The North West’s Best Fine Dining Restaurants

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.

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.

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.

Merseyside’s fine-dining star, the tiny Fraiche restaurant is home to an artist behind the pass. Having been rated as a ‘rising star’ by the Michelin guide in 2006 and 2007, the restaurant finally secured the real thing in 2009 and Francophile Marc Wilkinson has since upheld it with ease.

Culinary rock and roll from Simon Rogan’s protege, Adam Reid. Enjoy fine-dining in Grade II Listed Victorian surrounds – with a side order of Mancunian attitude.

While there’s been a restaurant on this site for more than 50 years, owner-proprietor team Simon and Rena Gueller keep things firmly up to date at Ilkley’s picture-perfect The Box Tree. Expect a contemporary take on classical French cooking at a restaurant which has seen famous chefs like Marco Pierre White behind the pass.

With no menu and esoteric wines, Where the Light Gets In doesn’t adhere to the typical fine-dining formula. But it’s been a success for Stockport, thanks to chef-patron Sam Buckley’s belief in doing things his own way.

Some folk in the village still refer to The White Swan at Fence as The Mucky Duck and you can still order a pint of Timothy Taylor’s at its very pubby bar. But over recent years The Swan has established itself as a destination fine-dining spot thanks to young chef Tom Parker from up the road in Burnley.

Home in Leeds is the brainchild of MasterChef finalist Liz Cottam, and business partner Mark Owens, formerly head chef at Ilkley’s The Box Tree (also in our Top 100). 

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.

Roski is a wild child of a restaurant from MasterChef: The Professionals winner Anton Piotrowski.

A wild-maned toddler of a restaurant, bound for great things, Lake Road Kitchen is an exciting place to eat. The baby of former Samling chef James Cross, it is one of the leading lights in the Lakes foraging trend, serving mostly food grown in Cumbria, as well as aged retired Dairy Holstein txuleta (steak).

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.

Offering Nordic-inspired fine dining inside a shipping container, Jöro has secured accolades galore, including a clutch of AA Rosettes and Michelin Bib Gourmand.

Husband and wife team, Adam and Lovaine Humphrey have moved their modern British (ish) restaurant Arras from Sydney, Australia to York, England – and the North has reaped the benefits.

The Burlington at the Devonshire Arms excels in delivering fine dining and extraordinary wine in the hills. This extremely plush restaurant is an established proving ground for new British chefs. Two Michelin star guru Michael Wignall was in residence before he moved to The Angel at Hetton. While current resident Peter Howarth was head chef at The Samling, and before that at the Michelin-starred Gidleigh Park and The Latymer. 

The Art School delivers upmarket, regionally-inspired cooking from local legend, Paul Askew. Opening in late 2014, this fancy contemporary British restaurant is a place for that special occasion.