As I neared the ninth mile of my leg in the Cotswolds Way Relay, one thing dominated my thoughts: lunch. Specifically, lunch at Juliet in Stroud.
Since opening its doors in October last year, Juliet has garnered rave reviews. Food critic Grace Dent praised it highly in The Guardian and recently named it one of her top five favorite restaurants in the UK on Instagram.
It’s also a darling of the local celebrity scene. Having visited before, I was eager to dive in again.
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Nestled in the charming Old Music Centre, Juliet is small but flawlessly designed. The front room looks out onto the lively street, where visitors swarm to the famous farmers' market. At the back lies the cozy Piano Room, with its intimate setup of three or four tables, classic bistro mirrors, and bottles adorned with melted wax drippings, creating a welcoming atmosphere.
From the moment we arrived, the service was impeccable, friendly, and attentive. Our party—myself, my wife, a teenager, and an almost-teen—examined the menu with care and anticipation.
I began with a classic gin martini, served in a stunning glass, ice-cold with a crisp lemony tang. It even made me reconsider my allegiance to the negroni.
The menu itself is a visual and culinary delight. Divided into sections like “bites” (including gilda, baguette and butter, pan con tomate), “mid-size” dishes (such as beef carpaccio with fennel salame, tomato, and mozzarella), and “mains” including tagliarini with mussels and lemon, pork chop with pea and anchovy, Anjou pigeon, and mackerel with sauce vierge—all sounding irresistible.
We crafted a feast: bread; gilda for me and my wife; white peach with burrata; and panisse topped with parmesan. From the larger dishes, we chose lamb cutlets with fasolakia (green beans cooked in an herbaceous sauce) and steak frites with café de Paris butter—a complex sauce blending butter, shallots, herbs, capers, anchovies, mustard, curry powder, and Worcestershire sauce.
Our son shared the main dishes, while our daughter delighted in a delicately small pasta pomodoro whose name escaped me.
In true fashion, dishes arrived as soon as they were ready. Soon, our table was filled with panisse, baguette, and the standout white peach and burrata.
The panisse was ethereal—feather-light with a Parmesan cloud that was truly sensational. But it was the white peach and burrata dish that lingered in my memory: perfectly ripe peaches paired with creamy burrata and a subtly spicy herb sauce that elevated the dish.
The lamb cutlets were pink and bursting with flavor, perfectly complemented by the fasolakia.
Then there was the steak. Often I avoid ordering steak, feeling it’s something best enjoyed at home. But this was exceptional—melt-in-your-mouth tender, beautifully charred, and paired with the café de Paris sauce that balanced sweet, savory, and mildly spicy notes brilliantly.
Though full, none of us could resist dessert. Together, we savored fig leaf ice cream, affogato, chocolate crémeux, and brown butter cake—each a triumph.
Our meal totaled £160 including tip—a price that might seem steep until you compare it to the typical high street dining experience, where staying under £100 is rare. Juliet, however, is in a league of its own.
As for the Cotswolds Way Relay, our team finished 51st out of 100—a respectable position for “veterans.” I’m already looking forward to booking Juliet again after next year’s race.
Juliet, Old Music Centre, 49 London Rd, Stroud GL5 2AD