We all know how much of a rarity it is to see a restaurant awarded three Michelin stars (only eight restaurants in the UK currently hold the top honour) but last year served as a reminder that new three-star restaurants are by no means a given, with no new restaurants joining this most exclusive of groups. The distinction between two and three stars can, we feel, often be rather blurry, making it hard to know when a restaurant is ready to make the step up. However, if we had to hazard a guess at the restaurants in with a shot this year, we’d back Gareth Ward’s lauded Ynyshir, which continues to top many other best restaurant lists in the UK, and Chapter One by Mickael Viljanen in Dublin. As we suggested last year, we also think it’s only a matter of time before Jeremy Chan wins his third star at Ikoyi; will 2024 finally be his year?

To take an already brilliant Michelin-starred restaurant up to two-star level tends to require something a bit special, whether that’s in terms of the service, the presentation of the food or the venue itself. Last year, Alex Dilling at Hotel Café Royal and the newly reopened Ledbury both made the rare jump straight up to two stars, but we’re not predicting any new openings to make that leap this year. There are, however, a couple of one-star restaurants we reckon could be set to gain a second.

Ever since the location for this year’s ceremony was announced as Manchester, rumours have been swirling that the UK’s second biggest city may be set to finally gain more stars. When chef Simon Martin’s mana gained its first Michelin star in 2019, it became the first Manchester restaurant to achieve this accolade since 1977, and we’re tipping it to win a second in the 2024 guide. Mana’s brilliantly executed tasting menu blends stunning British produce with a number of Asian techniques and plenty of Nordic refinement inspired by Martin’s time at Noma, creating a dining experience like no other in Manchester.

It’s fair to say that over the years, Paul Ainsworth has become one of the UK’s most popular chefs, thanks to his numerous TV appearances and wonderfully warm disposition. But let’s not forget that he’s also the owner of one of Cornwall’s most celebrated Michelin-starred restaurants in the form of Paul Ainsworth at No.6. The converted Padstow townhouse has now held its star for 10 years, and has continued to innovate and push the boundaries in recent years under chef patron Chris McClurg, cementing itself as one of Cornwall’s few destination restaurants. That’s why we’d love to see No.6 finally winning a well-deserved second star in 2024.

For us, the awarding of a first Michelin star is where things get most exciting, as it’s so hard to know exactly where has impressed the inspectors each year, meaning there are bound to be a few that catch us all off guard. There are, realistically, so many places across the UK that might be in line to win their first star, but here are nine that we feel are in with a particularly good chance this year.

Stuart Ralston has been a well-known figure in Edinburgh’s food scene for a number of years now thanks to his restaurants Aizle, Noto and Tipo, but it’s his newest opening Lyla, where we enjoyed one of our top meals of 2023, that may be destined to bring the chef his first Michelin star. Located in the building that formerly housed the late Paul Kitching’s 21212, Lyla offers an exquisitely crafted tasting menu centred around Scotland’s finest seafood and feels like Ralston’s masterpiece. Could it be set to add another star to Edinburgh’s ever-increasing tally?

Inspired by one of Nigeria’s most popular street foods, the slow-cooked suya ox tongue with bone marrow emulsion at Akoko was up there with the most delicious mouthfuls of food we tried last year. It’s a dish that’s brilliantly representative of Ayo Adeyemi’s menu at the West African fine dining restaurant in Fitzrovia, where he serves up refined takes on traditional dishes and flavour combinations predominantly from Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal and Gambia. Akoko has now been around for a few years but Adeyemi seems to have taken things up a notch since taking charge of the kitchen, and we wouldn’t be surprised to see him being awarded a star for his efforts.

Josh Eggleton can now be categorised as a bit of veteran of the South West’s food scene, having had a number of restaurants in and around Bristol over the years, including gastropub The Pony & Trap in Chew Magna, which held a Michelin star for ten years before it closed its doors in 2021. Eggleton and his sister Holly quietly reopened their pub as The Pony Chew Valley last year, and by all accounts the food is as exceptional as it always was, so it may just reclaim a star in its new guise. 

It’s been a year full of impressive accolades for chef Calum Montgomery at Edinbane Lodge. The beautiful restaurant with rooms on the Isle of Skye, which serves a tasting menu celebrating the island’s natural larder, has been awarded 4 AA rosettes, a rating of ‘exceptional’ in the Good Food Guide and was recently included in La Liste’s top 1000 restaurants in the world. Based on that alone, you’d think that Edinbane was a shoo-in for a star but only time will tell whether Michelin agree.

Few restaurant openings have had more buzz around them in the past year than Tomos Parry’s Mountain. The Brat man’s latest Basque-meets-Welsh spot has won praise from practically every critic under the sun and Michelin has also confirmed that it will be making an appearance in the new guide in some form, so you’d be brave to bet against Parry taking home another star.

Simon Rogan’s London chef’s table restaurant Aulis is one of the few restaurants that we’ve now predicted to pick up its first Michelin star for a few years running, such is the quality of the cookery on show there from head chef Charlie Tayler. However, having had a serious renovation last year, which saw the space double in size to include a new bar area, and with a redesigned menu to boot (including a turbot dish, which ranked highly in our dishes of the year), could this finally be its time?

It’s been a successful few years for Ireland when it comes to the Michelin Guide, with a flurry of restaurants being awarded one and even two stars in recent editions. And we’re tipping another Irish restaurant join the club this year in the form of Galway’s Lignum. Many were shocked when Lignum wasn’t awarded a star last year for its creative Italian-influenced menu centred around a wood oven, but hopefully another year of inspections will have been enough to persuade Michelin.

People have been calling for chef Adam Reid to be awarded a Michelin star for his eponymous restaurant within Manchester’s Midland Hotel for a number of years now. Reid’s modern British menu at The French has a North-west accent, combining precise, classical technique with familiar, comforting flavours and has won him numerous fans both in Manchester and further afield. This year’s Michelin announcement actually happens to be taking place in the Midland Hotel, which could be a coincidence, but we think could also be a hint that Reid is finally set to be recognised with a star.

Dan Cox’s highly anticipated Cornish farm-to-table restaurant Crocadon was awarded a green star within just a few months of opening last year, recognising the work that Cox has put into establishing his 120-acre farm, which allows Crocadon to be almost entirely self sufficient as a restaurant. A year further down the line, with further tweaks having been made to the menu, we may be set to see Crocadon adding a regular Michelin star to its list of accolades.

Having been introduced back in 2020, we now have a pretty clear picture of exactly what Michelin are looking for when awarding green stars (find out more about what it takes to win a green star here). It’s all about celebrating restaurants who have centred their entire concept around sustainable practices rather than just incorporating them into elements of the business. We believe that these two restaurants fit that bill and may therefore be in line for a green star.

Set within the walls of Hampton Manor’s very own walled garden, Grace and Savour is surrounded by much of the produce that goes on to appear on David Taylor’s ultra-seasonal menu. Every decision at Grace and Savour is described as being underpinned by ‘a commitment to soil health, bio-diversity, ethics and sustainability’, so let’s see if the team are rewarded with a green star to add to their Michelin star in last year’s guide.

You may feel that Simon Rogan already has enough accolades to his name, with three Michelin stars and a green star at L’Enclume alone, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t more in store for the lauded chef. The already Michelin-starred Rogan & Co is located just down the road from L’Enclume and benefits from the same exceptional produce – from the chef’s own nearby Cartmel Valley farm – as his flagship. That’s why it wouldn’t be a surprise to see L’Enclume’s little sibling following in its footsteps and winning a green star of its own this year.