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Evening Standard

Lifestyle

Josh Barrie and David Ellis

National Restaurant Awards: The Ritz named the best place to eat in the UK

Ritz (Organization) The Ritz Restaurant United Kingdom Claude Bosi Adam Smith David Carter John Williams London Skye Gyngell

The Ritz in London has been named the UK’s best restaurant at the prestigious National Restaurant Awards.

Four months after executive chef John Williams steered the restaurant to two Michelin stars — many believed the accolade to be long overdue — the Mayfair dining room has climbed to the top of the list for the first time.

Founded in 1906, the restaurant predates the title behind the awards, Restaurant magazine, by almost a century. It is arguably London’s most glamorous place to dine and serves a menu of French haute cuisine, inspired in part by the dishes of the legendary Auguste Escoffier.

It is also now the only one where men must wear a jacket and tie, while women are asked to arrive in evening wear.

“As a bastion of fine French food served in unashamedly refined surroundings, the Ritz stands alone in the UK,” said Restaurant editor Stefan Chomka.

John Williams of the Ritz (Press handout)

“The top 100 restaurants list reflects the diverse nature of our eating out scene and the changing trends within it, whether they be less formality, more farm to fork menus, or embracing new cuisines, but it’s also wonderful to see a restaurant unwavering in its focus finally get the recognition it merits. The Ritz is an exemplary restaurant.”

In second place this year is Mark Birchall’s Moor Hall in Lancashire, the most recent restaurant in the UK to be awarded three Michelin stars. In third place is the Ledbury, which was last year’s winner.

The list shows the continuation of the capital’s dominance in the country’s dining scene, with a total of 56 restaurants from London in the top 100 list. Other big London winners include Trinity (4), Bouchon Racine (5), Oma (6), Anglothai (7) and Dorian (10).

The restaurateur of the year was named as David Carter, the man behind Oma, 2025’s highest new entry, and Agora, the more casual restaurant below it, which is at 51.

Restaurant group Super8’s continued success is reflected in the list, with Mountain at number 11, Kiln at 13, and Brat at 54 — meaning only one of their operations, Smoking Goat, did not make the cut.

Claude Bosi, meanwhile, achieved similar success with Bibendum re-entering the list at 39; his restaurant at the Peninsula hotel, Brooklands, made 20, and Chelsea’s Josephine — formerly Josephine Bouchon — was announced at number 23. Bosi owns the latter with his wife Lucy.

A restaurant now closed also features on the list: Lyle’s, James Lowe’s former restaurant in Shoreditch that ran for 11 years, sits in 21st place.

Skye Gyngell, the Aussie chef behind Spring at Somerset House, was given the lifetime achievement award, recognising her contribution not just to the British culinary scene but also her work tapping into the confluence of food and culture, all the while overcoming a battle with rare skin cancer.

The winners were announced at a lively ceremony at Magazine London in Greenwich on June 9.

The National Restaurant Awards is Restaurant’s annual countdown of the top 100 restaurants in the UK as voted for by the UK’s leading chefs, restaurateurs, critics and food writers.