Pub grub has had a proper glow up in recent years. Yes, the days of soggy scampi and bone-dry nachos are well and truly over, with a growing amount of Britain’s boozers now serving up genuinely delicious dinners.
Proving this point even further is Lucky Lychee in Winchester – a Malaysian kitchen inside a pub that’s just been crowned the best local restaurant in the entire UK.
This impressive accolade comes from the Good Food Guide, a publication which releases an annual list of the 100 best local restaurants in the UK. Lucky Lychee was named both the top restaurant in the southeast and the best overall.
Run by James Harris and chef Nicole Yeoh, Lucky Lychee began life as a market stall back in 2020. These days, it’s bringing bold Malaysian flavours to Winchester’s pub scene, with Nicole leading the cooking (drawing on her Malaysian-Chinese heritage) and James running the show out front. It’s a laid-back, low-faff kind of place, with monthly changing menus, high-welfare local produce and everything from curry pastes to bao made entirely from scratch.
Good Food Guide editor-at-large Elizabeth Carter inspected Lucky Lychee place herself – and was evidently smitten. She described the kitchen as ‘light-filled and buzzy, full of heart, and serving exquisitely original Malaysian food’, adding: ‘James Harris’s energy and charm shine throughout, while Nicole Yeoh’s cooking is unforgettable. I haven’t stopped recommending it.’
Other regional winners this year include Counter Culture in Newquay, Ida in Queen’s Park, Lupo in Prestwich and Redwood Wines in Dunkeld – all part of a list championing indie spots where you can eat well for under £20. Your new favourite restaurant might be just around the corner.
If you want more restaurant reccs, these are (apparently) some of the best in the world.
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