From cheap street eats to Michelin-star restaurants, finding good food in Bristol isn’t exactly hard. The city is bustling with some of the best places to eat in the UK. But two in particular have stood out this year, as they make the annual Harden’s Top 100 Best UK Restaurants.
Rather than relying on a group of professional inspectors – who might not have a common touch – Harden’s list is decided by ‘normal diners’. Based on feedback from 30,000 reports from a survey of 2,500 diners, the full guide is made up of 2,800 restaurants from across the country. But only Bulrush and Wilson’s made it into the top 100 from Bristol.
Wilson’s, which slipped from last year’s 80th to 89th, is well known for its commitment to sustainability – even having a Michelin Green Star. Its farm-to-table ethos sees all its vegetables, fruits and herbs grown in its own nearby ‘no-dig farm’, while it only works with local producers that use ethical and low-impact methods. Anything leftover at the end of the week finds its way into bread and bakery items at Wilson’s Bread Shop every Saturday.
Meanwhile, a new entrant for 2023, Bulrush came in 71st (the only one of Bristol’s two Michelin restaurants to feature). Blending Anglo-French cuisine with Japanese and Scandinavian influences, this relaxed and cosy neighbourhood-style spot focuses on foraged and organic ingredients. Preserving and pickling also play a key role in a menu that takes maximum advantage of its seasonal ingredients.
This year’s number one, however, L’Enclume in Cumbria, replacing last year’s best restaurant, Gleneagles Hotel in Auchterarder, which came third. The second spot was taken by Outlaw’s New Road in Port Isaac. Also locally on the list, coming 46th, is Lumière in Cheltenham, but mostly it is made of London restaurants.
Peter Harden, co-founder of Harden’s, said: “This year it has been interesting to note that London’s grip on the Top 100 list is the weakest that we have ever recorded (the lowest previous figure was 41 in the 2020 guide). While 12 months is too little data for firm pronouncements, this swing to the shires may reflect the increasing excellence of dining out across the UK.
“The North-West has made a strong showing in this year’s list, not necessarily for the cities themselves but for top dining in leafy touristic locations such as the Lake District and Lancashire. With more and more diners seemingly valuing and indeed seeking out these types of dining experiences, the region could have even more to gain by drawing further attention to its stunning countryside locales.”
Harden’s Top 100 Best UK Restaurants 2024
- L’Enclume, Cartmel
- Outlaw’s New Road, Port Isaac
- Andrew Fairlie, Gleneagles Hotel, Auchterarder
- Paul Ainsworth at No6, Padstow
- Endo at The Rotunda, TV Centre, London
- Moor Hall, Aughton
- Core by Clare Smyth, London
- Restaurant Martin Wishart, Edinburgh
- Midsummer House, Cambridge
- Da Terra, Town Hall Hotel, London
- Lympstone Manor, Exmouth
- A Wong, London
- The Kitchin, Edinburgh
- Hjem, Wall
- Solstice, Newcastle upon Tyne
- Cail Bruich, Glasgow
- Ynyshir Restaurant and Rooms, Eglwys Fach
- Sorrel, Dorking
- Sketch, The Lecture Room and Library, London
- Meadowsweet, Holt
- The Ledbury, London
- Alex Dilling Café Royal, London
- Restaurant Twenty Two, Cambridge
- Outlaw’s Fish Kitchen, Port Isaac
- PLU, London
- Maru, London
- Gravetye Manor, East Grinstead
- Roots, York
- The Five Fields, London
- Latymer, Pennyhill Park Hotel, Bagshot
- Ugly Butterfly, St Ives
- The Forest Side, Grasmere
- Anglo, London
- The Black Swan, Oldstead
- Etch, Brighton
- La Dame de Pic London, London
- Frog by Adam Handling, London
- Sushi Tetsu, London
- Restaurant Sat Bains, Nottingham
- Muse, London
- Waterside Inn, Bray
- Adam’s, Birmingham
- Hambleton Hall, Hambleton
- Behind, London
- SOLA, London
- Lumière, Cheltenham
- Pine, East Wallhouses
- Where The Light Gets In, Stockport
- Morston Hall, Morston
- Club Gascon, London
- The Sportsman, Seasalter
- Bohemia, Jersey
- Restaurant Roots, Southbourne
- Chez Bruce, London
- The Ritz, London
- Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons, Great Milton
- The Fat Duck, Bray
- Pied à Terre, London
- Hakkasan Mayfair, London
- Paris House, Woburn
- Barrafina, London
- The Wilderness, Birmingham
- The Ninth London, London
- Fhior, Edinburgh
- Restaurant St. Barts, London
- Otto’s, London
- BiBi, London
- Evelyn’s Table at The Blue Posts, London
- The Small Holding, Goudhurst
- Northcote, Langho
- Bulrush, Bristol
- Riva, London
- Vanderlyle, Cambridge
- White Swan at Fence, Fence
- Shaun Rankin at Grantley Hall, Grantley
- The Dining Room, Beaverbrook, Leatherhead
- Woven by Adam Smith at Coworth Park, Ascot
- John’s House, Mountsorrel
- Salt, Stratford upon Avon
- The Three Chimneys, Dunvegan
- The Neptune, Old Hunstanton
- Stark, Broadstairs
- SY23, Aberystwyth
- The Fordwich Arms, Fordwich
- Wheelers Oyster Bar, Whitstable
- Allium at Askham Hall, Penrith
- Sollip, London
- The Whitebrook, Restaurant with Rooms, Whitebrook
- Wilson’s, Bristol
- The Nut Tree Inn, Murcott
- Bouchon Racine, London
- The Fernery, Grove of Narberth, Dyfed
- Pollen Street Social, London
- Kitchen Table, London
- Hide & Fox, Saltwood
- Sabor, London
- Mana, Manchester
- Nobu, Metropolitan Hotel, London
- Clarke’s, London
- Grace & Savour, Hampton-in-Arden