News

Yorkshire pub voted ‘world’s best restaurant’

13 October 2017 By Lucy Shaw

A modest country pub in north Yorkshire has been named the best restaurant in the world by customer review website TripAdvisor.

The Black Swan in Oldstead has been voted the world’s best restaurant

The Black Swan in Oldstead, run by dashing young chef Tommy Banks, nabbed the top spot at the 2017 TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Restaurants Awards. Banks is the youngest British chef ever to win a Michelin star, picking up the accolade four years ago when he was just 24.

The Black Swan’s head chef, Tommy Banks

“It’s a huge honour to win this award, but what makes it really special is that it’s been awarded because of feedback from our customers,” Banks said.

Banks shot to fame this summer when he appeared on Great British Menu where he whipped up pan-fried turbot with pickled strawberries for guests at Wimbledon.

Most of the fruit and veg used at The Black Swan, including carrots, turnips and fennel, is grown right beside the pub and at Banks’ parents farm down the road.

Meanwhile, fruits, herbs and even weeds are turned into alcohol with sorrel acting as a substitute for lemon.

The pub offers a 12-course tasting menu for £95. Among the dishes on the menu are squid dressed in horseradish juice; lobster with onion and gooseberry; beetroot cooked in beef fat; and turbot with strawberries and cream.

This is the first time a British restaurant has taken the top spot since the awards began in 2012, with Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir Aux Quat’Saisons in Oxfordshire scooping second place.

With no judging panel involved, the award winners were determined using an algorithm that took into account the quantity and quality of reviews for restaurants around the world, gathered over a 12-month period.

Below are the top 20 restaurants in the world, as voted for by TripAdvisor users.

1: The Black Swan at Oldstead, Oldstead, United Kingdom

2: Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, New Milton, United Kingdom

3: Maison Lameloise, Chagny, France

4: L’Auberge de l’Ill, Illhaeusern, France

5: Martin Berasategui, Lasarte, Spain

6: Daniel, New York City, United States

7: La Colombe, Constantia, South Africa

8: David’s Kitchen, Chiang Mai, Thailand

9: Maido, Lima, Peru

10: El Celler de Can Roca, Girona, Spain

11: Restaurant Alcron, Prague, Czech Republic