About Lumière
Lumière sits on Clarence Parade, two minutes' walk from Cheltenham's Imperial Gardens. Chef-patron Jon Howe opened the restaurant in 2009 and earned the Michelin star in 2023, after fourteen years of cooking. The star has been retained in 2024, 2025, and 2026.
The dining room seats 26. The aesthetic is stripped-back contemporary — exposed brick, oak tables without cloths, directional lighting, a single shared banquette running along one wall. Howe's wife Helen runs the room with a two-person service team.
The menu is a six-course modern European tasting at £95, with a vegetarian version at £90 and an extended eight-course option at £125. Signature work is around slow-cooked game, Cornish fish, and a signature malt-and-sea-buckthorn dessert. Pairings run at £65 (standard) and £110 (premium).
Lumière opens Wednesday to Saturday, dinner only, with two sittings (18:30 and 20:15). The lunch service was phased out in 2024 to focus exclusively on the evening tasting. The restaurant does not take bookings more than 12 weeks ahead.
Why It's Perfect for First Date
Lumière is the Cotswolds value-Michelin choice. The £95 six-course tasting undercuts every starred competitor in the region by 30%+, the 26-seat room has the intimacy of a village restaurant rather than a hotel, and the Clarence Parade location is walkable from Cheltenham town centre — a rare convenience among the Cotswolds stars.
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