Restaurant Andrew Fairlie at The Gleneagles Hotel in Perthshire has been crowned the UK’s best restaurant in the new Harden’s Top 100 list.

Scotland’s world famous restaurant hailed – ‘a memory to be treasured’ – shot to the top spot for its luxurious ingredients prepared with ‘impeccable skill and creativity’ and attentive staff who are ‘knowledgeable in all respects’.

Outside of the number one spot, the North West is one of the best performing regions outside of London with an impressive 38 ‘Top Scoring’ restaurants, 9 of which have made it into the acclaimed Harden’s Top 100. Of cities outside London, only Edinburgh (49) had more listings than Manchester (47) establishing the city as one of the most vibrant restaurant scenes in the country.

The 32nd edition of the Harden’s guide, published this week (ISBN: 978-1916076150, price £18.99: also available as apps for Apple or Android), is now the only UK restaurant guide sold in bookshops based on feedback from normal diners rather than a group of professional inspectors. A total of 30,000 reports are submitted from a survey of 3,000 diners. Restaurants at all price levels are listed: from street food vendors to the country’s most ambitious dining rooms, with 2,800 restaurants listed in total.

Manchester has been awarded a place in the list’s coveted Top 10 with Adam Reid at The French claiming the lucky number 7 spot.

Having been at number 40 last year, the Midland Hotel’s famous restaurant shot into the top end of the table for “Adam Reid’s tasting menu food that fully delivers on the hit to the tastebuds”. Diners commented: “It’s not all serious plates, with some playful dishes offering something a little different and intriguing”. Though not as commented-on as Mana nowadays – diners still hailed it as “the best culinary experience in Manchester”.

Mana in Sawmill Court continues to be heralded as “undeniably one of the UK’s top tables” for Simon Martin’s “fabulous airy space within the foodie hotspot that is Ancoats”. On practically all accounts, “exemplary cooking” with an emphasis on fire and fermentation and British ingredients “comes out of that entirely open kitchen, and the team work methodically alongside each other to produce it”. “Flavours are knock-out and every dish is evocative of place and origin, with evident care and attention to detail.”

However, the popular restaurant appears to have fallen from its previous Top 10 spot down to number 73 due to price increases. The guide notes that: “With stardom has come higher prices, and doubts are creeping in about the ultimate level of value it delivers. One in six [of polled diners] now consider it notably overpriced. The remainder agreeing that ‘it’s not cheap, but you pay for what you get'”.

An additional 7 restaurants from the North West region made it into Harden’s Top 100 including: Simon Rogan’s world famous L’Enclume (8) and Aulis at L’Enclume (45) in Cartmel; The Forest Side (27) in Grasmere; Moor Hall (77) in Aughton; The Old Stamp House (79) in Ambleside; The Art School in Liverpool (33) and Fraiche, Oxton (100).

Peter Harden, co-founder of Harden’s, commented:

“The North West is home to some of the country’s most renowned restaurants and consistently performs well in the Harden’s Top 100 due to the high quality, diverse nature and depth of what’s on offer.

“Interestingly, it’s also an area where, like London, restaurant price increases have caused some guests to question whether they still see the same value in the overall proposition when dining out. What is an enjoyable experience at £100 per head can soon lose its lustre when prices as good as double.

“Restaurants are currently facing increasing costs from every angle so it’s no surprise these are being reflected on menus, but some of our polled results and diner comments this year show that customer expectations are struggling to keep pace and it’s easy for restaurants to begin to fall out of favour as a result.”

The Harden’s 100 ranking of the UK’s best restaurants in full
The Top 100 restaurants derived from the 30,000 reports with ratings submitted by 3,000 diners who contributed to the Harden’s annual survey.
1 Andrew Fairlie, Gleneagles Hotel, Auchterarder
2 Evelyn’s Table at The Blue Posts, London
3 Waterside Inn, Bray (39)
4 Endo at The Rotunda, London (4)
5 The Kitchin, Edinburgh (23)
6 Core by Clare Smyth, London (5)
7 Adam Reid at The French, Manchester (40)
8 L’Enclume, Cartmel (19)
9 Maru, London
10 Pine, East Wallhouses
11 Da Terra, Town Hall Hotel, London (3)
12 The Five Fields, London (10)
13 Sorrel, Dorking (13)
14 Restaurant Martin Wishart, Edinburgh (61)
15 Hjem, Wall (56)
16 Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons, Great Milton (37)
17 Adam’s, Birmingham (29)
18 PLU, London
19 The Araki, London
20 Muse, London (24)
21 Lumière, Cheltenham (46)
22 Estiatorio Milos, London
23 The Little Fish Market, Brighton (15)
24 Lympstone Manor, Exmouth (6)
25 Kitchen Table, London (12)
26 Hambleton Hall, Hambleton (32)
27 The Forest Side, Grasmere (36)
28 LPM, London (45)
29 Paul Ainsworth at No6, Padstow (85)
30 Joro, Sheffield
31 The Little Chartroom, Edinburgh
32 SOLA, London (31)
33 The Art School, Liverpool (18)
34 Anglo, London (21)
35 Morston Hall, Morston (38)
36 A Wong, London (64)
37 Ynyshir Restaurant and Rooms, Eglwys Fach (7)
38 Meadowsweet, Holt (98)
39 The Ledbury, London
40 Nobu, London (27)
41 Roots, York (97)
42 Alchemilla, Nottingham (14)
43 House of Tides, Newcastle upon Tyne (57)
44 Outlaw’s New Road, Port Isaac (74)
45 Aulis at L’Enclume, Cartmel
46 The Latymer, Pennyhill Park Hotel, Bagshot
47 Club Gascon, London (95)
48 ChefsTable at TRUEfoods, Melmerby
49 Oxeye, London
50 Cail Bruich, Glasgow (59)
51 Roketsu, London
52 Cornerstone, London (50)
53 Chez Bruce, London (42)
54 SY23, Aberystwyth
55 Trinity, London (47)
56 Aulis London, London (33)
57 Robin Wylde, Lyme Regis
58 Bibendum, London (99)
59 The Clove Club, London (17)
60 Opheem, Birmingham (100)
61 Bohemia, Jersey
62 Restaurant Twenty Two, Cambridge
63 Outlaw’s Fish Kitchen, Port Isaac (49)
64 The Angel, Hetton (58)
65 The Black Swan, Oldstead
66 Frog by Adam Handling, London (82)
67 Umu, London
68 Unalome by Graeme Cheevers, Glasgow
69 Le Gavroche, London (52)
70 The Sportsman, Seasalter (41)
71 Pied à Terre, London (44)
72 Ekstedt at The Yard, Great Scotland Yard Hotel, London
73 Mana, Manchester (9)
74 The Sea, The Sea, London
75 Midsummer House, Cambridge (78)
76 The Peat Inn, Cupar (20)
77 Moor Hall, Aughton (16)
78 The Whitebrook, Restaurant with Rooms, Whitebrook (53)
79 Old Stamp House, Ambleside
80 The Moorcock Inn, Sowerby Bridge
81 Lyle’s, London (66)
82 Sollip, London (88)
83 Imperial Treasure, London
84 Gidleigh Park, Chagford
85 Behind, London (51)
86 Elderflower, Lymington
87 Wilson’s, Bristol (80)
88 BiBi, London
89 Amaya, London (69)
90 The Olive Tree, Queensberry Hotel, Bath
91 The Ritz, London
92 The Wilderness, Birmingham
93 Sketch, Lecture Room at Library, London
94 Quilon, London
95 Kol, London
96 The Fat Duck, Bray
97 Myrtle, London (90)
98 The Small Holding, Goudhurst (25)
99 The Cellar, Anstruther
100 Fraiche, Oxton (28)