Two independent North East restaurants have taken second and third place in the new Harden’s Top 100 Best UK Restaurants diners’ poll.
Pine in East Wallhouses is second in the list – rising from 47th in 2023 – while Hjem in Wall is in third place.
Pine’s Cal Byerley said: “Myself, Sian, Ian and Vanessa are thrilled with the news of such a high rating from Harden’s. It’s crazy to think how far our nine-table restaurant in an old barn in Northumberland has come. We all work incredibly hard to deliver the best possible guest experience, utilising the amazing produce that surrounds us as sustainably as possible to deliver a truly seasonal menu that reflects our surroundings and who we are. We’d just like to thank the whole team for their continued hard efforts and putting their everything into what we do.”
Scandi-inspired restaurant with rooms Hjem in Wall – owned by Swedish chef Alex Nietosvuori and his partner, Northumberland-born Ally Thompson-Nietosvuori, is also no stranger to the top-100 having steadily climbed its way up the rankings over the last five years. In 2023, it was listed in 14th place.
Solstice in Newcastle has also climbed up the rankings, from 15th to 13th place – as the 2024 list is topped by Endo Kazutoshi’s Endo at the Rotunda in London.
The Harden’s guide, published alongside the list and now in its 34th edition, is one of only two surviving established UK restaurant guides made available in print, and the only one based on feedback from normal diners rather than a group of professional inspectors. A total of 30,000 reports are submitted from a survey of 2,500 diners. Restaurants at all price levels are included – from streetfood vendors to the country’s most ambitious dining rooms – with 2,800 restaurants listed in total.
This year’s guide’s editors noted that a clear difference in price increases between London restaurants and those elsewhere in the UK seems to suggest regional restaurants are continuing to move forward in their post-Covid recovery while the capital continues to experience the pandemic’s more restrictive aftereffects.
Peter Harden, co-founder of Harden’s, said: “As London continues to battle the remains of a post-pandemic lethargy, the north of the country is striding forwards and carving out its reputation for stellar dining options. Newcastle is certainly holding its own with an impressive number of its restaurants (17) achieving listings in the guide. We also have three standout restaurants consistently climbing the rankings and making it into the top-20 zone of this year’s Top 100 UK Restaurants (two of whom have taken the most elite positions behind Endo at the Rotunda). The North East has much to celebrate and be extremely proud of. Who knows, maybe next year one of this terrific trio will be our number one.”
Harden’s Best UK Restaurants 2025 (£20) is available in all good bookshops.
