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The UK’s Top 100 Restaurants For 2018

This week was Restaurant magazine’s annual Estrella Damm National Restaurant Awards. And once more, we have a London restaurant at the very top of the list. Read on to find out which UK-wide eateries made the cut, and which restaurants you need to grab a reservation for pronto…

On Monday night, Restaurant magazine hosted its yearly National Restaurant Awards at The Hurlingham Club. And while we wholeheartedly approve of the winners, there were definitely a few interesting trends on display.

First, London reclaimed the top spot with Thai barbecue restaurant Kiln in Soho. “Ben Chapman’s dedication – in fact obsession – with bringing in-your-face Thai dishes to Londoners has really paid off,” said Restaurant magazine editor Stefan Chomka at the event. “Kiln is a marvellous restaurant for so many reasons – it is affordable, democratic, fun and, if you’re lucky enough to sit at the counter and watch the chefs cook at their clay pots, a truly unique experience in the capital. And, of course, the food is incredible. There is no other place like Kiln in this country.”
 

Kiln
Kiln
Kiln
Kiln
Kiln
Kiln

It was a great night for Tom Brown too, who won One to Watch for his new east London restaurant Cornerstone and Chef to Watch. In fact, the capital had plenty of entries in the top ten, including ex-Barrafina chef Nieves Barragán Mohacho’s Mayfair solo spot Sabor in second place, Pimlico’s A Wong in third, Notting Hill’s Core by Clare Smyth in fourth and Lyle’s in Shoreditch in seventh place. Meanwhile, our favourite wine bar Noble Rot won Wine List of the Year, while Neil Rankin’s Temper gained Cocktail List of the Year – must be for the excellently named Chamomile The F**k Down.

Fine-dining was also back in the spotlight after last year’s list showed prevalence for casual, keenly priced restaurants. Big hitters on the list in 2018 include Core by Clare Smyth, L’Enclume, Restaurant Sat Bains, Nathan Outlaw and Claude Bosi at Bibendum, showing that special-occasion dining is back in vogue.
 

Black Swan
Black Swan
Brat
Brat
Lima
Lima

Full List of Winners 2018

One to Watch: Cornerstone

Best Restaurant in Northern Ireland, sponsored by Hildon: Wine & Brine

Best restaurant in Wales, sponsored by Hildon: Ynyshir

Best restaurant in Scotland, sponsored by Hildon: Ondine

Sustainable Restaurant of the Year, sponsored by Aubrey Allen: ODE true food, Devon

Wine List of the Year: Noble Rot

Cocktail List of the Year, sponsored by Seedlip: Temper

OpenTable Diners’ Choice ‘Fit for Foodies’: The Chef’s Table, Chester

Chef to Watch, sponsored by Woods Foodservice: Tom Brown

Chefs’ Chef of the Year, sponsored by Ritter Fresh: Nieves Barragán Mohacho

Restaurateur of the Year: Karam, Jyotin and Sunaina Sethi, JKS Restaurants

Gastropub of the Year, sponsored by Estrella Damm: The Sportsman

Lifetime Achievement Award, sponsored by Lavazza: Raymond Blanc

The Service Award, sponsored by Liberty Wines and Devaux: Core by Clare Smyth

Estrella Damm National Restaurant of the Year: Kiln

 

Cornerstone
Cornerstone
Cornerstone
Cornerstone
The Frog
The Frog

The Top 100

The Estrella Damm National Restaurant Awards is an annual countdown of the top 100 restaurants in the UK as voted for by the UK’s leading chefs, restaurateurs and food writers

1.     Kiln, Soho

2.     Sabor, Mayfair

3.     A Wong, Victoria

4.     Core by Clare Smyth, Notting Hill

5.     L'Enclume, Cumbria

6.     Moor Hall, Lancashire

7.     Lyle's, Shoreditch

8.     Restaurant Sat Bains, Nottingham

9.     The Sportsman, Kent

10.   Nathan Outlaw, Cornwall

11.   Claude Bosi at Bibendum, Chelsea

12.   The Coach, Marlow

13.   Coombeshead Farm, Cornwall

14.   Brat, Shoreditch

The Hand And Flowers
The Hand And Flowers
Hoppers
Hoppers
Ikoyi
Ikoyi

15.   Padella, London Bridge

16.   The Quality Chop House, Clerkenwell

17.   The Ledbury, Notting Hill

18.   Freemasons at Wiswell, Lancashire

19.   Wreckfish, Liverpool

20.   The Black Swan at Oldstead

21.   The River Café, Hammersmith

22.   Indian Accent, Mayfair

23.   Paul Ainsworth at No 6, Padstow

24.   El Pastor, London Bridge

25.   Le Manoir aux Quat Saisons, Oxford

26.   Ondine, Edinburgh

27.   Casamia, Bristol

28.   Ynyshir, Powys

29.   Som Saa, Shoreditch

30.   House of Tides, Newcastle

31.   The Clove Club, Shoreditch

32.   The Fat Duck, Bray

33.   Chez Bruce, Wandsworth

34.   Elystan Street, Chelsea

35.   The Crown at Burchetts Green, Maidenhead

36.   Trinity, Clapham

37.   The Little Fish Market, Hove

38.   The Walnut Tree, Abergavenny

39.   Quo Vadis, Soho

40.   The Seahorse, Dartmouth

41.   Barrafina, Covent Garden

42.   Lorne, Victoria

Padella
Padella
Padella
Padella
Quo Vadis
Quo Vadis

43.   The Waterside Inn, Bray

44.   Brawn, Bethnal Green

45.   The Raby Hunt, Darlington

46.   Hispi, Didsbury

47.   Hoppers, Soho

48.   Midsummer House, Cambridge

49.   Noble Rot, Bloomsbury

50.   Gymkhana, Mayfair

51.   Nuala

52.   Hedone, Chiswick

53.   Alchemilla, Nottingham

54.   Kricket, Soho

55.   Pollen St Social, Mayfair

56.   Tyddyn Llan, Llandrillo

Quo Vadis
Quo Vadis
Quo Vadis
Quo Vadis
Temper
Temper

57.   Root, Bristol

58.   St John Bread & Wine, Shoreditch

59.   The Star Inn Harome, Yorkshire

60.   Farang, Highbury

61.   Holborn Dining Room, Holborn

62.   The Hand & Flowers, Marlow

63.   Wilson's, Bristol

64.   40 Maltby Street, London Bridge

65.   Black Axe Mangal, Islington

66.   Carter’s of Moseley, Birmingham

67.   The Palomar, Chinatown

68.   Smoking Goat, Shoreditch

69.   The Beehive, Berkshire

70.   The Hardwick, Abergavenny

River Cafe
River Cafe
River Cafe
River Cafe
River Cafe
River Cafe

71.   Timberyard, Edinburgh

72.   Xu, Chinatown

73.   The Dairy, Clapham

74.   Le Gavroche, Mayfair

75.   Paco Tapas, Bristol

76.   The Parkers Arms, Clitheroe

77.   Rambla, Soho

78.   Wine & Brine, County Armagh

79.   Frog by Adam Handling, Covent Garden

80.   Where The Light Gets In, Stockport

81.   Bonhams, Mayfair

82.   Restaurant Andrew Fairlie, Edinburgh

83.   Fraiche, Oxton

84.   Restaurant Story, London Bridge

85.   Sardine, Hoxton

Sabor Restaurant
Sabor Restaurant
Som Saa
Som Saa
Som Saa
Som Saa

86.   The Ritz, Picadilly

87.   Kitchen Table, Fitzrovia

88.   Inver, Argyll & Bute

89.   Lima, Fitzrovia

90.   The Fordwich Arms, Canterbury

91.   Frenchie, Covent Garden

92.   The Elephant, Torquay

93.   Barbary, Covent Garden

94.   Neo Bistro, Mayfair

95.   Mark Greenaway, Edinburgh

96.   Morston Hall Hotel, Norfolk

97.   Northcote Manor, Langho

98.   Westerns Laundry, Highbury

99.   Perilla, Newington Green

100. Ikoyi, Piccadilly

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