National Restaurant Awards crowns best places to eat in London
In the UK's top 100, London bags the no. 1 spot.
The National Restaurant Awards has crowned the top 100 restaurants in the UK, and not only are 50+ based in London, the winner is too.
This year’s overall winner is Bouchon Racine, a French bistro based in Farringdon. Its menu comes from chef Henry Harris, and this spot was number five last year.
Bouchon Racine opened in 2022, and lives above the Three Compasses pub. It’s right by Farringdon station.
While the restaurant was added to the Michelin Guide in 2023, it is yet to be awarded a coveted Michelin star. But this latest gong won’t make it any easier to get a reservation at the place. It also only takes reservations 30 days in advance.
The menu changes daily, but the sample menu and an old interview with chef Harris offer an idea of what to expect.
“Indulgent and comforting, butter is without a doubt my favourite ingredient,” Harris told Food and Travel.
“It enriches dishes, protects other ingredients and lengthens flavour. When we opened Bouchon Racine I thought, I’m really going to cut back on it. That lasted about a week.”
Dishes listed on the sample menu include grilled veal chop (with butter), orzo with wild mushrooms and herbs, and confit de canard with braised mogettes.
Bouchon Racine kicks The Ritz off the top spot. That oh-so-famous, two-Michelin-star Mayfair restaurant now shares the number two spot with Somerset's Osip.
Other London restaurants in the National Restaurant Awards top 10 include Dorian, The Ledbury, Mountain, Trinity and Legado.
There were other notable awards handed out on the night too. Shoreditch’s Legado won the Opening of the Year award, while the infamous-to-some The Devonshire won Gastropub of the Year.
Planque was also the “highest climber” of the year, reaching number 11 on the top 100 list, after charting at the 91th position in 2025, 96th in 2024.
Here’s the full 100-strong roll-call from the 2026 Restaurant of the Year awards:
1. Bouchon Racine
2. Osip/The Ritz
3. Dorian
4. The Ledbury
5. Moor Hall
6. Ynyshir
7. Mountain
8. Trinity
9. Woven by Adam Smith
10. Legado
11. Planque
12. Dongnae
13. JÖRO
14. AngloThai
15. Impala
16. Opheem
17. Row on 5
18. The Devonshire
19. Humble Chicken
20. Camille
21. Kiln
22. Restaurant 22
23. Forest Side
24. Ikoyi
25. Timberyard
26. Restaurant Mýse
27. BiBi
28. Grace & Savour
29. Skof
30. Wildflowers
31. A Wong
32. Wilson's
33. Lyla
34. L'Enclume
35. The Kinneuchar Inn
36. The Dover
37. Erst
38. Restaurant Pine
39. Higher Ground
40. Henrock
41. One Club Row
42. Solstice
43. Perilla
44. The Glenturret Lalique Restaurant
45. Vraic
46. Da Terra
47. The Angel at Hetton
48. Kitchen Table
49. The Kitchin
50. Brat
51. Dogstar
52. Kol
53. Sabor
54. Tollington’s
55. Simpson's in The Strand
56. Miga
57. Lilibet’s
58. The Sportsman
59. Frog by Adam Handling
60. Maré by Rafael Cagali
61. The French House
62. The Cottage in the Wood
63. Brawn
64. Kudu
65. The Palmerston
66. Bonheur by Matt Abé
67. Winsome
68. Briar
69. Osteria Vibrato
70. Dalla
71. The Black Swan Oldstead
72. 40 Maltby Street
73. OMA
74. Updown Farmhouse
75. The Cocochine
76. Paul Ainsworth at No 6
77. Chishuru
78. The Star Inn
79. Restaurant St Barts
80. Restaurant Interlude
81. The Kerfield Arms
82. Restaurant Sat Bains
83. Bavette
84. The Seahorse
85. The Quality Chop House
86. Chez Bruce
87. Core by Clare Smyth
88. The Fat Badger
89. Fallow
90. The Muddlers Club
91. Shwen Shwen
92. Trivet
93. Inver
94. Ambassadors Clubhouse
95. Teal by Sally Abé
96. St. JOHN
97. Luca
98. Upstairs by Tom Sheppard
99. Motorino
100. Tiella by Dara Klein
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