UK's Top 100 Restaurants for 2024

This windswept old cattle barn has been transformed by Cal and Sian Byerley into a truly transcendent destination restaurant. Even the smallest details are executed with watchmaker’s precision, but Pine still manages to be effortlessly charming and relaxed. An incredible achievement.

Ynyshir’s stunning Snowdonia location and manicured grounds have long been an attraction, but Gareth Ward’s incredible cooking is the real star. Ward brings lots of Japanese influence and a focus on fat and flavour to his food, resulting in one of the UK’s most unique, unmissable restaurants.

Mark Birchall continues to blaze a trail at Moor Hall, with unique tasting menus powered by innovation and incredible talent. Much of the restaurant’s produce is grown on the five-acre estate, and almost everything is produced in house from bread and beer to dairy and charcuterie.

David and Anette Taylor have crafted an idyllic countryside retreat, lifting up sustainable producers and craftspeople around them with an unwavering commitment to ethical, bio-diverse farming. The resulting 15 course tasting menu is a thing of beauty - Grace & Savour is a gleaming jewel with a very bright future.

Located in the scenic village of Hovingham, Myse serves a modern British tasting menu that draws on North Yorkshire’s rich history. Start with a round of drinks by the log burner in the snug, before embarking on a menu filled with things like duck and liver crumpets, and broad bean porridge.

Our top UK restaurant of 2021 is still flying high, and with Osip due to move to a brand new location in the near future, we’re expecting even bigger things from Merlin Labron-Johnson in 2024. Gentle, precise and elegant, Osip is still a must-visit restaurant.

L’Enclume has officially entered legendary status as one of the country’s most influential restaurants. It remains an exceptional dining experience full of surprises and delights, if you can manage to get a table.

This idyllic spot pays homage to the English countryside in every way possible. Dine between terracotta plant pots and trailing vines at Updown Farmhouse’s conservatory restaurant, while the hyper-seasonal menu makes use of local ingredients (including some grown in its beautiful garden grounds).

Ben Wilkinson’s Michelin-starred restaurant is nothing short of sublime. A glass wall separates the 28-cover dining room from the kitchen, so diners can watch the team in action, while dishes are served by the chefs who made them. Clean, concise, and perfectly-balanced plates are impossible to fault.

With his name now over the door of his restaurant at Coworth Park, Adam Smith’s cooking is finally getting the nationwide acclaim it deserves. Smith’s meticulous technique and fondness for luxury ingredients echoes of his many years at The Ritz.

With just six tables available per night, dinner at this distillery restaurant is pretty exclusive. The trip is absolutely worth it, though, as Mark Donald’s globetrotting menus are out of this world.

Paul Ainsworth operates a number of restaurants in Cornwall, but this Michelin-starred spot has got to be the jewel in his crown, where it serves an exciting, story-led menu that champions locally sourced Cornish produce.

Tommy Banks has taken a former pub and transformed it into one of York’s greatest restaurants to date. This Michelin-starred spot centres around seasonal ingredients grown and foraged on the family farm, while modern dishes never veer too away from the chef’s Yorkshire roots.

Alex Bond harnesses the transformative powers of fermentation and pickling at Nottingham powerhouse Alchemilla, creating brilliant tasting menus which are as innovative as they are delicious.

Not content with having one champion restaurant in Newcastle, Kenny Atkinson has opened another one just down the road. The UK isn’t short of great tasting menus these days, but Solstice is right up there with the best of them.

Aktar Islam puts his signature stamp on Indian fine dining at this Michelin-starred restaurant in Birmingham. His masterful dishes utilise ancient and modern techniques from all over the globe, and the result is not to be missed.

This 17th-century pub and restaurant serves an affordable yet elevated a la carte menu. Produce is primarily sourced from the nearby Balcaskie Estate along with a handful of other local growers to keep menus seasonal and local.

Ideally located in Manchester’s city centre, Higher Ground is the British bistro showcasing everything this little island has to offer. Changing the menu based on seasonality throughout the UK, you can always expect a creative selection of dishes showcasing ingredients from land and sea.

This 15th-century inn won a Michelin star within the first year of opening, having garnered a reputation as one of the UK’s best gastropubs. Modern and refined dishes appear in both a la carte and tasting menu format.

Plates that appear deceptively simple but are underpinned by exacting technique are the order of the day at Wilsons, one of Bristol’s best restaurants. Here you’ll find true allegiance to showcasing sustainability through seasonality in fresh new ways.

Roberta Hall-McCarron’s cosy Bonnington bistro is a nigh on perfect neighbourhood restaurant - homely, comforting and always welcoming, with a menu full of dishes that you just want to dive into head first.

Husband and wife team Daniel and Margriet honed their skills at Petrus and Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, so it’s no surprise this gastropub nails all the small details, from pitch-perfect service to delicious food.

Taking residence in a stunning Grade-II listed Georgian mansion, Chef Dave Mothersill has created - arguably - Brighton’s most notable fine dining restaurant. The menu takes notes from Asian cooking but is ever-evolving depending on the season.

Born in North Wales and having spent seven years at The Fat Duck, chef Nick Rudge brings a wealth of experience to his latest venture The Jackdaw in Conwy. Here, he places beautiful Welsh produce at the fore of his menus, such as ‘Welsh Salt Duck’ with pickled damsons and hispi cabbage.

Casamia owner Peter Sanchez-Iglesias does himself justice with this refreshingly relaxed Spanish tapas restaurant in Bristol. The menu changes every day to make use of the freshest available produce, but you can always guarantee something special.

Were The Barn not overshadowed by flagship Moor Hall, it would rightly be talked about as one of the best restaurants in the country. It’s more relaxed, but the attention to detail, conscientious service and top-class produce remain, making this a good way to experience some of the Moor Hall magic without the price tag.

Set in a converted ferryman’s cottage on the Insta-friendly shores of Loch Fyne, Inver blends ultra-fresh local produce - sometimes straight out of the loch - with clever Nordic technique.

What appears to be an unassuming pub from the outside, is in fact a treasure trove of gastropub style plates that champion the best of British produce - think local rock oysters, grilled slip sole, and pot roast pork. Oh, and did we mention it has a Michelin star?

This perfectly-formed little restaurant serves a compact menu of modern British food that you just want to dive into. A real gem.

Head chef Paul Leonard translates the Cumbrian landscape into a series of intriguing tasting menu at this gothic mansion in the Lake district. Many of its ingredients are sourced from the kitchen gardens, while dedicated vegetarian menus ensure eating here is accessible for everyone.

This small but mighty restaurant with rooms has held on to its two Michelin stars for over a decade now, not least because it’s turning out some of the most exceptional plates in the UK both in terms of style and quality.

An unassuming gastropub in the well-to-do town of Oxshott, The Victoria serves confident, elevated British cuisine that’s big on flavour and low on pretension. A meal here should always begin with a round of its battered oysters with seaweed mayonnaise - although beyond that anything you try is bound to be fantastic.

The serene, Scandi-style dining room provides a calming backdrop in which to indulge in some of Swedish chef Alex Nietosvuori’s intricate cooking. Hjem’s food offering comes in the form of one 15-18-course tasting menu, where Northumberland produce is treated with Scandinavian techniques.

Seasonality showcases a diverse menu, from oysters with shichimi togarashi to smoked haddock with potato fondant. Whilst the menu changes frequently, you can always expect a consistent level of quality from husband and wife team Wesley and Francesca Smalley.

Offering feelgood factor by the spadeful, this cosy refurbished inn deals in a three course, daily changing menu for £45. Pies have made the kitchen famous, which are most often served at lunch, like the wonderfully comforting layered creamed potato terrine creation.

Gwen is an intimate dining experience from the Michelin-starred mind of Ynyshir chef Gareth Ward. Accommodating just eight guests at a time, ten innovative but affordable courses illustrate exceptional culinary flair and quality Welsh produce.

Making your presence known in a city as densely populated with incredible restaurants as Birmingham is quite some feat - but Harborne Kitchen has made a name for itself through its creative plates that continue to taste as good as they look.

The jewel in Michael Caines’ crown, Lympstone Manor in Devon comes with all the trimmings of fine dining that you’d expect, and earned itself a Michelin star just six months after opening. Menus are developed around the local southwest larder.

Led by Bury St Edmunds native, chef James Carn, Lark is an intelligently casual intimate dining affair. The menu takes the form of hyper-seasonal small plates highlighting a definitive Mediterranean influence and intuitively judged combinations.

Taking the term ‘local ingredients’ to the next level, the team at Annwn spend time foraging for produce and get the rest from sustainable producers nearby. It’s all about showcasing the best of what Wales has to offer, one delicious plate at a time.

Nathan Outlaw’s Michelin-starred seafood restaurant has been a veritable success since its recent rebrand. Making use of Cornwall’s bounty, he’s serving elevated seafood with ever changing menus to reflect the freshest seasonal produce.

Located in the shadows of Edinburgh Castle, family-run Timberyard prides itself on ingredient-led cooking serving simple and precise dishes using locally sourced Scottish produce. It has a rustic feel reminiscent of the 19th century warehouse it’s built in.

A tiny Scottish village on the edge of Cairngorms might not have seemed like an obvious location for one of the UK’s top restaurants, but Fish Shop Ballater’s commitment to community, simplicity and sustainability have come together to create something really special.

Surrounded by the picturesque scenery of the Lake District, SOURCE has found great success under the command of Ollie Bridgwater, whose boundary pushing dishes won the restaurant its first Michelin star earlier this year.

Found within one of Surrey’s most luxurious hotels, The Latymer is no different, offering grandeur in every sense of the word. Steve Smith’s constantly-changing discovery menu showcases refined dishes using only the best local produce.

Residing in a beautiful Grade-II listed house, Meadowsweet has created an intimate and charmingly cosy dining experience in the heart of Norfolk. Chef Greg Anderson’s ever-changing menu celebrates sustainable British produce, creating simple but elegant dishes.

Following his departure from L’Enclume, chef Dan Cox brings his vast experience to the south west with this soil-centric farm restaurant. The very definition of farm-to-table cooking, he’s created a ‘Taste of the Farm’ menu bursting with freshly grown and reared produce.

Somerset restaurant Holm’s ethos is deeply rooted in nature, drawing on fantastic local farmers, fisherman, growers and butchers for its produce. While low intervention, organic and biodynamic wines are served alongside its seasonal tasting menus.

Niall McKenna’s long-established modern bistro and Belfast favourite continues to push boundaries with enthusiasm. At James Street dishes are simple but vibrant; ethically sourced produce is grilled over charcoal and prepared with satisfaction in mind.

James Sommerin is no stranger to success, but Home may be his greatest achievement yet. The whole Sommerin family works front and back of house, turning out an elegant, thought-provoking tasting menu.

Without a battalion of chefs, Eorna is a two-man team with Brian Grigor in the kitchen and sommelier Glen Montgomery attending to service and wines. This twelve-seater intimate dining experience showcases exceptional seasonal produce and Scottish innovation.

Inspired by all things dough-based, The Sparrows - a translation of ‘spätzle’ - serves up the European noodles of the same name along with continental pasta and dumpling dishes treated with the warmth and appreciation they deserve.

This Michelin-starred spot in Belfast centres around an open kitchen, providing diners with an element of theatre as they watch the chefs prepare their food. Focused on relaxed fine dining, head chef and owner Gareth McCaughey uses the best local ingredients to create his inspired tasting menus.

Jon and Helen Howe’s beloved Cheltenham restaurant is admirable on many levels, turning out a range of delicious tasting menus, as well as fantastic vegetarian food, all whilst running an organic 15-acre smallholding.

The Abbey Inn blends classic pub charm, expert culinary intuition, and environmentally conscious practices. The result is a homestyle experience, elevated by inventive techniques, charcoal grilling, and quality local produce from the Oldstead farm.

This relaxed, Italian-inspired eatery is headed up by husband-and-wife team Dean and Anna who offer simple, unfussy dishes designed to be shared with loved ones. Sustainable initiatives are put into practice too, with many of its biodynamic and organic wines available on tap to reduce glass waste.

Simple, elegant, and punchy - Niall Keating’s style characterises the Lunar experience. Global experience and passion for local produce marry in harmony to produce a journey of discovery, not just of food but of artists and craftsmen.

A fine example of just how brilliant hotel restaurants can be, Michelin-starred Northcote is led by the highly-talented Lisa Goodwin Allen where she focuses on bringing British produce and dishes up to date.

Le Manoir epitomises Franco-British hospitality and modern gastronomic inspiration. Nestled within a fairytale-like Tudor building, the twice Michelin-starred restaurant also holds a green star for its environmentally conscious efforts, sophisticated technique, and live-off-the-land ethos.

Housed within a 400-year-old cellar in Lyme Regis, Lilac is a relaxed restaurant and wine bar from the same team behind Robin Wylde, with a major focus on sustainability. Enjoy its seasonal sharing plates alongside low-intervention wines, local beers and exciting cocktails.

Everything you eat at Coombeshead is grown and produced on the 66-acre farm, from fruit and veg to bread, meat and more. Exceptional produce is really allowed to sing by Tom Adams and team, and you can stay overnight in this countryside hideaway too.

Latin for ‘craft’, Artis is a fine dining experience celebrating Irish creativity, trusted local suppliers, and Emerald Isle produce. Head chef Phelim O’Hagan and his team produce technically acclaimed contemporary dishes in Derry’s historic Craft Village.

Inventive, refined and affordable in equal measure, Japanese sharing plates restaurant Kushi-ya is an immense addition to Nottingham’s dining scene. Pop by for a staggering display of skewers, small plates and sake.

Ingenious plant-led tasting menus have shot this small Cambridge restaurant into the spotlight. Co-owner Alex Rushmer doesn’t call Vanderlyle a vegetarian restaurant, rather he has found there is enough variety in plant produce to satisfy all appetites.

Neighbourhood small plates restaurants are two a penny. Bench is not. Breaking the divide between bar and kitchen, Bench delivers small plates and natural wines with superior skill and judgement to create a relaxed communal dining experience.  

A joint project between Chef Adam Handling and co-chef proprietors Steven Kerr and Johnny McNeil, this classic British pub serves a seasonal hybrid of Newcastle and Scotland’s finest dishes, a nod to the owners’ childhood homes.

Achingly cool Erst deals in the kind of fare that is made for impressing companions with. The smart natural wines and stylish small plates lend themselves equally as well to dates as group dinners.

Quince is the epitome of casual fine dining, a bistro-style restaurant in Westgate-on-Sea serving Mediterranean-leaning dishes with Kentish produce. Chefs and co-owners Ben Hughes and Rafael Lopez are the brains behind the job, having spent years working at the Goods Shed in Canterbury together.

Boasting Bath’s only Michelin star, the Olive Tree ushers guests along on five- or seven-course journeys to discover chef Chris Cleghorn’s exciting signature style. A style no doubt fostered during his tutelage under Heston Blumenthal.

Head chef Kevin Tickle brings his love of the Cumbrian landscape to this 17th-century inn via a menu of seasonal, locally-sourced dishes. Alongside tasting menus, there’s also a bar where diners can enjoy quality beers, carefully selected wines and seasonal small plates.

Tropea delivers antipasti, fresh pasta, and regional specialities ideal for sharing. Inspired by the Calabrian coast, it’s a buzzy no-frills modern Italian reflecting the talent of the locally trained chefs Ben Robinson Young and Kasia Piatkowska.

Behind the British boozer charm lies a brilliant gastropub restaurant at The Oarsman. Sink into a studded leather booth by the fire and tuck into some proper British cooking.

With a spectacular chef’s table for two, plus a luxurious, contemporary main dining room, Cail Bruich is a special occasion spot worth saving up for. Here you’ll be treated to Lorna McNee’s unique flair for elevating the best of Scottish produce.

This unassuming restaurant sits above the Landrace Bakery in Bath where it quietly turns out a concise menu of perfectly-executed Mediterranean plates. Expect straight-forward, trattoria-style fare cooked with love – think tagliatelle with spinach, chestnuts and parmesan cream.

Anything but ordinary, the Wilderness’ quirks are found in every twist and turn of the eccentric menu that isn’t afraid to make unusual pairings in pursuit of a menu you’ll remember long after your last bite.

The legacy of the great Andrew Fairlie continues at this luxury hotel restaurant. You know what you get at Gleneagles - precise, sumptuous dishes, rooted in European tradition and the very best Scottish produce.

The initial impression is of a modest village pub. But The White Swan boasts a witty and thoughtful menu worthy of its Michelin star. The atmosphere is laid back but small batch local produce and technical skill merge to deliver simple but profound combinations.

Roberta Hall-McCarron’s second restaurant has smashed all expectations. We love the soothing interiors almost as much as we love Hall-McCarron’s delicious, inventive cooking.

Argoe is a tribute to Newlyn’s incredible fishing heritage and produce, where sharing plates with a focus on Cornish fish and seafood are served alongside low-intervention wines on tap. Proof that beauty lies in simplicity.

Excellent produce cooked over fire is exactly what to expect from this neighbourhood joint. Head chef Jack Briggs-Horan brings produce to life with indulgent dishes that are designed to share. 

Relaunched by Paul and Emma Ainsworth in 2019, The Mariners is a must visit for those in the area. Boasting idyllic views, expect elegantly plated dishes that expertly find the balance between a traditional pub and quality fine dining. 

Described as a dinner house, Big Counter dishes out unfussy comfort food and old-school favourites. The menu is subject to daily change but dishes frequently feature chef John Dawson and Claire Johnston’s ‘holy trinity’: butter, cream, and cheese.

Sur-Mer enjoyed a 2022 renovation from restauranter George Pell - the same man who looks after Soho institution L’Escargot. With an enviable seafront location and a fresh seasonal menu, this is a truly impressive restaurant, with beautiful rooms to match.

Housed in a 19th century farmhouse, The Woodspeen has ditched all the fuss whilst still managing to retain a first class dining experience. Here, you can enjoy the theatricality of an open kitchen whilst enjoying fresh produce straight from the onsite garden.

A small, 20-cover restaurant that proves good things come in small packages. The Little Fish Market serves a tasting menu focused solely around fresh fish and seafood, created by the ever-talented Duncan Ray.

A young, dynamic team led by Neil Bentinck helped reinvigorate York’s status as a dining destination back in 2016 and it’s pulled the punters ever since. Expect bold, international flavours handled with surprising ease.

Will Devlin’s self-sustaining Kentish idyll still ranks high, combining fabulous home-grown produce and innovative cooking. A genuine, heartfelt celebration of the ‘Garden of England’.

Dan Kenny is blazing his own trail in Brighton, cooking up audacious tasting menus packed with bold, Asian-flecked umami flavours. There’s only one menu to choose from, but Kenny’s food is some of the most inventive, daring food in the country right now.

Setting up in a Baltic Quarter warehouse, Manifest sounds a little chilly but is anything but - clever British cooking and carefully-sourced wines are served with warmth and generosity.

The Latin word for ‘heart’, COR’s aim is to bring people together and to create a warm and friendly environment for all. The menu takes influence from the owners’ love of the Mediterranean with a seasonal spin so the menus are always changing.

From the team behind London’s Brawn, comes SARGASSO in Margate offering platefuls of fresh seafood right on the harbour. This relaxed restaurant has stunning sea views and event the occasional live music act.

Nostalgic British menus with modern flair and attention to seasonality are part and parcel of this seventeenth-century Cotswold stone pub. Headed by Paul Welburn, an open kitchen takes centre stage delivering award-winning colourful dishes. 

Taking up residence in an old Georgian greenhouse, Beckford Canteen offers indulgent dining down one of Bath’s cobbled streets. Here, you’ll find reinvented and delicious dishes that pay homage to the south west’s incredible produce.  

Owners Stephen Toman (chef) and Alain Kerloc’h (sommelier) opened OX in 2013 to put into practice their hard-earned skills working in restaurants. The result is an artistic display of seasonal Irish ingredients served alongside an extensive wine list.

This well-respected Indian restaurant in Leeds has a vast menu with a special focus on Keralan cuisine. Kerala’s long coastline was historically an arrival point for visiting traders and led to the area being a hub of new flavours and influences that blend together beautifully.

Located on Sunnyfields Farm in Hampshire, Daniel Rogan’s intimate and refined dining experience follows a sustainability-minded ethos. AO offers a tasting menu only, elegantly presented and strongly committed to local produce and seasonality. 

Devoid of any unnecessary gimmicks and tricks, 10 Tib Lane is assertive and refreshingly uncomplicated. This seasonal sharing plates and natural wine bar marrying traditional sensibilities and contemporary flair offers a revitalised dining experience.

Originally a 19th century schoolhouse, The Clockspire retains elements of this history with its towering ceilings and natural oak beams. A charming and elegant space, seasonal and ingredient-led dishes are at the forefront of its menus.