A spate of London restaurants have been recognised in this year’s Good Food Guide nominations, including famed hotel The Ritz which is up for Restaurant of the Year. The shortlist for The Good Food Guide Awards 2025 features London entrants in every category, including Chef to Watch and new awards for Best Value Set Menu and Most Beautiful Restaurant.
Celebrated at a glittering ceremony on Monday, February 3, at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in Central London, The Good Food Guide Awards 2025 are gearing up to name the best of emerging and established excellence in British dining in 2025. TV presenter and restaurant enthusiast Richard Bacon will host the awards.
The shortlist recognises several of London’s most prolific restaurants. The Ritz Restaurant and St John Smithfield in Farringdon are vying for the Restaurant of the Year Award, facing stiff competition from Opheem (Birmingham), Osip (Somerset), and Restaurant Jericho (Leicestershire).
The Ritz is famed for its Michelin-starred dining, with à la carte main courses such as wild sea bass, artichoke and menton lemon (£64), Suffolk lamb, goats curd and mint (£65), or to serve two, beef wellington, hen of the wood and périgord truffle (£150).
Its fellow London rival at this year’s awards, St John Smithfield is regarded as one of the finest authentic English dining experiences to be found, with dishes such as road mallard, turnips and trotter (£32), tripe and onions (£25) and beef pie (for two) (£48).
St John Smithfield in Farringdon, famed for its English food, is also vying for the Restaurant of the Year
(Image: Petr M / TripAdvisor)
Meanwhile, the Chef to Watch category is more hotly contested than ever, with seven entrants considered to be the biggest talents of tomorrow – three of them based in London restaurants. Jake Dolin of Manteca, an Italian restaurant in Shoreditch; Elliot Hashtroudi of Camille, a French-style bistro in Borough Market; and Meedu Saad, head chef at Kiln Soho, a restaurant that is part of the Super 8 group and which reopens after renovation on January 22.
Manteca’s modern twist on Italian classics consists of nduja-steamed mussels, cream and parsley (£13), pasta dish ziti ragu Genovese (£16) and red-legged partridge, chestnuts and pancetta (£25).
Camille’s menu features French-inspired dishes such as leeks, goat curd and Cantabrian anchovy toast (£15), snails, garlic and paisley (£15) and roached pollock, ham consommé & red brussels sprouts (£28). Kiln Soho’s menu options include chak som sour curry of grey mullet (£18), Issan-style pork offal laap (£11.50) and chantaburi curry of cull yaw with celeriac (£12.50).
The Best New Restaurant award showcases the smash-hit new openings of the past year, with Row on 5 the only London entry to make the list. The Most Beautiful Restaurant award has three London contenders – The Dover – a New-York Italian bar and restaurant in Mayfair, The Park – ‘a new world grand cafe’ near Hyde Park, and Wildflowers, a Mediterranean-inspired restaurant in Pimlico.
And in a new category for 2025, The Good Food Guide is celebrating astonishing value in dining out with the Best Value Set Menu award, with The Devonshire restaurant in Soho and neighbourhood French bistro Josephine Bouchon on Fulham Road among the five contenders.
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Another new award introduced for 2025 is The Russell Norman Award for Restaurateur of the Year, in memory of the late restaurateur behind Polpo and Brutto.
Knife & Fork Media founder Adam Hyman said: “Russell was a hero of mine, a friend and mentor. We wanted to pay respect to a man who was enormously influential in our industry and make sure his name is not forgotten. With the blessing of his family we’re delighted to name our Restaurateur of the Year award after Russell and his legacy of exceptional hospitality.”
The Good Food Guide was first compiled by Raymond Postgate in 1951. Much has changed since the first edition but the ethos of the original book remains firmly in place: the Guide is about empowering diners, helping readers to find the very best places to eat and encouraging restaurants to offer the best possible food, service and experience.
The Good Food Guide is now a fully digital publication featuring 1200 restaurants, pubs, cafes and wine bars across Britain. All reviews are conducted anonymously by a network of inspectors and all meals are paid for in full. No establishment can buy their way into the Guide and as a result the publication is one of the most trusted sources of where to eat well in Britain.
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