Food and drink at Wimbledon has long been shorthand for one thing: strawberries and cream. The 2026 Championships would like a quiet word. Under newly appointed Executive Chef Sam Morgan, the public dining offer has been rebuilt around a single idea: that the food should match the tennis. “Stepping into the role of Executive Chef is a huge honour, especially as we look to push the boundaries of what guests expect from dining at The Championships,” Morgan says. “My focus is on absolute quality throughout, ensuring our public restaurants are on par with the capital’s finest.”
Morgan is no newcomer to SW19. This is his fifth championship at the AELTC and his first leading the line, having previously run the Royal Room’s elite operation. The remit is now considerably larger: a brigade of nearly 350 chefs, every plate from the Royal Box to the public restaurants, across a fortnight that feeds the better part of half a million people. The throughline is provenance. Menus are built on British produce, guided by the season and suppliers, with an environmentally positive approach as undercurrent, plant-forward dishes, responsibly sourced seafood, and a genuine campaign against waste.
What follows is where to eat, from a lingering lunch at the Cavendish to a sprawl of sharing plates with friends at the Centenary Restaurant, there’s a room to match the mood.
The Centenary Brasserie: Britain’s Larder, Land and Sea
On the edge of Court 11, away from the crowds but still in the thick of it, the Centenary Brasserie is the classic of the group. The cooking showcases the heritage of the British larder: a rack of South Downs pork with Westcombe Cheddar rarebit and glazed apples; a Caesar built on Sutton Hoo chicken. The venison here tells the sourcing story plainly – wild game from Royal Windsor Park in Berkshire and Willo Game in Shropshire, foraged with minimal intervention. Go for: a proper, grown-up sit-down between matches.
The Centenary Restaurant: New and Built for Sharing
New for 2026, the Centenary Restaurant trades the set-course format for a menu of shareable dishes designed to be grazed across a long, lingering lunch, with some of the best views on the grounds across the southern courts. It is informal but elevated – Sutton Hoo chicken with vadouvan spice, a seafood platter for two, and a sly opener of pickled Hugh Lowe strawberries dressed with ponzu and basil. The tomatoes come from the Arreton Valley on the Isle of Wight, ripened fully on the vine. Go for: a long, sociable lunch without leaving the action.
The Wingfield: Centre Court, with the Sea on the Menu
Set within Centre Court and overlooking the historic Tea Lawn, The Wingfield is the seasonal flagship. The kitchen leans coastal, with menu highlights being roasted black bream with curried fish veloûté and samphire and smoked Chalk Stream trout with Isle of Wight tomatoes. The lobster arrives from British waters, much of it landed at Newquay Harbour by named boats, the Loyal Partner, skippered by Phil Trebilcock, among them. Go for: the most refined seasonal cooking on the public side.
The Cavendish: No.1 Court, the Easy Lunch
Perfectly placed within No.1 Court, where the buzz of the day filters in between courses, The Cavendish is the all-day, all-rounder: a relaxed lunch, a quick coffee, an afternoon sweet treat, close enough to the tennis that you needn’t choose. Expect seasonal and fresh salads, a North Atlantic smoked haddock fishcake, and a daily Wimbledon cake. The cauliflower comes from Hammonds in Nottingham, a fourth-generation family grower. Go for: the unhurried drop-in, no reservation required.
The Walled Garden: the Loop, Closed
The cleverest plate on the grounds, and the one that wastes the least. The Walled Garden’s karaage fried chicken is glazed in a tomato-and-strawberry aji made from surplus Hugh Lowe fruit – the same Kent farm behind the strawberries. Said strawberries are then turned into a house-made hot sauce that reduces waste and adds depth. It’s paired with Rubies ketchup, made from rescued produce. Go for: the most unexpected dining experience on the grounds.
The Chic-Nic: A Hamper and Good Timing
The Wimbledon Picnic, as synonymous with The Championships as The Hill itself, has had a modern, seasonal refresh: prepared from the finest seasonal produce, designed for two, with vegetarian, gluten-free and plant-based options. Picnics can be pre-booked ahead of your day at wimbledon.com, or bought on the day from the Larders, since collecting a ready-packed hamper beats queuing for one. Then claim your patch of grass: picnickers can spread out and hear the roar of Centre Court, half in the sun, half in the drama.
The Strawberries: The Tradition, Intact
No day at SW19 is complete without them. Hugh Lowe Farms in Mereworth, Kent, has supplied Wimbledon for over 25 years. They are hand-picked each morning, delivered fresh, timed to peak ripeness across the fortnight. Left to do? Serve them simply with British cream, with a plant-based option available. The fact worth noting about the strawberries: nearly two million are eaten across the fortnight – laid end to end, a line long enough to run from Wimbledon to Brighton, or the length of some 3,000 tennis courts. Those who can’t make their way onto our plates find a second life in that Walled Garden hot sauce. The same Kentish berry, two very different rallies.
The Verdict
None of it promises to feel stuffy, touristic or unnecessarily over the top. What’s coming is the easy confidence of an institution that has been doing this for a very long time – but now with a sharper eye on where everything comes from, and the strawberries arriving, as ever, right on cue. Tennis takes care of itself. The only choice left is where to eat between matches – and on that, I’d personally head to The Wingfield with its prime Centre Court address and a menu that leans, happily, towards the sea.
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