Michelin reveals new Bib Gourmands for 2023 guide

Twenty restaurants have been awarded Bib Gourmands in the Michelin Guide Great Britain and Ireland 2023.

The list was revealed ahead of the announcement of the new starred restaurants at the Silverstone racetrack in Northampton on 27 March.

Named after Bibendum, the Michelin Man mascot, the Bib award was created in 1997 and is given to restaurants for “good quality, good value cooking”. In 2019 this was specified as venues serving three courses for £30 or under but Michelin told The Caterer the award now reflected a “balanced price-performance ratio” and there was no longer a “concrete price limit”.

This year’s list is dominated by the south-west of England, while there was one new Welsh Bib, two in Northern Ireland, one in Ireland and no new awards for Scotland.

Bristol gained three new Bibs for Italian restaurant Marmo, the Blaise Inn pub, and family-run Mediterranean restaurant COR, which opened at the end of last year.

There were also three new Bibs in Somerset. Root Wells, run by chef Josh Eggleton and farmer Luke Hasell, was recognised for its vegetable-led sharing plates, while the Chequers restaurant in Bath and the Queen of Cups in Glastonbury received awards.

Across the rest of England there were Bibs for restaurants including Flint House in Brighton, which is run by the Gingerman group, and Thai restaurant Plaza Khao Gaeng at London’s Arcade Food Hall.

Small plates restaurant Yr Hen Printworks in Cardigan was the only new Welsh addition, while the 13-seat Saint Francis Provisions in Kinsale was the sole new Bib in the Republic of Ireland.

Belfast gained two new Bib Gourmands for tapas restaurant EDŌ and contemporary European site Waterman.

Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guide, said: “As chefs in Great Britain and Ireland face rising day-to-day costs – from the raw ingredients they purchase to the energy they use to keep their kitchens and restaurants running – it is heartening to see many of them also finding inventive ways to create affordable menus and keep costs down for their guests, while still offering creative and exciting culinary experiences.”

Michelin has not released a list of Bib Gourmand deletions but there are 116 Bib Gourmand restaurants in the guide this year, down from 122 last year, of which 20 are new additions. The full online listings will be updated on 27 March.

New Bib Gourmand recipients for 2023

England

Blaise Inn, Bristol

COR, Bristol

Emilia, Ashburton

Evernight, London

Flint House, Brighton and Hove

Hām, London

Kushi-Ya, Nottingham

Marmo, Bristol

Plaza Khao Gaeng, London

Queen of Cups, Glastonbury

Root Wells, Wells

Six Bells, Witham on the Hill

The Chequers, Bath

The Galley, Topsham

The Pelican, London

The Spärrows, Manchester

Wales

Yr Hen Printworks, Cardigan

Northern Ireland

EDŌ, Belfast

Waterman, Belfast

Republic of Ireland

Saint Francis Provisions, Kinsale