thumb|right|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. 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]
| Restaurant | Chef | Cuisine | Location | Current | Ref. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year to star | ||||||||
| Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester | London | 2009 | 2010–present | [10] | ||||
| Chez Nico | French cuisine | Reading, Berkshire (1973–1981), London (1982–1999) | 1981–1983 | 1984–1994 | 1995–1999 | Closed | [11] | |
| Molecular gastronomy | Bray, Berkshire | 1999–2001 | 2002–2003 | 2004–2015, 2017–present | [12] [13] | |||
| La Tante Claire | French cuisine | London | 1979 | 1980–1992, 1999–2002 | 1993–1998 | Closed | [14] | |
| Restaurant Gordon Ramsay | French cuisine | London | 1999–2000 | 2001–present | [15] | |||
| French cuisine | London | 2001–2002 | 1994 | 1995–1999 | Closed | |||
| French cuisine | Bray, Berkshire | 1974–1976 | 1977–1984 | 1985–present | [16] | |||
| The Araki | Mitsuhiro Araki | Japanese cuisine | London | 2016–2017 | 2018–2020 | [17] | ||
| French cuisine | London | 2005–2011 | 2012–2018 | 2019–present | [18] | |||
| Hélène Darroze at The Connaught | French cuisine | London | 2009–2011 | 2011–2021 | 2021–present | [19] | ||
| Core by Clare Smyth | British cuisine | London | 2018–2021 | 2021–present | [20] | |||
| L'Enclume | British cuisine | Cartmel, Cumbria | 2005–2013 | 2013–2022 | 2022–present | [21] | ||
| The Ledbury | Brett Graham | British cuisine | Notting Hill, London | 2009-2010 | 2010-2021, 2023-2024 | 2024–present | [22] | |