The Sportsman Pub Takes National Restaurant of the Year for the Second Year Running

The Sportsman Pub
The Sportsman Pub | © Ewan Munro/Flickr

Food & Drink Editor

Iconic Kent boozer scoops top place for the second time at the National Restaurant Awards.

Stephen Harris’ ‘grotty rundown pub by the sea’ as he famously describes it on Twitter has won the Estrella Damm National Restaurant Award for the second year running.

This year, saw plenty of new entries on the list, with a particularly strong showing from Asian restaurants including restaurant A Wong, whom Culture Trip visited earlier this year, as well as two popular Thai restaurants Kiln and Som Saa. Also noticeable in this year’s list of 100 winners are a number of casual dining establishments, highlighting the fact that good food is becoming more affordable and accessible. Restaurants such as Hoppers, Padella, Smoking Goat, Bao Soho, El Gato Negro, Kricket and Box-E all made the 100-strong list.

Self-taught chef

Eight out of the top restaurants are based in the capital, highlighting that London is still statistically the best place to eat out. What’s more the range of cuisines on offer, from Spanish to Chinese to Indian, reveals that in London, you really can eat your way around the world.

1. The Sportsman
2. The Ledbury
3. A Wong
4. Som Saa
5. Barrafina, Adelaide Street
6. Casamia
7. The Clove Club
8. Elystan Street
9. Kiln
10. Hedone

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