There are so many amazing places to eat outside of London, and nothing says a restaurant is top-notch like a Michelin star. This prestigious accolade highlights the best of the best in dining. And the great news is that many of these spots are easily accessible with CrossCountry. So, grab your finest dining attire and get ready to explore some of the UK's best Michelin Star restaurants.
Àclèaf, Plymouth
Our first restaurant, Àclèaf, earned its Michelin star through the ingenuity and personality they put into every dish. Stepping into Àclèaf is a guarantee that you will be getting fresh, locally sourced ingredients of the finest quality - the least impressive part about this stunning restaurant! With an emphasis on traditional cooking techniques and ingredients, Àclèaf manages to create visually beautiful creations with extremely elevated flavour profiles. Menus are seasonal but regardless of the time of year, the food will be phenomenal.
We recommend opting for the wine pairing menu where each dish is expertly partnered with the perfect wine. Think decadent Cremet goats’ cheese with a crisp Riesling d'Alsace or veal with a luxurious pinot noir. Àclèaf is conveniently located within the Boringdon Hall Hotel, a beautiful and tranquil manor house, perfect for a luxurious weekend getaway. Be sure to take advantage of the spa facilities.
Àclèaf is located in the town of Plympton, six miles from Plymouth station where there are bus and taxi services available. Reaching Plymouth is incredibly straightforward on the CrossCountry network, with services available from across the UK, including from Exeter St Davids, Penzance station and Cheltenham Spa.
Bulrush, Bristol
Bulrush is tucked away in the charming neighbourhood of Cotham in Bristol. Despite its cosy location though, this restaurant has international tastes, combining classic Anglo-French cuisine with Japanese and Scandinavian notes. A visit to Bulrush will require an entire evening as their inventive and delicious tasting menu takes roughly three hours to complete.
The menu offers a sensational selection of premium eats. From wagyu beef to Orkney scallops, everything is as fresh as can be. The restaurant also offers both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drink pairings so that everyone can enjoy the full potential of the Bulrush experience.
Bulrush can be easily accessed by bus from Bristol Temple Meads, and there are plenty of places to stay in the area for a weekend away too. CrossCountry makes travelling to Bristol easy with various routes available from all over England, Scotland, and Wales, including from Cardiff Central, Birmingham New Street and Edinburgh Waverley.
The Elephant, Torquay
There’s an unmistakable passion for food in every dish served by Head Chef and owner Simon Hulstone and his team at The Elephant. Garden-fresh ingredients are sourced from the restaurant’s farm in Brixham. Seasonal produce hits the ever-changing menu throughout the year, ensuring deliciously fresh food. If all that wasn’t enough, the pricing is thoroughly humble and is, perhaps, the best-value Michelin starred eatery in the country.
From Torquay Station, The Elephant is just over one mile away and is easy to reach via a twenty minute walk or a five minute taxi journey. You can also hop onto a bus from Strand Harbourside, which leaves every five minutes.
The Kitchin, Edinburgh
The Kitchin evokes Scotland’s natural beauty through its spectacular offerings of fresh, local, and high-quality produce. Every morsel from every dish is a novel flavour experience, with inventive combinations and colourful presentation. The tasting menu includes mouth-watering Newhaven lobster tail poached in butter, Highland Wagyu beef tartare and White chocolate and yuzu mousse. And if that’s not enough to get you excited, the wine list will. From Chardonnay to Chablis, diners can spend a pretty penny on the finest bottles from across the globe.
Edinburgh has so much to offer visitors, from charming hill walks to quaint independent shops. We recommend including The Kitchin as part of an enjoyable weekend away to the Scottish capital. This Michelin star restaurant is located in Leith, a twenty-minute bus or tram ride from Edinburgh Waverley. Edinburgh is easy to reach on a CrossCountry train from all over Scotland and the rest of the UK, including Glasgow Central and Dundee station.
Adams, Birmingham
Owner and Head Chef Adam Stokes offers fine dining in the heart of Birmingham. Whether visiting for pleasure or business, the formal dining room is the ideal setting. The soft lighting is accompanied by elegant furnishings, and everything is served to an extremely high standard. The extensive wine cellar is a maze of bottles that will excite any aspiring sommelier and the staff are pleased to offer diners a range of tantalising wine pairing suggestions.
Adams is the perfect romantic date destination in Birmingham and there are multiple hotels around the area to make a weekend out of it. The restaurant is just a four minute walk from Birmingham New Street Station, simply head north-west on Pinfold Street before going straight up to Waterloo Street.
Best Michelin Guide Restaurants in the UK
Many of our favourite restaurants across the UK do not have a Michelin star. There are a host of really special eating establishments recommended in the Michelin guide that definitely deserve a visit. Here are just a few of the most delicious Michelin Guide restaurants in the UK, that we think really deserve that star.
• Oxford: Arbequina
• Nottingham: Kushi-Ya
• Cardiff: Purple Poppadom
• Reading: L'Ortolan
If you’re planning a delicious meal in a Michelin Star restaurant, don’t forget to book an Advance ticket via our website or the CrossCountry app. If you need more information, you can contact us here.
Written by Abby