The story
The Coach, at 3 West Street in Marlow, serves modern British food and holds a Michelin star for 2026. This town-centre pub is one of four Tom Kerridge venues in the town, and its kitchen works through a small-plate menu that arrives as each dish is ready.
Bar stools face the open kitchen, so guests can watch the pass during service. The menu reworks British classics with a contemporary touch, from cauliflower cheese soup with beef and Marmite samosa to minted Jersey Royals with goat's curd and sorrel pesto. The AA has awarded the kitchen three rosettes for culinary excellence in 2026.
An L-shaped pewter bar sits at the centre of the room, and a semi-private dining room is available for groups. The wine list is paired with locally brewed beers and ales. Puddings lean toward the bright and the warm, such as Alphonso mango rum baba with vanilla Chantilly, or banana custard with dates, pistachio and honeycomb. Weekend breakfast runs on a walk-in basis only.
Recognition
Ambience
Details
History
3 Rosette Award for Culinary Excellence
High quality cooking
Take a peep into the Coach and you might be misled. This 'welcoming and friendly' town-centre venue – one of four Tom Kerridge establishments in Marlow – still has all the trappings of a bustling boozer. There’s attractive green tiling on the walls, a fine choice of local ale on the handpumps, seating on red leather banquettes or bar stools, and even a few TV screens (on mute) tuned to sports channels. However, it's the food that takes precedence – and classy food at that. Tables can only be booked on the day (apart from weekend breakfasts, when it's walk-ins only). Try to bag a seat near the open kitchen, where head chef Sarah Hayward creates a repertoire of small-plate dishes that arrive as and when they’re ready. A velvety little helping of watercress and Jersey Royal soup might kick things off in summer, served with a wondrously light Parmesan-topped cheese scone with ham-hock butter. Likewise, mushroom ‘risotto’, topped with more Parmesan, had an intensity born of culinary skill and training. It also revealed Kerridge’s low-carb convictions, with slivers of mushroom taking the place of rice (and there’s no bread on the menu). An inspection meal continued with highs and lows: half a barely cooked hispi cabbage with a salad cream and pork-puff topping was surpassed by roasted sea bass with cockles, saffron potato and a mouth-wateringly savoury bouillabaisse sauce. Flair was most evident when it came to dessert: a sublime choux bun arrived with a creamy yet tangy filling of mango and coconut (the accompanying custard-like pineapple rum sauce was scarcely needed), while a rich chocolate and orange sponge with chocolate sauce was enhanced by the bitter notes of marmalade ice cream. To drink, the pithy wine list holds much of interest (including whites from Syria, Greece and Norfolk) and there’s a short selection of inventive (if pricey) cocktails too. Service from polite young men is well-meaning, though a few extra training sessions wouldn’t go amiss. Nevertheless, it’s the bonhomous vibe that keeps this Coach on track.
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