A restaurant in a barn with views of Hadrian's Wall is among the best 10 in the country.
While British food may occasionally come in for a tough time from the discerning eaters of countries including France and Italy, the UK is home to many exceptional restaurants if you know where to look.
Each year the National Restaurant Awards works out which are the best in the country and offers its prestigious stamp of approval to the select few.
Many of those chosen are going to set you back a fair whack if you decide to visit, but they may be perfect for a special occasion.
We take a look at the top 10 below...
1. Ynyshir - Machynlleth, Powys
Ynyshir has come out on top of the list this year, and will undoubtedly inspire plenty of pilgrimages to the southern half of the Snowdonia National Park.
The restaurant is surrounded by rhododendron bushes and a sweeping lawn - in a slight contrast to the "uncompromisingly edgy, Asian-influenced food" produced by chef Gareth Ward.
Guests get to watch the chefs at work in their fully-open kitchen, where "fat fuelled and meat obsessed" meals are whipped up, against a backdrop of beats from the inhouse DJ.
"His approach is strikingly different to the norm – a peculiar but effective marriage of top-quality produce, Asian flavours and unusual technique served in a succession of tiny bites," writes the National Restaurant Awards.
2. Moor Hall - Aughton, Lancashire
Moor Hall was opened in 2016 in a Grade II-listed building that dates back to the 13th century. Not only that, it has five acres of gardens with its own lake,.
Within just two years of opening the restaurant had been awarded two Michelin stars.
It has a walk-in cheese room where diners are encouraged to visit to make their selection, an in-house charcuterie and beehives that provide honey for the restaurant.
Guests are very much in the hands of the chefs, with four or eight course tasting menus the only option, but unlikely to disappoint.
3. Da Terra - Bethnal Green, London
Brazilian chef Rafael Cagali opened Da Terra in January 2019 and earned it its first Michelin star just eight months late, before winning a second in 2021.
The restaurant combines Brazilian and Italian flavours across a seven course menu at lunch and a ten course menu at dinner.
"Today, it drags well-heeled tourists and discerning gourmands out of their Zone 1 comforts," writes Elite Traveller.
"Those who do are seldom disappointed. What they find is a supremely talented chef pushing the boundaries of London’s fine-dining scene with inventive culinary experimentation."
4. The Ledbury - Notting Hill, London
After two years of being closed during the pandemic the north London restaurant reopened in 2022 with the same qualities that earned it its reputation - "namely an obsession with top quality produce; a singular approach to cooking that blends classical and contemporary elements seamlessly together", according to the National Restaurant Awards.
The restaurant is known for having ingredients that are very high quality, with the venison particularly good due to the owner's part-time game business. Mushrooms are grown on site in a moisture-controlled cabinet.
5. Bouchon Racine - Farringdon, London
"Menus at Bouchon Racine are chalked up every day, but stalwarts such as the steak tartare; escargots; and creme caramel with armagnac prune are seldom unavailable," writes the NRA.
This is not a restaurant that is great for vegetarians as meat is the primary focus. Grilled veal chop with roquefort butter and rabbit with mustard sauce are particular favourites among the carnivorous crowd.
The Three Compasses pub downstairs remains open and is a good place for an after-dinner pint.
6. Restaurant Pine - East Wallhouses, Northumberland
Restaurant Pine raced out of the gates last year, winning a Michelin star just nine months after it opened in 2021.
It is located in an old cow barn and has amazing views over the Northumberland landscape and Hadrian’s Wall, with a "tactile environment of light woods and furs with the room taking on an almost ethereal warm glow as the sun sets through its large window".
Many of the 20-courses that treat dinners are made from food foraged from the Northumberland countryside or grown within the restaurant’s own kitchen garden.
7. The Ritz - Mayfair, London
Not exactly an exciting new restaurant, but certainly one with plenty of shine and lots of historical glamour.
The Ritz is packed full of gilt mirrors and ornate gold chandeliers, decorated in a pink colour palette designed to complement a lady’s blush make-up.
The National Restaurant Awards highlights the famous hotel as being a "standard bearer for opulent dining". If you are looking for classic and classy French food, then this is the place to go.
8. Core by Clare Smyth - Notting Hill, London
Ramsay Clare Smyth was the first British woman to hold three Michelin stars when she worked at Gordan Ramsay's restaurant. Since opening her own place in 2017, she has achieved the same number.
The one-time World’s Best Female Chef has designed two tasting menus – one focusing on its classic dishes and another that’s more based around the seasons - and an à la carte offer.
9. Frog by Adam Handling - Covent Garden, London
The Scottish chef trained at the Gleneagles hotel before making it to the finals of MasterChef: The Professionals in 2013.
His central London restaurant is designed to offer fine dining without being stuffy, offering British dishes with international influences.
At certain time of the year Frog goes big on truffle, whole a dish of waffle, sour cream and caviar is its slightly unusual sounding signature.
10. Kol - Marylebone, London
KOL is a restaurant that combines a Mexican soul with British ingredients, in a bid to keep it as environmentally friendly as possible.
It offers two set menus of six and nine courses with diners given the choice between confit pork cheek or whole grilled octopus to accompany their tortillas for the main dish.
Many of the dishes have a touch of fruity, spicy habanero or the tang of a fermented fruit or vegetable to them.
- You can see the full list of the UK's best restaurants on nationalrestaurantawards.co.uk.
