Top UK culinary guide describes Edinburgh's restaurant scene as 'still unrivalled outside London'
The country's top 100 restaurant list has been revealed by Harden's Best UK Restaurants guide, with a £385-a-head sushi restaurant in London named as the best dining experience and Manchester crowned the fastest improving city for food lovers
The Araki in the capital's Mayfair, which seats nine people and recently gained three Michelin stars, beat Bristol's Casamia and The Ledbury in London in the poll of thousands of diners for the leading guide.
While it gave plaudits to Manchester it also described Edinburgh as "still unrivalled outside London" when it comes to the city's culinary scene with 55 listings and 13 restaurants among the top scorers, including Restaurant Martin Wishart in ninth place, The Kitchin (47) and Norn (66).
Andrew Fairlie's eponymous restaurant in Auchterarder (35), The Peat Inn in Cupar (94) and The Three Chimneys on Skye (68) were the only other Scottish eateries to make it in the top 100.
Bath and Bristol climbed to joint seventh place from joint 11th position for their number of top scoring restaurants, while Wales achieved five rankings in the top 100.
The 27th annual list was based on a survey of 8,500 diners who contributed 50,000 reviews of their restaurant experiences.
The guide's editor and co-founder Peter Harden said: "Regarding Scotland and it’s national performance relating to restaurants it’s impressive that two of the most exciting cities for restaurants outside London in the life of the guide have been Edinburgh and Glasgow.
"But whereas Edinburgh has consolidated its position as the UK’s second restaurant city outside London there’s a feeling Glasgow has more to give.
"Like Manchester it has a very broad variety of quality restaurants but also like Manchester really needs to develop a few culinary champions worthy of our Hardens 100 to showcase its attractions."
Mr Harden said The Araki's success was down to its "fabulous level of attention and ingredient quality".
"We often find that smaller restaurants do better because the chef can really focus on your meal and your experience."
The 100 best restaurants in the UK, according to Harden's, are:
1. The Araki, London 2. Casamia, Bristol 3. The Ledbury, London 4. Restaurant Nathan Outlaw, Port Isaac 5. The Fat Duck, Bray 6. Marianne, London 7. Waterside Inn, Bray 8. Black Swan, Oldstead 9. Restaurant Martin Wishart, Edinburgh 10. The Clove Club, London 11. Gidleigh Park, Chagford 12. Fraiche, Oxton 13. Restaurant Sat Bains, Nottingham 14. Ormer Mayfair, London 15. Gareth Ward at Ynyshir, Eglwys Fach 16. Sushi Tetsu, London 17. Story, London 18. L'Enclume, Cartmel 19. Yorke Arms, Ramsgill-in-Nidderdale 20. The Greenhouse, London 21. Midsummer House, Cambridge 22. Le Gavroche, London 23. Pied a Terre, London 24. Sketch, Lecture Room, London 25. Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons, Great Milton 26. Umu, London 27. Bubbledogs, Kitchen Table, London 28. The Five Fields, London 29. Raby Hunt, Summerhouse 30. Moor Hall, Aughton 31. Bohemia, Jersey 32. Adam's, Birmingham 33. Texture, London 34. Estiatorio Milos, London 35. Andrew Fairlie, Auchterarder 36. Morston Hall, Morston 37. Helene Darroze, London 38. Tyddyn Llan, Llandrillo 39. The Box Tree, Ilkley 40. Le Cochon Aveugle, York 41. Petrus, London 42. Hedone, London 43. Hambleton Hall, Hambleton 44. The Neptune, Old Hunstanton 45. The Ritz, London 46. Roux at Parliament Square, London 47. The Kitchin, Edinburgh 48. Murano, London 49. Llangoed Hall, Llyswen 50. Paul Ainsworth at No 6, Padstow 51. 108 Garage, London 52. Hakkasan Mayfair, London 53. Chez Bruce, London 54. Lympstone Manor, Exmouth 55. Jamavar, London 56. Hunan, London 57. The Forest Side, Grasmere 58. The Art School, Liverpool 59. Andre Garrett At Cliveden, Taplow 60. House Of Tides, Newcastle upon Tyne 61. Artichoke, Amersham 62. 5 North Street, Winchcombe 63. Goodman City, London 64. Trishna, London 65. Wilks, Bristol 66. Norn, Edinburgh 67. One-O-One, London 68. The Three Chimneys, Dunvegan 69. Elystan Street, London 70. Typing Room, London 71. La Trompette, London 72. Where The Light Gets In, Stockport 73. The Man Behind The Curtain, Leeds 74. Restaurant James Sommerin, Penarth 75. Marcus, The Berkeley, London 76. The Whitebrook, Whitebrook 77. Pollen Street Social, London 78. Gauthier Soho, London 79. Zuma, London 80. La Petite Maison, London 81. Locanda Locatelli, London 82. Northcote, Langho 83. The Harrow at Little Bedwyn, Marlborough 84. The Woodspeen, Newbury 85. The Sportsman, Seasalter 86. The Glasshouse, Kew 87. Wiltons, London 88. Purnells, Birmingham 89. Coya, London 90. La Dame de Pic London, London 91. Roka, London 92. Seafood Restaurant, Padstow 93. The Seahorse, Dartmouth 94. The Peat Inn, Cupar 95. Scott's, London 96. Stovell's, Chobham 97. Trinity, London 98. Portland, London 99. Min Jiang, London 100. Medlar, London