London set to overtake Paris for Michelin-starred restaurants following surge in accolades

London set to overtake Paris for Michelin-starred restaurants following surge in accolades
Yoghurts and fruit juice are 'junk food' claim ministers in latest 'nanny state' obesity drive |

GB NEWS

George Bunn

By George Bunn


Published: 11/02/2026

- 11:47

Updated: 11/02/2026

- 11:56

There has been a net increase of 45 Michelin-starred restaurants in Britain and Ireland

London is set to overtake Paris as the culinary centre of Europe within a decade, following a surge in Michelin Stars being awarded.

An analysis of the prestigious award found the UK has added more Michelin-starred restaurants than any other country over the last five years.


At this week's annual award ceremony in Dublin, Britain and Ireland added another 21 starred restaurants to the collection, taking the total to 230 across the two countries.

Since 2021, there has been a net increase of 45 Michelin-starred restaurants in Britain and Ireland, a rise of 24 per cent, reports The Times.

Across the same period, the number of starred restaurants in France has grown by only three per cent, while Germany’s tally has increased by four per cent.

In that time, the number in Japan has plummeted by 27 per cent.

At this week's ceremony, 10 restaurants retained their three Michelin star status, but no new names were added to the prestigious list.

There had been predictions Ireland had been chosen to host the event because the country’s first three star restaurant would be added to the guide.

Michelin Stars

This year's stars have been given out

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GETTY

Two eateries, Row on 5 and Bonheur by Matt Abe, both in London, were elevated to two-star status.

Among the 20 recipients of their first Michelin star is Fifty Two at Rudding Park in Harrogate, which is known for its "Dessert Islands Discs", where guests choose music to play and chef Adam Degg said they "try to create a party in the restaurant."

Mare by Rafael Cagali became the first Michelin stared restaurant in Brighton and Hove in nearly 50 years.

Alexander Claridge, of The Wilderness in Birmingham, which also collected its first star, said the city "doesn’t take itself too seriously, but it is serious about food."

\u200bThe ceremony was held in Ireland for the first time

The ceremony was held in Ireland for the first time

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PA

Owner and head chef at Ugly Butterfly in Newquay, which picked up its first award, Adam Handling the believes the UK’s culinary transformation is the result of a specifically British food culture that began emerging about 15 years ago.

He told The Times: "In the olden days, it was considered very posh to have a French name on a restaurant or use French ingredients and there was no such thing as a British restaurant.

"Nowadays, a growing number of chefs want to fly the British flag and they’re doing really well. It makes sense if you think about it.

"The UK has the best seafood, the best beef, the best game and the best berries."

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