11 National Restaurant Award winners within day-trip distance of Manchester and Liverpool
3 months agoThe National Restaurant Awards were announced last week – and the North West was well represented throughout.
Taking the number two spot, and the ‘Best Restaurant in England Award’, was Michelin-starred Moor Hall in Ormskirk. The Parker’s Arms in Clitheroe came in just outside the top ten at number 12, and was awarded ‘Gastropub of the Year’. Manchester’s highest rated restaurant was Higher Ground at 51, while Liverpool’s was Manifest, sneaking in at number 100.
The awards were launched in 2007 to celebrate the best of the UK’s restaurant scene. Votes are cast by fellow hospitality folk, including chefs, restaurateurs and food critics. So if you’re looking for award-winning food as recommended by the chefs themselves, here’s the list of National Restaurant Award winners you can visit from Manchester and Liverpool.
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Aughton
Moor Hall
Mark Birchall, ex-head chef at L’Enclume, is chef-patron of Moor Hall, an outstanding, two Michelin star, five AA Rosette restaurant with rooms.
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Book Now Clitheroe
Parker’s Arms
The Parker’s Arms is a homely pub, serving and baking extraordinary, modern European food.
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Book Now Skipton
The Angel at Hetton
One of the stars of TV’s The Trip with Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan – and awarded a Michelin star in 2021 – The Angel at Hetton is the original gastro pub with rooms.
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Book Now Cumbria
L’Enclume
L’Enclume is Simon Rogan’s three Michelin-starred restaurant located in the Lake District village of Cartmel, which is widely regarded as one of the UK’s leading dining destinations. The restaurant is situated in a former 13th-century blacksmith’s workshop.
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Manchester City Centre
Higher Ground
Exciting news for foodies in Manchester as Higher Ground, the permanent restaurant from the team behind Flawd, opened its doors in February 2023.
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Book Now West Yorkshire
The Man Behind the Curtain
New look, same, wild styling from the Michelin-starred, glam rock loving chef. In 2018, chef-patron Michael O’Hare upped sticks from the Flannels department store attic where he made his name with The Man Behind the Curtain and moved into the basement of the same building.
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Book Now Cumbria
The Forest Side
Michelin-starred restaurant and hotel The Forest Side, owned by Lakes hotelier Andrew Wildsmith, is built on the foundations of the cooking of former L’Enclume forager, Kevin Tickle.
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Book Now Lancashire
Northcote
Northcote is where chef-patron Nigel Haworth earned his stripes as an instigator of contemporary British fine dining. Today, Michelin star chef and one of BBC2’s Great British Menu winners, Lisa Goodwin-Allen, heads up the kitchen.
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Book Now Manchester City Centre
Mana
Michelin-starred restaurant Mana is the brainchild of chef patron Simon Martin who mastered his trade at the renowned Noma in Copenhagen. In his first few years at Mana, Martin has succeeded in carving his own path – one which confuses and delights people in equal measure.
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Book Now South Yorkshire
Jöro
Offering Nordic-inspired fine dining inside a shipping container, Jöro has secured accolades galore, including a clutch of AA Rosettes and Michelin Bib Gourmand.
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Book Now Baltic Triangle
Manifest
The manifesto at industrial-chic restaurant and “dine-at-wine-bar” Manifest is “seasonal plates and famous Liverpool hospitality”, with the Modern British menus regularly changing to reflect both local produce availability and the wines that will be matched to the food.