The Michelin Guide holds legendary status within the restaurant and hospitality industry and last night marked the 119th annual celebration of its publication. The premise has always been simple: crown the best restaurants in the world with one, two or three Michelin stars, one reflecting very good cooking, two reflecting excellent cooking worth a detour, and three reflecting exceptional cuisine that's worth a special journey. 

Held in Fulham's Hurlingham Club yesterday, Michelin bucked the norm this year by taking to Twitter three days prior to the event and announcing Alchemilla in Nottingham as their first winner – a first in the history of the Michelin guide. Normally, they wait until the very last minute to even invite guests to the ceremony, adding to the mystery and exclusivity shrouding the ceremony and, in turn, the winners.  To watch some of the ceremony for yourself, click the video below.

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Receiving a Michelin star remains one of the biggest honours of the industry and last night, chef Raymond Blanc announced the four restaurants who've made their 2020 UK guide for the first time, and confirmed which restaurants who already held stars would be maintaining theirs.

There were nine London restaurants who lost their stars this year, mainly due to restaurants closing down or as a result of chefs venturing into new projects. These were:

  • The Araki in Mayfair
  • Yauatcha in Soho
  • Galvin at Windows in Mayfair
  • Bonhams in Mayfair
  • Benares in Mayfair
  • Fera at Claridge's in Mayfair
  • L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon in Covent Garden
  • Hedone in Chiswick

67 stars were awarded in London in total, 62 re-awarded to restaurants already holding the honour and six totally new stars, italicised. Four of these have never been named in previous years - but more on that later. The extensive list of near 70 sites covers:

  • Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester ***
  • Restaurant Gordon Ramsay ***
  • Sketch (The Lecture Room and Library) ***
  • Core by Clare Smyth **
  • Kitchen Table at Bubbledogs **
  • Claude Bosi at Bibendum **
  • Dinner by Heston Blumenthal **
  • La Dame de Pic **
  • Le Gavroche **
  • The Greenhouse **
  • Hélène Darroze at The Connaught **
  • The Ledbury **
  • Umu **
  • Alyn Williams at The Westbury *
  • Amaya *
  • Angler *
  • Aquavit *
  • A. Wong *
  • Barrafina (Soho) *
  • Brat *
  • Celeste at the Lanesborough *
  • Chez Bruce *
  • City Social *
  • Clove Club *
  • Club Gascon *
  • Da Terra *
  • Dysart Petersham *
  • Elystan Street *
  • Endo at the Rotunda *
  • Five Fields *
  • Galvin La Chapelle *
  • The Glasshouse *
  • The Goring (Dining Room) *
  • Gymkhana *
  • Hakkasan Hanway Place *
  • Hakkasan Mayfair *
  • Harwood Arms *
  • Hide *
  • Ikoyi *
  • Kai *
  • Kitchen W8 *
  • Leroy *
  • Locanda Locatelli *
  • Lyle’s *
  • Māos *
  • Marcus *
  • Murano *
  • The Ninth *
  • Petrus *
  • Pied a Terre *
  • Pollen Street Social *
  • Portland *
  • Quilon *
  • Roganic *
  • Ritz Restaurant *
  • River Cafe *
  • Sabor *
  • St. John *
  • Seven Park Place *
  • Social Eating House *
  • The Square *
  • Story *
  • Texture *
  • Trinity *
  • Trishna *
  • La Trompette *
  • Veeraswamy *

Other positive news saw Mana in Manchester receive the city's first star in over forty years.

Read on for everything you need to know about the hottest new dinner spots in the capital. 

Everything you need to know about the four new Michelin star restaurants in London

Da Terra

8 Patriot Square, E2 9NF

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Chefs Paulo Airaudo and Rafael Cagali met while working in The Fat Duck, so we can’t say we’re massively surprised that such vaunted alumni have snuck into this year’s Michelin Guide. Da Terra, however, is a surprise in all the best ways imaginable. The 9-course tasting menu is equal parts challenging and straight-up delicious, served in relaxed environment that won’t make you worry about whether what you’re wearing is suitable for the occasion. No, you’ll be far too preoccupied with trying to work out how on earth Airaudo and Cagali have managed to make food that good. Da Terra means “of the earth” in Portuguese and this Bethnal Green restaurant is a real down-to-earth place to eat and worthy of its inclusion in this year’s Michelin Guide.

daterra.co.uk

The Dysart Petersham

135 Petersham Road, TW10 7AA

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The Dysart Petersham is a reminder that a restaurant doesn't have to be smack-bang in the middle of London to be relevant to diners. Family owned and run, The Dysart dishes out superlative plates of seasonal British produce. There's nothing highfalutin about head chef Kenneth Culhane's food as the focus remains on quality ingredients and responsible sourcing. Anywhere that's deemed worthy of a Michelin star while still having hogget and champ mash on the menu gets a massive thumbs up from us.

thedysartpetersham.co.uk

Endo at Rotunda

101 Wood Lane, W12 7FR

Sushi master Endo Kazutoshi is the man responsible for the "Endo" part of Endo at Rotunda. He's also the man responsible for serving some of the best sushi in the entire city of London. Nestled at the top of the BBC Helios building, Endo at Rotunda is a chic space where you can enjoy an eighteen course signature Omakase experience. Coming in at a cool £180, it's not a cheap meal. But it's worth every penny. Fitting in with the whole forward-thinking ethos we love about London's dining scene, the 16-seat restaurant only serves ethically sourced, farmed Bluefin Tuna and European sustainably sourced line-caught fish.

endoatrotunda.com

Māos

41 Redchurch Street, E2 7DJ

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Edoardo Pellicano and Nuno Mendes's Portuguese restaurant on Redchurch Street is another 16-seat restaurant that managed to capture the hearts of the Michelin inspectors. Located at the Blue Mountain School, Māos does things a little differently with its communal tables and a three-hour seasonal dinner menu. The menu is £150 per guest, excluding beverages and service charge, so yes, it is a high-end eating experience and not exactly your mid-week meal sort of affair. But it’s the lack of pretension at Māos – and it’s refusal to get involved with the starched tablecloths and haughty atmosphere so often seen in the Michelin Guide – that that makes it a refreshing inclusion in this year’s class. 

bluemountain.school