About the Awards
The Good Food Guide’s Best Local Restaurant Awards is about uncovering the best local restaurants across Great Britain. Each year we curate a list of Britain's Best Local Restaurants and crown an overall winner as Britain's Best Local Restaurant, as well as eight regional winners across Central & East of England, London, North East England, North West England, Scotland, South East England, South West England and Wales.
There are so many places that fit the bill as a brilliant local, but we focus on those that are nominated by you, our readers. We receive tens of thousands of nominations annually ensuring no stone goes unturned in our quest to guide you to where to eat in your local area and beyond.
Our Good Food Guide editors and inspectors inspect every restaurant that makes in onto this list, following up new leads and checking in on longstanding favourites. Some inspectors have to cross the country to get to the hard-to-reach places, while others have small dining marathons to get the job done. Many more lend their intensive knowledge of their region to help decide who deserves to be included, and help make the Best Local Restaurants a reflection of our readers and communities around Britain.
100 BEST LOCAL RESTAURANTS 2024
Our Best Local Restaurant award began as a minor accolade in the 2010 edition of The Good Food Guide. Today it is a significant event in the hospitality calendar – a celebration of the very best neighbourhood eating places in the UK, all driven by our readers and members who have responded in huge numbers to our requests. This year, we received an unprecedented 60,000 nominations over the six-week research period and our inspectors have been busy assessing all the main contenders for our final 100-strong list. The result is a snapshot of extraordinary local creativity and talent, personal hospitality and genuine community spirit in a host of establishments across the land, ranging from bistros and brasseries to pubs and cafés.
Ultimately, we couldn’t put together such a list without the keen local knowledge, tip-offs and discoveries provided by everyone who uses The Good Food Guide as a resource. Ultimately, the Best Local Restaurant awards belong to all of you. Our grateful thanks to all who contributed.
View by region: Central & East of England | London | North East | North West | Scotland | South East | South West | Wales
Eligibility
All restaurants shortlisted must meet the following criteria:
- Independently run; owned by the chef or a hands-on proprietor
- Offers regularly changing, seasonal menus at affordable prices
- Demonstrates strong relationships with local suppliers
- Rooted in the local community
- Offers at least two dinner services a week
- Gives customers a genuine, warm welcome
While previous winners of The Good Food Guide’s Best Local Restaurant Awards are not eligible to enter the competition, the competition is open to all restaurants across the country, whether they are featured in The Good Food Guide or not.
Judging
Once nominations close, a shortlist of restaurants from each region is drawn up based on public nominations.
The Good Food Guide’s editors then seek out the details from shortlisted restaurants, including but not limited to menus, images, supplier information and chef bios.
Shortlisted finalists are then visited anonymously by a Good Food Guide inspector.
An overall winner and regional winners are selected by editors of The Good Food Guide in consultation with our inspectors.
Past winners of The Good Food Guide's Best Local Restaurant Awards
The Best Local Restaurant awards has been run by the Good Food Guide for many years. It was previously named Readers' Restaurant of the Year up until 2016 and Local Restaurant of the Year in 2017.
Read about some of the previous years incredible local restaurants below:
BRITAIN'S 100 BEST LOCAL RESTAURANTS 2023
BEST LOCAL RESTAURANT AWARDS 2019-2020
BEST LOCAL RESTAURANT AWARDS 2018
LOCAL RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR 2017
READERS' RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR 2016
READERS' RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR 2015
Why winning The Good Food Guide's Best Local Restaurant Awards matters
Read about previous winners, and how winning the The Good Food Guide's Best Local Restaurant Awards changed the lives of restaurants and restaurateurs alike:
Carters of Moseley | 2015 Winners
The Little Gloster | 2020 Winners
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Are you a restaurant interested in taking part in 2025? Find out how to get involved here.
Member of the press? Sign up to the Good Food Guide press list for updates here.
More reading about Best Local Restaurants:
Six signs you're in a great local restaurant
Why go local? The Beauty of a Neighbourhood Restaurant
Carters of Moseley: The Best Local Restaurant Winner that Went Big
Chef Lloyd Morse on the Making of The Palmerston
Top Chefs Reveal Their Best Local Restaurants of 2023
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