The Fat Duck
“Famously unique and endlessly creative” - AA Inspector
BRAY, BERKSHIRE
Our Inspector's view
Heston Blumenthal's The Fat Duck, and its telegenic proprietor himself, have entered the modern pantheon of culinary legend. 2022 sees the restaurant’s 25th anniversary, and in celebration they’ve switched things up a bit, offering a new menu quarterly, each featuring famous dishes from the last quarter-century. Reading through these is a history lesson in Blumenthal’s development, from the comfortable French dishes of the late nineties to the beginnings of the extraordinary and unique meals of the twenties. Anyone who’s been watching what’s been going on over in Bray will recognise noughties signature snail porridge and thrill to the opportunity to experience the exuberant theatricality of Damping Through the Boroughgroves, A Kid in A Sweetshop or A Walk in the Woods. It’s hard to predict what 2023 will bring, but rest assured you will always be able to expect a marathon of idiosyncratic and inventive eating on a bucket-list experience that will stay with you forever. A foodie pilgrimage here has never come cheap but when you appreciate the work that goes into each dish – the craft, the passion, the time – the cost seems easier to justify. It’s ultimately what great cooking is about: when all the theatrical ingenuity makes sense and has purpose delivering flavour, emotion and craftsmanship; something The Fat Duck always achieves.
Awards, accolades and Welcome Schemes
5 Rosette Award for Culinary Excellence
AA Notable Wine List
Facilities – at a glance
Children welcome
Credit cards accepted
Service charge
Tasting menu
Vegetarian menu
Features
- Seats: 42
- Wheelchair accessible
- Steps for wheelchair: 1
- Accessible toilets
- Assist dogs welcome
- Closed: Sunday, Monday, 25 December to 8 January
- Wines over £30: 500
- Wines by the glass: 12
- Cuisine style: Modern British
- Vegetarian menu
Also in the area
About the area
Discover Berkshire
Berkshire essentially consists of two distinct parts. The western half is predominantly rural, with the Lambourn Downs spilling down to the River Lambourn and the Berkshire Downs to the majestic Thames. The eastern half of Berkshire may be more urban but here, too, there is the opportunity to get out and savour open spaces. Windsor Great Park and Maidenhead Thicket are prime examples. Threading their way through the county are two of the South’s prettiest rivers – the Lambourn and the Pang. Beyond the tranquil tow paths of the Kennet and Avon Canal, Greenham Common’s famous airbase has been transformed to delight walkers of all ages.
Reading and Newbury are the county’s major towns, and the River Kennet flows through them both. Reading is a vibrant, multicultural centre with great shopping and plenty of history. Oscar Wilde was incarcerated in Reading prison in the late 19th century, and wrote The Ballad of Reading Gaol about his experience. Newbury is probably best known for its race course, which opened in 1905, although the first recorded racing at Newbury was a century before that. Famous people born in the county include Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Winlset and Ricky Gervais.
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