The best restaurant in Britain has been revealed - and it's just an hour from London

an image of the bar area in Caldesi in Campagna restaurant which has a brick fireplace and three small tables on the left, and the central bar with high stools on the right

(Image credit: Caldesi)

published 6 August 2025

We’d bet money on the fact that you can’t go a day without someone on your TikTok or Instagram talking about a hidden gem, or the best place that you have to go with them to. However, Muddy Stilettos has announced the winners from its most recent awards and the Best Restaurant has been crowned. And for once, it’s not in London…

Caldesi in Campagna - an Italian restaurant in Bray, Berkshire - scooped up the number one spot for Britain’s best place to dine.

Every year, as part of its ongoing lifestyle guide across each of the UK counties, Muddy Stilettos names the best of different business sectors, including: pubs, bars, shops, cafes, hotels, and more.

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Caldesi in Campagna, winner of best place to dine, is an Italian restaurant specialising in Tuscan inspired cuisine. It’s part of a small chain owned by chef Giancarlo Caldesi, who owns another restaurant of the same name in Marylebone, as well as cookery schools in London and Berkshire.

The winning restaurant opened in 2007 and has attracted a couple of well known names since. Their menu is a celebration of Italian cuisine with dishes like slow cooked Beef Ragu Pappardelle, a Sea Bass Ravioli, and Black Truffle Taglionini to salivate over a couple. Basically, it's a lot of pasta and great wine. A pasta plate will set you back about £25, and if you’re going for a more substantial hunk of meat like Lamb Shoulder, Beef Cheek, or Calf’s Liver, this will be around £32-£35 - so it might not be your go-to Thursday night dinner, but definitely one to bookmark for celebrations or a date night.

Just missing out on the top spot were runners up Alfredo’s in Somerset, Linden Stores in Cheshire, The Greyhound in Buckinghamshire, and The Tasting Cub in Derbyshire.

Whilst you might not be making a separate two hour round trip for a plate of pasta, if all this talk of rustic Italian food has made you hungry, there are some delicious spots in London that we’ve tried and tested including 27 Old Compton St, and SW16 which always hit the spot.

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Hermione Blandford is the Content Editor for Shortlist’s social media which means you can usually find her scrolling through Instagram and calling it work, or stopping random people in the street and accosting them with a mini mic. She has previously worked in food and drink PR for brands including Johnnie Walker, Tanqueray, Gordon's, The Singleton, Lagavulin and Don Julio which means she is a self confessed expert in spicy margaritas and pints, regularly popping into the pub in the name of research.

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