Michelin Guide 2023: Alex Dilling at Hotel Café Royal gains two stars alongside The Ledbury

The restaurant was one of three to be awarded with two stars in the Michelin Guide Great Britain & Ireland 2023, which was unveiled during a ceremony held at the Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire this evening (27 March).

Brett Graham’s iconic Notting Hill restaurant The Ledbury also received two stars following its post-pandemic relaunch last year; as did Ahmet Dede's eponymous Turkish restaurant Dede in Ireland.

Alongside them, 20 restaurants have been newly awarded one Michelin star. A further four restaurants also received a Michelin Green Star, which highlights those at the forefront of the industry when it comes to their sustainable practices.

Dilling, who previously led the kitchens at The Greenhouse and Hélène Darroze at The Connaught, launched his eponymous Hotel Café Royal restaurant back in September. Overlooking the iconic curve of Regent Street, Alex Dilling at Hotel Café Royal focuses on contemporary French cuisine and serves an eight-course tasting menu that includes the chef's signature takes on clam chowder and hunter's chicken. 

“My dream, together with my incredibly talented team, has been to become one of the most ambitious restaurants in the country, and one where our guests feel at home and to which they love to return,” says Dilling.

“To achieve one, let alone two stars so early in our restaurant journey is testament to our team’s dedication and hard work.

“We are beyond proud of this very special honour from Michelin.”

Countrywide sucess 

From Devon to Edinburgh, the 20 new one Michelin star restaurants can be found all over Great Britain and Ireland. Cumbria is the county boasting the greatest number of new stars this year, with three; while London leads the way when it comes to cities, with four new one stars listed alongside its two new two star restaurants.

They include Clerkenwell Italian restaurant Luca; Mayfair omakase restaurant Taku; Blue Mountain School's Cycene in Shoreditch; and the recently launched Restaurant St. Barts.

Cumbria’s bumper year sees a Michelin star for Kevin and Nicola Tickle’s Heft; The Samling in Windermere; and Penton’s Pentonbridge Inn.

In Devon, Gidleigh Park picked up a star, as did Àclèaf in Plymouth. While In Cheltenham, Jon and Helen Howe’s Lumière was also awarded with one Michelin star.

Restaurant Twenty-Two in Cambridge was also recognised with a star, as was The Tudor Pass in Egham; Grace & Savour in the West Midlands; and Ben Wilkinson at The Pass in Horsham.

One of the smallest restaurants to receive a Michelin star this year is Store in Norfolk, which has just five tables and serves a multi-course tasting menu.

In Lancashire, chef Tim Allen achieved a Michelin Star for his first solo restaurant, appropriately named Sōlō; while in Newcastle, Kenny Atkinson’s second restaurant Solstice also gained its first star.

Over in Edinburgh, both Timberyard and Heron received their first Michelin stars; while in Ireland, Vincent Crepel Terre at the Castlemartyr Resort in Cork also gained one star.

In total, the Michelin Guide Great Britain & Ireland 2023 recommends 173 one Michelin star restaurants, and 25 two Michelin star restaurants. This year’s selection also sees all eight three Michelin star restaurants maintain their award.

“Great Britain and Ireland continues to impress with the sheer variety of its Michelin stars,” says Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guides.

“Whether diners are looking for somewhere formal or casual, historic or new, there is a Michelin-starred establishment for them.

“In every region of Great Britain and Ireland, you can now find hugely talented chefs calling out to gourmets with their exquisite and accomplished cuisine. To have 20 new one Michelin stars and three new two stars in a year where the hospitality industry has faced so many challenges, is an extraordinary achievement.”