The Good Food Guide Best Local Restaurant Award Winners 2023 | Where To Eat

Best Local Restaurant

Brassica

Beaminster, Dorset ££

Brassica has undoubtedly given a welcome jolt to the dining scene in Beaminster, which is exactly what its owners Louise Chidgey and Cass Titcombe set out to do. Inside the bay-windowed corner site, the decorative tone vibrates wi… Read more

4 The Square, Beaminster, Dorset DT8 3AS

CLOSED

Carters of Moseley

Birmingham, West Midlands ££££

Brad Carter's popular spot in Moseley is an unpretentious-looking venue for exciting modern cooking of the first order. The bunker-like room, with its open kitchen at one end, creates an enclosed sense of community, reinforced by … Read more

2c St Mary's Row, Wake Green Road, Moseley, Birmingham, West Midlands B13 9EZ

Delifonseca Dockside

Liverpool, Merseyside ££

All-purpose family-friendly deli and restaurant

Combining the virtues of a deli and informal restaurant (open from breakfast onwards), this ‘genuinely lovely place’ makes the most of its spacious location at the bottom end of Liverpool’s waterfront. Now boasti… Read more

Brunswick Way, Liverpool, Merseyside L3 4BN

Harborne Kitchen

Birmingham, West Midlands £££

On Harborne's High Street, wedged between other businesses but with an open, come-inside appeal and brightness, this exceptional restaurant runs at full tilt – even on a midweek evening. Upbeat energy fills the space –… Read more

On Harborne's High Street, wedged between other businesses but with an open, come-inside appeal and brightness, this exceptional restaurant runs at full tilt – even on a midweek evening. Upbeat energy fills the space – from the bar, past the hard-working open kitchen (run with smooth, disciplined focus) to the banquettes and booths in the dining room. Pacy, friendly service delivers food that is a thrilling combination of the familiar and the luxurious, from an opening gougère (vigorous with aged Somerset Cheddar and Worcestershire sauce) via chalk stream trout (with the option of Exmoor caviar for added zip) to a ravishing dark chocolate marquise, its richness quickened with lime and a banana sorbet. In between? Much has been written about ‘Jamie’s chicken and white chocolate’. Don’t wince, it works. The fresh acidity of strawberries and nuggets of sweet chocolate balance the savouriness of chicken liver parfait, while oat granola (embedded with crisped chicken skin) gives texture. Elsewhere, a dish of Sardinian malloreddus (gnochetti sardi) luxuriates in butter. Doused in aged Parmesan and summer truffle, it's a dish of umami dreams, although you might also find it served with slow-cooked ox cheek and heady with Madeira, or fresh with spring asparagus and morels – depending on the season. Chicken is brined, poached and pan-finished, the tender centrepiece of an appealing main course that’s smoky with bacon, and bright with peas and baby gem. The wine list rewards scrutiny, not least for its relative affordability. A Spanish Monastrell (Finca Bacara) opens a compact by-the-glass offer at £8, and the paired flights (from £35) are worth a look. The ‘5 for £55’ menu is outstanding midweek/lunchtime value, but come on Saturday night for the full 10 courses and dive more deeply into the abilities of this exceptional team. If you’re pushed for time, pull up a bar stool, sip a spirited cocktail and order from a menu of artisan cured meats, cheeses and nibbles such as trout roe with lemon.

175-179 High Street, Harborne, Birmingham, West Midlands B17 9QE

Best Local Restaurant

Hare & Hounds

Aberthin, Glamorgan ££

Stablemate to The Heathcock in Cardiff, this snug village pub brims with folksy features: wonky whitewashed stone walls, stripped floorboards, a Welsh dresser loaded with jars of preserved fruits, and a wood burner in an inglenook… Read more

Maendy Road, Aberthin, Glamorgan CF71 7LG

Lunya

Liverpool, Merseyside £

Sun-splashed Catalan tapas joint and deli

‘A welcoming place with real heart and passion,’ the Kinsella family’s authentic Catalan tapas joint and deli has been one of the city's roaring success stories of the past few years, offering a taste of sun-spla… Read more

55 Hanover Street, Liverpool, Merseyside L1 3DN

Number 16

Glasgow, Strathclyde ££

Finding a long-standing culinary offer at the bottom of Byres Road can be a challenge. To find one that has been doing the business since 1999 and still consistently delivers imaginative and tasty dishes at reasonable prices … Read more

16 Byres Road, Glasgow, Strathclyde G11 5JY

Orwells

Binfield Heath , Oxfordshire £££

Stunningly artistic cooking in chic surroundings

There is a soothing sense of isolation to this white-fronted former pub in an Oxfordshire village near Henley, but that has not stopped scores of readers from nominating it as a local favourite. The sense of good cheer that irradi… Read more

There is a soothing sense of isolation to this white-fronted former pub in an Oxfordshire village near Henley, but that has not stopped scores of readers from nominating it as a local favourite. The sense of good cheer that irradiates the place is a tribute to Liam and Ryan Simpson-Trotman's skills in the arts of hospitality, and its understated modern spaces provide a chic backdrop to some stunning cooking.

Following a stint working front of house, Ryan is back in the kitchen, marshalling thoroughbred produce from the length and breadth of the British Isles, while making good use of pickings from Orwells' own garden and local hedgerows. The cooking demonstrates nerveless confidence in a range of techniques, from a starter of flame-grilled lobster teamed with girolles, apricots, verjus and sea fennel (aka rock samphire) to mains such as the fabled Chilterns muntjac with morels, asparagus and carrot. An assured sense of artistry means that dishes always look extraordinary, but the symphonic array of flavours they offer up seals the deal.

Another first course sees crisped veal sweetbreads with Ibérico lardo and salsify, given the gentlest hint of east Asian exoticism with spring onion and sesame dressing, while a vegetarian main looks to the Caribbean for Bajan-spiced hispi with romesco and hen of the woods. You might also find a simple offering of day-boat fish – perhaps Cornish turbot with seashore herbs and Jersey Royals.

The inventive streak continues into desserts that bridge the divide between the familiar and the not-so-familiar – crème brûlée spiced with cardamom and accompanied by rhubarb, pistachios and ginger. Eight-course tasting menus offer a virtuosic display of the kitchen's abilities, in notations that give nothing away. Orkney scallops? Yorkshire rhubarb? Wait and see. There are Sunday roasts too. A very distinguished wine list means that the wide-open Oxfordshire sky is the limit on bottle prices, but there are plenty of options by the glass, as well as an engaging range of cocktails, bottled beers and speciality gins to go at.

Shiplake Row, Binfield Heath , Oxfordshire RG9 4DP

MEMBER PERK

Portobello Ristorante Pizzeria

Notting Hill, London ££

When the wind is whistling through Notting Hill, but you still doggedly want to sit outside, the Portobello has a retractable-roof terrace with heaters and blankets, so you can get well bedded in and let the weather do what it lik… Read more

7 Ladbroke Road, Notting Hill, London W11 3PA

Pulpo Negro

Alresford, Hampshire £

A 'standout' Spanish tapas bar squirrelled away in a quintessentially English country town sounds unlikely, but ‘high-rolling Pulpo Negro rocks', according to one fan. Inside, exposed brick, bare floorboards and bare tables … Read more

28 Broad Street, Alresford, Hampshire SO24 9AQ

Sosban & The Old Butcher's

Menai Bridge, Isle of Anglesey ££££

There’s a phenomenal amount of creative cooking going on at this former butcher’s shop – even the bread is addictive. Sosban is understated, unassuming and unpretentious – earthy colours, four plain tables … Read more

Trinity House, 1 High Street, Menai Bridge, Isle of Anglesey LL59 5EE

The Feathers Inn

Hedley on the Hill, Northumberland ££

A centuries-old village local atop a hill midway between Hadrian's Wall and the conurbations of Tyne & Wear, the Feathers continues to provide sustenance for locals and visitors alike. Inside, it looks the part with beams, log… Read more

Main Street, Hedley on the Hill, Northumberland NE43 7SW

The Ingham Swan

Ingham, Norfolk £££

The Swan is ‘on the up again’ – and looking better than ever, according to its many fans. Situated by an S-bend in the road on the outer fringes of the Norfolk Broads, this pristinely re-thatched inn with rooms i… Read more

Sea Palling Road, Ingham, Norfolk NR12 9AB

The Leaping Hare

Stanton, Suffolk ££

Maybe it’s the gentle lamplight and daisy-fresh posies on every table, or the bistro-style paper over chequered linen, or the cushioned comfort of the seats in this vast converted barn. Or maybe it’s the reliably delic… Read more

Wyken Vineyards, Wyken Road, Stanton, Suffolk IP31 2DW

The Old Bank

Snettisham, Norfolk £££

Having honed their already-impressive operation still further, Aga and Lewis King are now custodians of one of Norfolk’s best restaurants – plus a new bakery and coffee shop next door. Dispense with all preconceptions … Read more

Having honed their already-impressive operation still further, Aga and Lewis King are now custodians of one of Norfolk’s best restaurants – plus a new bakery and coffee shop next door. Dispense with all preconceptions about banks before dining here. The venue occupies a well-proportioned but hardly capacious old building in the centre of Snettisham, and its dining room is an ‘intimate, carefully lit’ space with just 22 covers. Local prints and photos hang on grey walls, while a jazz soundtrack and Aga's informal but informative service ensure a casual atmosphere much loved by couples. Vegan and dairy-free diets aren't catered for; the choice is between Lewis's 'short' menu and his (better-value) 'long' tasting menu. Poise, accuracy, outstanding ingredients and a mastery of strong flavours characterised an inspection meal, which began with 'snacks' of truffled egg yolk 'jam' on a chickpea cracker with Parmesan, and a well-matched apple and crab roe assembly topped with edible flowers. The fungal world is oft-explored here, and the following course of 'white onion, seeds, Wiltshire truffle' was a marvellously light soup made tangy with yoghurt and featuring a generous grating of truffle on top – plus toasted pumpkin seeds at the bottom. The eight-course bonanza continued with flavoursome cured mackerel partnered by crisp fennel and slices of kohlrabi onto which was poured a creamy horseradish and dill sauce: again, a triumph of carefully judged flavours and textures. So too, a dish of marinated beetroot with pungent goat's cheese, pine nuts and resilient slices of king oyster mushroom. No course disappointed: the halibut was meaty, fresh, and boosted by a deliciously savoury mussel sauce, although the Norfolk beef (both sirloin and short rib) was perhaps the highlight of the meal – a rich collection of juicy, flavour-packed meat sharing the plate with hazelnuts, a tangle of hen of the woods mushrooms, cep purée and an intense red wine jus. Some ingredients are grown in the Old Bank's organic allotment; others don’t travel far. Strawberries (from the nearby village of Sharrington) arrived covered by a Greek yoghurt mousse scattered with pistachios, while the finale – a second dessert involving a wobbly dark-chocolate tart matched with discs of peanut brittle, sliced black cherries (at their succulent peak) and a morello cherry sorbet – yieled even more delights. The drinks list allows plenty of scope for exploration, with decent house wines and ample by-the-glass selections (including an optional wine flight), as well as a few Norfolk beers. Our verdict? Outstanding.

10 Lynn Road, Snettisham, Norfolk PE31 7LP

CLOSED

The Purefoy Arms

Preston Candover, Hampshire ££

* Chef-patron Gordon Scott has announced that the pub will be closing its doors for the last time on 27 January 2024.* The Purefoy, which sits discreetly on the highway through an unsullied village to the south of Basingsto… Read more

Alresford Road, Preston Candover, Hampshire RG25 2EJ

The Seahorse

Dartmouth, Devon £££

The Tonks family flagship is moored on the Dartmouth quayside, with co-owner Mitch's son Ben at the helm. It has always radiated a balmy sense of the Mediterranean, partly for the sunny good cheer with which the place is run, and … Read more

5 South Embankment, Dartmouth, Devon TQ6 9BH

Best Local Restaurant

MEMBER PERK

The Warren

Carmarthen, Carmarthenshire ££

Free-spirited chef and restaurateur Deri Reed set up the Warren as a community hub – a funky local venue driven entirely by renewable energy and run by a bevy of ‘patient and kind’ staff. Inside is a labyrinth of… Read more

11 Mansel Street, Carmarthen, Carmarthenshire SA31 1PX

Best Local Restaurant

The Whitehouse

Lochaline, Highlands & Islands £££

Local restaurants hardly get more local than this simple whitewashed venue on the Morvern peninsula, reached via a ferry crossing from Mull. There is nothing like a boat journey to sharpen the appetite, especially when there's som… Read more

Lochaline, Highlands & Islands PA80 5XT

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