DURING a shindig at The Hurlingham Club in London on Monday 27 June, the great and the good from the UK’s hospitality industry got together to hear this year’s list of top 100 UK restaurants put together by Restaurant Magazine.
El Gato Negro jumped straight into the list at no 81
These awards are voted for by a panel of 150 industry experts, made up of chefs, restaurateurs, food writers, food critics, industry experts and gastronomes. They are each allowed to cast seven votes, based on their best UK-wide restaurant experiences, serving any style of cuisine, over the previous twelve months. Restaurant magazine simply add up the votes to create the list, which they believe ‘provides a credible annual snapshot of the UK restaurant scene and celebrates the success and skills of chefs and restaurateurs.’
So which restaurants from the North West made this year’s list?
Simon Rogan’s L’Enclume in Cartmel, Cumbria made the top ten by coming in at number 8 (dropping down one place from last year), while Lake Road Kitchen in Ambleside picked up the Highest Climber Award after moving up a whopping 62 places from last year to 15th place.
Leeds’s Man Behind The Curtain might not be in the North West, but we thought their placing at number 27 might be worth a mention, as chef Michael O’Hare has been appointed Creative Director of GG Hospitality, who recently acquired the former Stock restaurant on Norfolk Street with plans to open a boutique hotel and trio of restaurants later next year.
Manchester House climbed 48 placesAiden Byrne’s Manchester House climbed significantly from last year’s 98th position to a respectable 50th place, beating The French at The Midland Hotel who were placed at 79th (a rise of fourteen places from last year’s 93rd).
El Gato Negro (pictured) jumped straight into the list at no 81 – only 2 places beneath The French, which is encouraging news for the relative newcomer.
Another notable North West inclusion is Fraiche in Oxton on The Wirral at number 65, which didn’t appear on 2015’s list. The final two regional restaurants which made the list are Sticky Walnut in Chester, which slipped down 44 places from last year to number 74, and The Parkers Arms at Newton In Bowland, another newcomer to the list, which made it to 88th place. The folks behind Sticky Walnut will be opening a third restaurant, Hispi, in Didsbury soon.
The Parkers Arms was another newcomer to the listMichelin starred Northcote Manor, in The Ribble Valley, owned by Nigel Haworth, which has consistently been named as Best Restaurant in various other recent national awards, was placed at number 38.
The Michelin starred The Sportsman in Seasalter, Kent was named as the UK's Best Restaurant this year, topping the list in the number one spot. It’s worth noting that over 50% of the restaurants listed are based in London.
Congratulations to all those who made the top 100. Awards like these are very useful as a mark of quality and an industry snapshot, but it just goes to show how much lists such as these need to be taken with a pinch of salt and a shot of Tequila.
Top 100 UK Restaurants 2016:
1. The Sportsman, Kent
2. Barrafina Adelaide Street, London
3. The Ledbury, London
4. Hedone, London
5. Restaurant Nathan Outlaw, Port Isaac
6. The Clove Club, London
7. Piquet, London (Highest New Entry)
8. L'Enclume, Cartmel
9. Lyle's, London
10. The River Café, London
11. The Walnut Tree, Abergavenny
12. Casamia, Bristol
13. The Dairy, London
14. Restaurant Sat Bains, Nottingham
15. Lake Road Kitchen, Ambleside
16. 64 Degrees, Brighton
17. Hoppers, London
18. Le Gavroche, London
19. A Wong, London
20. Frenchie, London
21. Noble Rot, London
22. Restaurant Andrew Fairlie, Auchturader
23. The Waterside Inn, Bray
24. Black Axe Mangal, London
25. The Quality Chop House, London
26. Bells Diner and Bar Rooms, Bristol
27. The Man Behind the Curtain, Leeds
28. Fera, London
29. Duck & Waffle, London
30. 40 Maltby Street, London
31. Hibiscus, London
32. The Elephant, Torquay
33. The Hand and Flowers, Marlow
34. Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, London
35. Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, London
36. Hawksmoor Seven Dials, London
37. Birch, Bristol
38. Northcote, Blackburn
39. Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons
40. The Hardwick, Abergavenny
41. Portland, London
42. The Palomar, London
43. Midsummer House, Cambridge
44. Bao, London
45. Gymkhana, London
46. Pollen Street Social, London
47. The Seahorse, Dartmouth
48. Ellory, London
49. Alyn Williams at The Westbury, London
50. Manchester House, Manchester
51. Paul Ainsworth at Number 6, Padstow
52. Pitt Cue, London
53. Brawn, London
54. Otto's, London
55. Smoking Goat, London
56. Simpsons, Birmingham
57. The Manor, London
58. Oldroyd, London
59. The Coach, Marlow
60. Ondine, Edinburgh
61. The Ninth, London
62. Bocca Di Lupo, London
63. Kitchen Table, London
64. Social Eating House, London
65. Fraiche, Oxton
66. Restaurant Story, London
67. Marcus, London
68. The Fat Duck, Bray
69. The Wolseley, London
70. Wright's Food Emporium, Llanarthney
71. Chez Bruce, London
72. Lurra, London
73. Primeur, London
74. Sticky Walnut, Chester
75. The Kitchin, Edinburgh
76. Tyddyn Llan, Corwen
77. Colony Grill Room, London
78. Castle Terrace, Edinburgh
79. The French, Manchester
80. Darsham Nurseries, Darsham
81. El Gato Negro, Manchester
82. Snaps and Rye, London
83. Deanes EIPIC Restaurant, Belfast
84. The Wild Rabbit, Kingham
85. Ynyshir Hall, Machynlleth
86. Theo Randall at The InterContinental, London
87. Bentleys Oyster Bar & Grill, London
88. The Parkers Arms, Newton in Bowland
89. The Chilli Pickle, Brighton
90. The Pipe and Glass Inn, Beverley
91. Carters of Moseley, Moseley
92. The Flitch of Bacon, Dunmow
93. Silo, Brighton
94. MeatLiquor Marylebone, London
95. Sartoria, London
96. Wilks Restaurant, Bristol
97. Berners Tavern, London
98. Café Murano St James, London
99. House of Tides, Newcastle
100. Driftwood Hotel
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