The World's Best Restaurants Have Been Announced

And the UK has more in the top 10 than any other place.

You don’t need to buy a plane ticket to eat delicious food because the UK has more top restaurants than any other place in the world. 

TripAdvisor has released its 2016 Travellers’ Choice Awards for Restaurants and three in the top 10 are in the UK. 

Raymond Blanc’s Belmond Le Manoir Aux Quat’Saisons in Oxfordshire has been named the fourth best rated restaurant in the world and the number one restaurant in the UK. 

Meanwhile Alain Roux’s Waterside Inn in Bray has been named seventh best in the world, while Adam Stokes’ eponymous restaurant Adam’s in Birmingham came in ninth.  

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TripAdvisor
Raymond Blanc’s Belmond Le Manoir Aux Quat’Saisons.

The 2016 list marks the second time Raymond Blanc’s flagship restaurant has topped the UK rankings, having previously done so in 2013.

The restaurant offers cuisine with a French flair using fresh, seasonal produce.

It was awarded two Michelin stars in 1985 and has held them ever since. Dishes on the menu include pan-fried Cornish sea bass with langoustine, garden carrots, fennel and anise and roasted goosnargh duck with warm blackberries and garden chard.

In addition to the restaurant, Belmond Le Manoir Aux Quat’Saisons is also a country manor house hotel.

Raymond Blanc, OBE, chef patron at Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, commented: “I am thrilled that we have been awarded such a wonderful accolade - it is a credit to my restaurant director, Mourad Ben Tekta, and the entire team.

“This is a huge achievement and I am immensely proud of everyone here at Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons.”

The Travellers’ Choice Awards honour the public’s favourite fine dining establishments worldwide, based on the millions of reviews and opinions on TripAdvisor.

Award winners were determined using an algorithm that took into account the quantity and quality of reviews for restaurants around the world, gathered over a 12-month period.

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Alain Roux’s Waterside Inn.

Other winners in the UK rankings include Heston Blumenthal’s The Fat Duck, ranked in fourth place and the Three Chimneys Restaurant, located on the Isle of Skye, which was named the fifth best rated restaurant in the UK for the first time.

The coveted title of number one restaurant in the world goes to Spain’s Martin Berasategui in Lasarte for the second year in a row. Located in Lasarte-Oria, a small, picturesque town just outside San Sebastián, the cuisine on offer is modern Spanish and Berasategui’s cooking is creative with a focus on technique.

“With more UK restaurants in the world top 10 than any other country for the second year running, the UK has again proved that it’s a heavyweight player in the world of fine dining,” said TripAdvisor spokesperson, Hayley Coleman.

See the top 10 restaurants in the world, Europe and UK below:

Travellers’ Choice Favourite Fine Dining Restaurants UK:

  1. Belmond Le Manoir Aux Quat’Saisons, Great Milton, Oxfordshire
  2. Waterside Inn, Bray on Thames, Berkshire
  3. Adam’s, Birmingham, West Midlands
  4. The Fat Duck, Bray on Thames, Berkshire
  5. The Three Chimneys Restaurant, Colbost, Isle of Skye
  6. Prithvi, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
  7. Northcote Restaurant, Langho, Lancashire
  8. The Old Stamp House Restaurant, Ambleside, Cumbria
  9. The Five Fields, London
  10.  L’Enclume, Cartmel, Cumbria

Travellers’ Choice Favourite Fine Dining Restaurants Europe:

  1. Martin Berasategui, Lasarte, Spain
  2. Maison Lameloise, Chagny, France
  3. L’Auberge de I’lll, Illhaeusern, France
  4. Le Manoir Aux Quat’Saisons, Great Milton, United Kingdom
  5. Ristorante Don Alfonso, Sant’Agata sui Due Golfi, Italy
  6. Waterside Inn, Bray on Thames, United Kingdom
  7. Adam’s, Birmingham, United Kingdom
  8. Azurmendi Gastronomico, Larrabetzu, Spain
  9. Auberge du Vert Mont, Boeschepe, France
  10.  El Celler de Can Roca, Girona, Spain

Travellers’ Choice Favourite Fine Dining Restaurants Worldwide:

  1. Martin Berasategui, Lasarte, Spain
  2. Maison Lameloise, Chagny, France
  3. L’Auberge de I’lll, Illhaeusern, France
  4. Le Manoir Aux Quat’Saisons, Great Milton, United Kingdom
  5. Ristorante Don Alfonso, Sant’Agata sui Due Golfi, Italy
  6. Alinea, Chicago, United States
  7. Waterside Inn, Bray on Thames, United Kingdom
  8. Voila Bistrot, Paraty, Brazil
  9. Adam’s, Birmingham, United Kingdom
  10. 10. Azurmendi Gastronomico, Larrabetzu, Spain

 

For the complete list of 2016 Travellers’ Choice Restaurants winners, go to: http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/TravellersChoice-Restaurants.

The Best Places to Go in Europe for Every Kind of Traveler
(01 of12)
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You have your heart set on a European vacation, but now you have to decide where to go. With endless options, it's hard to pick just one city or country. Where you go should reflect what you want to do there, so here are 11 different options tailored to 11 different kinds of travelers. Some of the choices may surprise you!
Romantic: Lake Como, Italy(02 of12)
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Venice and Tuscany are lovely, but for a truly romantic European getaway, head to Como. Located about 40 minutes from Milan, the lake is easily accessible via rail or bus. There are five principal towns around the shores of the lake: Bellagio, Como, Menaggio, Varenna, and Lecco. If you're looking for fun and crowds, stay in Como or Menaggio; for isolation and romance, Varenna or Bellagio is the way to go.

RELATED:How to Vacation Like George Clooney in Italy

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Night Owl: Croatia (03 of12)
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Skip out on Mykonos or Ibiza and instead party the night away in Split, Rijeka, Zadar, and (during the summer months) at Hvar and Pag Island in Croatia. The summer season brings dozens of music festivals to the area, like Hideout and Ultra Europe, while the major cities tend to take over the nightlife scene when the weather cools down.

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Budget: Portugal (04 of12)
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Just a five-hour flight from the U.S. East Coast, Portugal is one of the easiest and cheapest European destinations to reach. From the Azores to Porto's wine region, there are a variety of destinations to visit. And with both a favorable exchange rate and new flight routes—JetBlue recently partnered with TAP to offer direct Boston-to-Lisbon flights—there's never been a more affordable time to visit.

RELATED:Amazing Places Where Your Dollar Goes Further This Year

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Adventurer: Fjord Norway(05 of12)
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Norway is quickly becoming the next Iceland for adventure-seekers. Located along the West side of the country, the Fjord Norway area is a bucket-list destination for any adventurer. From glacier hikes and whitewater rafting to bird-spotting safaris and fishing trips, there's an incredible variety of activities along the fjords. Drive one of the 10 National Tourist Routes for the ultimate experience, or opt to take an activity tour through Fjord Tours.

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Shopper: Antwerp, Belgium(06 of12)
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Belgium's second city may be small, but it's also an underrated shopping mecca. Thanks to its size, you can easily walk the city (or better yet, rent a bike) and have a full-day shopping spree. The city is divided into seven districts: the South District, known for art galleries and local designers; the Fashion District, which hosts the famous MoMu (Mode Museum), international brands, and vintage shops; Wilde Zee, home to boutiques; the Historic City Center, which hosts the Grand Bazar Shopping Center; Meir, home to big chain stores and Festival Hall; the Theatre District, known for specialty stores and antiques; and Station, home to the city's China Town, and also diamond jewelry stores.

RELATED:Antwerp: A Plunge into Funky, Home-Grown Urbanity

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Art Aficionado: Spain (07 of12)
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From Gaudi's famous parks and buildings sprinkled throughout Barcelona to Madrid's Golden Triangle of Art—the Prado Museum, the Reina Sofia Museum, and the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum—Spain is home to some of the world's most famous and sought-after art, even in comparison to France and Italy. Make sure to see Pablo Picasso's incredible Guernica at the Reina Sofia (Madrid) and Gaudi's masterpiece, the Sagrada Familia (Barcelona).

Other must-see museums in the country include the Prado Museum (Madrid), the Dali Theatre-Museum (Girona), the Guggenheim Bilbao Museum (Bilbao), IVAM Museum (Valencia), and Park Guell (Barcelona).

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Foodie: Copenhagen, Denmark (08 of12)
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Nordic cuisine is quietly dominating Best Restaurant in the World awards and taking over the "foodie scene" due to its farm-to-table concept—the idea of minimizing the number of steps ingredients take between the source and the consumer. Denmark itself has a total of 21 Michelin stars awarded to 18 restaurants throughout the country. Copenhagen is at the forefront of this movement with spots like world-famous noma, Amass, Geranium, Manfreds, and Radio. If fine-dining isn't what you're looking for, the coffee shops, street food, markets, and open-faced sandwiches are just as popular—and delicious.

RELATED:10 Things You Must Eat (and Drink) in Copenhagen Right Now

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Sports Fanatic: England (09 of12)
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Between rugby and soccer (i.e. football), England is Europe's mecca for sports. You can tour all of the European Premier League (EPL)'s stadiums—many even have their own museum—like Arsenal, Chelsea, and Fulham. You can even take Premier International Tour's EPL London Fan Tour during the EPL season and pick your favorite team to watch on your vacation.

There's also the National Football Museum in Manchester, the World Rugby Museum and tour of Twickenham, as well as the River and Rowing Museum, Marylebone Cricket Club Museum, and Wimbledon's Lawn Tennis Museum—assuming you're not in town for the British Open.

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Family Friendly: Edinburgh, Scotland(10 of12)
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While whisky and scotch might be the first things that come to mind when you think of Scotland, Edinburgh is actually a great family destination. From a leisurely hike up Arthur's Seat to the Edinburgh Castle and dungeons, it's like a medieval playground. Other activities great for kids include the National Museum of Scotland, the Edinburgh Treasure Trail, Camera Obscura on the Royal Mile, and an underground tour at the Real Mary King's Close.

RELATED:Here's What You're Doing Wrong on Your Family Vacation

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Luxury: Switzerland (11 of12)
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Switzerland is one of the most expensive and luxurious destinations for U.S. travelers. Whether you're going for the decadent food, lakeside chateaus, apres-ski scene, wineries, shopping, or world-class spas, it's going to cost you. You'll even find the world's most expensive hotel suite in Geneva at the Hotel President Wilson—it's close to $100,000 USD per night (including taxes).

RELATED:How to See Switzerland Like a Prince or a Pauper

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Off the Beaten Path: Slovenia (12 of12)
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Slovenia borders Italy, Austria, Hungary, Croatia, and the Adriatic Sea. It's well-known by Europeans for skiing, and come summertime, the country has some of the best rafting along the Soca River. Its capital, Ljublijana, was named the European Green Capital of 2016 with one of Europe's most extensive pedestrian and cycling networks; it plans to be a zero-waste city by 2025. Thanks to its outdoor activities, glacial lake, castles, and islets, Slovenia is sure to be Europe's next hot destination—so visit soon to avoid the masses.

Read the original story: The Best Places in Europe for Every Type of Traveler by Ashley Rossi, who is a regular contributor to SmarterTravel.