The north of England has just been awarded more top restaurants than London for the first time
Only one London restaurant made it into the top five of this annual awards list
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Your support makes all the difference.The friendly rivalry between the north and south of England just stirred up again, following the news that the north now has more top restaurants than London for the first time.
The annual Estrella Damm National Restaurant Awards names the top 100 places to eat across the UK, as voted for by an “elite academy” of chefs, restaurateurs and food writers nationwide.
After a hiatus in 2020, the 2021 results were announced on Monday: a Lancashire restaurant topped the list, while three other northern venues and just one London restaurant completed the top five.
For the first time, there was an equal split between restaurants located within London and those outside. Nine of the top 20 are from London and nine are set in the north.
Moor Hall in Aughton took the top awards’ top spot two years after first winning it. Based 10 miles outside of Liverpool, it is run by renowned chef Mark Birchall and has two Michelin stars.
The Angel at Hetton in Yorkshire came next in the lineup, followed by London’s Core by Clare Smyth, Newcastle’s House of Tides, and Lancester’s L’Enclume.
Tom Kerridge was given an Outstanding Achievement Award in recognition of his efforts during the pandemic, which included providing more than 100,000 meals to NHS staff and key workers.
Double-Michelin star chef Andrew Wong, of A Wong in London, picked up the chef of the year prize. Tom Booton, head chef at The Grill at The Dorchester, was named the chef to watch.
The UK’s best restaurants 2021, according to the Estrella Damm National Restaurant Awards:
100. Caractère, Notting Hill, London
98. Chez Bruce, Wandsworth, London
97. 7 Saints, Notting Hill, London
96. Café Deco, Bloomsbury, London
94. The Little Fish Market, Hove, East Sussex
93. Launceston Place, Kensington, London
91. Ox, Belfast
90. Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, Chelsea, London
89. Decimo, Kings Cross, London
88. Wander, Stoke Newington, London
87. The Dining Room at Whatley Manor, Malmesbury, Wiltshire
86. The Mash Inn, Rednage, Buckinghamshire
85. Inver, Strathlachlan, Argyll & Bute
84. Lyle’s, Shoreditch, London
83. Pollen Street Social, Mayfair, London
82. Hélène Darroze at The Connaught, Mayfair, London
80. The Grill at The Dorchester, Mayfair, London
79. The Hand & Flowers, Marlow, Buckinghamshire
78. Lake Road Kitchen, Ambleside, Cumbria
76. Lympstone Manor, Exmouth, Devon
75. Etch by Steven Edwards, Hove, East Sussex
73. Maison François, St James’s, London
72. Ondine Oyster & Grill, Edinburgh
71. The Harwood Arms, Fulham, London
70. Outlaw’s New Road, Port Isaac, Cornwall
68. The Crown at Burchetts Green, Burchetts Green, Berkshire
67. The Walnut Tree, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire
66. Perilla, Newington Green, London
65. Midsummer House, Cambridge
63. Coombeshead Farm, Lewannick, Cornwall
62. Sticky Walnut, Chester, Cheshire
61. The Clove Club, Shoreditch, London
59. The Fordwich Arms, Fordwich, Kent
57. Brawn, Bethnal Green, London
56. Bentley’s, Mayfair, London
55. The Raby Hunt, Darlington, Country Durham
54. Restaurant Sat Bains, Nottingham
52. The Seahorse, Dartmouth, Devon
51. Roots, York
50. River Cafe, Hammersmith, London
49. Flor, London Bridge, London
48. Paul Ainsworth No.6, Padstow, Cornwall
47. Erst, Manchester
46. The Guinea Grill, Mayfair, London
45. Carters of Moseley, Birmingham
43. Fraiche, Wirral, Merseyside
39. Hrishi, Windermere, Cumbria
38. Freemasons at Wiswell, Wiswell, Lancashire
37. Claude Bosi at Bibendum, Chelsea, London
36. The White Swan at Fence, Burnley, Lancashire
35. Frenchie, Covent Garden, London
34. Northcote, Langho, Lancashire
32. Jöro, Sheffield
31. The French House, Soho, London
30. Da Terra, Bethnal Green, London
29. St John, Farringdon, London
28. Casamia, Bristol
27. Silo, Hackney Wick, London
26. Frog by Adam Handling, Covent Garden, London
25. Hjem, Hexham, Northumberland
24. The Cottage in the Wood, Keswick, Cumbria
23. The Parkers Arms, Newton in Bowland, Lancashire
21. The Quality Chop House, Clerkenwell, London
20. Noble Rot Soho, Soho, London
19. The Man Behind the Curtain, Leeds
18. Skosh, York
16. The Sportsman, Seasalter, Kent
15. Ynyshir, Machynlleth, Powys
14. The Moorcock inn, Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire
13. Davies and Brook, Mayfair, London
12. 40 Maltby Street, Bermondsey, London
11. Mana, Manchester
10. The Black Swan at Oldstead, Oldstead, North Yorkshire
5. L’Enclume, Cartmel, Cumbria
3. Core by Clare Smyth, Notting Hill, London
2. The Angel at Hetton, Hetton, North Yorkshire
1. Moor Hall, Aughton, Lancashire
The full list of Estrella Damm National Restaurant Awards 2021:
One to Watch: The Pem
Best Restaurant in Northern Ireland: Ox
Best Restaurant in Wales: Ynyshir
Best Restaurant in Scotland: Ondine Oyster & Grill
The Sustainability Award, sponsored by Estrella Damm: Silo
Chef to Watch, sponsored by Belazu: Tom Booton
Chef of the Year, sponsored by Ritter Courivaud: Andrew Wong
Restaurateur of the Year, sponsored by OpenTable: Tommy Banks
Gastropub of the Year, sponsored by Estrella Damm: The Angel at Hetton
Outstanding Industry Contribution: Tom Kerridge
The Service Award, sponsored by Liberty Wines: Davies and Brook at Claridge’s
Estrella Damm National Restaurant of the Year: Moor Hall
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