Orion, Wimbledon restaurant review: ‘Come for the fish, stay for the martinis’

Opened in late 2025 on the former site of The Light House in Wimbledon, Orion is the debut solo restaurant from Alex Webb, who won MasterChef: The Professionals in 2020 at just 25 years old.

Before the show, he trained at Westminster Kingsway College and cooked at Hélène Darroze at The Connaught, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal and the Savoy. The name comes from the Orion constellation, a tribute to his late father and two grandfathers – the three men he credits with inspiring his love of cooking.

French-inspired and seafood-led, the menu draws on Cornish and Devonian suppliers, with a fish counter at the front displaying the day’s catch alongside oysters and king crab.

Food

My husband and I started with Carlingford oysters (£5 each), four between us, which were clean, briny and well-handled – save for one that arrived with a notable amount of shell debris inside, worth mentioning to whoever’s serving before you begin.

The scallop (£15) was the highlight of the night. Whole-baked in the shell with burnt chilli and miso butter and pickled onion, it was precise and full of depth, the butter rich and savoury against the sweetness of the shellfish. The bread – a lightly grilled slightly beefy sourdough, listed as Dad’s Bread (£7), with £1 from each going to the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation in memory of Webb’s late father – came with whipped chicken butter, though we used the bread to mop up what remained in the scallop shell, which was the better call.

For mains, the Cornish monkfish (£38) arrived as a grilled fillet with celeriac purée, pickle, remoulade, sea herbs and warm tartare sauce. Meaty and cooked through but with a slight wateriness to the flesh that diluted the impact a little, though the flavours themselves were well judged. Across the table, the pan-seared halibut (£38) with burnt onion purée, pickled shallots, roasted halibut sauce and lemon fared well. The smoked beef tartare (£18) arrives under a cloche of smoke, lifted tableside. The tartare itself is well made, but the smokiness is bold enough to edge towards ashtray territory, which can overpower what’s underneath. Those sensitive to smoke might find it a touch much.

Drinks

The freezer martinis (£16 each) were the right call. Made with Tanqueray No. Ten and served ice cold, they were clean and sharp without any wateriness from a badly chilled glass. Orion takes its cocktails seriously, with everything made fresh to order, and the wine list is extensive enough to warrant some time with it before ordering.

Atmosphere

Orion sits between neighbourhood restaurant and special occasion venue, which is presumably the intention given its Wimbledon Village postcode. The room is softly lit, candles burning, with an open kitchen running along one side that gives the space some energy without tipping into relentless noise. On a Tuesday evening the crowd was a reliable cross-section of the area: well-heeled couples on date nights, a party of six designer-clad huns occupying the larger back section, and at least one very posh, very Wimbledon elderly couple neighbouring us who spent a notable portion of the evening glaring at my cap. I did eventually take it off, lest holes were burned into it.

Service

The staff was knowledgeable and engaged, able to talk through the menu with confidence. The pace was occasionally uneven – finished plates sat a little longer than expected between courses – though nothing that significantly disrupted the evening. Webb himself was present throughout the evening but didn’t make it to any of the patrons, which at a restaurant built so personally around its chef feels like an opportunity slightly missed. Not every chef is a showman – and there’s no obligation to be – but at this price point, a quick spin around the tables wouldn’t hurt.

Value

Dinner for two will come to around £165-£170 before wine and the discretionary 12.5% service charge, landing closer to £220-£240 once both are added. Small plates range from £12 to £18 and larger plates from £21 to £38 for the fish mains. It is not inexpensive, but the cooking is at a level that largely justifies it, particularly on the seafood.

Verdict

Orion is a confident debut from a chef with a clear point of view. The seafood is the reason to come (though the menu also includes beef and plant-based options), and the room is easy enough to spend an evening in. A few rough edges remain but nothing that significantly undermines what Webb is building here. Come for the fish, stay for the martinis, and order the scallop without hesitation

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Orion by Alex Webb – 75-77 Ridgway, Wimbledon Village, London SW19 4ST orionbyalexwebb.com