Restaurant Nathan Outlaw – named after its founder – was praised by the Good Food Guide for its efforts to “educate and encourage the public appetite for fish”.
Outlaw, 39, who has worked with TV chef Rick Stein, founded the two Michelin star eatery in 2007, and first made it on the list in 2009 at number 11.
Good Food Guide editor Elizabeth Carter said: “Nathan Outlaw’s food is characterised by the absolute freshness of ingredients and a clear sense of purpose.”
She added: “Nobody seems to leave Nathan Outlaw’s staff – they just go and work in another one of his restaurants. They obviously think he’s a pretty good boss as well as a fine chef.”
Outlaw said: “To hear that Restaurant Nathan Outlaw has made it to No 1 is phenomenal. I’d say the award has come due to the hard work and dedication of our team who have now been working together for a decade.
“It just goes to show that if you stay true to yourself, get your head down, look after your customers and use the very best ingredients available to you, you’ll make it to the top.”
Despite losing its top ranking, Simon Rogan’s L’Enclume in the village of Cartmel retained its perfect 10 score.
Pollen Street Social in London, Restaurant Sat Bains in Nottinghamshire and Heston Blumenthal’s The Fat Duck in Berkshire came in at third, fourth and fifth respectively, each with a score of nine.
Four new entrants on the list have set up shop under railway arches: Umezushi in Manchester; Hart’s Bakery in Bristol; and Bala Baya and El Pastor, both in London.
Some of the more unusual restaurant locations include Leeds’ Vice and Virtue in a former strip club and The Marram Grass Cafe, founded on an Anglesey caravan site.
Peter Sanchez-Iglesias was named chef of the year for the seasonal cuisine at Casamia in Bristol, while Ben Crittenden was named “chef to watch” for his tiny 12-seater restaurant Stark in Broadstairs, Kent.
Stark only has a tiny galley kitchen and does not have a toilet – forcing diners to nip up the road to the local pub.
The Good Food Guide, published by Waitrose, was first published in 1951 with 600 restaurants “where you can rely on a good meal at a reasonable price”.
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