A tiny Lake District restaurant has been named by locals and holiday makers as the best fine dining spot not just in the UK and Europe – but the world.

The Old Stamp House Restaurant in Ambleside, Cumbria has topped the 2021 Travellers’ Choice Best of the Best restaurant awards, run by TripAdvisor and based on the quality and quantity of traveller reviews and ratings on the site.

The Michelin-starred spot, housed in the former office of the poet William Wordsworth, who also worked as a stamp distributor for a while, nabbed the title of best Date Night restaurant in the UK – and ninth best in the world.

And it wasn’t the only British eatery to rank highly in the global list. 

There were other shout-outs for restaurants across a range of categories in the global list. Scarlett Green in Soho, London was voted best brunch spot in the UK and the world, while Cosmic Kitchen in Plymouth was named best vegan spot in the UK and number three in the world. 

Craft in Birmingham ranked number 11 in the world’s hottest new restaurants (and number 19 in the world’s picture-perfect list). Meanwhile, the Everyday Eats chart in the UK was topped by Newcastle’s Rio Brazilian Steakhouse.

Read on for the UK top 10s by category – fine dining, date spot, best brunch, vegan and everyday eats – as ranked by TripAdvisor users. They’ll book up fast, so bag your table now – and if you fancy walking off all that delicious food, here’s their ranking of the best walks in the UK, too.

The 10 Best Fine Dining Restaurants In The UK

1. The Old Stamp House Restaurant, Ambleside, Cumbria

2. The Kitchin, Edinburgh, Scotland

3. L’Enclume, Cartmel, Cumbria

4. Adam’s, Birmingham, West Midlands

5. Moor Hall, Augton, Lancashire

6. Winteringham Fields, Winteringham, Lincolnshire

7. Maison Bleue Restaurant, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk

8. Outlaw’s New Road, Port Isaac, Cornwall

9. Restaurant Sat Bains With Rooms, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire

10. John’s House Restaurant, Mountsorrel, Leicestershire

The 10 Best Date Night Restaurants In the UK

1. The Old Stamp House Restaurant, Ambleside, Cumbria

2. Paul Ainsworth at No. 6, Padstow, Cornwall

3. Antidote, Ilfracombe, Devon

4. Corner Grill House, York, Yorkshire

5. Samphire Seafood Restaurant, Inveraray, Scotland

6. Marmalade’s Bistro, Sheringham, Norfolk

7. Kysty Ambleside, Ambleside, Cumbria

8. Wayfarer Bistro, Robin Hoods Bay, Yorkshire

9. One Fish Street, St Ives, Cornwall

10. The Hall – Restaurant of St Mary’s Hall Hotel, Hugh Town, Isles of Scilly

The 10 Best Brunch Restaurants In The UK

1. Scarlett Green, Soho, London

2. Salt Cafe, Edinburgh, Scotland

3. Jo & Co Restaurants, Hove, East Sussex

4. E-Street Cafe, Glasgow, Scotland

5. ToasT Oxted, Oxted, Surrey

6. Fore Street Cafe Bar, Newquay, Cornwall

7. Homeground Coffee + Kitchen, Windermere, Cumbria

8. The Fig, Rye, East Sussex

9. Robinsons Cafe, York, Yorkshire

10. FINT, Leeds, Yorkshire

The 10 Best Vegan Restaurants In The UK

1. Cosmic Kitchen, Plymouth, Devon

2. Twelve Eatery, Bournemouth, Dorset

3. Offbeet New Forest, Southampton, Hampshire

4. Indigo Greens, Liverpool, Lancashire

5. Tansy’s Pantry, Godshill, Hampshire

6. The Tipsy Vegan, Norwich, Norfolk

7. Amrutha Lounge, London

8. Cafe Van Gogh, London

9. Corarima, Wakefield, Yorkshire

10. BA-HA, Birmingham, West Midlands

The 10 Best Everyday Eats Spots In The UK

1. Rio Brazilian Steakhouse, Newcastle upon Tyne

2. Makars Gourmet Mash Bar, Edinburgh

3. Scarlett Green, Soho, London

4. Olive Tree Turkish Mediterranean Restaurant & Bar, Milton Keynes

5. Simla Restaurant, Newcastle upon Tyne

6. The Bank Bar & Grill, Blackpool

7. The Lowestoft Tandoori, Lowestoft, Suffolk

8. The Laundrette, Manchester

9 Taste Of Nawab, London

10. Liquor & Loaded, King’s Lynn, Norfolk