The UK’s Top 100 Restaurants For 2018
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.”
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.
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
more from
Culture
DISCLAIMER: We endeavour to always credit the correct original source of every image we use. If you think a credit may be incorrect, please contact us at info@sheerluxe.com.