Michelin on Best British Pub Food

New 2009 Guide to Eating Out in Gastropubs Picks the Pub of the Year

Sep 8, 2008 Mike Gerrard

The Punch Bowl Inn in Crosthwaiteis the Best Pub in Britain and Ireland says the Michelin Eating Out in Pubs Guide for 2009, rating top gastropubs in the British Isles.

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Read the review of the latest 2010 edition of Michelin's Eating Out in Pubs guide.

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The annual Michelin guide to the best pubs for dining rates over 550 of the finest inns, pubs, and bars for eating out in England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Ireland. It's one of those tough jobs, but someone has to do it. With over 80 new entries since the 2008 guide was published 12 months ago, trying to pick the best pub restaurant can't have been easy, but the winner is the Punch Bowl Inn.

Just a few miles from Kendal in the English Lake District, the Punchbowl Inn sounds like the perfect place for a retreat, surrounded as it is by some of England's most beautiful countryside. As well as its gourmet food, the Inn has nine rooms to rent. The bar menu includes dishes like breast of corn-fed chicken with truffle mash, cauliflower and caramelised chicory; hot roast pork ciabatta with sage and onion stuffing and apple sauce; and that traditional Cumbrian dish... er, bouillabaisse.

Inspector Favourites

In addition to the Pub of the Year, the Michelin gastropub inspectors have picked out their 'Inspector favourites'. They say that every pub in the book is distinguished by the quality of its cooking, but some go the extra mile and have at least one other quality that makes them stand out from the crowd, whether it be value for money, friendly service, location, or just general pub atmosphere.

Best London Dining Pubs

Nine of the 'Inspector Favourites' are in London, so visitors to England's capital can combine top quality food with a visit to a British institution: the pub. The top-rated Michelin London pubs are:

  • The Havelock Tavern, Shepherd's Bush
  • The Devonshire, Chiswick
  • The House, Canonbury
  • The Admiral Codrington, Chelsea
  • The Rosendale, West Dulwich
  • The Brown Dog, Barnes
  • The Anchor and Hope, Southwark
  • The Narrow, Limehouse
  • The Thomas Cubitt, Victoria

Each of the entries, from Aberaeron to Zennor, from the Abbey Inn at Byland Abbey to Y Polyn in Nantgaredig, gets a full page review. As well as a photo and full contact details, there's a list of the real ales served, a blackboard showing some typical dishes, the opening hours, sample prices, details of any accommodation, and directions for finding the place. Each listing is topped off with a lengthy descriptive review.

The standard of British pub food has never been higher, at the top end of the market. It's true that many places still serve mediocre pub grub, bought in from outside and heated up in a microwave. But with the emergence of gastropubs in the last few years, and chefs like Gordon Ramsay moving into the pub restaurant market, a book like this Michelin Guide to pub food is essential to help steer diners towards some of the best – and best-value – British food.

Practical Information

The Michelin Guide to Eating Out in Pubs 2009 is published at £14.99 in the UK and $19.95 in Canada. Further details from the Michelin website.

Links

See the review of the Michelin Eating Out in Pubs Guide for 2008

See the review of the Michelin Eating Out in Pubs Guide for 2007

The copyright of the article Michelin on Best British Pub Food in U.K./Ireland Travel is owned by Mike Gerrard. Permission to republish Michelin on Best British Pub Food in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
Michelin Eating Out in Pubs Guide 2009, Michelin Guides Michelin Eating Out in Pubs Guide 2009