Revealed: The UK’s best restaurant
Its chandeliers, tablecloths and ballroom-esque dining room might make it feel like the set of Downton Abbey, but The Ritz is experiencing something of a renaissance. Earlier this year, the restaurant – which was in fact used as a location for the hit BBC period drama – finally won a second Michelin star, and in 2024 King Charles granted the hotel a royal warrant. Now it has been named the best restaurant in the United Kingdom.
Voted for by a panel of over 200 food writers, chefs and restaurateurs convened by Restaurant magazine, The Ritz beat decidedly more modern locations to the top prize at the National Restaurant Awards 2025 on June 9. Despite opening 119 years ago, the hotel is firmly in vogue. Its old-school charm, complete with duck press, beef Wellington trolley and crêpes suzette flambéed by waiters in liveries, struck a chord among the judges.
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Still in vogue 119 years after opening: The Ritz at 150 Piccadilly in London - Getty
“The Ritz is a transformative restaurant,” says Stefan Chomka, the editor of Restaurant. “The moment you cross its threshold you are taken to a place unlike any other in London or indeed in the UK. In an ever-changing dining scene where newness and innovation are often at the forefront of people’s minds, The Ritz is a refreshing counterpoint, sticking to old-school tradition and focusing on a style of cooking that can wow. It’s not a restaurant for every day, but for that special occasion it delivers a level of cooking and service that is both remarkable and memorable.”
The crêpes suzette, a signature dessert at The Ritz Restaurant, is flambéed in full view of customers in the dining room - John Carey/The Ritz
Diners (smartly dressed: ties and jackets compulsory for men; trainers forbidden) are entertained by the twinkling ivories of a live piano while dishes including Brittany pigeon with pea, broad beans and truffles or turbot “ton sur ton” – a classic French preparation involving two separate sauces – are washed down with pricey grand crus. Despite a seven-course meal costing £221 (with wine pairings topping out at £750), the restaurant is routinely full.
Its success at the National Restaurant Awards (having been “a contender on the list for many years,” admits Chomka), “is a victory for tireless endeavour, tradition and the eternal appeal of a fabulous room,” says The Telegraph’s restaurant critic, William Sitwell, as well as “for serious cooking, for the charming but steely leadership of John Williams – and for a lot of very silly and extremely tall chef hats.” Williams, The Ritz’s executive chef, has been in the role since 2004.
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The result marks a surprising resurgence of French cuisine. The more rustic Bouchon Racine in Farringdon, London, came fifth on the National Restaurant Awards list, while the celebrated French chef Claude Bosi had three restaurants in the top 50.
It also shows how the nation’s appetite for fine dining, despite the ever-increasing costs associated with eating out, shows no sign of waning. Four of the top five restaurants were fine-dining establishments, with scores more celebrated in the top 100.
London’s grip over the British restaurant scene continues to rise. More than half of the top 100 restaurants are located in the capital, with the city home to 15 of the top 20 and an incredible 70 per cent of the top 10. The highest newcomer, Oma, a chic, Greek-inspired tapas joint, demonstrated that more casual restaurants can achieve success in the awards.
The Ritz’s executive chef, John Williams MBE
Despite the urban dominance, the 2025 awards did see rural restaurants feted. Outside of London, many of the country’s top establishments are located in country estates, bucolic pubs, small villages and on farms. The north on England was well represented, particularly Yorkshire, Cumbria, Lancashire and Northumberland. Moor Hall, a three-Michelin-starred restaurant with rooms in Lancashire and two-time previous winner, finished second behind The Ritz. Its chef, Mark Birchall, won chef of the year. Meanwhile Skye Gyngell, who heads Spring at Somerset House in London and is culinary director at Heckfield Place in Hampshire, picked up the lifetime achievement award.
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“The inclusion of restaurants serving more rustic French food as well as Greek, Indian, British, Thai, Chinese, African, Spanish, Korean and Italian cuisine shows that the UK’s restaurant scene is among the most inclusive in the world,” argues Chomka.
But with the win for London’s iconic five-star hotel, however, it seems old-school charm and unashamedly French cooking is still puttin’ on the Ritz.
99. St. John, London
98. Trivet, London
96. The Seahorse, Dartmouth, Devon
95. Luca, London
94. Crocadon, Saltash, Cornwall
93. Lisboeta, London
92. Gymkhana, London
91. Planque, London
90. The Quality Chophouse, London
89. Lita, London
88. Forge at Middleton Lodge, Richmond, north Yorkshire
87. Fallow, London
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85. The Parkers Arms, Newton-In-Bowland, Lancashire
84. Hide, London
83. The Grill by Tom Booton, London
82. Upstairs by Tom Shepherd, Lichfield, Staffordshire
81. The Black Swan at Oldstead, Oldstead, north Yorkshire
80. The Fordwich Arms, Fordwich, Kent
79. The Little Chartroom, Edinburgh
78. Inver, Cairndow, Argyll and Bute
77. Heft, Grange-over-Sands, Cumbria
76. The Muddlers Club, Belfast
75. The Angel at Hetton, Hetton, north Yorkshire
74. Sola, London
73. Restaurant Hjem, Hexham, Northumberland
72. Mýse, Hovingham, north Yorkshire
68. Annwn, Narberth, Pembrokeshire
66. The Kinneuchar Inn, Kilconquhar, Fife
65. Wilsons, Bristol
64. Plates, London
62. The Cedar Tree by Hrishikesh Desai, Brampton, Cumbria
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60. Skof, Manchester
58. Cornus, London
56. Gorse, Cardiff
55. The Forest Side, Grasmere, Cumbria
54. Brat, London
52. Akoko, London
51. Agora, London
50. Kol, London
49. Restaurante Interlude, Horsham, West Sussex
47. Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, Great Milton, Oxfordshire
46. Dongnae, Bristol
45. Updown Farmhouse, Deal, Kent
44. Grace & Savour, Hampton in Arden, Solihull
43. Jöro, Wharncliffe Side, South Yorkshire
42. Frog by Adam Handling, London
41. The Glenturret Lalique, Crieff, Perth and Kinross
40. Chishuru, London
39. Claude Bosi at Bibendum, London
38. Core by Clare Smyth, London
37. Camille, London
35. L’Enclume, Cartmel, Cumbria
34.The Sportsman, Seasalter, Kent
33. Kolae, London
32. Bibi, London
31. Restaurant Sat Bains, Nottingham
30. Row on 5, London
29. Sabor, London
28. The Unruly Pig, Bromeswell, Suffolk
27. Canteen, London
26. Restaurant Pine, east Wallhouses, Northumberland
25. Paul Ainsworth at No.6, Padstow, Cornwall
24. Endo at the Rotunda, London
21. Lyle’s, London (closed since May 18)
20. Brooklands by Claude Bosi, London
19. Da Terra, London
18. A Wong, London
17. Lyla, Edinburgh
16. Ikoyi, London
15. Woven by Adam Smith, Sunningdale, Berkshire
14. Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, London
13. Kiln, London
11. Mountain, London
10. Dorian, London
9. Ynyshir, Eglwys Fach, Ceredigion
6. Oma, London
Snails are on the menu at Bouchon Racine - Simon Brown
Henry Harris’s Lyonnaise menu stars snails, steak tartare, veal chop, côte de boeuf, crème caramel and more. “If you don’t like it, you don’t like food,” writes William Sitwell.
Trinity has risen 29 places in the list since 2024
A Michelin-star restaurant in Clapham Old Town, Adam Byatt’s Trinity is still going strong after 19 years. Four courses at dinner costs £140.
The Ledbury won the National Restaurant Awards in 2024 - Justin De Souza
Brett Graham opened The Ledbury, in Notting Hill, in 2005. Having gained two Michelin stars it was forced to close for almost two years because of Covid; it reopened in 2022 and has gone on to win back a full three stars. The dinner tasting menu is £285.
Chef Mark Birchall’s food won him third place on the list in 2024 - Mark Bristol
Mark Birchall’s elegant restaurant with rooms also holds three Michelin stars and has helped to make Lancashire a destination for food lovers.
Cheese is served at The Ritz - The Ritz
Victorious for the first time in the National Restaurant Awards and “the best example [of top-end French cuisine] in this country,” says Stefan Chomka.
……Read full article on Yahoo Lifestyle - Food
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