Featured Chain Restaurants

TGI Friday's
(46 locations)

Should you feel an American moment coming on, get straight into the mood at a TGI Friday's. First thought of in New York in 1965, introduced to Birmingham, UK in 1986, they now, like so many other American concepts, are to be found on a global basis and have 45 outlets in the UK alone. According to Newsweek and The Saturday Evening Post, the opening of the first Friday's restaurant heralded the dawn of the singles age.

In many ways, TGIs are more representative of the American approach to eating out than some of their imitators. Their food is fresh, the portions generous and the cocktail list exhaustive. They also tend to represent the all-American classlessness that can produce a meal at any time, for any social group, for any reason, under the same roof, without a problem.

It is not important which outlet of TGIF you visit, for if you enjoy the American style of eating, just look out for red and white stripes and you are likely to be happy.

Dim T - Asian Restaurants
(10 locations)

One wonders whether Dim T, the chain of restaurants serving Asian food, derives its name from a range of healthy, steamed dim sum and a list of exclusive teas they offer. With its menu of Oriental food, Dim T offers cuisine with ancient wisdom behind it, so whether you are dining alone or with friends, a meal there is likely to perk you up.

The décor with its rustic bamboo finish, hanging eastern lamps, brightly coloured cushions, tall vases and candles, makes you relax. With ten outlets, the concept has proved to be popular with the young and old alike. The stark, clean furniture sets the mood for a gastronomic voyage.

If you feel creative, you can have a designer meal at the noodle bar. Choose from a long list of ingredients, from salmon to marinated pork fillet, then select your preferred noodle, Japanese rice ones or yellow egg, followed by your favoured sauce, like black bean or spicy, with chilli, coriander, red onions and leeks, and finally you can have it stir fried in a wok or served as soup.

You can start your meal with grilled gyoza, Japanese dumplings with a vegetable or chicken filling, sesame prawn toast and crispy duck among others. They offer salads like the Japanese glazed chicken and yakitori, a delightful combination of edamame, peppers and mixed leaves with a choice of skewers. For those looking for a meal in a dish, the seafood laksa, a combination of squid, prawns, rice noodles and tofu in a coconut curry broth or the wonton mee, with pork, shitake mushrooms and prawns in chicken broth, are good options.

Apart from the range of dim sums and steamed buns, which are best had with Chinese tea, the house specialities include Singapore fried noodles, duck chow mein and phad Thai. Also, there are satays, sweet and sour dishes and spicy Thai curries served with rice. These can be seared, steamed or cooked over a high flame in a wok, to suit your taste.

Nando's Restaurants
(197 locations)

With quality food, friendly staff, quick service and excellent value for money, Nando's is a great place to eat. Don't expect identikit, pre-fab restaurant interiors which are usually a staple of the larger chains; each restaurant is tailored to its local surroundings and customers, offering up a unique restaurant experience to go with the equally unique taste of legendary, Portuguese, Peri-Peri chicken.

Your peri-peri chicken, when the chips are down so to speak, is a fresh A grade chicken that has never seen the inside of a freezer, but having made the supreme sacrifice is butterfly-cut, marinated for 24 hours in a secret brew called - you've guessed - peri-peri, and is then cooked to your choice over an open flame.

There are, of course, many variations on this broad theme, numerous plays on words such as Nando's experi-perience, peri-peri good reasons why you should eat at a Nando's, and all one hopes is that for their sake chicken never goes out of fashion. New Nando's are opening all the time, peri-peri quickly in fact, the spicy dips become hotter and more daring, and the full platter offers a whole chicken, large chips or spicy rice and Nando's salad or coleslaw.

Loch Fyne Restaurants
(47 locations)

The Loch Fyne Restaurant notion was a child of the crisis that struck the food supply industry towards the end of the 1990s, when seafood presented itself as a healthy and readily available alternative to other forms of food that were under pressure at the time. Starting from a small roadside shop, today the business has thirty-eight outlets across Britain, including some in listed buildings, as well as the original site at Cairndow, Argyll.

Whilst the restaurants share a common background, there is a welcome degree of individuality encouraged throughout the group, which makes for customer interest. What each outlet retains is the same warm and friendly ambience, and fabulous food served with a smile. 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.

Olive Press
(8 locations)

Each Olive Press has its own distinctive design features with mpressive interiors creating an elegant yet relaxed dining environment. The blend of young, vibrant staff make this a friendly and welcoming experience. It is a great place for that family gathering, when you can let the children make their own pizza whilst you enjoy an appetiser or a starter from their extensive menu.

You can go into an Olive Press and have a great sandwich for lunch or a simple pizza or pasta as a meal - or you could really let rip and enjoy a three course dinner, including their 21 day old matured rump steak with garlic butter or pepper sauce, with wine in the evening.

La Vina Restaurants
(9 locations)

You will come across many restaurants describing themselves as 'authentically Spanish', but the understated La Vina lives up to the true Iberian spirit with its décor, home cooked food, range of wines and - naturally - cava, their extremely pleasant challenge to champagne. Warm wooden tones, comfortable seating, subtle lighting and friendly service are trademark features of their ten outlets across the UK.

The informal atmosphere positively encourages customers to unwind over a drink or share starters with friends. The impressive range of tapas has something to satisfy those with either vegetarians or non-vegetarian tendencies. There are a number of sides and 'ensaladas' with such unusual combinations as figs, mountain ham and goats' cheese. In addition to this, they also have traditional paellas and, everyone's favourite, calamares a la romana, or, more simply, fried squid rings in light batter.

Gusto Restaurants
(7 locations)

As soon as you walk through the doors of a Gusto outlet, you should instantly feel welcome. They are a chain of modern restaurants that offer a dining experience based on good food, drink and service in stylish surroundings. Their name stands for a hearty and enjoyable relaxed dining experience.

The ambiance is influenced by the glamour of 1950's New York Italian eateries, but in a contemporary setting, with a focus on freshly prepared classic and modern Italian fare; there is a stand-alone bar along side the restaurants, and a full range of wines, international beers, spirits and cocktails.

Children are particularly well catered for at Gusto. The menu is varied and even encourages participation, for instance they can create pizzas with their own choice of toppings; and all children's main course prices include ice cream and a soft drink.

Brasserie Chez Gerard Restaurants
(23 locations)

Nobody would deny that the French have perfected the culinary arts to an enviably high degree, and Brasserie Chez Gerard is all about offering that perfection to a wide audience, demonstrating that a group of restaurants with the same background can still offer individuality, style and excellence.

From delicious Moroccan tagines to the best frites this side of Paris and many points between, their menu is a celebration of La Francais, with well judged classical dishes, steaks in abundance, including Wagyu, Burgundy escargots baked in garlic and parsley butter and the ever popular salad niçoise complete with anchovies. No surprises to find a regular tarte au citron alongside a crème brûlée with a done to perfection caramelised sugar crust.

La Tasca Restaurants
(71 locations)

The lively La Tasca chain caters for parties, children's events and family gatherings in addition to anytime dining. These restaurants capture well the warm and vibrant spirit of Spain, and are best known for their tapas and traditional paellas. You could choose from several versions of their menu - rapido, if you are in a hurry, tapas for a tenner, when you want exceptional value, a regular mains list, party and a popular kid's carte - truly a place for all occasions.

Their star player is tapas, which can be had solo or in tandem with a meal. The fritura mixta de pescado, deep fried squid, tuna, whitebait and king prawn with lemon, sea salt and roasted garlic mayonnaise is great for sharing, while the rape a la naranja made of monkfish in white wine, orange and coriander, offers a real treat. Chicken lovers order alitas de pollo, juicy wings marinated in garlic and paprika, or have skewered fresh breast and red peppers. Chef's selection of Tapas for Two offers a dazzling range of delectable dishes

Slug and Lettuce Restaurants
(86 locations)

The Slug and Lettuce has a chain of almost a hundred bars spread across the country sharing a common love of serving down to earth, undemanding food and drink.

The group prides itself on offering dishes prepared using quality ingredients, and you should be attended on by attentive staff in a safe, welcoming and cheerful environment.

The Slugs have something for anyone - breakfast for a lively start to the day, lunch for busy people, family meals or even a relaxing glass of wine to bring a tiring day to an end - all in a variety of modern and stylish settings.

FishWorks
(11 locations)

If you like a really excellent, highly original fish and seafood restaurant/cafe, then this is the place for you! along with other branches in places like Bristol, Bath and Christchurch, FishWorks delivers what it promises, using really fresh ingredients.

It remains loyal to the simple style, high quality produce, service and accessible approach to fish and seafood that has achieved it a host of accolades. These include, The Good Food Guide's 'Best Fish Restaurant 2000' and Country Living's 'Fishmonger of 1999'

For any lover of dishes piscatorial, FishWorks is a delight, offering choices that could include: crisp fried goujons of sole with aioli; a plate of their own smoked salmon (wild); fresh Dartmouth crab salad with tarragon mayonnaise and cucumber; spaghetti with clams, chilli, garlic and parsley; chargrilled squid with lemon, thyme and garlic or roasted monkfish with lime and sage leaf - many of their dishes can be ordered as a lighter starter or full main course.

Chez Gérard
(11 locations)

A Chez Gerard is a place for the cool cookies, modern, airconditioned, stylish and appealing to all.Drawing on French influences from all over the globe from Morocco to Montreal, and embraces the Gallic inclination for all day brasserie dining.

Naturellement families and children are welcome at all times, and children have their own menus and a goody pack.

Here in Britain the influences may be French but the ingredients are undeniably local, with Angus and Herefordshire beef, smoked haddock, and grapefruit salads with roast chillies.

An original starter might be dandelion leaves with a poached egg, bacon lardoons and croutons, or you may prefer the well-tried Burgundy snails baked in garlic butter. A classic Niçoise salad with tuna, egg, new potatoes, tomatoes, green beans, red onions, olives and marinated anchovies is a meal in itself.

Thai Square
(10 locations)

Thai Square is a classic Thai restaurant from both the décor through to the choice on offer on the menu. The soft hues of the place are the ideal setting for showing off its many Thai artefacts, giving a little flavour of the Far East to get you in the mood for the meal ahead.

On the menu you'll find a wide selection of Thai dishes that are carefully prepared and beautifully presented. From the choice of starters the steamed scallops with ginger and spring onion and the crab claw in butter served with chilli sauce are a real delight. From the main course options the Thai green curry is particularly good, as is the deep fried sea bass with herbs and chilli powder, or the prawn in crispy squid, making it a step above the average Thai restaurant menu.

Tootsies Restaurants
(16 locations)

When Tootsies opened its first Holland Park outlet in 1971, one of the guiding aims of the founding managing director was to 'bring a better burger to London'. With close to 22 destinations throughout the UK, the chain has far exceeded their initial goal and the name has become synonymous with warm, friendly service and generous helpings of tasty food.

A bright, airy and modern ambiance with an abundance of woodwork, black and white posters and bare brick walls, help recognise the typical retro American restaurant. Smartly dressed and friendly staff complement the setting.

Their menu offers customers imaginative and well-presented dishes, so expect to find starters such as classic chicken wings with a choice of sticky maple glaze or the best selling Frank's hot sauce. You could try the fresh Mediterranean platter with humous, olives, feta cheese, turtle bean salsa, red pepper humous and flat bread.

Mains rest on the able shoulders of their award winning burgers, the Mexico inspired jalapeño with guacamole, Monterey Jack cheese, red onions, hot sauce and sour cream. You could even choose a topping and build your beef or chicken burger. They are all accompanied by mayonnaise and chips.

Dexters Restaurants
(6 locations)

Established over 35 years ago, one of the guiding aims of the founding managing director at Dexters was to 'bring a better burger to London'. With close to 22 destinations throughout the UK, the chain has far exceeded their initial goal and the name has become synonymous with warm, friendly service and generous helpings of tasty food.

A bright, airy and modern ambiance with a lot of woodwork, black and white posters and bare brick walls, help define the typical retro American restaurant. Smartly dressed and friendly staff complement the setting.

Their menu offers customers imaginative and well-presented dishes, so expect to find starters such as classic chicken wings with a choice of sticky maple glaze or the best selling Frank's hot sauce. You could try the fresh Mediterranean platter with humous, olives, feta cheese, turtle bean salsa, red pepper humous and flat bread.

Mains rest on the able shoulders of their award winning burgers, the Mexico inspired jalapeño with guacamole, Monterey Jack cheese, red onions, hot sauce and sour cream. You could even choose a topping and build your old beef or chicken burger. They are all accompanied by mayonnaise and chips.

Other hearty options include char-grilled chicken or beef steaks, salmon and cod fishcake and seasonal butternut squash risotto. For those in search of a lighter meal, there is a selection of dressed salads and sandwiches.

Davy's Wine Bars
(34 locations)

Time was when wine bars seemed to be in recession, but Davy's have put that right. With over 30 wine bars, most in the centre of London, offering a dazzling choice of refreshment well supported by quality food, this is an equation not to be missed. Start with grilled scallops, move to bone-in rib of beef from award-winning Donald Russell Butchers, finish with treacle tart, Welsh rarebit or the superb cheese board.

Great places for parties, buy their wine online or over the counter, no frills and furbelows, stacks of character, dozens of wonderful wines by glass or bottle. Relax in comfort.