Endo Kazutoshi’s Endo at the Rotunda, in London voted Best Restaurant
in the UK in new national diners’ poll but the North East has a standout
performance with restaurants taking runner-up and third place.
Restaurant Pine in East Wallhouses declared second best restaurant in
the UK, and Scandi-inspired Restaurant Hjem in Wall takes third. Solstice
in Newcastle-upon-Tyne climbs up to 13.
Newcastle-upon-Tyne has 17 entries in this year’s Harden’s Best UK
Restaurants 2025 guide.
Restaurant price rises outside of London are significantly higher than in
the capital suggesting that London is still feeling the after effects of the
pandemic whilst the regions show a stronger recovery.
Endo Kazutoshi’s 10-seater flagship, Endo at the Rotunda above the old
Television Centre in London’s White City has been voted the UK’s best restaurant
in the carefully curated annual Harden’s Top 100 Best UK Restaurants diners’
poll.
The lauded London dining destination run by Yokohama-born Endo Kazutoshi
has found itself the nation’s top rated eatery after being closed for five months
earlier this year for a refurbishment and ‘period of culinary reflection’ in order to
create a more personal and immersive omakase experience. Feedback from
diners hailed it as an “extraordinary gastronomic experience” where “the theatre
of chef Endo’s entertaining presentation and explanations is a delight”. Since the
Top 100 started 15 years ago, this is only the second time the number 1 has been
neither modern British nor French.
Third generation sushi master Endo Kazutoshi says: “I am truly humbled and
deeply grateful for this incredible news. To have the hard work and dedication of
my team recognised in this way is an honour beyond words. As Japanese cuisine
continues to capture the hearts and palates of people in London and around the
world, I feel a profound sense of responsibility and pride to stand at the forefront
as a pioneer. It is my mission to not only celebrate this rich culinary tradition but
also to push its boundaries and lead its evolution on a global stage.”
Outside of the capital, restaurants in the North East have had a particularly strong
showing in this year’s ratings with Newcastle-upon-Tyne being one of the cities
flagged as having the most entries in the Harden’s Best UK Restaurants 2025
guide, plus two independent eateries in Northumberland taking the Top 100’s
second and third place accolades.
“Exceptional” converted cow barn, Restaurant Pine in East Wallhouses run by
husband and wife team Cal and Sian Byerley, rocketed up the ratings from last
year’s number 47 to this year’s runner-up thanks to “magic being made from local
and humble ingredients by Cal, with the aid of Ian Waller”. The restaurant was
also credited for a team who “really knows how to look after its guests” and a
“mind-blowing taste experience”.
Commenting on their achievement Cal Byerley said: ”Myself, Sian, Ian and
Vanessa are thrilled with the news of such a high rating from Harden’s. It’s crazy
to think how far our nine-table restaurant in an old barn in Northumberland has
come. We all work incredibly hard to deliver the best possible guest experience,
utilising the amazing produce that surrounds us as sustainably as possible to
deliver a truly seasonal menu that reflects our surroundings and who we are. We’d
just like to thank the whole team for their continued hard efforts and putting their
everything into what we do.”
Scandi-inspired restaurant with rooms, Hjem in Wall owned by Swedish chef Alex
Nietosvuori and his partner, Northumberland-born Ally Thompson is also no
stranger to the Top 100 having steadily climbed its way up the rankings over the
last five years to now be considered one of the Top 3 restaurants in the UK.
Diners’ verdicts were that “The food is created with passion, delivered to the table
with unbridled enthusiasm and reveals combinations, textures and flavours which
are a sensory revelation”. The success bodes very well for the couple’s
spectacular new purpose-built venue, Frejya, in a walled garden within the Close
House estate at Heddon-on-the-Wall, which is scheduled to open in late 2025.
Solstice in Newcastle has also climbed up another couple of places from last year
to reach number 13. The intimate establishment from Kenny and Abbie Atkinson
sits next door to their more established House of Tides and, Harden’s says,
“increasingly is eclipsing it in terms of the volume and quality of feedback we
receive”. Reports give “compliments to the whole team for an excellent menu,
exquisite food (we loved and couldn’t fault a single dish) and the warm enthusiasm
with which it’s delivered”.
The 34th edition of the Harden’s guide, published this week (ISBN: 978-
1916076198, price £20: also available as apps for Apple or Android), is one of
only two surviving established UK restaurant guides made available in print, and
the only one 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 2,500 diners. Restaurants at all price levels are included: from street food vendors to the country’s most ambitious dining rooms, with 2,800 restaurants listed in total.
This year’s guide’s editors also noted that a clear difference in price increases
between London restaurants and those elsewhere in the UK seems to suggest
regional restaurants are continuing to move forward in their post-covid recovery
whilst the capital continues to experience the pandemic’s more restrictive after
effects.
Peter Harden, co-founder of Harden’s, comments: “There has been a noticeable
difference in the increase of restaurants entering into the higher price bands
outside of London compared to last year. We can see significantly higher price
increases of between 16%-21% for the number of restaurants in the £100, £150
and £200+ price brackets outside of London, compared to between 10% -15% in
the capital. This data adds to a general feeling that London is still feeling the after
effects of the pandemic and – in particular – quieter Mondays and Fridays caused
by working from home, while beyond the capital things are ticking along a little
more strongly.”
Commenting on the North East’s performance in this year’s Harden’s Best UK
Restaurants 2025 guide and Top 100 list Peter says:
“As London continues to battle the remains of a post-pandemic lethargy, the north of the country is striding forwards and carving out its reputation for stellar dining options. Newcastle is certainly holding its own with an impressive number of its restaurants achieving
listings in the guide. We also have three standout restaurants consistently
climbing the rankings and making it into the top 20 zone of this year’s Top 100 UK
Restaurants (two of whom have taken the most elite positions behind Endo at the
Rotunda). The North East has much to celebrate and be extremely proud of. Who
knows, maybe next year one of this terrific trio will be our number one.”
Harden’s Best UK Restaurants 2025, £20, is available in all good bookshops,
including Waterstone’s and Amazon.com, and from www.hardens.com.