The UK’s top 200 restaurants for 2025 have been named and ranked, with a Greek eatery declared No.1 in London and a two-Michelin-star hotspot in Nottingham crowned as the best outside the capital.
The accolades come from restaurant guide SquareMeal, which used a combination of thousands of reader votes and the opinions of its own critics to produce two rankings – the best 100 restaurants in London and the best 100 restaurants outside the capital.
For the wider UK ranking, the number one spot for 2025 goes to Restaurant Sat Bains, where chef Sat Bains and his team ‘deliver an exceptional dining experience’.
Sat Bains said: ‘We are honoured to place top in this brilliant list of restaurants. We strive for both consistency and relevance, continuously innovating what we do and how we do it to be the best we can, spotlighting some of the country’s best produce in all its glory.
‘After 25 years of dedication to our concept and little pocket of Nottingham we are, of course, humbled to place No.1 in the UK.’
SquareMeal said in a statement: ‘Not only has Restaurant Sat Bains set the standard for fine dining in the UK for well over a decade, it has also proven to be a breeding ground for superb chefs – the likes of Gareth Ward at Ynyshir, Alex Bond at nearby Alchemilla, Niall Keating at Luna and more have passed through this kitchen over the years, going on to hold Michelin stars of their own.’
The UK’s top 200 restaurants for 2025 have been named and ranked by SquareMeal, which has unveiled two lists – the best 100 restaurants in London and the best 100 restaurants outside the capital. For the wider UK ranking, the number one spot for 2025 goes to Restaurant Sat Bains, where chef Sat Bains (above) and his team ‘deliver an exceptional dining experience’
Sat Bains said: ‘We are honoured to place top in this brilliant list of restaurants’
SquareMeal’s Managing Editor, Ellie Donnell, commented: ‘Sat’s creative tasting menus are brave and unique.’ Above – one of Sat’s dishes
And SquareMeal’s Managing Editor, Ellie Donnell, commented: ‘It feels extraordinarily telling that Sat Bains’ eponymous two-Michelin-starred restaurant has been trading for 25 years.
‘The UK’s dining scene becomes more competitive by the year, so for the team to be celebrating a quarter of a century pays testament to its enduring relevance.
‘Sat’s creative tasting menus are brave and unique – taking risks that pay off and interweaving clever surprises.’
The rest of the top 10 comprises Pine in Northumberland (second); Ynyshir in Powys (third); Grace & Savour at Hampton Manor in the West Midlands (fourth); Woven by Adam Smith at Coworth Park, Berkshire (fifth); L’Enclume in Grange-Over-Sands, Cumbria (sixth); Moor Hall Restaurant with Rooms in Aughton, Lancashire (seventh); Skof, Manchester (eighth); Opheem, Birmingham (ninth), and Myse in Hovingham, North Yorkshire (10th).
Pine in Northumberland comes second in the wider UK ranking
Ynyshir in Powys comes third in the wider UK ranking
Grace & Savour, Hampton Manor, comes fourth in the UK ranking
Woven by Adam Smith at Coworth Park comes fifth in the UK ranking
L’Enclume in Cumbria comes sixth in the UK list
Moor Hall Restaurant with Rooms in Lancashire comes seventh in the UK ranking
SquareMeal points out that Birmingham dominates the list with five entries and that powerhouse culinary counties include North Yorkshire, Cumbria and Berkshire, with 15 counties represented overall.
The top Scottish entry is Lyla in Edinburgh, which comes 11th, with The Kinneuchar Inn in Fife & Angus taking the silver medal for Scotland (20th).
London’s SquareMeal Restaurant of the year is a newcomer, ‘storming into the capital as a riotous, confident champion of Greek cooking – David Carter’s Agora‘.
London’s SquareMeal Restaurant of the Year for 2025 is Greek eatery Agora (above)
SquareMeal Restaurants Editor Pete Dreyer says of Agora: ‘This is a restaurant that welcomes everyone – you don’t need to book in advance, and once you’re in, the menu is simple, delicious, and ultra-affordable’
Mexican restaurant Kol in Marylebone takes the silver medal in the London ranking
The guide continues: ‘With wrap-around queues and widespread critical acclaim, Agora is literally a “gathering place”, a marketplace for small plates, souvla, flatbreads, and conversation.’
SquareMeal Restaurants Editor Pete Dreyer adds: ‘It was Agora’s accessibility and energy that really made an impact on us this year. This is a restaurant that welcomes everyone – you don’t need to book in advance, and once you’re in, the menu is simple, delicious, and ultra-affordable.’
The rest of the top 10 comprises Kol, Marylebone (second); Aulis London, Soho (third); Lyle’s, Shoreditch (fourth); Kolae, London Bridge (fifth); The Ritz Restaurant, The Ritz Hotel, Mayfair (sixth); Humble Chicken, Soho (seventh); Da Terra, Bethnal Green (eighth); BiBi, Mayfair (ninth), and The Ledbury, Notting Hill (10th).
SquareMeal added: ‘London’s embarrassment of restaurant riches is evident across the entirety of the list – with great restaurants around every corner, it’s hard to know where to spend your money. Let this list be your guide.’