Nottingham, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

Sat Bains’s “special” cuisine “doesn’t miss a beat” at his much-acclaimed foodie Xanadu, which remains one of the country’s foremost culinary destinations. “Much is made of the bizarre location” – a converted motel amidst flyovers, “on the fringe of an industrial estate at the edge of the city” – “but once inside, you are cocooned in luxury” (including, if you stay, in the “quite reasonably priced bedrooms”). Both seven-course and ten-course tasting options are “hugely inventive and utterly brilliant with a superb matching wine flight”. The “chef’s table is an exceptional experience” and many regular diners also report “experiential touches like a tour of the busy kitchen after dinner with a signed menu”. “Top waiting staff too: friendly and knowledgeable, but more importantly, keen”.

“A great addition to the city’s food scene, whose food is getting better and better” – Alex Bond’s “restored Georgian stables” on the Park Estate (a little way outside the city-centre) opened in summer 2017 and his “amazing and very creative” approach and “modish” design makes it Nottingham’s hottest rising culinary star of the moment. You can eat from either a five-, seven- or ten-course tasting menu (everyone at the table should have the same option) and results are “exceptional”.

“Very good food” allied to “friendly and efficient service” wins considerable praise last year for chef-owner Nick Gillespie’s accomplished venue. It's a rustic, brick-lined space with bare wooden tables in a rather offbeat location, close to the M1-A52 junction, but a “special occasion go-to” for its fans.

“A stalwart of the Nottingham restaurant scene” near the castle, whose “clubby setting” owes much to the intriguing seventeenth century building and courtyard garden which it shares with The Nottingham Club. Its ambitious contemporary cuisine has always tended to divide opinion – exceptional to its fans but “somewhat overpriced and bland” to its foes (with the latter a bit more in evidence last year).

“Splendid, just splendid” – this “crowded”, old-school late-Victorian boozer, cited in DH Lawrence’s debut novel, is “a nice local with good food and beers” (the former from an “interesting”, wide-ranging menu). It might not be a gourmet hotspot but it’s “all a pub should be”.

2018 Review: This trendy boutique hotel dining room on the Lace Market is something of an enigma. On the downside despite having an interior originally designed by the late David Collins, it never seems to generate a huge amount of buzz. On the plus side its “interesting” cooking is consistently well-rated and praised for its “good value”.

2019 Review: Formerly known as the Wilford Green, this May 2018 newcomer has received a major revamp to re-open as a contemporary gastropub, with steaks and burgers topping the menu.