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These days, it’s not hard to find restaurant recommendations. Ask your friend, family member or colleague and they’re sure to have a suggestion or two up their sleeves. But what about when you want more expertise? Obviously, we think that your first port of call should be Time Out’s guide to the best restaurants in the UK, which we’ve carefully curated over years of eating up and down the country.
But if you want even more expert-approved restaurants to choose from, look to the AA. It may be better known for its breakdown cover, but the AA has also been handing out Rosettes (its equivalent to Michelin stars) to hospitality businesses for that last 70 years.
As part of its annual Hospitality Awards, AA dishes out four best restaurant medals every year: one for England, one for London, one for Wales and one for Scotland. So, let’s dig into this year’s winners.
The 4 best restaurants in Britain right now, according to the AA
The Star Inn, Harome, North Yorkshire
Led by Andrew Pern, the Star Inn has been renowned in the British culinary scene for 30 years now. It was one of the first gastropubs in the UK and has held a Michelin star most years since 2002. Now, it’s officially the best restaurant in England.
AA said: ‘Everything here feels thoroughly considered and demonstrates proper old-school dining in the best sense, whilst retaining the rustic DNA of the original pub.’ Expect seasonal meals made with hyperlocal produce, such as the roasted hand-dived Isle of Mull king scallop, poached rhubarb and pickled ginger with sesame prawn toast and three-cornered leek broth.
The best gastropubs in the UK.
AngloThai, London
After three years of pushbacks, AngloThai finally arrived in the capital city in 2024 with the tagline ‘rooted in Thailand, uniquely British’. Our food critic Leonie Cooper reported that it was very much worth the wait and handed it a perfect five stars. AA reckons it’s the best restaurant in London. The sort of things it serves include beef massaman curry, beetroot miang kham tartlet and mu ping pork neck skewer.
The best restaurants in London.
The Walnut Tree Inn, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire
Two miles east of the Welsh town of Abergavenny, the Walnut Tree has been a fine dining destination since the 1960s. It’s a cosy spot surrounded by magnificent countryside, with a modern British menu.
AA said: ‘The cooking may be underpinned by classic cooking but there is still a light, modern style to everything with utterly sound pairings and a real understanding of letting prime seasonal ingredients shine through.’ A meal here might feature monkfish tail with onion bhaji and curried lentils, loin of venison with ragu, beetroot, figs and chocolate jus or cod with coco beans, prawns, artichokes and gremolata.
Swadish by Ajay Kumar, Glasgow, Glasgow City
Finally, the award for the best restaurant in Scotland went to Swadish in Glasgow. Set in what was once Glasgow’s fire station, Swadish combines Indian flavours with seasonal Scottish produce. Its à la carte menu includes curried mussels, Kashmiri lamb chops, roe deer korma and banana leaf sea bream. AA inspectors praised Swadish for its stylish interior, its attentive team and the ‘flair and precision’ of its dishes.
The 20 best restaurants in the UK, according to Time Out.
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