12 pubs named in top UK restaurants list

More than a tenth of the best restaurants in the country are pubs, according to the 2018 Estrella Damm National Restaurant Awards.

The awards were held at The Hurlingham Club, Fulham, west London, last night (Monday 11 June), and are organised by The Morning Advertiser’s sister title, Restaurant magazine.

Pubs on the list

9. The Sportsman in Seasalter, Kent

12. The Coach in Marlow, Buckinghamshire

18. Freemasons at Wiswell in Clitheroe, Lancashire

20. The Black Swan in Oldstead, North Yorkshire

35. The Crown at Burchetts Green in Maidenhead, Berkshire

38. The Walnut Tree in Abergavenny, Wales

59. The Star Inn at Harome, North Yorkshire

62. The Hand & Flowers in Marlow, Buckinghamshire

69. The Beehive in White Waltham, Berkshire

70. The Hardwick in Abergavenny, Wales

76. The Parkers Arms in Clitheroe, Lancashire

90. The Fordwich Arms in Sturry, Kent

The highest placed pub on the list was last year’s number one, the Sportsman in Seasalter. The Kent pub topped the Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropub Awards in 2015 and 2016, and came in top this year.

Award winners

The Sportsman did take home the Gastropub of the Year Award at this year’s event.

The top spot was taken by Thai restaurant Kiln in Soho, central London. The venue is owned by Ben Chapman and Brian Hannon, and focuses on the cooking of the south-east Asian country’s northern borderlands.

See the full list of the UK’s top 100 restaurants here.

The special awards in full:

  • Estrella Damm National Restaurant of the Year: Kiln, Soho
  • Chef to Watch, sponsored by Woods Foodservice: Tom Brown
  • Chefs’ Chef of the Year, sponsored by Ritter Fresh: Nieves Barragán Mohacho
  • One to Watch, sponsored by Schweppes: Cornerstone
  • The Service Award, sponsored by Liberty Wines and Champagne Devaux : Core by Clare Smyth
  • Gastropub of the Year, sponsored by Estrella Damm: the Sportsman, Seasalter, Kent
  • Restaurateur of the Year, sponsored by Harvey and Brockless: JKS Restaurants
  • Lifetime Achievement Award, sponsored by Lavazza: Raymond Blanc
  • Sustainable Restaurant of the Year, sponsored by Aubrey Allen: ODE true food
  • Wine List of the Year: Noble Rot
  • Cocktail List of the Year, sponsored by Seedlip: Temper
  • OpenTable Diners’ Choice ‘Fit for Foodies’ Award: The Chef’s Table
  • Best Restaurant in Northern Ireland, sponsored by Hildon: Wine & Brine, Moira
  • Best Restaurant in Wales, sponsored by Hildon: Ynyshir, Machynlleth
  • Best Restaurant in Scotland, sponsored by Hildon: Ondine, Edinburgh