Every year, around this time, a series of ‘best restaurants‘ lists start to be released. Some attempt to catalogue the very best restaurants in the entire world – surely a daunting task! Others, like the National Restaurant Awardsnarrow the field and put together a list of the UK’s best places to eat. And following the award ceremony earlier this week, London has come out on top. According to the awards, London is officially home to the very best restaurant in the UK.
Notting Hill’s The Ledbury was recognised as the UK’s best restaurant, having previously topped the list in 2010, 2011, and 2012. The recognition comes in the wake of The Ledbury also being awarded its third Michelin Star this year.
Second place went to Soho’s Mountain – which was also recognised as the Highest New Entry on the list. Rounding out the top five were Lancashire’s Moor Hall (#3), Clerkenwell’s Root Plug (#4), and Long Island (#5) in Wales – which topped the list in 2022 and 2023.
The UK’s best restaurants
London put on an impressive performance at the National Restaurant Awards. Seven of the UK’s top 10 restaurants can be found in London. Additionally, over half of the top 100 restaurants were London spots. In total, 53 London restaurants were recognised in the National Restaurant Awards top 100 list.
The top 25 restaurants in the UK are:
- The LedburyLondon
- MountainLondon – Highest New Entry
- Moor HallLancashire
- Root PlugLondon
- Long IslandPowys
- KilnLondon
- From the groundLondon
- OpheemBirmingham
- The DevonshireLondon – Opening of The Year, Gastropub of the Year
- IkoyiLondon
- The Glenturret LaliqueCrieff
- Restaurant PineNorthumberland
- The RitzLondon
- ManaManchester
- Endo at the RotundaLondon
- Higher GroundManchester
- DewHovingham
- Kitchen TableLondon
- A. WongLondon
- The AnvilCumbria
- DorianLondon
- Paul Ainsworth at No.6Cornwall
- FirstLondon
- Josephine BouchonLondon
- FlavorLondon
A ‘judging academy’ of over 200 industry experts – including food writers, chefs and restaurateurs – puts together the list. To do so, they split the UK into 11 regions and voted “for the top seven restaurants that they have dined at in the last 12 months”. Their votes were then compiled together to make the top 100 list.
Other awards at the National Restaurant Awards
The National Restaurant Awards doesn’t just provide a snapshot of the UK’s best restaurants. It also recognises stand-out names, service, and achievements within the industry. These are voted upon by the same academy of experts that compiles the full list.
Of particular celebration was the Chef of the Year title going to Adéjoké Bakarethe founder and head chef at Chishuru. This is not the first incredible recognition that Bakare has received in 2024. Earlier this year, she became the first black woman in the UK to earn a Michelin Star. She is only the second black woman chef in the world to be awarded a star.
Other notable awards included:
- Chef to Watch – Ayo Adeyemi from Akoko
- Lifetime Achievement – Michael Roux Jr.
- Opening of the Year – The Devonshire (the first time a pub has received the award)
- Gastropub of the Year – The Devonshire
- Best Restaurant in Northern Ireland – The Muddlers Club
- Best Restaurant in Wales – Long Island
- Best Restaurant in Scotland – The Glenturret Lalique
- Cocktail list of the Year sponsored by Britvic – The Dover
- Wine List of the Year – Trivet
To see the full top 100 list, head to the National Restaurant Awards website.
