The Waterway - Maida Vale

Since 2002 The Waterway is one of Maida Vales best neighbourhood restaurants, the location is Little Venice, although a stop on the Grand Union Canal is hardly the Grand Canale. Even so, this re-invented boozer (once the Paddington Stop) now has a great deal going for it. The makeover team have done their stuff here, creating a sleek interior with stripped wood floors and comfy burgundy sofas; the big draw, however, is the vast terrace deck which is definitely 'the place to be' if the barbecue is up-and-running.

The kitchen specialises in eclectic gastropub cooking, in the shape of, say, crispy pork belly with chilli sauce, oven-roasted salmon with butter bean, red pepper and chorizo casserole, and rump of lamb with spiced tomato, okra and saffron crushed potatoes. Desserts tend to follow the seasons: strawberries with pistachio sabayon and strawberry sorbet in summer, rice pudding with plum compote in winter. Sunday lunch is a prime-time family attraction, complete with traditional roasts, Bloody Marys and the papers to read.