30 restaurants worth the trip across United Kingdom, editor-ranked by TableJourney. All United Kingdom guides.
The Kitchin ★ 4.9 · Edinburgh
leith · 78 Commercial Quay, Leith, Edinburgh EH6 6LX
Tom Kitchin's Commercial Quay dining room in Leith, Edinburgh, opened in 2006 and held a Michelin star within seven months, the kitchen that brought Scottish.
Tip: Lunch is half the dinner price and runs the same kitchen. The Tom's Sunday lunch (the chef's table) gets cancelled less than the evening tasting if you book it.
St John ★ 4.9 · London
clerkenwell · 26 St John Street, London EC1M 4AY
Fergus Henderson's St John in Clerkenwell has cooked the nose-to-tail British canon in London since 1994. Whitewashed dining room, no music, daily-changing menu on a single sheet.
Tip: The bakery counter near the front sells the same Eccles cakes, doughnuts and brown loaf to take away if you can't get a booking.
Restaurant Martin Wishart ★ 4.8 · Edinburgh
leith · 54 The Shore, Leith, Edinburgh EH6 6RA
Martin Wishart's Shoreside Leith dining room in Edinburgh, opened in 1999 and Michelin-starred since 2001, the city's longest-running modern French tasting kitchen.
Tip: Lunchtime four-course menu at GBP 50 is the value play; same kitchen, same sommelier, half the dinner price.
Timberyard ★ 4.8 · Edinburgh
tollcross-west-end · 10 Lady Lawson Street, Edinburgh EH3 9DS
The Radford family's foraged-and-fermented kitchen on Lady Lawson Street in Edinburgh, opened in 2012 and Michelin-starred since 2024, a courtyard dining room.
Tip: The summer terrace under the oak in the courtyard is the best dining seat in the city when the weather permits.
Lyla ★ 4.8 · Edinburgh
leith · 30 The Shore, Leith, Edinburgh EH6 6QN
Stuart Ralston's Shoreside Leith fine-dining room in Edinburgh, opened in 2024 and Michelin-starred within twelve months, a 14-seat tasting counter overlooking.
Tip: Counter seats numbers 1 and 14 face the open pass directly. Tasting menus only; no a la carte.
Brat ★ 4.8 · London
shoreditch · 4 Redchurch Street, London E1 6JL
Tomos Parry's Basque-fired wood-grill room above the Smoking Goat in Shoreditch London, opened 2018 and the whole-turbot benchmark for the city.
Tip: Bookings open thirty days ahead at 10:00 and burn fast. Walk-up bar seats are released on the day from 11:00.
Gymkhana ★ 4.8 · London
mayfair · 42 Albemarle Street, London W1S 4JH
Karam Sethi's Albemarle Street Indian dining room in Mayfair London, opened 2013 and Michelin two-starred since 2024, modelled on a colonial-club room with serious tandoor cookery.
Tip: The basement bar serves the same kitchen as a la carte without the tasting menu lock-in. Book a fortnight out.
Heron ★ 4.7 · Edinburgh
leith · 87-91 Henderson Street, Leith, Edinburgh EH6 6ED
Sam Yorke and Tom Hagger's Henderson Street kitchen in Leith Edinburgh, opened 2021 and Michelin-starred 2024, an open-pass small-plates room on the canalside.
Tip: The bar counter takes four walk-up seats from 18:00 if your booking falls through. Same menu, better view of the pass.
Condita ★ 4.7 · Edinburgh
marchmont-meadows · 15 Salisbury Place, Edinburgh EH9 1SL
Conor Toomey's Marchmont neighbourhood kitchen in Edinburgh, opened in 2018 and Michelin-starred from 2020, a no-choice tasting menu in a 20-seat residential.
Tip: Bookings open 60 days ahead on the dot at 10:00 GMT. The whole month sells in under an hour. Set a calendar alarm.
Lyle's ★ 4.7 · London
shoreditch · Tea Building, 56 Shoreditch High Street, London E1 6JJ
James Lowe's Tea Building dining room in Shoreditch London is a Michelin-starred set-menu kitchen built on British produce, opened 2014, on the World's 50 Best list.
Tip: The lunchtime daily-changing two-course is half the price of dinner and uses the same kitchen.
The Clove Club ★ 4.7 · London
shoreditch · Shoreditch Town Hall, 380 Old Street, London EC1V 9LT
Isaac McHale's tasting-menu kitchen inside Shoreditch Town Hall in London, opened 2013, kept its Michelin star and a place on the World's 50 Best list through 2026.
Tip: Counter seats face the kitchen pass directly. Book the bar for an a la carte run if the tasting menu is full.
The River Cafe ★ 4.7 · London
hammersmith · Thames Wharf, Rainville Road, London W6 9HA
Ruth Rogers's Italian dining room on the Thames in Hammersmith London, opened 1987 by Rose Gray and Rogers, still the city's defining seasonal Italian restaurant. Michelin one-starred.
Tip: Sit on the riverside terrace in summer. The lunch sitting from 12:30 is markedly cheaper than dinner with the same kitchen.
Sabor ★ 4.7 · London
mayfair · 35-37 Heddon Street, London W1B 4BR
Nieves Barragan Mohacho's Mayfair Spanish dining room off Regent Street in London, opened 2017 and Michelin-starred, runs a tapas counter downstairs and a wood-fired upstairs.
Tip: Counter seats downstairs take walk-ins. Upstairs has a six-week booking lead time but a fixed-price suckling pig set menu.
Manteca ★ 4.7 · London
shoreditch · 49-51 Curtain Road, London EC2A 3PT
Chris Leach and David Carter's whole-animal Italian dining room on Curtain Road in Shoreditch London, opened 2021, charcuteries pork in-house and rolls pasta to order.
Tip: Bar seats and the counter overlooking the open kitchen take walk-ins. Tables book a month ahead through Resy.
The Little Chartroom ★ 4.6 · Edinburgh
bruntsfield-morningside · 14 Bonnington Road, Edinburgh EH6 5JD
Roberta Hall-McCarron's Bonnington Road dining room in Edinburgh, a Michelin Bib-listed neighbourhood kitchen running modern Scottish tasting menus.
Tip: Roberta also runs Eleanore around the corner on Albert Place for walk-in small plates if the Chartroom is fully booked.
The Palmerston ★ 4.6 · Edinburgh
tollcross-west-end · 1 Palmerston Place, Edinburgh EH12 5AL
Lloyd Morse, James Snowdon and Ruairidh Buchanan's Palmerston Place dining room in Edinburgh's West End, opened in 2021 in a former bank, a Michelin Bib-listed.
Tip: The bakery counter sells off the day's bread at 16:00 for the next morning. Sourdough and cinnamon buns go first.
Ondine ★ 4.6 · Edinburgh
old-town · 2 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh EH1 1AD
Roy Brett's George IV Bridge oyster bar and dining room in the Old Town of Edinburgh, opened in 2009, a Royal-Mile-adjacent seafood kitchen with day-boat fish.
Tip: Pre-theatre lunch from 12:00 to 18:00 is the value play. The horseshoe counter holds 10 walk-up seats at any time.
Dishoom ★ 4.6 · Edinburgh
old-town · 3a St Andrew Square, Edinburgh EH2 2BD
The Edinburgh outpost of London's Bombay-Irani cafe chain on St Andrew Square, opened in 2016, a 200-cover all-day room in the old Bank of Scotland HQ building.
Tip: No dinner bookings under six; walk in from 17:30 and the wait is 30 to 60 minutes. Drinks at the basement bar while you wait.
Fhior ★ 4.6 · Edinburgh
canonmills-inverleith · 36 Broughton Street, Edinburgh EH1 3SB
Scott Smith and Laura Smith's Broughton Street kitchen in Edinburgh, opened 2018, a foraging-led set-menu room running 7 or 10 courses on Scottish wild produce.
Tip: Wine pairings include rare Scottish-distilled liquors; the non-alcoholic pairing is fermented juices made in the kitchen.
Kiln ★ 4.6 · London
soho · 58 Brewer Street, London W1F 9TL
Ben Chapman's wood-fired Northern Thai counter in Soho London, opened 2016, sits in front of an open grill that turns out skewers and clay-pot noodles all day.
Tip: Counter seats are walk-in only after 17:30. Lunch tables behind the counter take bookings two weeks ahead.
Rochelle Canteen ★ 4.6 · London
shoreditch · 16 Playground Gardens, Arnold Circus, London E2 7ES
Margot Henderson's daily-changing British canteen inside a converted bike shed off Arnold Circus in Shoreditch London, open since 2004 for lunch and weeknight dinner.
Tip: Open Mon-Sat for lunch and Thu-Sat dinner only. No music, no menu printed; the writeup is on the wall.
Quo Vadis ★ 4.6 · London
soho · 26-29 Dean Street, London W1D 3LL
Jeremy Lee's Dean Street dining room in Soho London, opened 1926 and restored under chef Lee since 2012, runs a daily-changing seasonal British menu and a famous smoked eel sandwich.
Tip: Lunch menu is a fraction of dinner prices and just as well-staffed; book a Soho-show theatre lunch a week ahead.
Trishna ★ 4.6 · London
marylebone · 15-17 Blandford Street, London W1U 3DG
Karam Sethi's Blandford Street Indian coastal restaurant in Marylebone London, opened 2008 and Michelin-starred, focused on Konkan and Mangalorean fish cookery.
Tip: The tasting menu is the best route in, but a la carte stays open at lunch and books a week ahead.
Barrafina Adelaide Street ★ 4.6 · London
covent-garden · 10 Adelaide Street, London WC2N 4HZ
The Hart brothers' walk-up tapas counter on Adelaide Street in Covent Garden London, opened 2014 and Michelin-starred, runs a daily-changing list of Spanish small plates.
Tip: No bookings. Aim for 11:45 to be first in at the lunch open; sit at the counter to watch the plancha.
Luca ★ 4.6 · London
clerkenwell · 88 St John Street, London EC1M 4EH
The Clove Club team's neighbourhood Italian on St John Street in Clerkenwell London, opened 2016, runs British-Italian seasonal cooking in a tiled dining room and bar.
Tip: Sit at the bar for the four-course tasting menu at half the dining-room price. Lunch books at three days, dinner at three weeks.
Black Axe Mangal ★ 4.6 · London
stoke-newington · 156 Canonbury Road, London N1 2UP
Lee Tiernan's ocakbasi-influenced Turkish-British flatbread room near Canonbury station in London, opened 2015, runs the city's loudest dining room and an offal-forward charcoal grill.
Tip: First-come, first-served from 18:00. Closed Sunday and Monday. Cash and card; no booking, no compromise.
Noble Rot ★ 4.6 · London
fitzrovia · 51 Lamb's Conduit Street, London WC1N 3NB
The wine-led dining room on Lamb's Conduit Street in Bloomsbury London, opened 2015 by Daniel Keeling and Mark Andrew of the wine magazine, runs a serious Modern European menu.
Tip: Lunchtime three-course is a third of dinner's price. The Soho sibling on Greek Street has the same kitchen with longer hours.
Quality Chop House ★ 4.6 · London
clerkenwell · 92-94 Farringdon Road, London EC1R 3EA
The 1869 Farringdon Road working-class dining room in Clerkenwell London, restored under Will Lander since 2012, runs daily-changing British cooking in original Victorian booths.
Tip: The wine shop next door is corkage-free if you buy a bottle there. Lunch takes walk-ins at the counter Tue-Sat.
Noto ★ 4.5 · Edinburgh
new-town · 47a Thistle Street, Edinburgh EH2 1DY
Stuart Ralston's Thistle Street dining room in New Town Edinburgh, opened in 2019, a Japanese-inflected small-plates kitchen in a former townhouse basement.
Tip: Bar seats look directly onto the sushi pass. Stuart's other rooms, Aizle and Tipo, sit within a four-minute walk.
Aizle ★ 4.5 · Edinburgh
new-town · Garden Room, The Kimpton Charlotte Square Hotel, 38 Charlotte Square, Edinburgh EH2 4HQ
Stuart Ralston's Garden Room kitchen inside the Kimpton Charlotte Square in Edinburgh, opened 2014 (relocated 2020), a no-choice market-driven tasting menu.
Tip: The hotel terrace is open to walk-ups for a glass of fizz before service. Lunch is half the dinner price and runs the same menu.