Location: Chorley
Top Restaurants in Chorley
Chorley Food Guide: 10 Must-Eat Restaurants & Street Food Stalls in Chorley
Chorley is a market town in Lancashire, England, 8.1 miles (13 km) north of Wigan, 10.8 miles (17 km) south west of Blackburn, 11 miles (18 km) north west of Bolton, 12 miles (19 km) south of Preston and 19.5 miles (31 km) north west of Manchester. The town's wealth came principally from the cotton industry.
Things to do in Chorley
1. The Red Cat Restaurant
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 375 reviews
Whittle-le-Woods has been placed firmly on every food lover's map since the opening of The Red Cat on Blackburn Road. With more countryside charm than you could shake a muddy Wellie at, The Red Cat is renowned for its peaceful location and classic modern Mediterranean menu. With its whitewashed exterior, original stonework and exposed wooden beams, you'll feel right at home in this cosy venue.
Reviewed By Deborah B
We decided to try the Red Cat restaurant for a family meal for mother's day. It was years since we had visit the restaurant due to a poor meal. However we had read the good reviews and booked in. The restaurant had a good authentic feel about it with friendly staff. The food that we ordered was really good very hot and nicely presented. We will certainly return in the future.
2. Amelie's Restaurant
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 285 reviews
Reviewed By Nowupnorth - Chorley, United Kingdom
This restaurant is like no other I have been to and my husband and I love it. The welcome is warm, the surroundings leave you feeling like you have been invited to someone’s home. The food is home cooked with fresh vegetables and at such excellent prices. When you can have a two course meal before 7.00pm for £10, well what a bargain.
I strongly recommend this place. We have been three times now and I am sure we will be making this our regular place to eat out.
3. The Black Horse
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 236 reviews
Olde English Traditional Country PubHome cooked traditional English Pub DishesOpen fires - laid back atmosphere.All are welcome including well behaved dogs.
Reviewed By Ian A - Wigan
Our second visit to this hidden little gem, can't beat a good country pub after a walk over Rivington and this absolutely fits the bill. The staff are lovely and helpful, they were very attentive and came over to make sure our meals where all ok. Excellent value for money, we had three Sunday lunches which were absolutely spot on, the home cooked Yorkshire Puddings were out of this world and a children's meal which was polished off in no time. Draught beers were great and very responsibly priced, we all had a dessert which was equally as tasty and well presented. Will definitely be back here and would recommend to anyone in the area.
The open fire really sealed it......
4. Luciano's at the Millstone
Overall Ratings
4 based on 455 reviews
Reviewed By Adcro - Horwich, United Kingdom
I'm late to the party with this one, I know. Lucianos at The Millstone is a very popular Italian restaurant in Anderton, between Horwich and Adlington, towards Chorley, and has been so successful that it has also opened a sister venue at Middlebrook Retail Park. Before now I had been to neither. There's a lot of Italian restaurants around Bolton and it was hard not to think "oh, another Italian restaurant".
But this is where Lucianos is different. The first thing you notice when you walk in the door is that the staff are talking to each other in Italian... that's a good sign in a true Italian restaurant! It's decorated in a bright and modern contemporary style, showing modern Italian dining rather than the old fashioned 'Ristorante' style we often have over here with candle-filled Chianti bottles, faux grape vines and nick nacks all over the place. A couple of trendy Vespas are found on the way in, with a dining area to the left, and a modern bar area to the right, making it clear this is a modern venue, not another cheesy Italian themed restaurant.
Despite not having a reservation, we are welcomed warmly, and shown to a pleasant table where we are given our menus by a charismatic manager / maitre'd, who seems very much at home in that role, and has fine tuned his patter; he asks if we'd like any wine by the bottle, but we were only having soft drinks, so he took the glasses away with the quip, "less mess for me!", I also like that when we were browsing the dessert menu later on, he chimed in, "Remember, signori, I will never let you struggle... all desserts come with a third spoon for me". I like this. You don't get the bon viveur style head waiter so much these days, and it's nice when you find it, and it seems genuine and warm hearted.
For our starter we order Budino Nero, which is black pudding served with sweet peppers, chorizo and red wine reduction, served with crostini bread, and the Terrina a modo nostro, a duck and chicken liver pate, finished with aged brandy and port. Served with cranberry compot and crostini.
As we wait for our starters, we look around some more at the decor and the layout. I never visited this place when it was a pub, but its hard to imagine, as it's been so pleasantly decorated in white wood panelling, black photo frames of modern day Italy, and plum coloured accents in the linen, and dark plum leather effect booth Seating. Very stylish.
Before too long our starters arrive, and are beautifully presented. The lighting in this venue really shows off the food well. The pate was delicious and fresh with a little salad, and the black pudding starter was simply beautiful. It was meaty but with a red wine reduction which was deliciously sweet, and worked well in contrast with the meaty flavours and richness of the chorizo. I was so impressed with it that I asked one of the wait staff if they could find out what the sauce was for me. Marvellous!
We were so impressed with the starters that we were salivating at the idea of our mains! Main courses took a little longer to arrive, but the venue was starting to get busy, so it's not surprising, plus frankly I'm happy to wait longer for good quality food cooked fresh to order.
We ordered the tagliatelle carbonara speciale, and my partner decided to try something new, and opted to try the Ravioli All'Argosta, which is egg ravioli filled with lobster in a lobster and tomato bisque.
The carbonara was presented as well as it can be, and I took the offer of fresh parmesan topping. The flavours were excellent, and it was wonderfully creamy and filling! The lobster ravioli looked... well... there's probably not many ways you can make it look good on a plate given the nature of it as a dish... but it was there on the plate... and was very tasty with a distinct flavour without being overbearing. The quality of the fresh pasta was superb too!
So our starters and main courses were both excellent, two thumbs up! We were enjoying relaxing in the atmosphere of the place too, so the wait didn't feel too bad. We were very full, but decided we simply had to try some of the desserts... you know, to properly finish off!
I ordered one of the home-made caramel cheesecakes, and my partner ordered the canolo (tube-shaped shells of fried pastry dough, filled with a sweet, creamy filling usually containing ricotta... a bit like a brandy snap). The cheesecake was tasty but a lot softer than I was expecting, probably as I've become more used to American style baked cheesecakes. The slice was a bit on the thin side, but the flavour was good, and wonderfully creamy. The canolo was also a little bit of a small portion. Admittedly it was listed as "canolo" (one) rather than "canoli" (multiple), but this one little canolo looked a bit lonely on a huge plate with a dusting of icing sugar over it. I think as a portion perhaps three of them would be a better portion and look better, but again the flavours and textures were excellent and couldn't be faulted. Delicious!
By now it was getting very busy, and we had trouble getting the attention of any of the staff to be able to ask for our bill, so I had to go to the main counter and ask the manager, but he was very friendly and gracious and brought the bill over straight away.
All in all, we were very very pleasantly pleased with Lucianos on what was a simple spur of the moment visit. The quality of the ingredients, the style of the setting and decor, and the professionalism of the staff really made this an enjoyable visit, and we will most definitely be returning! Buonisimo!
5. Cosmopolitan
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 591 reviews
Cosmopolitan is a modern smart/casual restaurant – wine & cocktail bar in the heart of Chorley - Lancashire that serves globally inspired food from all around the world, using only the finest local ingredients. One and only independent restaurant has the extensive menu includes varied dishes ranging from traditional classics to unique culinary delights. The menu Cosmopolitan is also supported by daily specials and a small plates “Tapas & Mezze” menu from the grill. There's also a dedicated kids menu for the little ones. Our talented Head Chef and his team produce such delights as Lamb Henry, Pan Fried Fillet of Sea Bass, Ottoman Mixed Grill, Black Pudding and famous Pan seared Scallops. There's an extensive Fish & Shellfish menu together with the Signature Steaks menu, as well as a selection of Homemade Pasta & Pizza dishes. Cosmopolitan also offers the additional feature of al fresco dining in the court yard. Cosmopolitan Restaurant & Bar have built an enviable reputation in Chorley for style, atmosphere and charisma but most importantly, for keeping customers happy and coming back for more. Relaxing after work, meeting friends or planning a celebration Cosmopolitan’s unique combination of service and quality food & drink will make every visit very memorable.Cosmopolitan offers an abundance of choice with a wide range of high quality food and drink selections brought to the table with an award winning level of service. If you fancy a tipple or two, you can choose from our wonderfully eclectic and original cocktail and drinks list. Whether a quick bite before the theatre, a business lunch, celebrating a special occasion, a first date or meeting the in laws, Cosmopolitan’s will impress with chic décor and friendly staff; a true affordable luxury.
Reviewed By stringy26 - Chorley, United Kingdom
Just returned from another excellent dining experience at the Cosmopolitan
Wonderful staff ... food sublime ... ambience second to none... Cannot praise this restaurant enough.. needless to say we will be returning..
We went for lunch but no problem choosing off the a la carte menu ,very accommodating ..
6. Oak Royal Hotel, Golf and Country Club
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 486 reviews
Modern British
Reviewed By Helen B - North West England, United Kingdom
We’ve visited a few times before for lunch and always enjoyed. On this visit though we found that lunch consisted of small portions of very ordinary food. We won’t be going back. I must add that the waiting staff were all very pleasant and helpful.
7. The Italian Cottage
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 370 reviews
This can be found and reviewed on sugar-vine
Reviewed By Paul C - Chorley, United Kingdom
Fed up of stopping in and watching the box ,so decided to have a meal out We had been here previously albeit some time ago and we were not disappointed them and again this was a good as we remembered Although we were only going...MoreHi, thanks for your great review, I’m glad everything was as good as it was previously & hope to see you again soon. Mark.
8. Foxholes Restaurant
Overall Ratings
5 based on 125 reviews
Foxholes Restaurant at Runshaw College is renowned for outstanding quality and service. We are a non-profit making restaurant, relying on customer support to give local students the opportunity to develop their skills in a friendly learning environment where they can build their confidence and self esteem.
Reviewed By lillibet12309 - Preston, United Kingdom
This is my second visit to Foxholes and it did not disappoint. The food is beautifully cooked and presented and this three course meal with a soft drink to accompany it and coffee at the end came to £17 - excellent value for money in my view.
I had Greek salad to start, followed by moussaka and it was all topped off with a trio of desserts.
The customer facing students had a very professional approach and I hope they go on to do great things in the big wide world of hospitality once they've qualified at Runshaw.
My only slight criticism is that the room where we eat is just like a classroom or conference room, including the whiteboard/screen on the wall. It would look more like a restaurant if there was some natural light maybe (even some internal windows) or some big statement plants to soften the decor a little.
9. Vujon
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 297 reviews
Fantastic Indian dining room, and my first stop whenever I am in Chorley. In addition to all of the "traditional English" Indian fare, the chef has created many delicious and unique dishes. The staff are extremely friendly, always remember me even though I live thousands of miles away, and make me feel right at home.
Reviewed By 1MFM - Chorley, United Kingdom
This place came highly recommended so expectations were high. We ordered a take away. Starters were ok but the Tandoori mixed grill was a huge disappointment. The chicken portion was very overcooked, dry and burnt. I was surprised that any good chef would send this out. Surely you have standards? Chicken Tikka Masala was very sweet.
We had planned to eat in at some point in the future but will give it a miss. Maybe we caught them on a bad day! Very disappointed! There are better places around locally. Would really need convincing it was a one off to return!
10. The Spinners at Cowling
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1 reviews
The spinners at cowling is a Friendly country pub with panoramic views over looking the Leeds to Liverpool canal. We have a wide range of home cooked meals prepared from the freshest and finest locally sourced produce. The inside has a warm and cosy country feel with a few modern twists and a fantastic snug area with a multi fuel stove which is so warm and homely .The owners Glen and Emma plus their Excecutive chef Steven Miller and his team including second chef Jason Wilkinson and a very hard working team of waiting on and bar staff that are always friendly and helpful and extremely knowledgeable look to bring your experience at The spinners at cowling a very memorable one. There is an exceptionally large choice on the bar including 2 premium beers two lager's three cask ales, Guinness, cider, and a smooth flow bitter. The back shelf provides a fine single malt whiskey selection plus plenty of fine Cognacs, Vodkas and Rums from all over the world. With a lovely decking area outside and Seating across the front the spinners at cowling is lovely day sun trap. The spinners at cowling also caters for outside catering events for parties , weddings funerals christenings and birthdays ask inside for details . Glen & Emma will look after your every need.
Reviewed By jude882 - Chorley, United Kingdom
5* breakfast which amazing all the way, included black and white pudding, mushrooms, tomatoes, beans, sausages, bacon and a good selection of eggs, from poached, fried and scrambled. It addition, the staff are outstanding with customer service, exceed all expectations and excellent communication skills. It’s a must have as it’s outstanding value for money. 10/10
Lauren Osborne is exceptional as is Steve Miller the Head Chef
