The UK’s leading online restaurant booking service, OpenTable has marked a year of world class dining by releasing its annual list of Top 100 Best Restaurants in the UK, based on reviews left by diners.
After British cuisine, European fare was the second most popular holding almost a quarter of the Top 100 places, followed by French cuisine with 17 restaurants making it onto the list.
Taking the number one spot is London’s Restaurant Story, created by celebrated chef Tom Sellers (pictured) with a menu inspired by the history of British food and featuring exclusively British produce paired with fine wines and British craft ales.
The OpenTable Top 10 Best Restaurants 2014:
1. Restaurant Story London, London, British
2. Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, London, Contemporary French
3. The Chefs Table, Chester, British
4. The Five Fields, London, British
5. The Fat Duck, Berkshire, British
6. Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, London, British
7. The Ledbury, London, Contemporary European
8. Pond Dalston, London, Hawaiian
9. Fera at Claridge’s, London, Contemporary British
10.The Grill at The Dorchester, London, British
It seems that the rise of the staycation has led to a renewed appreciation for British fare, as home-grown cuisine dominates the list – securing a third of the Top 100 places, and seven of the coveted Top 10 spots.
London continues to dominate the UK’s culinary landscape, as eight out of the Top 10 restaurants can be found in the capital. The Top 10 list features established favourites such as The Ledbury and The Grill at The Dorchester, as well as new hotspots including Pond Dalston.
Mike Xenakis, Managing Director of OpenTable, commented, “The Top 100 list represents the best of UK dining. At OpenTable our aim is to enable diners to discover the perfect restaurant for every type of occasion and provide great dining experiences.
'The reviews left by diners on our site are an invaluable resource for those seeking culinary inspiration, and it is this expert feedback that we mine to compile the Top 100 list. We’re proud to celebrate with these restaurants, and give them and their head chefs the recognition they deserve.”
(For the full list, go to the Restaurant tab, then Restaurant News)