The Best Restaurants in Box Hill, Surrey, United Kingdom (2025)

We ate at Arrack just after it opened and it was good, but after my wife and her friends had a 'girls night out' at the venue a couple of weeks ago we decided to go again. The interior has been rearranged to make the eating area more restaurant-y, and the menu expanded since I last visited. The service (from Chris) was excellent, helpful and friendly and the food brilliant. We had mutton rolls to start (one portion between us), egg hoppers, one basmati rice, devilled chicken (very spicy, as advertised) and buttered prawns and left extremely full. You do know you are still in a busy pub, but the new arrangements make it much more welcoming as an eating venue, and the quality and flavour of the food is simply exceptional.

So happy to have found this gem. Welcoming, beautiful venue, with easy parking and space to enjoy a peaceful meal with a friend or have fun in the bar area. Wonderful food, and not too spicy, just delicious. The staff were extremely helpful and kind, and I was very pleasantly surprised by the prices. Impressive menu options and a good vegan selection too. They've obviously put a lot of thought and care into all the details.

Found this unique gem off the main drag in Dorking on a mini pub crawl... only came in for beers not knowing anything about the fabulous fusion of Sri Lankan food, and its still a proper pub! Had great tap beers and small bites - mutton rolls & fried whitefish / whitebait, served by super friendly staff who also love dogs! Came back the next week on a quiet wet night with my son, this time focus was the food, we weren't disappointed. 3 starters for £12.95 (popcorn chicken, whitebait, prawn tempura) followed by fish cutlets and spicy fries - definitely my favorite 'fish & chips' We only tried fried dishes this visit, but all were really well cooked, nothing greasy (or mullered either!). Can't wait to come back and try the curry's, hear the Sunday buffet is excellent. Chefs Samantha & Yohan with a great bar team headed by lovely Jane, but credit to the enthusiast Ellen who won us over the first visit to have more than just a few beers to resume our 'crawl' We'll be back!

Super yummy Sri Lanka food a real depth of flavour and incredible service, extremely attentive staff. It appears it might be fun later into the evening too, cocktails and darts became popular and the music ramped up as the evening went on…

We had quite a big table, but as before everything was perfect, great food, good service, thank you

Great place, wonderful food served in generous portions but even better than that is the service. Both the man and woman who served us were so incredibly polite, accommodating and friendly. We all said we want to go back again! Thank you.

I've visited for lunch and dinner on a number of occasions now, and always the food and service are just excellent. The staff are warm and attentive, without being over friendly. But when you open up a conversion yourself, they are more than happy to engage with you for a chat. The food is without fail both delicious and beautifully presented. Great wine choices too. It's a restaurant that seems to like to play down its presence in the town - there's no shouting about special offers on social media. And they've never asked us to do a review (which is partly why I'm doing one!) But the truth is that it's my absolute favourite restaurant in Dorking or anywhere nearby.

Food was excellent. Service was excellent. Staff were very helpful and friendly. Definitely going again and will add to my list of places to go. Only comment was it was quite noisy due to being busy and the contemporary design. Won't stop me from going though

The most stunning experience and unbelievable combination of flavours, textures and science. Everything from the vibe, food and wine pairing were perfect. Steve is a humble genius and its reflective in everything he does and the vibe he’s created.

The food was very delicious, the setting is pleasant and the seats are very comfortable. The service was very friendly, described all the meals well but unfortunately they were rather slow, it took several courses until we got to order wine, another wait was for the bill. In a casual restaurant we would not mind but when paying £400+ for the meal for two, we would expect much more.

Fantastic culinary experience at Sorrel on Thursday evening! Had the taster menu with wine flight and it was an incredible treat, very clever indeed! Even got invited to look in the kitchen, looking to return in summer! For me the dishes that stood out the most were the scallop, barbecued quail, supplementary cheese course and the blackberry waldorf dessert.

Second time at the restaurant, and it was a wonderful experience. It was a mini honeymoon as we got married the day before. We went for the wine flight too and was served by Luke(?) who was very interesting and served some incredible wines. Flora (we think that was her name!) was our server and she was exceptional. And finally, the food was just brilliant and so so tasty. It felt a bit like having the best food we've had in ages in a family home type vibe, so lovely was the atmosphere. Obviously it cost and arm and a leg, but it's really worth it and you must have this kind of restaurant experience at least once if you're able to, especially for a special occasion, or if someone else if paying! Thanks again for making the effort with the flowers, personal menu etc. It meant a lot! Cheers, Dave and Chloe.

Absolutely amazing restaurant. Food is beautifully served with large portion sizes at a reasonable price. I would recommend either having lots mezze or having a main as having both can easily lead to ordering too much food. The service very efficient and friendly and they were kind enough to put our excess food in boxes to take away, rather than have us do it ourselves.

Thank you for that wonderful meal and service! Absolutely recommended! Brilliant, tasty food, funny and polite waiter! 5 stars place!😍

An outstanding evening meal for a family birthday. This is the second time I have eaten here and it really is superb. Beautifully decorated, with luxury touches. The menu is detailed so needs to be studied. The food is cooked and presented to perfection. Even the salad leaf, tossed in oil tastes amazing! We were a party of 5 and ate starters, mains, just 1 dessert and coffees. Everything we had was exceptional. The owner greets you like family and really makes the experience a special one. We visited on a Tuesday evening and the restaurant was busy.. this isn’t surprising considering the quality of food, service and ambience. One of the nicest local restaurants I have been to. Highly recommended.

Best restaurant in Dorking! Another great evening and amazing food at Rooster Kitchen. Always friendly and good service. Food portions very large and tasty. Thank you for the great service and food. Shame we will be away from Dorking soon but will definitely be back again when we are in the area.

We did not have reservations! We showed up and asked to be seated! The hostess at the front was the utmost courteous and professional! She even went out of her way to figure out what table is booked for lot later so we can be accommodated! Just when we have up hope she asked if we could be done eating by certain time which we knew we would. From the time we sat down all the way to the end of the meal our waitress was just lovely and very accommodating too. She is very knowledgeable about the menu and ingredients too!!! The food was delicious and the service was outstanding too! I could not say enough positive things about this establishment as matter fact there is nothing to be grumpy about in here as everyone is just nice and accommodating. I recommend this restaurant and will be back if I am ever back here with the family 😊

AKA ‘The Grumpy Mole’. Food came out quickly and was like the description. Would recommend. A very picturesque and beautiful location.

Went to the grumpy mole today 30/01/2025,took 26 members of our club for a belated Christmas lunch,food and service were excellent,we were all seated on a long table which created a great atmosphere,looking to go back very soon to sample their afternoon tea.

Great roast. Tender beef, rich gravy, perfect pudding. We also got crumble for dessert and it was one of the best I’ve had. I ate it before I could take a picture, but it had a perfect balance of fruit and custard. It wasn’t too sweet, which is perfect for me.

This was our first time visiting the Queens Head, me and my mum are moving to the area soon so we thought we'd check out the local pubs. We were so glad to come across this one, not only was it accommodating for our dog, the tipi where we were situated was perfect! Cozy, warm, festive and friendly. A special mention has to go to our waiter Zeke, who was brilliant! Super attentive, ever so helpful, and friendly, when you come across someone like this it makes all the difference! And definitely makes us want to visit again which we will be doing once we move. Thanks Zeke for being so great at your job, we hope there's a Xmas bonus coming your way! And what a great pub, I forgot to mention the food was amazing! I will be recommending this place to everyone.

An excellent dining experience with superlative food but let down by the service. The pub is lovely. Really nicely decorated, feels welcoming and warm but still a sense of modernism. Great for smaller and bigger groups. The food is fantastic. Really really excellent. Had the Sunday lunch - superb. Probably one of the best I’ve had. Everything was done very well. Giving a 4 stars as the service let it down. Service was friendly and good when we had it. Otherwise it was quite inattentive and slightly frustrating. I think they just need more servers. Otherwise, highly recommend

Little trip to Dorking from London. No idea what to expect frankly having little experience outside London. Cozy pub with a great progressive menu, starring vegan, dairy free options, and wines by the glass via coravin. Would recommend the beetroot hummus for sure. Though they need to include double the amount of pita with it. We had to order another serving of pita. The short rib was huge and may be shareable if not starving.

We were greeted at the door with a friendly smile and shown to a clean and well-presented table. The menu offered a good variety of food, and the dishes were beautifully cooked with generous portion sizes. The staff were friendly, helpful, and engaging, and we want to give them a special thank you. We will definitely return when we visit Dorking again.

Stopped in for an early lunch. Very friendly staff, quick service and lovely food. Lots to choose from on the menu.

Absolutely superb. It was difficult to choose something from the diverse menu. I eventually chose the ravioli and it was nicely presented and absolutely delicious. It is extremely rare that I finish a meal, but I did this time, and it was wonderful. The levels of customer service were top-notch. The members of staff were lovely, exceptionally welcoming, attentive and knew the menu. They were able to answer questions adeptly. The male member of staff who served me was really nice, friendly and had a good sense of humour. The restaurant was very clean and I liked the way in which it was decorated. I thoroughly enjoyed my experience. I would recommend this place 100%. ***We attended this restaurant again, namely in March 2022. The members of staff were exceptionally welcoming. again, I was impressed by the diversity of the menu and the excellent range of vegeterian and non-vegetarian options. Throughout our time at the restaurant, the members of staff were constantly cleaning and taking an interest. The table settings were really nice and there is clear evidence of effort being placed in the decor.***

Popped in for a coffee. The cappuccino and the frappe were both lovely. Waitress took her time with us and gave advice as to what she'd pick. She was right. Friendly staff. Halloween look inside with a Christmassy smell was perfect to have a relaxing moment.

Where to start! Absolute gem of a find in Dorking. The food is a 10/10, we eat at a lot of Turkish places, this new find tops them all. Very exciting for us 😅 Staff could not be more friendly and helpful. Music is lovely, sets a laid back mood. Even served Turkish baklavas and authentic Turkish tea to finish. Just wonderful…see you next week!!

As soon as we got to the door, the lovely staff opened the door for us and showed us to our table. Very friendly and smiley. It was a lovely welcome! We ordered food and drinks, both came promptly. The mezze platter was amazing! Such lovely flavoursome bits to share. The chicken shish was divine! Full of flavour, juicy and the rice was so good. My friend loved the mixed grill. We asked for the bill and a plate of baklava and tea appeared. The baklava was soooo good! Not too sweet. The tea was a lovely way to end the meal. Highly recommend Turkuaz. Lovely staff, great food!

Favourite place to eat by a mile! I frequently visit and they are always consistent. Exceptional quality, exceptional staff, (they pick their staff carefully and it shows) imaginative seasonal menu, fair pricing (cheapest place for takeaway coffee), and a warm, friendly laidback atmosphere with great decor. Always top of my list to recommend ✨

One of my absolute favourite places, and can't believe I haven't written a review before! Fabulous food, both brunch and pizza. We always feel very welcomed and whenever the menu changes it's super exciting to find out what absolute genius meals they've come up with again! (Although I do miss the Mexican eggs, so crossing my fingers they'll be back this summer!) If I could give them more than 5 stars I would!

So glad we stumbled across this little gem on our visit to Dorking. Delicious home cooked food, great drinks and super attentive and friendly staff. Highly recommended 👍🏻

I had the best brunch dish I’ve ever had here on Saturday. The duck and waffle is a must try on the menu! It was so delicious, I even enjoyed the kale and I normally hate kale! The service was excellent as always, flat whites were so good my friend and I ordered a second one each and just a lovely atmosphere in there. Great brunch spot with parking round the back!

Absolutely fantastic food, if not the best pub food I’ve ever had! Such beautiful views and lovely staff, will definitely come back!!! Wonderful banoffee pie too

Fantastic country pub with seating inside and outside. There is covering on some of the outside seating on less sunny days. Very dog-friendly. The view is fabulous, as is the food. Superb roasts, ploughman’s and desserts with a good selection of drinks. This place pairs beautifully with the plethora of gorgeous walks and rides all around the area. Booking at the weekend is strongly advised - it’s rightfully very popular.

Fantastic views from the lovely terraced beer garden. Friendly, attentive staff. Great beer and food. Well worth a visit.

I couldn’t praise this place enough! The views are stunning, the atmosphere delightful. The food absolutely scrumpy delicious - quite a few vegan options which I appreciated very much! The staff is kind, friendly and helpful. I would have liked to leave a handsome tip, but I didn’t have any sterling pounder only euros (and they only accept tips in cash.) I highly recommend it!