The days of spending big money for tiny portions look like they could be behind us, as the official list of best places to eat in the UK is now stuffed with good value restaurants instead.
In fact, more than 350 of the places listed in the Good Food Guide 2020 are now small chains and cafes.
The guide's editor Elizabeth Carter said: "With diners increasingly looking for flexible eating options and value for money, there has been a surge in inexpensive cafes and restaurants that rank quality of ingredients above all else.
"Small, owner-run dining rooms across the country provide clear examples of how they can and do work in direct opposition to the pizza-burger overload on the British high street."
Of the 1,200 places listed almost one in three now serve three-course meals for £30 or less, as 11 new restaurants make the guide's top-50.
Alongside big names in haute cuisine, more than 350 of the 1,200 spots listed in the Waitrose and Partners Good Food Guide 2020 are small chains and cafes.
The best new entry goes to The Woodsman in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, while the best local restaurant overall winner award goes to The Little Gloster in Gurnard, on the Isle of Wight, where you can get a three-course meal for £20.
"We are incredibly lucky to have such talent in the list for the first time and we believe these places have the promise to reach the very top," Carter said.
The Good Food Guide, which has been published since 1951, lists Simon Rogan's L'Enclume in Cartmel, Cumbria, as its top restaurant, with Core by Clare Smyth in Notting Hill in the number two spot.
Chef of the year goes to Pam Brunton, at Inver in Strachur, Argyll and Bute, while restaurant of the year goes to The Mash Inn in Radnage, Buckinghamshire.
Douglas McMaster, of Silo, Brighton, was awarded the title of sustainability champion after his innovative steps to reduce waste in his restaurant.
The top 10 restaurants for 2020 are:
- L'Enclume, Cumbria
- Core by Clare Smyth, London
- Restaurant Nathan Outlaw, Cornwall
- Ynyshir, Powys
- Moor Hall, Lancashire
- Claude Bosi at Bibendum, London
- Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, London
- Restaurant Sat Bains, Nottingham
- Casamia, Bristol
- Pollen Street Social, London
The Good Food Guide 2020 is published on September 12 and its RRP is £17.99. It has been published by Waitrose and Partners since 2013.
