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The Independent UK

National

Hannah Twiggs

The Ritz named UK’s best restaurant at National Restaurant Awards 2025

Restaurant Ritz (Organization) United Kingdom London Claude Bosi OMA Mark Birchall Michelin Moor Hall

The Ritz in London, crowned Best Restaurant in the UK at the 2025 National Restaurant Awards - (Getty/iStock)

The Ritz has been named the UK’s best restaurant at the 2025 National Restaurant Awards, confirming what most already suspected – that old-school glamour still packs a punch.

It comes just four months after John Williams MBE and his brigade were awarded a second Michelin star to a standing ovation in Glasgow. Now, the chef’s two-decade tenure at the hotel has culminated in a first-place finish at Restaurant magazine’s definitive industry ranking.

Williams has long been a champion of haute cuisine – the kind that arrives under silver cloches and takes its cues from Escoffier – and his kitchen’s commitment to the classics is finally being recognised at the very top of the list.

“As a bastion of fine French food served in unashamedly refined surroundings, The Ritz stands alone in the UK,” said Restaurant editor Stefan Chomka. “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 rest of the top 10 tells a similar story – of tasting menus, white tablecloths and grand ambitions. Moor Hall in West Lancashire takes second place, with chef Mark Birchall also named Chef of the Year after picking up a third Michelin star earlier this year. Brett Graham’s The Ledbury – a once-closed, now better-than-ever West London heavyweight – takes third.

David Carter, the restaurateur behind Smokestak and Manteca, is this year’s Restaurateur of the Year, with two restaurants on the list – AGORA (no 51) and OMA, a bold, breezy newcomer to Borough Market, which storms in at no 6 as the highest new entry.

Claude Bosi, meanwhile, becomes the only chef with three restaurants in the top 100: Brooklands at no 20, Josephine Bouchon at no 23 and, perhaps most notably, the return of Bibendum at no 39 – a quiet endorsement of the fact that French food, in all its Lyonnaise, bistronomic and haute forms, is once again en vogue.

Spring’s Skye Gyngell was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award, not just for her contribution to the British culinary landscape but for doing it all while quietly battling – and overcoming – a rare form of skin cancer. Chef to Watch went to Aaron Potter of Wildflowers – his debut London restaurant in Belgravia, inspired by Mediterranean flavours and relaxed neighbourhood hospitality.

Elsewhere, there were farewells and flourishes. Lyle’s, which closed last month after 11 years of service in Shoreditch, soared 55 places up the list to land at no 21 – a final nod to James Lowe’s impact on the shape of London dining.

The capital, once again, dominates – 56 of the 100 restaurants are London-based, including seven of the top 10. But the list also stretches across the UK. The Muddlers Club in Belfast was named best in Northern Ireland, Ynyshir claimed the Welsh crown and Edinburgh’s Lyla – run by Stuart Ralston – topped the Scottish list.

This year’s winners were announced at a ceremony at The Magazine London on Monday 9 June. The full top 100, as voted for by chefs, restaurateurs and food writers across the country, can be found below or at nationalrestaurantawards.co.uk.

National Restaurant of the Year: The Ritz

Chef of the Year: Mark Birchall, Moor Hall

Restaurateur of the Year: David Carter

Highest New Entry: OMA

Lifetime Achievement Award: Skye Gyngell

Chef to Watch: Aaron Potter, Wildflowers

Best Restaurant in England: The Ritz

Best Restaurant in Scotland: Lyla

Best Restaurant in Wales: Ynyshir

Best Restaurant in Northern Ireland: The Muddlers Club