A total of 187 establishments feature in the guide for 2020, including four new two-stars and 23 one-stars.

Sketch becomes one of only five restaurants in the U.K. to hold three stars. The flagship Lecture Room is known for quirky and creative dishes such as hand-collected Scottish scallops with pear, celeriac, and shiso, served with turmeric butter and quinoa. The Grand Dessert features seven miniature plates in two servings. The seven-course tasting menu costs £120 ($148), with a vegetarian option.

The décor at Sketch, a London town house with a total of four restaurants and bars, is even more unusual than the food, with huge egg-shaped loos a particular favorite on Instagram. Sketch is co-owned by Gagnaire, who holds three Michelin stars at his eponymous restaurant in Paris, and by the restaurateur Mourad Mazouz, who has establishments in Paris and London.

Three restaurants were promoted to two stars from one: La Dame de Pic, in London; the Dining Room at Whatley Manor, in Malmesbury, England; and the Greenhouse, in Dublin. Aimsir, a restaurant that opened just this year in Celbridge, Ireland, went straight to two stars. Four restaurants in London gained their first stars: Endo at the Rotunda; Dysart Petersham; Da Terra; and Mãos.

“Despite the obvious challenges being faced by the industry here in the U.K., we are thrilled that this has been such a stellar year, and we have seen many first ventures opening and rapidly rising to success,” said Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the guides. 

On the downside, three London restaurants lost their single stars: Benares, Galvin at Windows, and Yauatcha Soho. The Araki lost all three of its stars after chef Mitsuhiro Araki returned to Japan.

The Michelin awards attract considerable criticism, including that they’re unpredictable and often appear inconsistent. But chefs are obsessed with the awards, and getting in or moving up the rankings amounts to considerable money in bookings. Little else is talked about in kitchens before the announcement. This year there’d been widespread speculation that two other London restaurants might be promoted to three stars: Claude Bosi at Bibendum and Core by Clare Smyth. There was also a notable shortage of women winning new stars. The sole beneficiary was Anne-Sophie Pic, who’s based in France.

Michelin has done a reasonable job this year in recognizing young talent, particularly in Ireland, where two restaurants achieved two-star status: the Greenhouse, in Dublin, and the aforementioned Aimsir, in County Kildare, about a 30-minute drive west from the capital. But other respected young chefs were ignored, including the popular Tom Brown at Cornerstone in east London.

No one predicted a third star for Sketch, which won its first star in 2005 and the second in 2012. I’ve long been a fan of the place, but I have no idea why this was the year, though it does deserve it. My best meals in London in the past 12 months have been at Claude Bosi at Bibendum, and it’s very disappointing that Bosi didn’t win his third star.

(The other restaurants earning three stars were Gordon Ramsay and Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester, both in London; and the Fat Duck and the Waterside Inn, both in the village of Bray.)

Brexit, which in London is even more of an obsession than food, has had only a limited impact on high-end restaurants. While it has made it more difficult to hire the European staff on which the U.K. hospitality industry depends, the decline in the value of the pound has made restaurants more affordable for overseas visitors.

The awards were announced at the Hurlingham Club, in a ceremony attended by leading chefs from across the U.K. 

Three stars are given for “exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey,” Michelin says. “Our highest award is given for the superlative cooking of chefs at the peak of their profession.” Two stars represent “excellent cooking, worth a detour.” One star is for “high-quality cooking, worth a stop.” A Bib Gourmand represents more value-driven restaurants, where diners can get three courses for £28 or less, but not quite at the level of a star.

Read also: Singapore restaurants make history with three Michelin stars

The French tiremaker produced its first guide in 1900. Free of charge until 1920, it was initially intended for chauffeurs. The volume contained practical information including street maps and tips on repairing tires.

Below, a partial list of the winners, with a focus on London. **Indicates a new entry.

Three stars

Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester, London

Gordon Ramsay, London

**Sketch (the Lecture Room & Library), London

Fat Duck, Bray

Waterside Inn, Bray

Two stars

**Aimsir, Celbridge, Ireland

Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles, Auchterarder, Scotland

Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, Oxford, England

Core by Clare Smyth, London

Claude Bosi at Bibendum, London

**The Dining Room, Malmesbury, England

Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, London

Greenhouse, London

Hélène Darroze at the Connaught, London

Kitchen Table at Bubbledogs, London

**La Dame de Pic, London

Ledbury, London

Le Gavroche, London

L’Enclume, Cartmel, England

**Greenhouse, Dublin, Ireland

Patrick Guilbaud, Dublin, Ireland

Hand and Flowers, Marlow, England

Midsummer House, Cambridge, England

Moor Hall, Aughton, England

Nathan Outlaw, Port Isaac

Raby Hunt, Darlington, England

Sat Bains, Nottingham, England

Umu, London

One star (London)

Alyn Williams at the Westbury

Amaya

Angler

Aquavit

A.Wong

Barrafina

Brat

Céleste

Chez Bruce

City Social

Clove Club

Club Gascon

**Da Terra

Dining Room at The Goring

**Dysart Petersham

Elystan Street

**Endo at The Rotunda

Five Fields

Galvin La Chapelle

The Glasshouse

Gymkhana

Hakkasan Hanway Place

Hakkasan Mayfair

Harwood Arms

Hide

Ikoyi

Kai

Kitchen W8

Leroy

Locanda Locatelli

Lyle’s

**Mãos

Marcus

Murano

The Ninth

Pétrus

Pied à Terre

Pollen Street Social

Portland

Quilon

Ritz Restaurant

River Café

Roganic

Sabor

St John

Seven Park Place

Social Eating House

The Square

Story

Texture

Trinity

Trishna

La Trompette

Veeraswamy

Bib gourmand (London)

L’Amorosa

**Bancone

Bao

Barbary

**Berenjak

Blixen

Brasserie Zédel

Brawn

Café Spice Namaste

Cinnamon Bazaar

Farang

Gunpowder

Hereford Road

Hoppers

José

Kateh

Kiln

Kricket 

Kudu

Morito

Padella

Palomar

Petit Pois

Plaquemine Lock

Popolo

Primeur

Provender

St John Bread and Wine

Salt Yard

Smokestak

Sorella

Trullo

**Two Lights

Upstairs (at Trinity)

Westerns Laundry

Popular

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