Harden's UK Restaurant Survey names Le Gavroche and Gidleigh Park as the best

Le Gavroche, The Ledbury and The Ritz are described as the best three all-round restaurants in London on the basis of a rating gathered from responses from 8,000 diners. 85,000 reports were assessed for the annual survey with equal importance given to restaurant-goers opinions on food, service and ambience.

For the first time the Harden's guide, compiled in association with Rémy Martin Fine Champagne Cognac, has used the same ratings system for restaurants elsewhere in the UK as it does for those in the capital. Following Michael Caine's Devon restaurant, Raymond Blanc's Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons and the three Michelin-starred Waterside Inn in Bray have all made the list of top three restaurants outside London.

Heston Blumenthal's Fat Duck 'most talked about'

For the second year in a row the restaurant that received the most survey commentary was the Fat Duck in Bray run by Heston Blumenthal. That was followed by Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons with London restaurants not featuring in the top three most talked about restaurants at all.

The co-editors of the guide said the results showed the continuing resilience of the industry across the UK.

Richard Harden, co-editor of the Harden's UK Restaurant Survey commented: "While the restaurants which attract the very most survey commentary are ‘known and usual suspects’ it is heartening that the great majority of the top 20 places that incited most survey commentary are not in South East England."

The Harden's UK Restaurant survey:

Best restaurants in London

1. Le Gavroche
2. The Ledbury
3. The Ritz
4. Chez Bruce
5. Min Jiang

Best restaurants in the rest of the UK

1. Gidleigh Park, Chagford
2. Waterside Inn, Bray
3. Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, Great Milton
4. Mr Underhill’s, Ludlow
5. Restaurant Martin Wishart, Edinburgh

Most talked about restaurants

1. Fat Duck, Bray
2. Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, Great Milton
3. Waterside Inn, Bray
4. Seafood Restaurant, Padstow
5. Northcote, Langho