10 UK restaurants worth travelling across the country for this summer
- Gurdeep Loyal
Published: July 8, 2026 at 10:29 AM
loading...
Get 5 months for £5 when you subscribe today
From a seafood and wine bar in Whitstable to a fire-led tasting menu in Wales, discover the hottest UK food and drink spots to visit this summer
Looking for exciting new restaurants to visit this summer? Trends expert Gurdeep Loyal shares his favourite food and drink destinations, from a Michelin Green Star restaurant housed in a restored 18th-century barn to a playful seafood and cocktail lounge.
Ad
Want to know about the hottest new spots in the capital? Read our guide to the best London restaurant openings.
UK restaurants worth travelling across the country for this summer
Keller, Whitstable – oysters, seafood and wine bar
This intimate wine bar and restaurant heralds from chef-owner Dan Smith of Canterbury's Michelin-starred Fordwich Arms, along with his former head sommelier, Elliott Ashton-Konig. Once a deli, the space has been transformed into a contemporary dining space that’s as inviting as it is chic. The menu of small plates are cooked over charcoal with an emphasis on locally caught seafood.
Think Whitstable rock oysters with mignonette dressing; roasted scallop with vadouvan spices; sea bass, fennel lyonnaise and vermouth sauce; and dry aged rib of beef to share with Isle of Wight tomatoes and charred romaine caesar. The wine list is proudly eclectic, celebrating both the new and old world, with a strong emphasis on English and Kentish wines in particular. Desserts are intentionally minimalist, also celebrating regional ingredients, like the Kentish strawberry and cardamom choux bun, and lemon meringue with toasted oats. A welcome new opening in this increasingly exciting culinary pocket along the coast. kellerwhitstable.co.uk
Corsham House, Wiltshire/Cotswolds border – British brasserie
Chef James Harris takes the helm at new British brasserie Corsham House – a beautiful Georgian conversion which also has 11 completely individual cosy bedrooms upstairs. The wine-led menu draws on the West Country’s abundant larder, with dishes like Westcombe cheddar curds; courgette, broad beans, White Lake feta, Mexican marigold and charcoal dressing; and eton mess with Somerset and Wye Valley berries.
In addition, there is a branch of Bath’s famous Beckford Bottle Shop on site, selling some of the team’s favourite wines from their original establishment. There are almost 200 bottles to choose from, with 20 different wines available in the brasserie by the glass, with the option to also drink from the shelves. In the afternoons it is open for drinks and a menu of snacks, including the likes of cod’s roe and pickled cucumber, or a cup of coffee with fudge or a slice of spiced apple cake served with Dorstone goats’ cheese and pickled raisins. Don’t miss the bustling outdoor terrace. corshamhouse.com
The Wellington, Margate – French bistro pub
The classical French cooking at British boozer The Wellington has quickly established it as one of the must-visit restaurants of Margate’s thriving dining scene. The evolving menu from chef and restauranteur Billy Stock focuses on seasonal produce, with a considered approach to sourcing from local farmers and growers. At its heart is a commitment to whole-carcass butchery, carried out in-house with a desire to minimise waste, the entire animal being used across the menu.
Dishes like crab on toast with bisque, and roast duck, duck-neck sausage, liver parfait and red cabbage, sit alongside beef cheek and snail suet pudding, and quince trifle – emphasising simplicity and depth of flavour. A separate bar menu offers tempting snacks like duck sausage rolls, beef short-ribs and welsh rarebit, with a thoughtfully chosen list of mostly French wines on offer that represent as much of the country as possible. Book early for the popular Sunday roasts. thewellingtonmargate.co.uk
Knepp Wilding Kitchen, Horsham – regenerative market garden menu
Knepp is a trailblazing 3,500-acre rewilding project in West Sussex, which now boasts a Michelin-recognised restaurant, farm shop and sustainable butchery, bringing the estate’s pioneering ethos to visitors with craft. Knepp Wilding Kitchen’s land-to-plate menu is shaped by the natural rhythm of the seasons with a focus on regenerative cooking. The restaurants dishes celebrate whole-animal butchery and the ever-changing produce of Knepp’s organic market garden, as well as a low-to-no wastage kitchen.
Menus are guided entirely by what’s growing now, along with the natural calendar of butchery and culling seasons. The Butchery forms a vital part of Knepp’s rewilding cycle, producing Wild Range meat for the restaurant and shop from herds of free-roaming old English Longhorn cattle, fallow and red deer, and Tamworth pigs. Expect dishes like market garden leeks, stracciatella and pangrattato; Knepp beef, venison and pork ragù and parmigiano reggiano; and market garden amoro squash, spiced almond sauce and grilled flatbread. Save room for desserts like The Bee Butler honey almond cake, Knepp elderflower and crème chantilly. knepp.co.uk
Gwen, Machynlleth, Wales – Welsh fine dining
Gwen restaurant, in the historic market town of Machynlleth, Powys, is an intimate fine dining restaurants that seats just eight diners. Its immersive 20-course fire-led tasting menu comes from the team behind the two Michelin starred Ynyshir and takes diners on a journey around the restaurant. Measuring a mere three metres wide, the moody micro restaurant serves up meticulously crafted cocktails on arrival, before diners pass through a leather curtain for the interactive communal main event.
The hyper seasonal menu created by Peter Sanchez-Iglesias and his small team emphasises exceptional ingredients and bold global influences with dishes like Pembrokeshire seabass, jalapeño and lemon; BBQ quail with date mole; Dyfi lobster with Galician bone marrow; and tres leche with Diplomático rum. The unique space also features custom pottery and hand-forged metalwork, showcasing local Welsh artisans. gwenrestaurant.co.uk
Celentano's, Glasgow – creative Italian
Located in Glasgow’s Arthouse Hotel, this celebrated Italian-inspired restaurant serves up a menu of ingredient-led, minimal-waste small plates, with a particular focus on seasonal local ingredients. Headed up by married duo Dean and Anna Parker, the restaurant combines rustic Italian culinary roots with a contemporary sustainable twist in a stylish, bohemian room.
The sharing dishes include crispy chicken skins with turnip and kombu ketchup; linguine with crab and 'nduja XO; malt glazed slow-cooked beef; and dayboat monkfish with roe butter. To finish there is a Bare Bones chocolate mousse affogato and cheese with oat crackers and house honey. There’s also a chef’s tasting menu if you want to try a little of everything, and an inventive cocktail menu that includes an espresso martini with Belvedere vodka, house coffee liqueur, espresso and tonka, and even a no-waste ricotta sour with Hennessy cognac, Amaro Averna, ricotta whey syrup, lemon and extra-virgin olive oil. celentanosglasgow.com
Image credit: Naomi Vance Photography
Bar Shrimp, Manchester – cool seafood restaurant
This playful seafood and cocktail lounge is the vision of Daniel Craig Martin, Joseph Otway and Richard Cossins – the trio behind Higher Ground and Flawd who are driving Manchester’s recent culinary revolution. The venue marries British shellfish with exquisite mixology and a killer sound system, with a plush aesthetic and intimate banquettes that will get you in the mood to party.
Start with British and Irish oysters served on ice with fireside vinegar and lemon, then dive into plates like monkfish ravioli, Morecombe bay langoustines with wild garlic butter, and the famous cuttlefish sandwich with parsley mayonnaise. Signature cocktails include a blackcurrant gimlet and Shrimp spritz, with artfully crafted shots including the Mezcal Disco Ball and Lemon Drop. If you still have room there’s a Cherry Blossom soft serve with maraschino cherry to finish. barshrimpmcr.co.uk
Lury, Hastings – Sri Lankan inspired fine dining
Lury is the debut restaurant from husband and wife team Jack Lury and Issy Cianchi, located in Hastings in East Sussex. Situated on the ground floor of a converted Edwardian house, Jack runs the kitchen single-handedly, with a multi-course tasting menu for only 10 guests at a time drawing on his British and Sri Lankan heritage. It particularly draws on the food of the Burgher community: a sub-section of Sri Lankan society with Portuguese, Dutch and British ancestry.
The weekly changing menu includes flavourful dishes like lion’s mane mushroom broth with curry leaf oil; milk bun stuffed with black pork curry and cardamom butter; confit egg yolk, seeni sambol, oyster mushrooms and lime foam; and blood orange cake with citrus, poached rhubarb and buttermilk-cardamom ice cream. The wine list offers a concise selection of wines from Europe and England, and just one single cocktail: an arrack old fashioned offered as an aperitif, digestif or to sip throughout the meal. luryrestaurant.com
Image credit: Georgina Cook
The White Horse, Easton, Suffolk – elevated pub classics
The latest opening by restaurateur George Pell and the team behind The Suffolk in Aldeburgh is The White Horse in Easton, bringing new life to a Grade II listed pub in the heart of the Deben Valley. The exposed wooden beams and open fireplaces make for a welcoming atmosphere, with an outdoor dining area overlooking the village green and even a lawn for bowls.
The menu showcases elevated takes on pub classics while also celebrating the east coast with specialities like freshly shucked Maldon oysters, potted smoked trout with pickled gooseberries and a bloody mary prawn cocktail. There are also hearty plates including fish and chips with chip shop curry sauce and house pickles; onglet with crispy onion rings and peppercorn sauce; and a twice-baked Suffolk Gold soufflé. The drinks list celebrates local ales from the region, featuring the likes of Earl Soham Victoria Bitter, Greenjack Trawlerboys and Timothy Taylor’s Landlord. Weekly quiz nights and a dart board make this a great place for gathering with friends and settling in for the day. eastonwhitehorse.co.uk
Kiln, Newcastle – Middle Eastern inspired dishes
Kiln began life as a pottery studio that served coffee on the side – in the heart of Newcastle’s creative Ouseburn Valley – with a recent refurb that has increased the dining space in a welcoming way. It serves up Middle East inspired dishes that champion producers of the North-East from brunch all the way to dinner, proudly plated on bespoke stoneware spun right in front of diners.
Ad
Start with Wildfarmed confit garlic pitta with sweet potato borani with feta and walnuts; then move on to blackened cabbage with lemon crème fraîche and pistachio butter, or marinaded chicken joojeh skewers with green labneh; then end with rose water rice pudding or homemade strawberry and sumac ice cream. The drinks list champions small-batch wines, craft beers and seasonal cocktails, with homemade specials frequently on the menu. Don’t miss their pottery classes where you can learn to make a plant pot, salt pig or clay monster. kiln.cafe
Authors
Gurdeep Loyal
Comments, questions and tips
Choose the type of message you'd like to post
Choose the type of message you'd like to post
CommentQuestionTip
Ad
Ad
Loading...
Ad
Loading...
Want to see this content?
This page contains olivemagazine content provided by Google reCAPTCHA. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as Google reCAPTCHA may use cookies and other technologies. To view this content, choose 'Accept and continue' to allow Google reCAPTCHA and its required purposes.
Accept and continue