The 2026 edition of the Michelin Guide Great Britain & Ireland’s is published next week, with speculation rife about which restaurants will receive fresh recognition from the red book this time round.
Predicting what Michelin might do has never been easy. Restaurants that seem shoe-ins for either one of two star recognition have long been overlooked by the guide (BiBi in Mayfair and The Ritz immediately spring to mind) while others that have been open mere weeks have been awarded stars, so Michelin very much likes to keep people guessing.
With that in kind, we’ve put our heads together and tried to predict what Michelin might do this year. While it’s not exhaustive, based on our own meals over the past year or so, this is what we think.
One star
In London, we’d expect stars to go to The Cocochine, Tom Brown at The Capital, Silver Birch, and Wildflowers. We’d also like to – finally - see Chet Sharma’s progressive Indian restaurant BiBi recognised. We’re also tipping Gordon Ramsay High in The City, which is under the auspices of talented young chef James Goodyear, who retained a Michelin star at Soho’s Evelyn’s Table, and Clare Smyth’s Corenucopia for stars this year.
Looking outside London, the brilliant JÖRO is certainly worthy of a star following its move from Sheffield city centre to the foothills of the Peak District (last year was probably a bit early). Higher Ground - which currently holds a Bib Gourmand - is also crying out for one. Ruth Hansom’s eponymous restaurant in north Yorkshire has also bedded in well and could well become a starred venue this year. Down on the south coast, the city of Brighton and Hove hasn’t had a Michelin star since the mid-1970s. Last year, its chances of finally nabbing one increased thanks to the arrival of Rafael Cagali, the chef behind London two-star Da Terra, with Maré. Could 2026 be the year the city finally breaks the curse?
Even further afield, we tip Nathan Davies’ Guernsey restaurant Vraic for a star. Davies is already on Michelin’s radar, with his previous restaurant SY23 not only winning a star but being named Opening of the Year by Michelin. Other potential new one stars for this years include the impressive Fifty Two Rudding Park, Gareth Ward protégé Corrin Harrison’s Gwen restaurant, Tallow in Tunbridge Wells, Dongnae in Bristol, 670 Grams in Birmingham, Winsome in Manchester, and Bath favourite Upstairs at Landrace.
Two stars
In terms of promotions to two stars, we’re keeping a close eye on Lyla and Avery in Edinburgh. In London, there are rumours that Clapham stalwart Trinity could get a second star this year and Matt Abé’s recently launched Bonheur by Matt Abé in Mayfair could enter straight in at two stars given his pedigree and the fact that he has held three stars at Gordon Ramsay’s flagship.
Another restaurant with two stars in its crosshairs is Woven by Adam Smith at Coworth Park. The restaurant has upheld incredibly high standards since it opened, climbing the UK’s Top 100 Restaurants list and winning last year’s The Liberty Wines Service Award, and oozes two-star quality. Merlin Labron-Johnson and team are also working wonders at the relocated Osip and two stars look inevitable, although this year could be a stretch. We also hear that Jason Atherton has timed a menu price rise at his Mayfair flagship Row on Five for the day after the awards. Read into that what you will...
Three stars
Michelin has been kind to Dublin’s restaurants of late, and with its announcement being in the Fair City this could well continue with the promotion of Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud to its top table. The two-star restaurant celebrates its 30th birthday this year, and what better present could it wish for? Another restaurant name that continually comes up when three stars are mentioned is Ikoyi. For many, Jeremy Chan and Iré Hassan-Odukale’s restaurant is already worthy of three stars; the time feels right for Michelin to play catch up.
Yet of all the Michelin-related rumours circulating this year, the most persistent is that Ynyshir will be awarded a third star. Gareth Ward’s strikingly original mid-Wales restaurant has come on in leaps and bounds since its promotion from one to two stars in 2022. The food is unquestionably exceptional. However, Ynyshir lacks many of the traditional trappings associated with three-star dining (Michelin says that stars are awarded only on the basis of the quality of the cuisine and that service, décor and atmosphere do not factor into the decision, but this is not borne out in practice) and its recent high-profile brush with the health and safety executive might have given the guide cold feet.
Green stars
There has been speculation that Michelin could be dropping its sustainable ‘green stars’, although Michelin insists to the contrary. Challenges around deciding what makes a restaurant sustainable and verifying sustainability claims no doubt make this a harder star to hand out - there are currently only 36 restaurants in the Great Britain & Ireland guide that have a green star. Eyes will be on whether Michelin will choose to emphasise its green credentials this year with some new stars or whether it lets its traditional stars do all the talking.