“It’s a sign of the times that a restaurant that doesn’t take reservations can top the list of the best in the country, but that is part of Barrafina Adelaide Street’s charm,” said Stefan Chomka, editor of Restaurant magazine.
Last year’s winner Indian restaurant Gymkhana dropped down to fourth place though it was still named the best Indian restaurant in the country.
Of the full list 51 of the entries were based in London including half of the top ten. This is the first year that a restaurant headed by a female chef – Barrafina’s Nieves Barragán Mohacho – has taken the top prize.
Notably, Kent pub the Sportsman was voted second in the overall list and also awarded the prize for best gastropub. The 2014 gastropub of the year, Tom Kerridge’s Hand and Flowers, moved down one place to fifth spot.
The highest climber was Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, which made a huge jump from number 59 in last year’s list to 10th place. Proof of the pace of change on the busy London restaurant scene was the drop experienced by last year’s hot spot Chiltern Firehouse, which went in the opposite direction, dropping from 17th to 66th this year.
The much-hyped Taberna do Mercado from Nuno Mendes was named the one to watch and it is a pretty safe bet that it will make its debut on the list next year. Last year Restaurant magazine picked out Lyle’s, James Lowe’s restaurant in Shoreditch, as the one to watch – this year it went straight in at number six.
Other individual awards saw Nathan Outlaw was voted the Chef’s Chef for “gathering respect from his fellow professionals while never seeking the limelight” and Rick Stein was awarded the lifetime achievement award.
For the full list visit www.nationalrestauranttawards.co.uk
Tina Nielsen
