The story
The Braywood, at Paley Street in Littlefield Green, Maidenhead, is a Modern British restaurant that won three AA Rosettes for culinary excellence in 2026. The dining room sits in a glass-and-wood rebuild around the original white building of the former Royal Oak.
Head Chef Sam Brennan opened the restaurant in November 2024 after leading the kitchen at The Woodspeen, a sister restaurant in the WSH group. The menu is brasserie-inspired, built on seasonal produce and careful sourcing. The Good Food Guide lists The Braywood as Good for 2026 and describes Brennan's cooking as smart and high quality, with enough quirky detail to stay lively.
Slow-cooked pork cheek arrives with celeriac, apple and lemon thyme. A rolled Dover sole stuffed with mussels comes in a creamy white wine and mushroom sauce, with seaweed-buttered potatoes. For dessert, the banana soufflé pairs salted caramel with balsamic and miso ice cream. The daily lunch menu runs Tuesday to Saturday at £32 for two courses or £39 for three, and the Sunday lunch is also well regarded.
The 70-cover dining room looks out through a large picture window onto the garden. The architecture borrows a Californian lightness and sets it against a traditional English frontage. The cocktail list is served in the bar, and the wine list holds more than 600 bins, with over 20 by the glass and a selection of English wines.
Recognition
Ambience
Details
History
‘The area has been crying out for an up-market eatery since the Royal Oak closed its doors,’ noted one local correspondent, happy to confirm that the Braywood ‘fills that slot perfectly.' Following an eye-catching, airy wood-and-glass rebuild, the place is now resolutely in tune with the times and does duty as a warm-hearted, professionally run restaurant. Sam Brennan’s cooking is smart and high quality with just enough tasteful, quirky detail never to be dull. Succulent, slow-cooked pork cheek, for example, teamed with the kind of bright, upstanding flavours that properly enhance the main item – namely celeriac, apple and lemon thyme – was a hit when we visited, as was a rolled fillet of Dover sole stuffed with mussels, covered with a creamy white wine and mushroom sauce and served with seaweed-buttered potatoes. Elsewhere, pink, tender slices of lamb loin with Wye Valley asparagus, wild garlic and a lamb sauce were also flawlessly cooked. Leave a special space for desserts – our banana soufflé with salted caramel, balsamic and miso ice cream succeeded decadently at every step. High prices are in keeping with this affluent area, though the set lunch (also served at dinner Tuesday to Thursday) and the well-reported Sunday roast are excellent value and broaden the appeal. The sharp list of cocktails (served in the smart bar) is a particular strength, and an excellent by-the-glass selection provides affordable access to the impressive, wide-ranging wine list.
Location
Nearby
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