Gareth Ward’s Ynyshir restaurant in Wales was crowned the UK’s best restaurant, the first outside of England to claim the top spot in the award’s 16-year history.
Mark Birchall’s Moor Hall in Lancashire, which has been ranked the number one restaurant in the UK for the past two years, claimed the second spot and also the title of Best Restaurant in England, with third place going to Brat in Shoreditch. The Ritz in Mayfair, meanwhile, climbed to number four in the annual rankings.
High-end Indian restaurant BiBi in Mayfair was named the highest new entry at number five and was also named Opening of the Year.
Other winners include Simon Rogan, chef-patron of L’Enclume in Cumbria, who was named Chef of the Year; while The Ritz won The Service Award. The Ritz head chef Spencer Metzger was also named winner of the Chef to Watch award.
Dan and Natasha Smith from The Fordwich Arms and The Bridge Arms, both in Kent, were named Restaurateurs of the Year and Stockport restaurant Where The Light Gets In took home The Sustainability Award, judged by the Sustainable Restaurant Association.
Lifetime Achievement Award went to Ruth Rogers, the chef-owner of London’s The River Café.
For the first time in the history of the Estrella Damm National Restaurant Awards, the public was asked to vote on their favourite restaurant in the UK. The inaugural Food Lovers Award went to Beach House in Oxwich.
The full list of the UK’s Top 100 Restaurants can be found on the National Restaurant Awards website.
The Estrella Damm National Restaurant Awards is Restaurant by BigHospitality’s annual countdown of the top 100 restaurants in the UK as voted for by the UK’s leading chefs, restaurateurs and food writers.
