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The Almanack is a modern British gastropub in the heart of Kenilworth, between Abbey Fields and the High Street. The Almanack belongs to the people behind the Rose and Crown in Warwick. Jeremy Kynaston has enjoyed two years there, winning friends and awards along the way and is now in the process of welcoming old friends and making new ones at the Almanack.

On arrival the entrance takes you into a comfortable bar and lounge furnished with beautiful vintage armchairs and sofas. There is a great island bar in the middle where you can drink, chat and watch the world go by as well as a glamorous dining room with views of the open kitchen. Perfect for dinner parties with family and friends is the Private Dining Room which can sit up to 30 people.

At the heart of a true gastropub is, of course, the menu. Head Chef Jakub Fijak gained cuilnary experience in his own home city of Krakow and spent years in Poland honing his skills. After learning the fine nuances of French cooking in St Helier, he is back in the kitchen serving a fantastic menu featuring both retro and modern pub dishes with his knowledge and love of fresh, simple ingredients.

Breakfast is served from 8am to 12noon, featuring healthy, sensible food with not a full English in sight, and, if you're in a real rush, you can take it away with you. The deli board lives on in five manifestations of cheese, cold cuts, fish, veggie and a favourites board, and an option of adding a classic cheese fondue to any of them. A perfect start to a meal or to share with a friend over a glass of wine or two! For those in a hurry, the roast of the day is ideal. You can check which day it is by what's on your plate, ranging from roast leg of Cornish lamb to the Aberdeenshire 28 day dry-aged roast beef and traditional trimmings.

Their meat is all free range and comes from award-winning local butcher, Aubrey Allen. Other ingredients are sourced from producers who take pride in their products and an ethical stance in their production. The Almanack ensures their menu always makes the most of the best seasonal ingredients - this is to avoid air-freighting and keeps you in touch with the cycle of the year - to maximise freshness, quality and value.

Whilst eating is most certainly taken seriously, a pub wouldn't be a pub without great drinks. For those who like a wine list that does the business with adequate choices, but not enough to cloud your judgement, Almanack is your place. A choice of five champagnes, two by the glass is followed by a selection of whites that embrace Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough 2009, and start with a South African Chenin Blanc available in bottle, large or small glass on draught, or a carafe for friendly drinking. Amongst the reds you could spot a Malbec, San Rafael from Argentina. Both these countries are now producing wines that will stand with the best from almost anywhere.

The Almanack is a pub with a conscience about eating and drinking, with a real sense of purpose. The customer concern level is high, and would go so far as to say that at last somebody has found a way to combine the best of the gastropub with fresh 21st century bonhomie, that has given new meaning to 'the local'.

Find out even more by clicking on their Website. You might also want to consider visiting The Rose and Crown in nearby Warwick, the sister pub to The Almanack.

Close to the historic towns of Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwick and Royal Leamington Spa, The Queen & Castle offers a delicious modern British cuisine menu with Mediterranean influences in the heart of Warwickshire. Nestled on Castle Green, directly opposite Kenilworth Castle, it's the perfect place for unwinding after a day of sightseeing. The pub also boasts a beautiful, secluded garden that is ideal for al fresco dining in warm weather, with an outdoor play area for the kids and ample onsite parking, making it a wonderfully family-friendly venue for a weekend meal.

The Queen & Castle's traditional brick and tiled roof exterior gives way to a bright and airy interior with wood floors, beamed ceilings and comfortable leather chairs. The light coloured walls and ceilings offer a stunning contemporary take on traditional Tudor decor and witty touches, such as the antler coat-hooks above the hearth complete the stylish setting. The same attention to detail is discernible in the friendly and attentive staff and the excellent service ensures a pleasant experience.

The seasonally changing à la carte uses the finest market fresh ingredients and delivers a range of sharing platters and starters such as winter bruschetta of asparagus, gorgonzola, prosciutto, balsamic on stirata Romana bread and red onion and gorgonzola tart with roasted apple and mustard seed dressing to whet the appetite.

Follow with a flavourful stone baked pizza topped with luganega sausage, chorizo, pepperoni, spit roasted chicken and crushed chillies or roasted Mediterranean vegetables, goat's cheese, cherry tomatoes and rocket. There's also choice of wonderful pasta dishes, no dull uninspiring spaghetti Bolognese here, instead there's lasagne with slow roasted pork, red peppers and roast garlic or linguini with tiger prawns, crab and chorizo in a spicy tomato sauce.

Salads of crispy duck with mooli, carrots, hoisin, spring onions and plum sauce or grilled goat's cheese crostini with roasted sweet potatoes, borlotti beans and blush tomato dressing provide a light main course. While more substantial mains include succulent grilled fare of fillet steak garni with watercress, confit tomato, grilled mushroom and hand-cut jenga chips or blade of beef, slow braised in red wine, with creamy parsley mash and horseradish crème fraiche. Classic burgers come with onion, gherkin, mustard mayo, cheese, relish, and chips with a host of extras including chorizo, bacon or flat mushroom. Alternatively, try one of chef’s daily specials on the blackboard. You could also enjoy Fabulous Fish Fridays with delicious fresh fish and shellfish specials with a whopping 50% discount on a bottle of white wine.

On Sundays, guests can enjoy a variety of beautifully prepared classic roasts with lashings of gravy and seasonal veggies. A prix fixe menu is available mid week until 7 pm while the bar menu includes a variety of small plates and main dishes.

The expertly selected wine list includes a variety of Mediterranean whites and reds, as well as examples from the rest of the world available by the glass and bottle, while the drinks menu offers a variety of aperitifs non-alcoholic drinks along with a range of excellent cask ales and bottled beers to quench the thirst.
 
Enjoyed eating at The Queen & Castle? Why not try its sister pubs; The Encore in Stratford-upon-Avon and The Saxon Mill in Warwick for a similar experience.

To gain further information, just visit their extremely comprehensive Website.

Housed in an elegant building, just off the Old Market Square, Zizzi Kenilworth serves authentic Italian dishes in stunning surroundings. The beautifully designed interior draws inspiration from Kenilworth Castle and offers a welcome haven for tired shoppers at the nearby Talisman Square and Abbey End.

Surrounded by shops and restaurants on The Square, Zizzi is also close to popular attractions like Priory Theatre and Abbey Fields Park.

The restaurant's bustling open kitchen turns out a wide range of freshly prepared, tasty fare. The extensive à la carte offers traditional antipasti, pizza, pasta and salads, as well as seasonally changing meat and fish dishes with a variety of tempting desserts to finish.

Zizzi's special antipasti platter has mixed Italian meats with buffalo milk mozzarella, marinated sun-dried tomatoes, mixed olives and red onion focaccia bread. There's also choice of arancini, crispy risotto balls stuffed with mozzarella and peas and served with a tomato chilli sauce as well as gnocchi gorgonzola, potato dumplings in a creamy gorgonzola and spinach sauce seasoned with nutmeg and black pepper, setting the tone for a hearty meal.

For a delicious pasta or risotto choose between penne vodka, king prawns, chilli, peas and Grana Padano in a creamy tomato and vodka sauce; ravioli di capra, goat's cheese and spinach ravioli served with tomato sauce and topped with pesto and pine nuts; zucca e pancetta, pumpkin, pancetta, spinach, sage and Grana Padano topped with mascarpone and rigatoni con pollo e funghi, chicken in a tomato, onion, rosemary and mushroom sauce. Gluten-free pasta is also available on request.

If you prefer a pizza, then you could try Zizzi's speciality pizza rustica, which couples extra thin and crispy bases with a range of toppings such as bufala, buffalo mozzarella with sunblush tomatoes, basil, rocket and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil or mare e monti, one half topped with tiger prawn, courgette and mozzarella and the other with spicy sausage, tomato sauce and chilli, all finished off with a rocket and crème fraîche. The carne piccante calzone has marinated chicken, meatballs, Bolognese sauce, mushrooms, chillies, tomato and mozzarella while the clarissa version, has aubergine, and red pepper caponata, olives, goats' cheese, rocket, pine nuts, tomato and mozzarella. Zizzi's calzon'pizzas, half calzone and half pizza, add an interesting twist to the meal.
 
Sumptuous mains include agnello con peperonata, roasted lamb shank served with basil, roasted vegetables and a little pot of potatoes with tomato, red onion and Grana Padano; duck arrosto, slow roasted whole duck leg in a balsamic, olive and pancetta reduction served with Tuscan potatoes and green beans; and sea bass al vino, sea bass pan fried with wine, garlic and baby plum tomatoes and served with herby potatoes.

The scrumptious dessert list offers torta cioccolata with its thick hazelnut chocolate base topped with rich chocolate torte and served with vanilla mascarpone; homemade tiramisu; creamy vanilla pannacotta with fruit compote and torta Zizzi, an almond-based plum and fig tart topped with pistachios and icing sugar and served with gelato.

The wine list is dominated by a range of Italian wines from regions such as Veneto, Lazio, Sicily, Tuscany and Lombardy. Also on offer is an assortment of beers, and spirits as well as a range of soft and hot drinks.

More information can be found on their Website.

Located in a beautiful listed building in Station Road off Warwick Road, the family run She Bar and Brasserie is like a slice of Turkey in the heart of Kenilworth. Owners Mahmut Guler and wife Annie ensure customers get to taste authentic Ottoman cuisine at all times in their opulent and contemporary dining destination.

Consider starting your day with a Turkish or English breakfast or homemade cake. Food is served all day so if you don't feel like going for a full meal, linger over a mezze plate of, say, grilled halloumi cheese, Turkish garlic sausage, borek filo pastry, chicken and lamb on wooden skewers, and a glass of wine.

The enticing menu features kebabs, mousaka, Mediterranean and English dishes, char-grilled steaks, mains of salmon and smoked haddock fishcakes, and pan-roasted breast of duck with tapanard mash and plum chutney, and the delightful baklava. Succulent roasts appear regularly on tables every Sunday.

A range of cocktails, champagne and beer do not disappoint.

With its cultivated take on provincial southern Indian cooking, The Coconut Lagoon is a bright, informal restaurant, which is popular with their easygoing crowd of Kenilworth regulars. Lively jade green walls and soft lighting create a subdued, relaxing atmosphere.

Their cuisine subtly explores diverse colonial influences of the invasions by the Portuguese, Dutch, French and British on provincial cooking. This restaurant recreates aromatic specialities from the South Indian states of Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Goa. These areas have long coastlines and generously use rice, seafood and coconut. Their feast menus designed for four people has varying degrees of spice - mild, medium and hot to suit different tastes.

Petit Gourmand is trés chic, a restaurant where substance and style come together with glamorous and distinguished results, and it's the place where the town of Kenilworth's glitterati come to be cosseted and pampered with some of the best French cuisine Warwickshire can offer. Dining rooms bear a continental demeanour, an easy and laidback atmosphere that is enhanced by the elegant décor while the pale mint green exterior is refreshingly different.

The seasonal menus have been created by using the best locally and ethically sourced ingredients and starters could typically include ham hock terrine with rémoulade salad and cornichons followed by a main course of free range breast of chicken pan-fried with mushrooms, shallots, garlic and red wine. End with a delicious glazed lemon tart with raspberry sorbet and choose something to drink from a well-travelled wine list. Petit Gourmand has a sumptuous private dining room which is just perfect for functions, conferences and parties.

Whilst the 42 Loch Fyne restaurants have a shared background there is a welcome degree of individuality encouraged throughout the group, which makes for customer interest. If you like wholesome, fresh and reliable seafood caught and reared under carefully controlled conditions, well presented in unfussy surroundings, and you enjoy being well looked after by pleasant staff, Loch Fyne is for you.

There is an increasing awareness of other food staples with an extended choice of meat dishes, but it is the original fare upon which their success was created that prevails. Loch Fyne kippers, a fine bouillabaisse, braden rost, kiln-roasted salmon fillet, and the toothsome oysters on ice, with a selection of accompaniments, all are to be found throughout the various restaurants, as well as Glen Fyne 21 day aged rib-eye steak and Scottish smoked venison. There is invariably a well-travelled wine list available which is sensible, both in content and prices.

Loch Fyne's greatest achievement has been to prove to a sceptical populace that chains or conglomerates can be made to work in the eating-out public's best interests.

The hotel incorporates the former 1430's Castle Tavern, still supported by the oak tree around which it was originally built. The brasserie offers a very wide range of well prepared and attractive dishes from a menu which combs the world for inspiration. The two/three course Sunday lunch is particularly good value and the steaks are renowned for quality and the variety of sauces available. The wine list represents good value and nips around the world.