A leading independent restaurant guide - SquareMeal - has announced the best restaurants that the UK has to offer.
SquareMeal’s UK Top 100 is the only list of its kind to exclude London’s restaurants - allowing the wider UK’s dining scene to truly shine.
Using a combination of thousands of reader votes and SquareMeal’s own expert critics, the UK Top 100 Restaurants list is a true reflection of Britain’s beautifully varied dining scene.
Birmingham leads the way with five restaurants in the list, including two in the top 10 in 2022, Grace & Savour, and two Michelin-starred Opheem.
This year's highest new entry in the UK Top 100 is Tom Barnes' Manchester restaurant Skof, which heads up a big year for Manchester, with Higher Ground, Another Hand, and The Sparrows all representing the city in the list.
As ever, Scotland has also established itself as a world-class food destination, with three new Edinburgh entries all breaking into the upper echelons of the UK Top 100 list this year - Stuart Ralston's superb new restaurant Lyla at number 11, and Montrose and Fhior at 33 and 34 respectively - joining another seven Scottish restaurants in the list.
Other powerhouse culinary counties like North Yorkshire, Cumbria and Berkshire are also well represented, but fifteen counties are represented across the whole list, showing that there are great restaurants spread all over the UK.
SquareMeal’s managing editor, Ellie Donnell said of winner Restaurant Sat Bains: “It feels extraordinarily telling that Sat Bains' eponymous two Michelin-starred restaurant has been trading for 25 years.
“The UK's dining scene becomes more competitive by the year, so for the team to be celebrating a quarter of a century pays testament to its enduring relevance.
“Sat's creative tasting menus are brave and unique - taking risks that pay off and interweaving clever surprises - but more importantly they celebrate the joy of eating thanks to a deep-rooted understanding of flavour developed over decades. A huge congratulations to the team!”
Stuart Ralston’s Lyla is at number 11, and what we think is a Michelin Star contender for when the 2025 Guide is announced in Glasgow in February.
At number 16 is the Two Michelin Star restaurant Glenturret Lalique, while the Kinneuchar Inn in Fife is at number 20.
The Little Chartroom is at number 29, Montrose is at 33 and Fhior is at number 34. Inver comes in at number 45 while Glasgow’s Big Counter is at number 56. Number 60 is the Fish Shop Ballater and at number 70 is the One Michelin Star Cail Bruich.
You can see the full list on the SquareMeal website.
