Cafes and Restaurants in Bishop’s Stortford

Cafes and Restaurants in Bishop’s Stortford

Bishop’s Stortford is a bustling market town in East Hertfordshire, very close to the border of Essex. There are some great options for cafes and restaurants in Bishop’s Stortford, as well of plenty of pubs and bars!

There is lots of detail below on each restaurant in Stortford and a cheat’s list below:

Restaurants: Skew, Pircio, Roni’s, Cibo, Wood Grill, Ruby’s, Buffalo Joes, Franco Manca, Giggling Squid, Host

Cafes: The Toaster, Peach, The Coffee House, Eat 17, Nostimo, Rindio, Rosey Lea, Pasticceria de Leo, Home & Eat and South Street Pantry

1. Skew

Situated by the River Stort, Skew is a Mediterranean restaurant spread over two floors. Upstairs is the gorgeous Champagne, Cocktail & Oyster Bar and downstairs features cosy booth seating. I visited for their bottomless brunch with free-flowing Prosecco for 2 hours (available every Saturday from 12 to 3.30pm),

For starters we tucked into the Sucuk and Crispy Calamari with Lime Aioli. The calamari in a light coated batter was particularly delicious.

Our main dishes were Adana Kofte served on Lavash Bread with Rice, Salad & Dipping sauce and Pan fried Seabass served with Potato & Spinach. Our brunch was completed with Baklava and Creme Brulee.

2. Cibo

Cibo is a family run restaurant in Bishop’s Stortford which celebrates traditional and authentic Sicilian cuisine. The restaurant on South Street is cute and cosy with foliage, plants, fairy lights and photographs of Italy. Staff were friendly throughout our visit.

The Polpette Della Nonna (8.25): Sicilian meatballs, tomato sauce, parmigiano reggiano, crostini was a delicious and hearty starter with chunky, flavoursome meatballs. If you are a cheese lover, go for the Bocconcini in Carrozza: buffalo mozzarella breaded & deep fried with tomato sauce, basil and parmigiano reggiano (8.5).

There is a huge selection of main dishes at Cibo including pasta, pizza, meat and fish dishes. Definitely gives me a reason to return! The Tortelloni Zucca with a Butternut squash filled centre, sage, butter, parmigiano reggiano (£11.95) was divine. The Rigatoni Nduja E Burrata was similarly delicious and a generous size portion (£14.95).

The cocktail list was right up my street with Aperol Spritz, Hugo and Limoncello based concoctions. Dessert changes depending on what is on the board that day. We finished off with a delicious hazelnut cannoli. They also offer a two course set lunch menu for under £15 which is great value.

3. Eat 17

This is my favourite place to visit for lunch in Bishop’s Stortford. London has so many amazing street food traders so I was happy to find Eat 17. It houses a number of food traders within the Spar on Potter Street.

There is seating inside the ‘Eat 17’ part and you can even get drinks from the Spar and pay a small corkage fee.

The food traders can change so make sure you look online beforehand.

• Petrucci’s Pizza delicious stone baked pizza, garlic bread and homemade dips.

The Yeerologist for all your Greek treats – portions are huge!

Chicken Hatch serving up huge buttermilk chicken burgers:

Smokyy Egg offers brunch and lunch dishes, as well as a Sunday Roast. The buttermilk pancakes with streaky bacon were delicious.

4. Wood Grill

Wood Grill is situated by the train station and is from the same owners as the same named restaurant in Stansted. When I visited it was focused on being a steak restaurant but now has a varied menu (I haven’t been back since it reopened).

Meat from the grill included rump, sirloin, fillet and t-bone as well as grilled lamb cutlet. I loved the range of side dishes including truffle & parmesan fries (so good!), mac & cheese , rocket & parmesan salad and spinach. If you have room, the dulce de leche cheesecake was fantastic!

5. Pircio

Pircio is one of the most popular restaurants in Bishop’s Stortford and always had a lively atmosphere. It is situated in a converted chapel over two floors with high ceilings and must seat in excess of 150 people.

The menu is split into Italian and Mediterranean- something you don’t usually see in a restaurant. We always choose the Mediterranean options and have tried the following dishes:

• Pircio Hummus (£6.95): Sautéed diced lamb fillet with pine kernels on a bed of houmous
• Halloumi Cheese (£6.95): Grilled Cyprus halloumi cheese with salad
• Sucuk (£6.45): Grilled Spicy Sausage
• Mixed Grill (£24.95): Adana kofte, lamb cutlet, marinated cubes of chicken and lamb grilled and served with bulgur pilaf, salad and special chilli sauce
• Pircio Special (Sarma Beyti Kebab) (£20.95): Marinated minced lamb or chicken grilled on a skewer, wrapped in lavash bread, topped with tomato sauce then drizzled with butter and served with yogurt

The food is always delicious at Pircio although the service is generally average.

6. Ruby’s

Ruby’s is an Indian restaurant on Hockerill Street just before you enter the town from Stansted Road. The menu is varied covering dishes from the Indian Subcontinent with various regional dishes.

We shared a starter of Tricolore Tikka – 3 pieces of succulent chicken tikka: Kesari Malay (Sweet), Chicken Tikka (Savoury) and Haryali Tikka (Hot).

There are plenty of main dishes including Ruby Specials, Traditional Curry dishes and Tandoori and Grills. The King Prawn Malaba with whole Fresh King Prawns cooked in a creamy coconut sauce with green chilli and curry leaves (£15.95) was a fantastic dish. The prawns were so big and juicy and the spice from the curry was punchy without being over powerful.

We also had a brilliantly named dish – a BiryNaani! Cooked inside a nan bread is traditional biryani (chicken, lamb or vegetable) served with a yoghurt sauce.

Service was friendly, food was great and there was plenty more on the menu I would love to try.

7. Buffalo Joes

Buffalo Joe’s are all about chicken – a lot of chicken in fact in their new neon diner on Church Street. They came 2nd place with their Korean wings in 2017 at WingFest & were the Judges Choice Winner. Wings wise they have Buffalo Wings with a blue cheese dip, Korean Wings with sesame seeds, spring onion, chilli, crushed wasabi peas & wasabi mayo and Honey G Wings with siracha, honey, garlic & lime based sauce. Throw in a number of chicken burgers and you can have a feast.

8. Nostimo

Nostimo is a family run Greek deli in Bishop’s Stortford with such friendly service from husband and wife duo. The menu has a mixture of traditional English food (such as a full English), Italian sandwiches and Greek platters (we had an amazing one!) and salads. They also sell a wide range of Mediterranean products including wine, herbs, tea, coffee, olive oil and more. Oh and make sure you try their gelato from il Gelato Di Ariela.

9. Rindio

Rindio is a café / deli on South Street with particularly great breakfast and brunch options. Think fry ups, egg based dishes, sandwiches, ciabattas’ and wraps.

The Italiano baguette with parma ham, mozzarella, pesto and sundried tomatoes was delicious.

10. Rosey Lea

Rosey Lea has customary floral tearoom decor and exposed beams with very friendly staff. The menu focuses on afternoon tea classics, sandwiches. bagels, jacket potatoes, salads and more.

Their cream tea with scones served with clotted cream and jam are delicious but my favourite is the Halloumi, Chicken, Chilli Jam and rocket bagel. The Salt Beef sandwich is another delicious option.

11. Pasticceria di Leo

This lovely Italian patisserie is owned by Alessandro di Leo, a professional pastry chef who has worked with some of the most well-renowned restaurants in Italy and London. It is situated within the lovely Florence Walk in the heart of town and has a small amount of seating inside and out.

The cream and pistachio croissants are delicious with a generous helping of filling, and the Choux Craquelin was heavenly. They offer plenty of fresh pastries and desserts as well as Italian style hot drinks.

12. Coffee House

The Coffee House situated on South Street is an awesome café with an extensive and delicious menu and friendly service. The menu features all day breakfast, pancakes, light bites, toasted wraps, bagels, toasties and salad bowls so plenty for everyone. Our two dishes – the Poke Salad Bowl and the Harissa Chicken and Halloumi wrap – were both filling and tasty. Make sure you try their sweet treats too – they are literally blocks of deliciousness!

13. Home and Eat

H@me & Eat is situated at the top of Stansted Road with parking available. It is a quirky venue given it is a combined restaurant, homeware and hot tub showroom! Very random and I love it.

They serve an all day breakfast / brunch menu, sandwiches and are open for dinner on selected nights of the week. They also have events throughout the year including live bands.

14. Franco Manca

The popular and affordable pizza chain, Franco Manca, has made its way to Stortford. In a prime spot on North Street, the restaurant has a spacious hidden courtyard at the back.

I first tried Franco Manca in its original spot in Brixton 10 years ago and it has continued to impress since. The pizzas are cooked in a Gozney oven which produces delicious sourdough pizza at 450 degrees in under 60 seconds. The Burrata starter on toasted sourdough pizza bread, spicy ‘nduja from Spilinga with roasted baby plum tomatoes & wild rocket was impressive – a great combination of ingredients. Pizza wise, we had:

• Number 6: Organic tomato, cured chorizo [Natural & Iberico] & mozzarella
• Number 7: Lightly smoked beechwood spicy salami, organic tomato, British mozzarella, caramelised red onions, homemade Franco’s chilli oil & fresh basil

Fantastic pizzas as always and you can take any leftovers home in a box. Make sure you get the pesto dip too!

15. The Toaster

The Toaster (formerly the Sourdough of Eat 17) offers the best breakfast in Bishop’s Stortford. If you have a sweet tooth, you must order the Belgian hot chocolate with toasted marshmallow fluff (game changer!!).

My favourite brunch dish is the Halloumi, Avocado, Rocket and Chilli Jam on sourdough – it’s just incredible. There are other Avocado Toast options, free-range eggs on toast with accompaniments including smoked salmon and streaky bacon, Full English (meaty and vegan) and sweeter peanut butter based dishes. Oh, and add on some hash brown nachos to your order!

16. Giggling Squid

Giggling Squid is a Thai restaurant in Bishop’s Stortford on North Street, which is part of a wider group of venues. It has bright, floral interiors with plenty of seating for customers.

The starters and main dishes have always impressed with our favourites being the Pork Dumplings to start and Thai Melting Beef in red curry sauce for mains. They also have a great tapas style lunch menu where you can try a bit of a few dishes!

17. Roni’s Restaurant

If you are looking for fine dining in Bishop’s Stortford then Roni’s Restaurant is the one. The presentation of the food is well executed with all dishes tasting great too!

We had:

• Beef Couscous Croquette: Cheese Tarator, Spicy Chilli Sauce, Herbs
• Lime & Cin Cured Salmon: Beetroot Salad, Wasabi Mayo, Red Radish

• Magret De Canard: Roasted Butternut Squash, Honey Glazed Bok Choy & Chilli, Mandarin Red Wine Jus, Enoki Tempura, Herb
• Lamb Fillet: Fondant Potatoes, Caramelized Shallots, Tenderstem Broccoli, Five Spice Carrots Purée, Broad Beans Tarragon Tomatoes Lamb Jus, Herbs

Service was great – one for a special occasion as prices are higher than other restaurants in Bishop’s Stortford.

18. Peach

Peach is a café during the day and bar / restaurant at night with themed bottomless brunches running through the year. Dishes include brunch classics such as French Toast and Pancakes and later in the day burgers and bao buns. I would visit more often but they don’t have a lot of room for prams as it’s a small venue.

East London Girl: Cafes and Restaurants in Bishop’s Stortford

19. South Street Pantry

South Street Pantry is a popular café in Bishop’s Stortford which is always busy. The menu is extensive with plenty of breakfast and lunch items. The pancakes were incredible – they were large, fluffy American style with maple syrup, fruit and bacon. You can also get them with banoffee, millionaires or lemon meringue. We were also impressed with the Sourdough with smashed avocado, chilli jam, rocket and bacon / sausage. South Street Pantry also has a floral courtyard for the summer months.

20. Host

Host Grill & Lounge is in the centre of town boasting a large terrace area for the warmer months. The restaurant offers tapas style dining at reasonable prices starting at just £4.50. Our favourite dishes were:

• Croquetas de Jamon
• Bao Buns (BBQ short rib and Pork Belly)
• Harissa Cauliflower

It was quiet when we visited but the restaurant is decked out nicely and cocktails are under £10.

Also see my blog post on pubs and bars in Bishop’s Stortford