Orion brings Alex Webb’s seafood-led French cooking to Wimbledon Village

Wimbledon Village has gained a restaurant with more ambition than the usual neighbourhood address.

Orion, from chef Alex Webb, brings together classical French technique, British seafood and a room designed for lingering rather than rushing.

It’s personal, too, with the name nodding to the constellation whose three stars represent Webb’s late father and two grandfathers.

At a glance

Alex Webb’s personal London opening

Webb arrives at Orion with the public recognition that followed his MasterChef: The Professionals success, but the restaurant doesn’t feel like a television chef vanity project.

Its identity is more grounded than that, shaped by family memory, seasonal cooking and a clear desire to serve its immediate community well.

The constellation reference gives the restaurant its emotional anchor without overwhelming the experience.

Instead, it sits quietly behind the name, adding a sense of purpose to a dining room that otherwise feels relaxed and contemporary.

British seafood through a French lens

The cooking at Orion is built around seafood, but Webb’s classical training gives the menu its structure and polish.

Small plates set the tone with cranberry and dill cured salmon, a whole baked scallop in the shell with burnt chilli and miso butter, and pickled onion for lift.

The dish most likely to become a calling card is the lobster and prawn toast, finished with black sesame, lime and chilli.

It’s the kind of plate that suits the restaurant’s mood, precise enough to feel considered, generous enough to feel immediately pleasurable.

Among the larger dishes, hispi cabbage wrapped cod with white bean cassoulet shows Webb’s interest in comfort as much as refinement.

Cornish monkfish with celeriac purée, pickle, remoulade, sea herbs and warm tartare sauce follows the same logic, bringing coastal produce into a more composed French register.

Oysters are given proper attention as well, making Orion a strong address for diners who judge a seafood restaurant by the quality and handling of its raw bar.

Desserts lean more playful and nostalgic, an effective change of tempo after the savoury side of the menu.

A Wimbledon Village room with polish

The setting matters here, particularly in a part of London where restaurants often have to work for both locals and visitors.

Orion’s interiors take a Mediterranean direction, with an elegant, open feel that still keeps enough intimacy for a proper evening meal.

That balance is important, as the restaurant needs to work just as well for a long lunch as it does for dinner after a day in the village.

Service is part of the appeal, with a style that feels informed rather than rehearsed.

Knowledgeable explanations can make a seafood-led menu more engaging, especially when dishes move between familiar comfort and more technical touches.

During Wimbledon fortnight, that sense of occasion gives the room an extra charge, but Orion doesn’t need a sporting calendar to justify the visit.

Its stronger achievement is bringing serious seafood cooking to a polished local setting without losing warmth.

Who Orion is likely to win over

Orion will appeal to diners who like their restaurants smart but not stiff.

It’s an obvious fit for seafood lovers, particularly those looking beyond central London for a meal with strong produce and a clear culinary point of view.

There’s also enough familiarity in the menu to make it welcoming, from the toast and cod to the nostalgic desserts, while the details keep things interesting for more seasoned diners.

For Wimbledon Village, Orion feels like a restaurant with staying power.

It has the personal story, the technique and the room to become more than a name on a busy London dining list.