The Square

Visited for lunch, today. A bright, but cool, sunny day in Henley. Seating outside in the square (how appropriate). We were the first to grab a table and were soon joined by many others who wanted to stop for lunch, dessert, or just coffee.
Very good service — calm, professional, friendly. Very good menu — a range of dishes to suit most appetites and wallets. We enjoyed an omelette and a vegetarian rice dish which tasted absolutely delicious, served in a Portuguese stew pot. Accompanied by sparkling water and a glass of rose for my wife, and two, excellent, coffees.
At a table next to us, a family arrived with a young dog. Before everyone was seated, a bowl of water had been brought over for the pup. Nice touch.
Yes, attentive service with attention to detail. Time to serve was a little longer than expected, but when the food came, we realized why. Everything is prepared from scratch. The vegetables in my dish had clearly only just been washed, chopped, and cooked. The omelette had the flavor that only comes from fresh ingredients.
Some coffee spilt in to the saucer by the server immediately resulted in a replacement when the manager spotted it. And the manager/​co-​owner made frequent visits to our table to check-​in.
The Square brings a relaxed dining experience to the middle of Henley, with great food and professional service. Very much recommended.

The teething problems seem to have gone mostly — although service can sometimes be a little spotty. The real reason to come here is the food. The chicken Piri Piri is delicious and the fresh fish is fantastic.
In summer they even have a few tables out front.
The Square may not be perfect but it’s a great addition to Henley, previously we had a choice of bland chains, pubs and recently one super high end restaurant.

Desperately trying to provide a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist, we now have a Portugese restaurant in town.
Over priced, empty and serving iffy food, this latest venture for the owner has made all the impact of a feather on a granite rock.
Opening night was chaos — three hour wait for food. Subsequent days have seen the place all but empty. To be quite frank, it’s not often that I find myself turning to the good lady and commenting «Know what? I could murder a good Portugese.»
Let’s see if it lasts the Winter.