The Good Food Guide, in partnership with Square (https://squareup.com/gb/en/campaign/big-in-restaurants), has today announced its 100 Best Local Restaurants for 2025. Leading the list is Lucky Lychee in Winchester, a standout Malaysian restaurant run by husband-and-wife duo James Harris and Nicole Yeoh.

Now in its 15th year, these awards spotlight brilliant, independently run venues that define affordable and accessible dining across Britain. From Argyll to Anglesey, Newcastle to the Cornish coast, nearly 60,000 public nominations poured in from diners eager to champion their favourite spots.

The Guide's anonymous inspectors criss-crossed the country to put these nominations to the test, revealing how Britain really eats in 2025. In a recent survey*, 61% of diners said that eating out has become too expensive for them this year. This 2025 list celebrates wine bars serving sensational small plates, neighbourhood bistros breathing life into faded seaside towns, and the cherished family-run gems where you can enjoy a great meal for under £20.

This year’s Best Local Restaurants campaign is in partnership with business technology platform Square. Commenting on Square’s partnership, Samantha Hussain-Letch, executive director at Square, said: ‘At Square, supporting the food and beverage industry is our top global priority, so we’re proud to partner with The Good Food Guide to celebrate this exceptional list of restaurants. We’re seeing incredible innovation and renewed optimism across the hospitality sector, and at Square, we’re committed to being the best digital partner possible – so restaurateurs can focus on what they do best: delivering outstanding customer experiences. The restaurants recognised by The Good Food Guide exemplify creativity and excellence, and we’re excited to see how they continue to shape the future of the industry.’

*Survey of 201 Good Food Guide readers, July 2025

Lucky Lychee: Malaysian restaurant lights up Winchester

Taking the grand prize of overall winner is Lucky Lychee, an utterly charming Malaysian restaurant run from a Greene King pub in Winchester – a city better known for its plethora of chain restaurants than thriving independents. When nominations opened in March, hundreds of fans piled in with support: ‘After more than 20 years living and working in Southeast Asia this was probably one of the best Malaysian meals I have eaten in the UK,’ read one. ‘I’m not local but it’s worth travelling from Bedfordshire!’ added another.

Matching Nicole Yeoh’s superlative cooking – which draws on her Nyonya heritage using top-quality local produce – is husband James Harris, an incredibly warm and welcoming host who delivers a dynamic wine list. It’s a place for birthday celebrations, young families or impromptu solo dinners. Importantly, it offers excellent value for money with an early evening express menu for just £13.

The Good Food Guide’s editor-at-large, Elizabeth Carter, who inspected the restaurant, said: ‘Lucky Lychee is the kind of place you'd dream of having in your neighbourhood – light-filled and buzzy, full of heart, and serving exquisitely original Malaysian food. James Harris’s energy and charm shine throughout, while Nicole Yeoh’s cooking is unforgettable. I haven’t stopped recommending it.’

‘Finding a restaurant like Lucky Lychee is what our Best Local Restaurant awards are all about,’ added the Guide’s editor Chloë Hamilton.

Reflecting on their win, James and Nicole said: ’We’ve created a very personal experience in Lucky Lychee and it’s the kind of place we wanted in our city. Malaysia has one of the world’s best food cultures and we’re proud to present some of the lesser-known dishes from Nicole’s heritage: each dish is her personal take, combining traditional Malaysian techniques with local and seasonal ingredients. The award is a fantastic recognition of our young and passionate team, who have worked so hard to get us here. More than anything, we’re grateful to the customers who have supported us from the very start and who create the unique atmosphere of enjoyment and fun.’

£20 and under: brilliant value at Britain’s best locals

While the rising cost of dining out has hit the wallets of customers all over Britain, a major feature of this year’s list is affordability, with £15 lunch menus proving particularly popular. Lucky Lychee (overall winner), Fino in Cromer (Central & East of England winner), Stretford Canteen (Manchester), Piccalilli (Nottingham), Juliet (Stroud) and Post in Newnham on Severn (Gloucestershire) will all feed customers well for less than £20 per head, usually with a drink included.

Other notable value-for-money venues include Swine Bistro in Leeds (two courses for £20), an £11.50 lunch at Pomelo in Edinburgh and a two-course lunch for £18 at New Wave Brasserie in Lechlade (Gloucestershire).

Wine bars and old-school Italian lead the way

The approachable format of wine bars and bottle shops offer much needed flexibility to local diners across Britain. A glass of something good and a menu of tempting snacks and small plates might lead to a full-blown meal, or a serve as a midweek stop-in. Redwood Wines, Fino and and Counter Culture – all regional winners – follow this mould, alongside the excellent wine-led St Eia in St Ives, Mara in Aberdeen and John Dory Wine in Sandgate.

Elsewhere, the charm of old-school Italian trattorias has won the hearts of communities around the country. From the lived-in warmth of London winner, Ida, to the chequered tablecloths at North West winner, Lupo, and the low-lit buzz of Brutto, a laid-back conviviality and produce-first approach has proved a recipe for success. 10% of this year’s Best Local Restaurants are Italian.

The Good Food Guide’s 100 Best Local Restaurants 2025 can be viewed here: (https://www.thegoodfoodguide.co.uk/pdf/The_Good_Food_Guides_Best_Local_Restaurants_2025_-_Full_List.pdf)

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS

For further comment, interview requests and images please email editors@thegoodfoodguide.co.uk

thegoodfoodguide.co.uk | Instagram: @thegoodfoodguideuk | X: @goodfoodguideuk

About The Good Food Guide

The Good Food Guide is the longest standing restaurant guide in Britain. Founded in 1951, its ethos remains the same today - helping readers to find the very best places to eat around Britain. Owned by Knife & Fork Media, who also run industry platform CODE Hospitality, The Good Food Guide is now a fully digital publication featuring 1,400 restaurants, pubs, cafes and wine bars across Britain. All reviews are conducted anonymously by a network of inspectors and all meals are paid for in full.

Membership to The Good Food Club is £4.99/month or £49.99/year with full access to our restaurant reviews, more than 200 dining perks and special member events.

About Square

Square makes commerce and financial services easy and accessible with its integrated ecosystem of commerce solutions. Square offers purpose-built software to run complex restaurant, retail, and professional services operations, versatile ecommerce tools, embedded financial services and banking products, buy now, pay later functionality through Clearpay, staff management and much more – all of which work together to save sellers time and effort. Millions of sellers across the globe trust Square to power their business and help them thrive in the economy. For more information, visit www.squareup.com.

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