The Ledbury wins National Restaurant Award hat trick

Ledbury head chef Brett Graham took to the stage for the third time in as many years to take the top prize at the awards' new location of The Brewery in Chiswell Street, London earlier this evening.

Now in their fifth year, Restaurant magazine's awards, hosted by editor William Drew, are designed to highlight the best restaurants currently in operation in the UK and celebrate and reward the nation's top chefs and restaurateurs. 

High achievers

It was a good night for Rex Restaurants Associates who saw all three of their cafe restaurants currently open make the list. Owners Chris Corbin and Jeremy King were voted Personalities of the Year while Brasserie Zedel came in at 95, The Wolseley at number 71 and The Delaunay at number 62.

Galvin Restaurants also scored a hat trick of awards with Galvin La Chapelle (18), Galvin at Windows (58) and Galvin Bistrot de Luxe (76) all making the top 100. 

Winner of third place on the list, Tom Kerridge, owner and head chef at The Hand and Flowers in Marlow, received a standing ovation when he went to collect his special award of Gastropub of the Year.

Special Awards

Special awards were also given to The River Cafe (Front of House) and Texture (Wine List) while Lima London was voted the One to Watch. Phil Howard of the Square was voted Chef's Chef and Dinner by Heston Blumenthal was awarded Hotel Restaurant of the Year.

This year also saw the introduction of the Sustainable Restaurant of the Year award, given in conjunction with the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA).

As part of the initiative all restaurants on the list were invited to complete the SRA's sustainability rating with the winner being the restaurant scoring the highest in the areas of sourcing, environment and society. The inaugural winner was The Pig at Brockenhurst.

Industry votes

For restaurants to make it onto the top 100  list, they must be voted for by members of the National Restaurant Awards Academy. Made up of 150 restaurateurs, chefs, food critics and journalists across 12 regions, the rules state that members of the voting panel can vote for up to five restaurants in their own region with two remaining votes for restaurants outside their region.

Nobody is allowed to vote for their own restaurant or restaurants they have a commercial interest or formal involvement with and voters must have eaten in the restaurants they have nominated within the last 12 months.

The Top 100 Restaurants in the UK: 

1. The Ledbury, London
2. Pollen Street Social, London
3. The Hand & Flowers, Marlow
4. Restaurant Sat Bains, Nottingham
5. The Fat Duck, Bray
6. The Sportsman, Seasalter
7. The Square, London
8. The Kitchin, Edinburgh
9. Quo Vadis, London
10. Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, London
11. L'Enclume, Cartmel
12. 10 Greek Street, London
13. Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons, Oxford
14. Zuma, London
15. Alyn Williams at The Westbury, London
16. The Waterside Inn, Bray
17. The Hardwick, Abergavenny
18. Galvin La Chapelle, London
19. The Walnut Tree, Abergavenny
20. Restaurant Nathan Outlaw, St Endoc
21. Roganic, London
22. St John, London
23. Bocca Di Lupo, London
24. Ondine, Edinburgh
25. L'Anima, London
26. Hibiscus, London
27. Zucca, London
28. Pizarro, London
29. The Pig, Brockenhurst
30. Chez Bruce, London
31. Dabbous, London
32. Brawn, London
33. Texture, London
34. Castle Terrace, Edinburgh
35. Koya, London
36. Paul Ainsworth at Number 6
37. The River Cafe, London
38. Yauatcha, London
39. Medlar, London
40. The Elephant, Torquay
41. Midsummer House, Cambridge
42. Restaurant Martin Wishart, Edinburgh
43. Viajante, Lodnon
44. The Royal Oak Paley Street, Paley Street
45. Hawksmoor Seven Dials, London
46. Arbutus, London
47. Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley, London
48. Hakkasan Mayfair, London
49. The Chilli Pickle, Brighton
50. Upstairs at The Ten Bells, London
51. The Dock Kitchen, London
52. Hedone, Chiswick, London
53. The Seahorse Restaurant, Dartmouth
54. St John Hotel, London
55. Burger and Lobster, London
56. Corrigan's Mayfair, London
57. Aumbry, Manchester
58. Galvin at Windows, London
59. La Petite Maison, London
60. Tyddyn Llan, Llandrillo
61. Theo Randall at the InterContinental, London
62. The Delaunay, London
63. Le Gavroche, London
64. Restaurant Andrew Fairlie, Gleneagles
65. Bar Boulud, London
66. Casamia, Bristol
67. Hix Soho, London
68. Gidleigh Park, Chagford
69. Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, London
70. The Latymer at Pennyhill Park, Bagshot
71. The Wolseley, London
72. The Star at Harome, Harome
73. Roka, London
74. Koffmann's, London
75. MeatLiquor, London
76. Galvin Bistrot de Luxe, London
77. Bistrot Bruno Loubet, London
78. The Seafood Restaurant, Padstow
79. La Becasse, Ludlow
80. Barrafina, London
81. Moro, London
82. Cut at 45 Park Lane, London
83. Umu, London
84. Alimentum, Cambridge
85. Shu, Belfast
86. Pitt Cue, London
87. The Pass at South Lodge, Lower Beeding
88. Polpo, London
89. The Pipe and Glass Inn, Beverley
90. Purnell's, Birmingham
91. The Potted Pig, Cardiff
92. Racine, London
93. Helene Darroze at The Connaught, London
94. The Three Chimneys, Isle of Skye
95. Brasserie Zedel, London
96. Goodman, Mayfair, London
97. Loves, Birmingham
98. Northcote Manor, Lancashire
99. Mourne Seafood, Belfast
100. Fraiche, Oxton

Special Awards: 

• Wine List of the Year - Texture, London
• Front of House Award - The River Cafe, London
• Personality of the Year - Chris Corbin and Jeremy King
• Chef's Chef - Phil Howard
• One to Watch - Lima, London
• Hotel Restaurant of the Year - Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, London
• Highest New Entry - Quo Vadis, London
• Gastropub of the Year - Hand & Flowers, Marlow
• Sustainable Restaurant of the Year - The Pig, Brockenhurst
• Best Restaurant Wales - The Hardwick
• Best Restaurant Scotland - The Kitchin, Edinburgh
• Best Restaurant Northern Ireland - Shu, Belfast
• Best Restaurant England - The Ledbury