Michelin star awards 2024: Plenty to celebrate... and feel disappointed by

There was lots to celebrate at the Michelin awards last night, but with only nine people of colour and one female winner, Hannah Twiggs asks: will the guide ever reflect what it means to be a truly good restaurant?

Adejoké ‘Joké’ Bakare became the first black female Michelin-starred chef, with Chishuru becoming one of two African restaurants in the UK to make the list for the first time (Chishuru)

Another year, another addition to the lofty Michelin Guide.

Hosted in Manchester’s suitably grand Midland Hotel, the guide announced 31 new ratings for 2024, including its ninth third star – the first in two years – and six new sustainability-focused green stars, as well as 20 new Bib Gourmands, highlighting great food at moderate prices, which were announced last week.

Whether you were clapping (slowly or otherwise), rolling your eyes or, as one fellow food writer told me, “screaming at the TV” as the awards were announced, it can’t be denied that after 124 years, it remains the most important food guide in the world. That’s not to say that every chef covets a star, nor that those without aren’t any good: a restaurant can be perfectly fantastic without one, and just as mediocre with.

The criteria have changed innumerably over the past century and in fact still remain deliberately vague. Indeed, you could argue that the industry used to follow the awards not unlike a little lost puppy, begging for scraps; now, it seems, the guide is steered more by the movements of the industry… that is to cheaper, arguably better places outside of London.

Gossip abounds, naturally, and most of it should be ignored. Instead, I’d recommend keeping Michelin’s founding principles, published in 1936, in mind when considering the list of awards below: one star for a “very good restaurant in its category”, two stars for “excellent cooking, worth a detour”, three for “exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey”.

The most exciting news of the night was undoubtedly the stars awarded to Aji Akokomi’s Akoko in Fitzrovia and Adejoké “Joké” Bakare’s Chishuru in Soho, two of the most talked about new openings in recent years and the first two West African restaurants to make the cut in the UK. That also makes Bakare the first black female Michelin-starred chef. There’s only one other African restaurant on the list, Ikoyi, though it prefers to bill itself as “Creative” cuisine.

Elsewhere, there were some predictable, some well-deserved one stars handed out, such as (beloved of the food gods and hipsters alike) Brat’s Tomos Parry’s hyped 2023 opening Mountain; 1890 by Gordon Ramsay, one of three restaurants he helms in the Savoy; Dorian, Notting Hill’s answer to River Cafe; and, outside of London, Simon Rogan alumnus Dan Cox’s Crocadon, down in Cornwall. The two stars tentatively reached slightly further afield, with Terre in Ireland and The Glenturret Lalique Restaurant in Scotland, though this category, too, was geared predominantly towards London. Notably, though, Opheem in Birmingham and Gymkhana in Mayfair became the first Indian restaurants to be awarded two stars (there are five Indian restaurants in London with one).

Brett Graham of The Ledbury took home the restaurant’s shining third star (Supplied)

And, for the first time in two years, the guide handed out the coveted third star, to… dun, dun dun… The Ledbury in Notting Hill, whose cuisine can only be described as “tasting menu”. That it’s only been 12 months since it regained its second star, having lost them while closed during the pandemic, should either be considered a great triumph or a curious surprise. At any rate, for co-owner Brett Graham, becoming the first Aussie chef to win three stars (there’s no Michelin guide in his home country) is something to brag about.

With one hand the guide giveth, and with the other it taketh away. As is tradition, restaurants that close or move are removed from the edition. This year, that includes Michel Roux’s Le Gavroche, The Raby Hunt in Darlington, and Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley, among others. But, in an unanticipated blow for Tao Group Hospitality, both Hakkasan locations in London, in Mayfair and Hanway Place, were stripped of their stars, having held them for 12 and 20 years respectively. Barrafina Dean Street, one of five spots in London, and Peter Sanchez-Igelsias’s Paco Tapas in Bristol, were also struck off, for reasons unknown. Michelin makes a habit of moving in mysterious ways.

So what have we learnt? Whisperings of a mutiny to dethrone London as the food capital of the country after the city was awarded only six of the 23 stars in last year’s guide have been somewhat squashed by this year’s 18 - the lion’s share. Although dishing out only two of the 20 Bibs to London and one of the green stars shows that even Michelin thinks the city is no longer affordable nor sustainable. Not good news for any upcoming chefs hoping to tap the scene. I’d like to say that traditional (read: kind of boring) French techniques are on the out alongside the male white chefs that seem to love them so much: there were nine people of colour on this year’s list, compared to just two last year. But that would mean I’d also have to celebrate the one female chef that won a star this year because it’s an improvement on last year’s solid zero. I suppose we should be grateful for any at all.

The conclusion is, as ever, a mixed bag. A definite cause for celebration here, a probable yawn there. Whether we like it or not, it’s the highest accolade for chefs, and worthy of celebration, but it’s not the only mark of a truly great restaurant, and it never will be.

New Michelin stars for 2024

New three stars

The Ledbury, Notting Hill, London

New two stars

Gymkhana, Mayfair, London

Brooklands, Belgravia, London

Terre, Castlemartyr, Ireland

The Glenturret Lalique Restaurant, Crieff, Scotland

Trivet, Bermondsey, London

Opheem, Birmingham, West Midlands

New one stars

Restaurant Myse, Hovingham, York

Mountain, Soho, London

1890 by Gordon Ramsay, The Strand, London

Cedar Tree, Brampton, Cumbria

Pavyllon, Mayfair, London

The Bishop’s Buttery, Cashel, Ireland

Dorian, Notting Hill, London

Humo, Mayfair, London

Crocadon, Saltash, Cornwall

Homestead Cottage, Doolin, Ireland

Akoko, Farringdon, London

Lake Road Kitchen, Ambleside , Cumbria

Sushi Kanesaka, Mayfair, London

Humble Chicken, Soho, London

D’Olier Street, Dublin, Ireland

Ormer Mayfair, Mayfair, London

Aulis, Soho, London

Chishuru, Soho, London

New green stars

ANNWN, Narberth, Wales

Exmoor Forest Inn, Simonsbath, England

Forge, Middleton Tyas, Yorkshire

Interlude, Lower Beeding, England

St Barts, London

The Whitebrook, Whitebrook, Wales

New Bib Gourmands

tipo, Edinburgh, Scotland

Touring Club, Penarth, Wales

The Three Horseshoes, Fordham, England

The Reindeer, Hoveringham, England

The Loch & The Tyne, Old Windsor, England

The Mulberry, Falmouth, England

The Clifton, Bristol, England

The Bull, Charlbury, England

Solas, Dingle, Ireland

Palmito, Brighton and Hove, England

Les 2 Garçons, London, England

Lottie’s, Dublin, Ireland

La Gordita, Dublin, Ireland

Lark, Bury St Edmunds, England

Ichigo Ichie Bistro & Natural Wine, Cork, Ireland

Home, Belfast, Northern Ireland

Higher Ground, Manchester, England

Empire Empire, London, England

Dill, Lewes, England

Amy Austin, Dublin, Ireland

The full list of Michelin-starred restaurants in the UK

Three stars

Hélène Darroze at The Connaught, Mayfair, London

The Waterside Inn, Bray, Berkshire

Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, Chelsea, London

Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester, Mayfair, London

The Fat Duck, Bray, Berkshire

Sketch (The Lecture Room & Library), Mayfair, London

Core by Clare Smyth, Notting Hill, London

L’Enclume, Cartmel, Cumbria

The Ledbury, Notting Hill, London – NEW

Two stars

England

Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, Great Milton, Oxfordshire

Midsummer House , Cambridge, Cambridgeshire

Restaurant Sat Bains with Rooms, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire

Bibendum, Chelsea, London

Dinner by Heston, Knightsbridge, London

A Wong, Pimlico, London

The Hand and Flowers, Marlow, Buckinghamshire

Kitchen Table at Bubbledogs, Fitzrovia, London

Moor Hall, Ormskirk, Lancashire

La Dame de Pic, City of London, London

Da Terra, Bethnal Green, London

Restaurant Story, Southwark, London

Ikoyi, St James’s, London

The Clove Club, Shoreditch, London

Alex Dilling at Hotel Café Royal, Mayfair, London

Gymkhana, Mayfair, London – NEW

Brooklands, Belgravia, London – NEW

Trivet, Bermondsey, London – NEW

Opheem, Birmingham, West Midlands – NEW

Scotland

Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles, Perthshire, Scotland

The Glenturret Lalique Restaurant, Crieff, Scotland – NEW

Ireland

Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud, Dublin, Ireland

Chapter One, Dublin, Ireland

Liath, Blackrock, Ireland

Dede, Cork, Ireland

Wales

Ynyshir, Machynlleth, Powys

Terre, Castlemartyr, Ireland – NEW

One stars

England

Northcote, Langho, Lancashire

Portland, Fitzrovia, London

Gravetye Manor, East Grinstead, West Sussex

The Elephant, Torquay, Devon

Club Gascon, Smithfield, London

Paul Ainsworth at Number 6, Padstow, Cornwall

Bohemia, St Helier, Jersey

The Masons Arms, Knowstone, Devon

The Cross at Kenilworth, Kenilworth, Warwickshire

Simpsons, Edgbaston, Birmingham

Galvin La Chapelle, Spitalfields, London

Hambleton Hall, Oakham, Rutland

Morston Hall, Holt, Norfolk

The Goring, Belgravia, London

The Neptune, Hunstanton, Norfolk

Adam’s, Birmingham, West Midlands

The Pipe and Glass Inn, Beverley, Yorkshire

Trinity, Clapham, London

Barrafina, Soho, London

Outlaw’s Fish Kitchen, Port Isaac, Cornwall

Elystan Street, Chelsea, London

Lympstone Manor, Lympstone, Devon

Rogan & Co, Cartmel, Cumbria

Sorrel, Dorking, Surrey

Winteringham Fields, Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire

Marcus, Knightsbridge, London

Le Champignon Sauvage, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire

Angler, City of London, London

The Hind’s Head, Bray, Berkshire

The Ninth, Fitzrovia, London

Hide, Piccadilly, London

Kitchen W8, Kensington, London

The Black Swan at Oldstead, Oldstead, North Yorkshire

Artichoke, Amersham, Buckinghamshire

Harwood Arms, Fulham, London

River Cafe, Hammersmith, London

La Trompette, Chiswick, London

St. John, Clerkenwell, London

Chez Bruce, Wandsworth, London

Amaya Belgravia, Belgravia, London

Pétrus, Belgravia, London

Kai, Mayfair, London

Murano, Mayfair, London

Pollen Street Social, Mayfair, London

Locanda Locatelli, Marylebone, London

Quilon, Victoria, London

Trishna, Marylebone, London

City Social, City of London, London

Nut Tree Inn, Murcott, Oxfordshire

The Sportsman, Whitstable, Kent

Restaurant Hywel Jones by Lucknam Park, Chippenham, Wiltshire

Purnell’s, Birmingham, West Midlands

John’s House, Mountsorrel, Leicestershire

Lyle’s, Shoreditch, London

House of Tides, Newcastle, Tyne and Wear

Forest Side, Grasmere, Cumbria

Source, Windermere, Cumbria

Five Fields, Chelsea, London

Ritz Restaurant, St James’s, London

Veeraswamy, Regent Street, London

Pied a Terre, Bloomsbury, London

Woven by Adam Smith, Ascot, Berkshire

The Coach, Marlow, Buckinghamshire

The Bybrook at The Manor, Chippenham, Wiltshire

Brat, Hackney, London

Sabor, Mayfair, London

Olive Tree, Bath, Somerset

The Fordwich Arms, Canterbury, Kent

White Swan, Fence, Lancashire

Bulrush, Cotham, Bristol

Alchemilla, Nottingham, East Midlands

Stark, Broadstairs, Kent

The Dysart Petersham, Richmond, London

The Cottage in the Wood, Braithwaite, Cumbria

Allium at Askham Hall, Askham, Cumbria

Old Stamp House, Ambleside, Cumbria

Mana, Ancoats, Manchester

The Angel at Hetton, Hetton, Yorkshire

Endo at the Rotunda, White City, London

The Royal Oak, Whatcote, Warwickshire

Interlude, Lower Beedham, Sussex

The Muddlers Club, Belfast, Northern Ireland

Variety Jones, Dublin, Ireland

Restaurant Fraiche, Birkenhead, Merseyside

Muse, Belgravia, London

Osip, Bruton, Somerset

Shaun Rankin at Grantley Hall, Ripon, Yorkshire

The Latymer, Bagshot, Surrey

Hide and Fox, Hythe, Kent

Behind, London Fields, London

Roots, York, Yorkshire

Hjem, Wall, Northumberland

Cornerstone, Hackney Wick, London

Outlaw’s New Road, Port Isaac, Cornwall

Benares, Mayfair, London

Casa Fofo, Clapton, London

Pea Porridge, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk

Sola, Soho, London

Umu, Mayfair, London

Evelyn’s Table, Soho, London

Wild Honey St James, St James, London

The Barn at Moor Hall, Aughton Lancashire

Jamavar, Mayfair, London

Meadowsweet, Holt, Norfolk

Frog by Adam Handling, Covent Garden, London

Kol, Marylebone, London

The Bridge Arms, Canterbury, Kent

Upstairs by Tom Shepherd, Lichfield, West Midlands

The Dog and Gun, Skelton, Cumbria

Sollip, Southwark, London

Restaurant Pine, East Wallhouses, Northumberland

The Star Inn at Harome, Yorkshire, Harome

The Dining Room at Whatley Manor, Malmesbury, Wiltshire

Pentonbridge Inn, Penton, Carlisle

The Tudor Pass, Egham, London

Sō–Lō, Aughton, West Lancashire

The Samling , Windermere , Cumbria

Gidleigh Park, Newton Abbot, Devon

Grace & Savour, Solihull, West Midlands

Restaurant Twenty-Two, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire

Ben Wilkinson at The Pass , South Lodge, West Sussex

Lumière, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire

Luca, Farringdon, London

Store, Stoke Holy Cross, Norfolk

Àclèaf, Plymouth, Devon

Cycene, Shoreditch, London

Heft, High Newton, Cumbria

Solstice by Kenny Atkinson, Newcastle, Tyne and Wear

Taku, Mayfair, London

St. Barts, Smithfield, London

Restaurant Myse, Hovingham, York – NEW

Mountain, Soho, London – NEW

1890 by Gordon Ramsay, The Strand, London – NEW

Cedar Tree, Brampton, Cumbria – NEW

Pavyllon, Westminster, London – NEW

Dorian, Notting Hill, London – NEW

Humo, Mayfair, London – NEW

Crocadon, Saltash, Cornwall – NEW

Akoko, Farringdon, London – NEW

Lake Road Kitchen, Ambleside , Cumbria – NEW

Sushi Kanesaka, Mayfair, London – NEW

Humble Chicken, Soho, London – NEW

Ormer Mayfair, Mayfair, London – NEW

Aulis, Soho, London – NEW

Chishuru, Soho, London – NEW

Scotland

The Kitchin, Edinburgh, Scotland

The Peat Inn, St Andrews, Scotland

Loch Bay, Stein, Isle of Skye

Condita, Edinburgh, Scotland

Cail Bruich, Glasgow, Scotland

Unalome by Graeme Cheevers, Finnieston, Glasgow

Timberyard, Edinburgh, Scotland

Heron, Edinburgh, Scotland

Restaurant Martin Wishart, Leith, Edinburgh

Ireland

House (at Cliff House Hotel), Ardmore, Ireland

Aniar, Galway, Ireland

Lady Helen at Mount Juliet Hotel, Thomastown, Ireland

Campagne, Kilkenny, Ireland

Ichigo Ichie, Cork, County Cork

Chestnut, Ballydehob, County Cork

Wild Honey Inn, Lisdoonvarna, County Clare

The Oak Room, Adare, Limerick

Bastion, Kinsale, Cork

Bastible, Dublin, Ireland

Glovers Alley, Dublin, Ireland

Homestead Cottage, Doolin, Ireland – NEW

D’Olier Street, Dublin, Ireland – NEW

The Bishop’s Buttery, Cashel, Ireland – NEW

Northern Ireland

Ox Belfast, Belfast, Country Antrim

Wales

The Whitebrook, Monmouthshire, Wales

Sosban and The Old Butchers, Anglesey, Wales

Beach House, Oxwich, Glamorganshire

Home at Penarth, Penarth, Wales

The Walnut Tree Inn, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire

Green stars

England

Angela’s, Margate

Apricity, London

Black Swan, Oldstead

CHAPTERS, Hay-on-Wye

Coombeshead Farm, Lewannick

Crocadon, St Mellion

CULTURE, Falmouth

Daylesford Organic Farm, Daylesford

Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons, Great Milton

(Inside the Michelin-recommended Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons)

L’Enclume, Cartmel

Marle, Heckfield

Moor Hall, Aughton

Oak, Bath

Osip, Bruton

Petersham Nurseries Café, London

Pine, East Wallhouses

Restaurant Sat Bains, Nottingham

Silo, London

Terroir Tapas, Bournemouth

The Dining Room, Malmesbury

(Inside the Michelin-recommended Whatley Manor Hotel and Spa)

The Small Holding, Kilndown

Tillingham, Peasmarsh

Where The Light Gets In, Stockport

Wilsons, Bristol

Exmoor Forest Inn, Simonsbath, England – NEW

Forge, Middleton Tyas, Yorkshire – NEW

Interlude, Lower Beeding, England – NEW

St Barts, London – NEW

Scotland

Inver, Strachur

Wales

Henry Robertson, Llandderfel

The Whitebrook, Whitebrook, Wales – NEW

ANNWN, Narberth, Wales – NEW

Republic of Ireland

Kai, Galway

Bib Gourmands

Andria, Dartmouth

Bancone, London

Bao, London

Beckford Bottle Shop, Bath

Berenjak, London

Blaise Inn, Bristol

BOX-E, Bristol

Broad Chare, Newcastle upon Tyne

Brutto, London

Bryn Williams at Porth Eirias, Colwyn Bay

Burnt Orange, Brighton

Charlton Arms, Ludlow

Cin Cin, Brighton and Hove

COR, Bristol

Cornish Arms, Tavistock

Dastaan, Ewell

Duncombe Arms, Ellastone

El Gato Negro, Manchester

Emilia, Ashburton

Everett’s, Waterford

Evernight, London

Farang, London

Flint House, Brighton

Galvin Green Man, Howe Street

Gunpowder Spitalfields, London

Gunton Arms, Thorpe Market

Haveli, Ponteland

Hereford Road, London

Hitchen’s Barn, Oakham

Hope & Anchor, South Ferriby

Hoppers, London

Ibérico World Tapas, Nottingham

Imad’s Syrian Kitchen, London

José, London

Kateh, London

Kiln, London

Kricket, London

Kudu, London

Kushi-Ya, Nottingham

Legare, London

manteca, London

Marmo, Bristol

Padella, London

pahli hill, London

Palomar, London

Paradise, London

Plaquemine Lock, London

Plaza Khao Gaeng, London

Popolo, London

Prashad, Drighlington

Primeur, London

Provender, London

Pulpo Negro, New Alresford

Queen of Cups, Glastonbury

Rick Stein’s Café, Padstow

Root, Bristol

Root Wells, Wells

Saint Francis Provisions, Kinsal

Sardine Factory, Looe

Sargasso, Margate

Sculthorpe Mill, Sculthorpe

Six Bells, Witham on the Hill

Skosh, York

Smokestak, London

St. JOHN Bread and Wine, London

Stag & Hounds, Burrough on the Hill

The Anchor, Ripley

The Barbary, London

The Chequers, Bath

The Galley, Topsham

The Green, Sherborne

The Inn at Welland, Welland

The Pelican, London

The Royal, St Leonards on Sea

The Spärrows, Manchester

Three Oaks, Gerrards Cross

Twelve, Thornton

Upstairs (at Trinity), London

Westerns Laundry, London

Wine & Brine, Moira

Empire Empire, London – NEW

Les 2 Garçons, London – NEW

Scotland

Celentano’s, Glasgow

The Scran & Scallie, Edinburgh

The Bonnie Badger, Gullane

Provender, Melrose

Noto, Edinburgh

Ox and Finch, Glasgow

Ka Pao, Glasgow

Kilberry Inn, Kilberry

tipo, Edinburgh – NEW

Wales

Yr Hen Printworks, Cardigan

Hare & Hounds, Aberthin

Touring Club, Penarth – NEW

Ireland

Aldridge Lodge, Duncannon

Chart House, Dingle

Uno Mas, Dublin

Thyme, Athlone

Table Forty One, Gorey

Spitalfields, Dublin

Sha-Roe Bistro, Clonegall

Richmond, Dublin

Pichet, Dublin

Goldie, Cork

Éan, Galway

Courthouse, Carrickmacross

Cush, Ballycotton

Ichigo Ichie Bistro & Natural Wine, Cork – NEW

Solas, Dingle – NEW

Lottie’s, Dublin – NEW

La Gordita, Dublin – NEW

Amy Austin, Dublin – NEW

Northern Ireland

Waterman, Belfast

Noble, Holywood

EDŌ, Belfast

Deanes at Queens, Belfast

Home, Belfast – NEW