Notting Hill restaurant the Ledbury has won three Michelin stars, becoming London’s sixth to hold the Guide’s most prestigious accolade, while Mayfair haunt Gymkhana has become the first Indian restaurant in the capital to win two.
Australian-born Brett Graham, who opened The Ledbury in 2005, said: “Tonight we won’t get much sleep, I don’t think. We’ll have to draw straws [to decide] who runs the service tomorrow.”
Graham, sporting his carefully curated three-star handlebar moustache, was presented the award at a ceremony in Manchester on February 5, one which saw 10 new one star restaurants named in London and three new two star fixtures.
The Ledbury’s accolade is particularly notable given the restaurant closed, seemingly for good, in 2020, as the Covid-19 pandemic started to take hold.
It reopened in 2022, again a homage to contemporary British cooking, with an even greater nod to provenance. Graham now has his own farm in Shropshire and is producing fine air-dried ham made from Iberian pigs among other high-end meats.
Michelin’s announcement came after three London restaurants were given two stars, including Trivet in Bermondsey, and Brooklands, chef Claude Bosi’s latest venture which sits atop the new Peninsula Hotel in Knightsbridge.
Gymkhana, opened by the hospitality group JKS in 2023, was the third to earn two Michelin stars, becoming the first Indian restaurant in London to ever hold a pair.
The Mayfair restaurant is known for its muntjac biryani, lamb chops, and rich salmon tikka. It follows a long line of upmarket Indian restaurants in town, a trend that kicked-off in the early 2000s and has evident staying power.
The Ledbury, 127 Ledbury Road, W11 2AQ, theledbury.com
Gymkhana, 42 Albemarle Street, W1S 4JH, gymkhanalondon.com
