Around this time every year we give our list of the 20 best restaurants in the UK a proper update and we’re happy to announce there’s a brand new number one on the list.
The latest list topped is a bijoux eight-seat spot in Machynlleth, Wales (population 2,100), and is the baby sister of double Michelin starred culinary Valhalla, Ynyshir.
Gwen, which opened in 2023, has recently been overhauled by chef Peter Iglesias Sanchez, who left Decimo, the in-house Mexican restaurant at The Standard hotel in London earlier this year. ‘I feel like I’ve signed Cristiano Ronaldo,’ Gareth Ward, who runs Ynyshir reportedly commented.
Mike SimGwen, Machynlleth
Like Ynyshir, Gwen offers a no-choice tasting menu, with 20 small courses inspired by Mexican and Japanese technique. Read our full review of Gwen here. ‘Skilful, scrumptious and a little bit naughty, this is how tasting menus should be done,’ states the glowing five star assessment.
The tasting menu at Gwen costs £180 a head plus VAT, which isn’t cheap, but dinner runs for three and half hours, and it’s seriously some of the best cooking Time Out’s had the pleasure of shoving in our mouths. The small restaurant is hidden behind an ordinary high street wine bar exterior and is made up of two rooms; the first seven courses are eaten in the front, then diners move to the kitchen for the next courses, before returning to the front room for dessert.
The rest of the top 20 spans England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, with a strong showing for Somerset thanks to last year’s number one best restaurant in the UK, Osip, which is near Bruton, as well as the Queen of Cups in Glastonbury and the Three Horseshoes in Batcombe.
If you’re looking for the best restaurants in London, you can find them here.
ICYMI: 12 British restaurants were added to the Michelin Guide in August 2026.
Plus: The greatest hotel in Britain, according to Time Out.
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Dining and Cooking