List of Michelin 3-star restaurants in the United Kingdom

The Waterside Inn, the first restaurant outside France to hold three Michelin stars for 25 years

This article contains a list of Michelin 3-star restaurants in the United Kingdom.

Michelin stars are a rating system used by the red Michelin guide to grade restaurants on their quality. The guide was originally developed in 1900 to show French drivers where local amenities such as restaurants and mechanics were, the rating system was first introduced in 1926 as a single star, with the second and third stars introduced in 1933.[1] According to the Guide, one star signifies "a very good restaurant", two stars are "excellent cooking that is worth a detour", and three stars mean "exceptional cuisine that is worth a special journey".[2] The listing of starred restaurants is updated once a year.[3]

The first restaurant in the UK to gain a Michelin star was Albert and Michel Roux's Le Gavroche, in London.[4] It went on to become one of the first UK restaurants to win a second star in 1977, and the first to win a third, in 1982.[2] In 2010 the Roux family's second restaurant, the Waterside Inn, became the first restaurant outside France to have held three Michelin stars for 25 years.[5] The Roux family was also influential in training and influencing other chefs who themselves have gone on to win Michelin stars; Pierre Koffmann,[6] Marco Pierre White and Gordon Ramsay all went on to open restaurants which earned three Michelin stars after working with the Roux brothers.[7][8]

As of February 2024 there were nine restaurants in the UK holding three Michelin stars, with all except L’Enclume (Cumbria) located in London or the south of England.[9]

  1. ^ Boxell, James (15 July 2011). "Star-crossed". The Financial Times. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
  2. ^ a b Dixon, Rachel (24 January 2008). "Q&A: Michelin stars". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
  3. ^ "Top Michelin-rated restaurants". Caterer and Hotelkeeper. 6 October 2011. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
  4. ^ "Observer classic". The Guardian. 12 May 2002. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
  5. ^ Kapur, Sonia (20 May 2010). "Waterside Inn celebrates 25yrs of three-star quality". Maidenhead Advertiser. Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
  6. ^ Cooke, Rachel (20 June 2010). "Pierre Koffmann: 'Not enough British chefs cook from the heart'". The Observer. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
  7. ^ Barber, Lynn (21 October 2007). "What's eating Marco?". The Observer. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
  8. ^ Vines, Richard (16 November 2010). "Chef Albert Roux Has Advice for Protege Ramsay: Get Cooking". Bloomberg. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
  9. ^ "'Michelin Guide UK Latest'". The Staff Canteen. 27 March 2023. Retrieved 27 March 2023.