The Best Restaurants in Emsworth 2026: 10 Ranked on Real Google Ratings

With over a thousand reviews and a 4.7 average, Nicolino’s is the clear leader on the numbers — more than double the review count of anywhere else on this list. It’s been on North Street for decades and the reviews read like a town that’s eaten there for years.

Google’s summary of the reviews points to generous portions, an excellent house wine list and efficient, friendly service. The most-mentioned dishes are prawns (5 reviews) and pork belly (5), with the seafood platter, seafood risotto and scallops all coming up too — this is a kitchen that does seafood well alongside the classic Italian menu. Reviewers also flag it as family run (3 mentions) and note it’s generous enough with portions that a doggy bag comes up more than once.

Good to know: open Tuesday to Saturday, lunch 12–2pm and dinner from 5:30pm (until 10pm Friday and Saturday). Closed Sunday and Monday. Its most recent food hygiene inspection (April 2026) rated it 4 out of 5. Phone 01243 379809.

Emsworth’s fine-dining landmark, right on the quay. A 4.6 from 277 reviews for a restaurant in this price bracket is a strong, consistent score — tasting-menu restaurants tend to polarise reviewers, and this one mostly doesn’t.

The tasting menu is mentioned in 37 reviews, easily the single most talked-about thing on this whole list, alongside fine dining (12 mentions) and wine pairing (4). Reviewers single out the scallops, wagyu beef and turbot, and more than one describes the room itself — tastefully decorated, spotless, and unrushed. A couple of reviewers use the word “Michelin”, though that’s their impression rather than a rating we can confirm.

Good to know: it also has rooms if you’re making a night of it. Food hygiene rating 5, the top score, inspected July 2024. Phone 01243 375592.

A fully licensed Indian restaurant on Elm Grove, Hayling Island, and the highest-rated restaurant on the island in this scrape. Curry is the most-mentioned dish by far (16 reviews), with chicken tikka masala, naan bread and general “Indian food” all coming up too.

Friendly staff get 23 mentions — more than any other topic for this restaurant — and reviewers also flag food quality, cleanliness and reasonable portions. One reviewer’s verdict, unprompted: “by far the best on Hayling.”

Good to know: open evenings, 5–10:30pm most nights (until 11pm Friday and Saturday), closed Tuesdays. We couldn’t find a food hygiene rating for Elm Masala on the FSA register under this address — worth asking in person if that matters to you. We also couldn’t use its Google photos: the ones on file show a shopfront full of people rather than the venue itself, so this card stands in for now. Phone 023 9234 1483.

Right on Thorney Road with views over Emsworth marina, The Deck has the second-highest review count in this guide (734) behind only Nicolino’s. Marina view is mentioned in 29 reviews, more than any other single topic here — reviewers clearly come as much for the outlook as the menu.

The food itself gets consistent praise too: seafood (17 mentions), mussels (10) and smoked salmon and oysters both feature. Google’s summary highlights hearty breakfasts, fresh sandwiches and flavourful tapas, with welcoming staff (22 mentions) and a relaxed atmosphere. It’s also dog friendly (4 mentions) and has free parking, which reviewers call out as a genuine plus for a harbourside spot.

Good to know: food hygiene rating 5, inspected June 2025. Phone 07826 370212.

Two doors from Nicolino’s on North Street, Darbar has built up 441 reviews at a strong 4.5. The Goan fish curry (6 mentions) is the standout dish, alongside poppadoms (6), prawn curry and goat, with reviewers repeatedly calling out a genuinely varied menu (10 mentions) rather than the standard curry-house list.

Google’s review summary points to authentic cooking, attentive and welcoming staff, and good value — especially the lunch deals. A few reviewers mention it stayed open and adapted well through Covid, which still shows up as a recurring “covid prepared” topic in the data.

Good to know: closed Sundays; open for lunch (12–2:30pm) and dinner (5–10pm, until 10:30pm Friday/Saturday) the rest of the week. Food hygiene rating 5, inspected May 2025. Phone 01243 430095.

Buffet is mentioned in 51 reviews — the single most-mentioned topic of any restaurant in this entire guide — and “all you can eat buffet” and “buffet nights” both show up as separate topics too. This is clearly what The Moghul Brasserie is known for on Elm Grove.

Friendly staff (52 mentions) narrowly edges out the buffet itself as the most-talked-about thing, alongside value (8) and a genuinely warm welcome. Google’s summary adds a good hot-and-mild selection with refills, a friendly family atmosphere and quick turnaround on takeaway delivery.

Good to know: open every evening, 5–10:30pm. Food hygiene rating 4, inspected December 2025. No website on file — phone 023 9246 3200.

Groves scores the same 4.5 as The Moghul Brasserie, with a smaller but growing crowd of 139 reviews. “New management (2 mentions)” shows up in the review topics, and reviewers describe a proper night-out atmosphere (13 mentions) — gin selection, G&Ts and tapas all get name-checked alongside Sunday roasts.

Good to know: closed Monday and Tuesday; open from 5pm Wednesday to Sunday (until 11:30pm Friday and Saturday, from 4pm Saturday). We couldn’t find a food hygiene match for this address on the FSA register — worth checking in person. Phone 023 9246 7877.

A small, cosy restaurant on the High Street (“small restaurant” and “cosy atmosphere” are both explicit review topics, 3 and 10 mentions). Curry (12 mentions), tandoori chicken and garlic naan are the most-ordered dishes according to Google’s summary, and reviewers like being able to bring their own drinks (20 mentions of “takeaway” and BYO combined in the data).

Google’s summary is honest that a few reviews mention inconsistency, which is why it sits below the top seven on the numbers rather than being a knock against it outright — the average is still a solid 4.3 from a real crowd of 248.

Good to know: open every evening, 5:30–11:30pm. Food hygiene rating 5, inspected February 2025. Phone 01243 376669.

Malbari does South Indian food specifically — Kerala cooking rather than the usual curry-house menu — and the review topics reflect that: fish pollichathu (3 mentions), al faham chicken, mandi and “malabars” all show up alongside chicken biryani and dosas. “South Indian food” itself is mentioned in 7 reviews.

Google’s summary highlights authentic regional dishes, a welcoming atmosphere and friendly, attentive service, with the caveat that a few reviewers found portions small for the price — worth knowing before you order.

Good to know: closed Mondays; open for lunch (12–3pm) and dinner (5:30pm onward, until 11pm Friday/Saturday) the rest of the week. Food hygiene rating 5, inspected January 2026, the most recent inspection of any restaurant in this guide. Phone 023 8251 4342.

Based inside the Mill Rythe holiday park on Hayling Island but open to non-residents, The Missing Squirrel serves food and cocktails in a setting reviewers repeatedly call beautiful. Kids get 9 mentions in the review topics, so it’s a solid family option, alongside a genuine vegan option (3) and a proper cocktail bar (2).

Google’s summary highlights a wide drinks selection, excellent cocktails and friendly, helpful staff, with a fair note that service can be slow at busy times — worth bearing in mind on a warm-weekend evening.

Good to know: open every day, 12–10pm. We couldn’t find a food hygiene match for this address on the FSA register. Phone 0330 053 7000.