Three pubs named in OpenTable Top 100 Best Restaurants

22-Dec-2014 - Last updated on 22-Dec-2014 at 10:09 GMT

Three pubs have been listed in a poll of the UK’s 100 top restaurants based on diners’ reviews.

The Cross, in Kenilworth, Warwickshire, the Feathered Nest, in Nether Westcote, Gloucestershire, and the Plough, in Bolnhurst, Bedfordshire, were all named among the OpenTable UK Top 100 Best Restaurants 2014.

The list, compiled by the online booking service from 340,000 reviews, ranked Tom Sellers’ Restaurant Story, in Bermondsey, London, as number one.

Sellers has just entered into the pub trade after opening the Lickfold Inn, in West Sussex, earlier this month. The Lickfold was previously owned by DJ Chris Evans.

Michelin award

The Cross, which opened in 2013, won its first Michelin star in September. The pub is run by head chef Adam Bennett who, along with his commis chef Kristian Curtis, achieved the best ever result for a UK team at this year’s Bocuse d’Or – the world’s most acclaimed cooking competition.

Bennett is to appear at the finals of Bocuse d’Or 2015, which takes place at the end of January.

The Feathered Nest has also had a successful year. The Cotswolds pub, ranked 45th in the Top 50 Gastropub Awards 2014, was awarded Tourism Pub of the Year by Visit England for a second year in a row. In addition, it picked up three AA Rosettes.

The Plough, which offers English food with a strong Italian and French influence, was ranked 16th in the Waitrose Good Food Guide, Top 50 UK pubs. Head chef Martin Lee has steadily built the business up since taking over in 2006.

Outlaw’s double

The OpenTable 100 Best Restaurants list, which ranked one to 10 and placed the other 90 in alphabetical order, also included both of Nathan Outlaw’s restaurants in Cornwall.

Outlaw teamed up with Rock-based brewer Sharp’s to open its first pub, the Mariners Rock, in July. In September, he was named Chefs’ Chef of the Year at the AA Hospitality Awards.

Overall, British food venues dominated the OpenTable 100 Best Restaurants list, with venues serving home-grown cuisine securing a third of all the places and seven of the top 10.

Restaurant Gordon Ramsey, in Chelsea, was placed second, while Liam Mckay’s seasonal dining outlet Chef’s Table, in Chester, was third.