The 15 best Michelin-starred restaurants for under £50
Last year, a taco stand in Mexico earned a Michelin star. In 2016, two Singaporean street food stalls achieved the same feat. Perhaps hoping to shed its image as an arbiter merely of the finest of fine dining, the tyre guide has, in recent years, opened its coveted star system to a wider array of establishments.
While there’s nothing in this country to match those $5 dollar tacos, it is possible to eat at Michelin-starred spots in Britain without remortgaging your house, and many establishments offer set meals – usually at lunchtime – for well under £50.
On Monday night 26 new stars were handed out across Great Britain and Ireland. Moor Hall in Aughton, Lancashire, earned a third star, while The Ritz Restaurant finally picked up its second. But while it can cost hundreds to dine at many of the country’s top restaurants, many in the new cohort offer more affordable lunch deals, including Skof in Manchester and Starling in Surrey.
While few match The Coach in Marlow, where Tom Kerridge’s cooking can be accessed for just £15, here are some of the best-value Michelin-starred menus in the UK today.
Starling, Esher, Surrey
Try the set lunch menu (Wednesday to Friday) at £30 for three courses
William Sitwell was suitably impressed when he visited this welcoming bistro last week. The hearty cooking from Great British Menu winner Nick Beardshaw, featuring the likes of crispy pig’s head and truffle cheese crumpets, is a steal on the set lunch deal.
The Coach, Marlow, Buckinghamshire
Try the weekday lunch menu (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday) at £15/£22.50 for two/three courses
Possibly the best Michelin-starred deal around. There’s only one option per course, but expect British seasonal dishes, such as celery soup with truffle and hazelnut pesto, followed by beef, ale and onion “pot pie” from chef Tom Kerridge.
Wilsons, Bristol
Try the set lunch (Wednesday to Friday) at £35 for three courses
This inviting independent restaurant puts quality produce at the forefront, including fruits and vegetables from its own market garden, so it’s no surprise it holds both a Michelin star and a green sustainability star. Expect high quality cooking in a relaxed setting.
Luca, London
Try the lunchtime bar express menu (Monday-Saturday, 12pm to 2pm) at £32/£38 for two/three courses
London isn’t short of great Italian restaurants, but Luca stands out as one of its best – as well as one of the most stylish. Pasta is always on point, and starter options might include bucatini with Cornish squid, while mouthwatering mains such as Scottish halibut with chestnuts, mussels, salsify and muscat grapes show off the kitchen’s sourcing credentials.
The Ninth, London
Try the set lunch menu (Monday to Saturday) at £33/£38 for two/three courses
Expect modern French-Mediterranean cooking at this relaxed Fitzrovia restaurant. With three options at each course, including a rich tagliatelle with beef ragù, bone marrow and pumpkin, or roast guinea fowl with cavolo nero and hazelnut pesto, Jun Tanaka’s set menu is a steal.
Veeraswamy, London
Try the pre-theatre menu (Monday to Saturday, bookings from 5.30pm to 6.15pm) at £34/£41 for two/three courses
Now in its 100th year, this venerable Piccadilly institution offers some of the finest Indian dining in the country. Start with mulligatawny soup and follow with chicken dilkush served with a pillowy naan, but note that additional sides are extra.
The Elephant, Torquay, Devon
Try the set lunch (Monday to Saturday) at £34.50/£39.50 for two/three courses
Having held a star for two decades, chef Simon Hulstone’s delightful seaside restaurant is just the place for a special meal. Sample the likes of braised ox cheek with squash, capers and pomme purée and finish off with a decadent chocolate marquise.
Masons Arms, Knowstone, Devon
Try the set lunch (Wednesday to Friday) at £39.50 for three courses
British and French classics are several cuts above your normal pub grub at this picturesque thatched tavern. Chef Mark Dodson’s world-class cooking might feature herbed hake fillet with saffron mussels or fillet of pork with a potato and garlic gratin.
La Trompette, London
Try the set lunch (Wednesday to Friday) at £39.50 for three courses
This beloved Chiswick spot offers some of the best-value French Michelin dining in the country. With homemade bread and petits fours thrown in, there’s little chance of going home hungry.
Le Champignon Sauvage, Cheltenham
Try the set menu (Wednesday to Friday for dinner; Wednesday to Saturday for lunch) at £40/£47 for two/three courses
This Cheltenham bistro opened in 1987, and is still going strong. It offers French fare with modern flourishes – so a white onion soup might be infused with lemon verbena or a fillet of plaice served with crown prince squash, a miso emulsion and Thai basil.
Gorse, Cardiff
Try the set lunch (check availability) at £45 for four courses
Promoting the finest Welsh produce, from Breconshire fallow deer to Caws Cerwyn, a young, creamy cow’s milk cheese, and native Welsh seaweed, Gorse is dedicated to highlighting the bounty Wales has to offer. It is Cardiff’s first Michelin-starred restaurant.
Chishuru, London
Try the set lunch at £45 for three courses
Chef Adejoké Bakare has wowed London since bringing her contemporary West African cooking to Fitzrovia. The set menu features several options, including akara, a bean fritter filled with a chicken and duck liver parfait, and chargrilled guineafowl with egusi sauce.
Heft, High Newton, Cumbria
Try the set lunch at £45 for four courses
In the past decade Cumbria has emerged as a county with serious fine-dining credentials, and Heft, just south of Windermere, is up there with the best. The set lunch incorporates four courses (as well as a snack and bread), making it one of the most generous Michelin-starred lunches around. This is assured cooking so expect the likes of thyme custard, with onion broth and smoked enoki or cornfed chicken breast with mead-glazed roschoff, charred greens and hay sauce.
Skof, Manchester
Try the set lunch at £50 for four courses
Before the 2025 awards, Manchester had only held one Michelin star in more than 40 years. Now Skof, which Telegraph critic William Sitwell last year described as “a slam-dunk reason to love and admire this city”, has been added to the list, and its four-course menu of dishes using the finest British produce – think Herdwick lamb with whey onions, stout and ewe’s cheese – is a great way to try the cooking of an ex-Simon Rogan chef.
Hide and Fox, Hythe, Kent
Try the set lunch (Wednesday to Friday; pre-order only) at £48 for three courses
Set in what was once the village shop, this diminutive neighbourhood restaurant is a cut above your average local. The set lunch is one of the cheapest two-Michelin-starred deals around, with dishes including beef short rib with Jerusalem artichoke or salt cod with delica pumpkin.
