Outlaw’s New Road voted second best restaurant in UK in national diners’ poll

Outlaw’s New Road in Cornwall, the flagship restaurant from seafood chef Nathan Outlaw, has scooped second place in the Harden’s Top 100 Best UK Restaurants poll, while Bristol has been revealed as the third best city for dining outside London

One of the region’s best-loved restaurants, Outlaw’s New Road in Port Isaac has been voted as the second best restaurant in the UK by Harden’s readers in the guide’s annual diners’ poll. The tiny 20-seat restaurant was only surpassed by L’Enclume in Cumbria, which currently holds three Michelin stars.

New Road wasn’t the only South West restaurant to make the list. Paul Ainsworth at No6 in Padstow placed fourth and Michael Caines’ Lympstone Manor near Exmouth came in at 11. Outlaw’s Fish Kitchen in Port Isaac (24), Ugly Butterfly by Adam Handling at Carbis Bay (31), Lumiere in Cheltenham (46), Restaurant Roots in Southbourne (53), Bulrush (71) and Wilson’s, both Bristol, (89) were also included in the Top 100.

The extended list, which features the Top 500 reader-voted restaurants in the UK, revealed Cornwall to be the third best region in which to dine outside London (14 venues) and Bristol as the third best city outside London (7 venues).

Harden’s co-founder Peter Harden said: ‘The South West is tough to beat with such a wealth of fresh produce from land and sea right on its doorstep. Chefs in this region are experts at harnessing the natural seasonal bounty the area has to offer to great effect.

‘This year we noticed London is losing its grip on the Top 100, with the capital’s dominance being the weakest the guide has ever recorded. However, as demonstrated by the top two voted restaurants, the challengers aren’t based in other big cities but in the growth of touristic and destination dining – a move for which the South West is particularly well placed to take full advantage.‘

Harden’s is the UK’s original user-generated restaurant guide, with ratings derived from its annual survey.