The Waterside Inn
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Restaurant |
| Founded | 1972 |
| Founder | Michel Roux, Albert Roux |
| Headquarters | Bray, Berkshire , England |
Key people | Alain Roux (current head chef), Michel Roux (founder), Albert Roux (founder) |
| Products | French cuisine, lodging |
| Website | waterside-inn |
The Waterside Inn, situated in Bray, Berkshire, England, was established in 1972 by siblings Michel and Albert Roux after their achievements with Le Gavroche. Presently overseen by Michel's son, Alain Roux, the establishment boasts three Michelin stars and, in 2010, became the first restaurant outside France to retain all three stars for a continuous period of twenty-five years.
Description
Following the Roux brothers’ triumph at Le Gavroche, The Waterside Inn commenced operations with Pierre Koffmann as its inaugural head chef. Koffmann remained in this role until 1977 before opening his own venue, La Tante Claire. Subsequently, Michel Roux took over as head chef and gradually handed over responsibilities to his son Alain throughout the 2010s. Michel expressed his pride in Alain’s leadership: "The Waterside Inn has been my life but now my son runs it. What could be better? I am very proud of him. After all his name is above the door." While maintaining classic dishes such as soufflé suissesse and tronçonnette de homard, Alain has also introduced new culinary creations. Since 1988, Diego Masciaga has managed the restaurant, commenting on the contrasting management approaches of both chefs.
Beginning in 1992, The Waterside Inn expanded its offerings by incorporating overnight lodging featuring uniquely styled French décor crafted by Michel Roux's wife, Robyn.
In 2010, the restaurant commemorated a quarter-century of holding three Michelin stars—the only establishment outside France to achieve this feat—celebrated with an event that gathered 116 Michelin-starred chefs from across the UK and a special lunch promotion for local patrons at 1985 pricing, reducing the cost from £56 to £14.50.
Reception
In a 2002 review for The Guardian, Matthew Fort awarded The Waterside Inn eighteen out of twenty, describing the dining experience as "money very well spent."
Matthew Norman of The Daily Telegraph in 2010 lauded the ambiance and attentive service but raised concerns about value for money, rating it six out of ten; he notably called the cheese trolley "spectacular." That same year, John Walsh of The Independent reviewed the restaurant shortly after its 25th anniversary with three Michelin stars. Despite acknowledging the high prices, he commended the quality of food, describing his main dish as "ambrosial" and "fabulous," giving four out of five for both food and atmosphere and five out of five for service.
For 2011, The Waterside Inn was positioned eighteenth in The Good Food Guide’s list of top 60 UK restaurants. Nearby Bray establishment The Fat Duck secured first place, while Le Gavroche ranked fifteenth.
In the Zagat survey covering London and Southeast England, The Waterside Inn achieved first place for both cuisine and service.
The Hardens Survey Results 2023 awarded The Waterside Inn perfect scores of 5/5 in Food, Service, and Ambience categories, praising its "perfection… and in a perfect waterside location." In 2017, Ben McCormack described it as "an experience as serene as the Thames flowing past outside."