wellington with port jus. Elsewhere, visit enduringly good Indian eatery Golden Moments, or popular CSONS.