13 must-visit UK foodie destinations, picked by the experts

Published 6 hours ago• 8 minute read

Orford in Suffolk, which I've been visiting with my partner for years and years, found itself on the foodie map because of its lovely award-winning bakery (Pump Street Bakery). It makes its own chocolate, my favourite of which is the 62% 'croissant bar': buttery chocolate, real croissant flakes and crème caramel.

Discover the best restaurants in Suffolk for more recommendations from local Dominic Rowntree.

For me, Glasgow is grittier, more fun and, dare I say it, has a cooler food scene than Edinburgh. I particularly love Outlier for brunch. They also have a great bakery, and I think they’re expanding with a farm to produce their own food. For small plates, there’s the amazing-looking Gloriosa, and some other great bakeries and coffee shops such as Kaf Coffee.

Find more recommendations in our guide to the best places to eat and drink in Glasgow.

A large square and gothic building in Glasgow

Everyone seems to be in Margate or Ramsgate at the moment, being all trendy. But for me, Broadstairs is this little gem between the two. It's more sedate, maybe a little bit older as a crowd, but it's got so much going on. Tony Rodd has opened a restaurant there (Fifteen Square Metres). It's got some great bakeries and coffee shops. It's just beautiful.

If you go, you have to go to Morelli's, which is this old-fashioned ice cream parlour. My dad remembers going there as a child and not being allowed a knickerbocker glory because it was too expensive. So that gives you a sense of this place. And it's so lovely. It's also got a beautiful beach. The Star Of The Sea is Marina O'Loughlin’s favourite chippy, and they do a great mushy pea fritter.

Check out more inspiration in our guide to the best restaurants in Broadstairs.

A restaurant table set with brunch plates and bottles of juice

I'm going to say Bristol, which is probably a boring answer because it's not exactly a secret, but if you're coming from a baking point of view, Bristol is one of the best cities in the UK for baking. You've got Hart's, Farro, Ah Toot's, Bristol Loaf and Pinkman's.

I think the feeling of the city is brilliant. I love being there. I am desperate to go to Wilsons. I think Bristol is my favourite place in terms of knowing I'll have a really good food time.

See our round-up of the best restaurants in Bristol for more foodie recommendations.

Star shaped pastries at Farro bakery in Bristol

Jubilee Lido is a beautiful place for a swim, so start there. Then go for brunch at The Honey Pot, followed by a swim at Newland Beach. Around Newland, you've got Lovetts and Mackrell Sky Bar, both amazing natural wine bars and seafood restaurants. Penzance is great for both food and swimming, so that's why it's my top choice.

Now check out our round-up of the best restaurants in Penzance.

An outdoor swimming pool with flags flying and the beach in the background

We go to The Lobster Shack for super-fresh seafood. Plus don't miss the Whitstable oyster festival, usually towards the end of summer. It’s literally trestle tables of oysters all the way through the town. And they drag them out of the sea. It's interesting, and so delicious.

Discover the best restaurants to visit in Whitstable.

A row of beach huts with a grass hill behind them and a beach in front of them

I'm very patriotic to the West Country where I grew up, and I think there's an exciting blossoming food scene down there now. If you're looking for a staycation I would recommend Foy, both for its food and general quirkiness.

There’s an amazing couple of little bakeries where you can get saffron buns, which are one of my favourite kind of Cornish foods, and a crab roll, which is a classic Cornish dish as well. And it's just a beautiful part of the country, with lovely little bays and nice swimming, plus cute craft shops and pubs.

I used to work for Riverford Organic Farmers, which is based two or three miles from Totnes. It's such a fun town to visit for a weekend because it's got an incredible independent market on Fridays where you can buy everything from delicious organic vegetables to wacky hippie trinkets.

The Riverford Field Kitchen is the place to go for vegetable-based lunches. And I'd also recommend The Bull Inn, which is a fantastic organic pub right in the thick of it, overlooking Rotherfold Square.

Find out where else locals eat and drink in our Totnes foodie guide.

A wide river runs through country fields in the summer sun. Taken of the River Dart from near Totnes, Devon.

There are some amazing little restaurants and cafes that I love in York. Obviously, you've got the ilk of Tommy Banks, he is a great sort of son of Yorkshire, and he has a restaurant in York called Roots which is amazing.

There’s a cafe called Mannion & Co which I absolutely love. And Robinson's Cafe on Bishopthorpe Road, which does the most incredible brunches. Plus, of course, Bettys, the great bastion of Yorkshire. I absolutely love Bettys for everything. They do one of the best full English breakfasts ever, which isn't even what people go to Bettys for!

Discover more foodie recommendations in our guide to the best restaurants in York.

A river in York with red boats and a bridge in the background

When I went to Brighton last, I was really impressed with the food, especially the seafood. There’s a great place called The Salt Room, where I order what is essentially a Fruits de Mer platter, but they cook everything differently. Some of it's fried, some of it's grilled, some of it's raw... delicious.

In a similar vein, over in Hove there’s a place called The Urchin, which is a seafood pub. Great cooking, fresh produce, fantastic food. And my favourite ice cream parlour in the UK is there. It's called Brass Monkey, and they do great flavours like lavender honey and masala chai.

Check out our guide to the best restaurants Brighton for more inspiration.

A restaurant terrace with people eating their meal in the background

I would recommend a weekend or a few days in the Isle of Wight. Get the ferry, hop on there. We went to the garlic farm, with all sorts of garlic. The Isle of Wight tomatoes, of course. And lots of restaurants there have their own vegetable patches, the fish is abundant, and the seafood was so fresh. Everything was so sustainable and delicious.

See our Isle of Wight foodie guide for more recommendations.

A small beach-side restaurant with striped beach huts next to it

Bruton in Somerset is the hot place to go right now. A beautiful Somerset village that has had this influx of incredible restaurants and culinary creatives. One of them was Merlin Johnson, who opened a restaurant called Osip to champion the terroir of that area. You've also got Margo Henderson, who opened The Three Horseshoes nearby. She is of Rochelle Canteen fame. Plus Durslade Farm Shop, which has also just opened in Mayfair.

Read our round-up of the best restaurants in Bruton.

I was born and raised in Manchester, and I was part of the Polish diasporic community. I wouldn't have said Manchester a few years ago, but recently, it's really expanded. It's blown me away, the food scene.

Manchester is blessed with these cool old industrial style buildings. So we're finding lots of restaurants that have exposed brick walls, and they might be slightly quirky. I really like Platzki, which is a modern Polish restaurant in Manchester. And there's a lovely restaurant called Sparrows, which I believe is under the arches of the railways. And both of those feature Eastern European food as well.

Try more recommendations in our Manchester restaurant guide.

A canal view in Manchester, with restaurants and old wharf buildings

Galway in Ireland is just the perfect city. It's probably half the size of Cork, but still has great restaurants, bars, perfect little pubs with snugs and great seafood as well – especially the oysters.

Chef JP McMahon has lots of great restaurants up there. There’s a place called Aniar, which focuses on Irish cuisine and uses exclusively Irish ingredients. There's also a great casual restaurant called Kai with beautiful food – a great place for brunch. There was a restaurant there called Lone, which is closed now, but it was my favourite restaurant in Ireland for years and years. But they've subsequently opened a bakery wine bar called Éan, which is a brilliant place for dinner.

I think we're kind of spoiled in Ireland, but I always recommend Galway as a city to go to, because it's in a very small, concentrated space. You have some of the best cooking in Ireland. Jess Murphy's restaurant Kai is very well known. She's a Kiwi chef who's been there for years, and she does great things with Irish food and Irish suppliers. There's a pub a few doors down from her called The Crane, which is old school and brilliant. A bit further down from that, you've got a place called The Universal, which is an amazing pub with craft beers, cocktails and small plates.

JP McMahon does an amazing symposium every year called Food on the Edge, where he brings chefs from all over the world to Ireland to talk about food. And his sister has a restaurant there called Daróg, which is a wine bar.

It’s also the gateway to the West. In Connemara you've got gorgeous pubs, great food, an incredible food truck out there called The Misunderstood Heron (open seasonally). And it's some of the best cooking in Ireland. It's on the edge of Killaray Fjord. And you're eating mussels that are coming from the fjord. It’s amazing.

See our best Irish holidays for more travel inspiration.