The restaurant scene in London is at its highest since the 1980s, both in terms of the number of Michelin star restaurants and its percentage compared to the rest of the UK.
As of this year, 43% of the UK’s Michelin star restaurants (1 – 3 stars) are based in London.
In 1985, this figure was almost the same at 42% but the number had rapidly decreased to 27% by 1995.
From then, it’s been a steady increase to the almost 50/50 split that we see again today with London reasserting its prominence on the Michelin star map.
Asimakis Chaniotis, Michelin-starred chef now hospitality consultant, demystified what goes into a successful Michelin star restaurant.
Having started at renowned London institution Pied à Terre before achieving his first Michelin star in 2017, and becoming the first Greek chef to earn a Michelin star outside of his home country, Chaniotis knows what it takes to achieve this feat.
Chaniotis said: “From my experience, it’s all about capital investment. If someone has a very, very good CV and unlimited resources behind him, he will have a business.”
Even though restaurants are now returning to more laid back, casual dining with basics such as fire cooking, running a Michelin star restaurant still requires a significant amount of investment, he claimed.
Chaniotis explained the importance of investing in people looking to further their hospitality career when hiring restaurant and general managers, executive chefs, and sommeliers – all of which create the Michelin star dining experience.
He added: “You have to be fully booked every single day, consistently, to be able to say that we’re making money.”
This is true for all successful restaurants regardless of location.
Ben McCormack, food journalist, agreed: “I think even in cities like Manchester which have booming restaurant scenes, there isn’t that same lunch crowd.
“It’s the tourism in London, it’s disposable income – business lunches are much more part of life in London than outside it.”
The UK’s restaurant scene exploded by the early 2000s, and notably it was outside of London where the biggest increase was seen, with a jump from 18 Michelin star restaurants in 1985 to 84 by 2005 – an huge increase of 287%.
It was also during the new millennia that the Michelin guide began broadening the types of establishments which were awarded stars.
Petersham Nurseries in Richmond earned its Michelin star in 2011 under Skye Gyngell.
Set in a glasshouse, described as “awkwardly located” and “ramshackle-chic” by the Good Food Guide, the restaurant that looked a bit like a cafe served amazing food under Gyngell, explained McCormack.
He added: “It then attracted a whole set of diners, because it had a Michelin star, that carried lots of expectations with it which was things like amazing lavatories, a certain level of service, and polished proceedings.”
One year after her award, Gyngell was said to have described it as a “curse”.
Luke Tipping, chef director of Simpsons in Birmingham which has held its star for 27 years, said: “The stereotypical Michelin many, many, many years ago was oil paintings and proteins and rich sauces.
“The tree is growing – there are more branches to the Michelin tree than there ever was. You’re never going to get all them places doing the same thing.”
Andrew Lynes, a food critic who has been working in the industry for 30 years, added: “Michelin began widening their scope of the sort of restaurants they would award stars to including gastropubs (The Stagg Inn at Titley in 2001) Indian restaurants (Tamarind and Zaika also in 2001) and more casual restaurants that previously hadn’t been associated with Michelin stars like The River Cafe (1998).
“Chefs who had trained in London also went on to open their own places out of the capital including Simon Gueller in Leeds (Rascasse) and Daniel Clifford at Midsummer House in Cambridge.
“Heston Blumenthal won his first star at The Fat Duck in 1999 and ushered in the era of Molecular gastronomy which would prove influential in terms of Michelin starred cooking.”
This widening of scope has also been seen in London.
The number of Michelin star restaurants in London increased by 40% between 2015 and 2026 and the capital is also home to most of the Michelin accredited global cuisine restaurants.
In London, only 22% of Michelin star restaurants are classed as British cuisine, compared to 42% of restaurants outside of the capital.
When asked about what constitutes British cuisine in the Michelin star world, McCormack explained that these restaurants will focus more on British produce rather than the dishes themselves.
He said: “It’s more about using and showcasing British ingredients to showcase that some of those are as good as anything that you’d find in France or Italy.
“The chefs will have very good relationships with their suppliers.
“They could probably even name the cow the beef has come from.”
It’s this diverse range of cuisines, as well as London’s reputation as the engine room of the UK’s restaurant scene, that have meant it was able to bounce back in numbers.
In addition to location, cuisine type, and investment, the chef’s experience, reputation and training really puts their establishment on the Michelin Guide’s radar.
Aspiring chefs want to have the names of Michelin star chefs they’ve worked under on their CV, according to Lynes.
Nick Beardshaw is just one of a few chefs who trained under Tom Kerridge before leaving in 2024 to start Starling Bistro which achieved its first Michelin star last year.
If current trends continue, we can expect to see a thriving Michelin star restaurant scene both in and outside of London.
There are plenty of up and coming restaurants hoping to put their names on this prestigious list.
Lynes said: “I don’t think you’ll see a particular city replace London but it could open up more opportunities for chefs to train at the highest level.”
Whilst we can’t predict what the distribution of Michelin star restaurants in the UK will look like in the next decade, it will certainly be an interesting evolution to watch.
Featured image credit: Imogen Mingos
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