Best restaurant in England?

[NSEA]

Can I ask what has been your best restaurant? I'm not talking favourite Saturday night evening out. I mean those ultra special restaurants where you pay ££££s and get 16 courses or something and its all about the experience etc.

Really want to do this. A friend has been to Leeds Man behind the Curtain and it looks fantastic, though Im not a fan of sea food so I am looking for similar but different!

Thanks!!

I really want to go to The Fat Duck but it looks impossible to book. Any tips?

L'Enclume in Cumbria was the best meal my parents have ever had (we bought it for them for special birthdays).

Restaurant Gordon Ramsay too. Dh and I went there for my 30th.

But L'Enclume is considered by many to be the best in the UK.

Each year for our anniversary we do a 'fancy' restaurant.

The Fat Duck is incredible; the whole experience was just breathtaking.
L'Enclume is incredible and I'd rate that above TFD.
Le Manoir is my absolute favourite and the hotel and grounds are wonderful.
The Champignon Sauvage in Cheltenham is fabulous, too. We found it by accident but went back twice in one year as it was so lovely.

The other one that's less 'fancy' but still great is Hakkasan in Mayfair. The May Fair Hotel is just nearby and as a weekend away it rates as one of our best in the UK.

The crab and lobster in North Yorkshire is lovely! Husband took me for my birthday before children, there are themed rooms in the hotel (we had a lodge with private hot tub) and the food was perfect! Not cheap but not exactly eye wateringly expensive either! Probs looking at about 4-500 quid for a meal, wine and room so definitely special occasions only in my opinion! I had fillet steak and husband had lobster-both beautiful!

We went to L'enclume for my 40th, it was amazing.
We did Black Swan at Oldstead last year and loved that too. We preferred the service there, much less pretentious and more about the food.
Man behind the Curtain was good, but nowhere near in the same league as those 2.
We tend have have one weekend a year where we go away and have a tasting menu, so trying to decide where to go next year!

La gavroche in London, michel roux restaurant. Was on my bucket list and didn't disappoint, amazing food and fantastic service

Coastalcommand I agree with you about Fraiche on The Wirral. You have to book 3 months in advance. We are going for my birthday in November.

Le Manoir here - absolutely lovely
I have been to the secondary restaurant of L'enclume - in the village (can't remember the name) for lunch, and that was amazing

Restaurant story in London as well. Not stuffy, very good experience and the wine guy amazing.

Went to Restaurant Story in London last night and it was honestly excellent.
We have also been to Midsummer House in Cambridge which was fantastic and Fraiche on the Wirral a few times as it's local to us.
L’Enclume and Restaurant Nathan Outlaw are also fantastic.

Man Behind the Curtain is nice, as is the Rabbit Under the Moon (I think that's the name of their Manchester place) but not in the same league.

Oh! And Mr Underhill's in Ludlow is fantastic. Not sure if that's been mentioned yet but well worth a weekend away if you're not local

Have just googled and Mr Underhills is now closed and has been since 2015. Oops!

Another vote for Manchester House. Excellent tasting menu and service without being pretentious.

I think most of the ones I'd recommend have been mentioned but a couple for less formal dining but still seriously good food

The tasting menu at Roka is absolutely outstanding if you like japanese

The Wolseley delivers every time for relatively simple but fabulous food, outstanding service, a magnificent room and informal grandeur

Along similar lines then Berners Tavern, The Delaunay and The Colony Grill are also excellent as is Dean Street Townhouse.

I also love the restaurant in the Ham Yard Hotel and the setting is absolutely beautiful

The other place which people absolutely rave about and is on my list is the chefs table at Parlour.

None of these are the best restaurants in England but they're all pretty great

We recently visited Mr Nobody in Leeds and had an amazing meal! 8 course tasting menu (£50 a head) with wine flight (£30) as a treat for my birthday. Food was fabulous, wine was generous, and the staff were really lovely. Definitely recommend as a 'special occasion' restaurant that isn't too up it's own bum!

Before opening The Man behind the Curtain, the chef had a restaurant called The Blind Swine in York. When it moved to Leeds, a chef from there opened Le Cochon Aveugle in York. It's amazing, really high end food but relaxed atmosphere and excellent, friendly service.

Skosh in York is also amazing, just small plates and has had fantastic reviews. Jay Rayner said it was worth getting the train from London... As a result it's got a massive waiting list! Absolutely beautiful place though.

Oooh, noneed, Skosh looks amazing! That's on my list now, thanks!

Sat Bains is our favourite, been a few times (most recently in July) would go every week if we didn't have a mortgage to pay. I also liked la gavroche, the main course wasn't memorable but I had a pea soup for starter that i still remember getting on for 10 years later and the cheese was great too.

I'm going to need to conjure up a lot of special occasions to try all these out!!

I'm a big fan of the Wolseley - but more for the decor and ambience than the food, which is very good but does not pretend to be 'fine dining'.

Actually second the recommendation for Mr Nobody in Leeds, we love it there!

NoNeedToArgue we obviously live in the same place. Loved The Blind Swine, we were regulars there and that's how we got to know Michael. We dined at his pop up restaurants whilst TMBTC was being developed. Le Cochon was also a favourite although we have not been there since the new chef took over.

We dined at Skosh when it first opened, it was nice but that's it. Apparently it has improved greatly, so I think we need to give it another go.

Murano (not a tasting menu) is a must both for lunch and dinner.

I love Restaurant Gordon Ramsay and Petrus. Both incredible.

Cinnamon Club near Victoria. Michelin-starred Indian food. Way better than Gymkhana in my book.

Sketch.

I don't like the Ledbury, I've been twice and both times I was underwhelmed.

Marcus (used to be Marcus Wareing) isn't up to much these days either.

Oh and Restaurant Ours in Knightsbridge is a ghastly rip-off. Avoid. As are Oxo Tower and Duck & Waffle, where you're paying for the gawping rights, not the food.

Manchester House in Manchester (obvs) is great, as is The French at the Midland Hotel.

I also really like Northcote (the rooms are lovely there, too). And nearby, the Freemasons at Wiswell. L'Enclume is on my to-do list.

Another vote here for the Sportsman in Seasalter, near Whitstable. Looks like a slightly tatty pub (I think that's what they call themselves on their website) but the food is incredible.

Both the Ivy in Marlow and the Hand and Flowers are totally over-rated on this thread and IRL - one's like a chain brasserie and the other is a glorified gastropub

Our favourites are

Restaurant Gordon Ramsey
The Box Tree
Midsummer House
Claridges
Le Talbooth