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The best pub in Britain revealed in Michelin's 2017 guide

It serves brown butter and honey tart, and game curries

David Maclean
Friday 28 October 2016 10:25 BST
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The modern upstairs dining area of The Marksman
The modern upstairs dining area of The Marksman

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A revamped East End boozer has been named Michelin’s pub of the year.

The Marksman in Bethnal Green is already an established foodie destination, renowned for its brown butter and honey tart, game curries and its modestly titled ‘fried potatoes’.

Downstairs at The Marksman, a converted East End boozer
Downstairs at The Marksman, a converted East End boozer

Now it has been recognised as the top British food pub, with Michelin Guide editor Rebecca Burr describing it as “a proper neighbourhood pub” with “new-era pub food”.

The inspectors said they enjoyed the “devilled mussels on toast, skate with shrimps and turnip tops, and pheasant and trotter pie – all carefully cooked, perfectly balanced and full of flavour”.

The pub has been open for decades but was recently taken over by chef-owners Tom Harris and Jon Rotheram, alumni of the renowned St John outlets in London.

But while the food is unarguably top notch, online critics say the service can often let the pub down.

Reviews on TripAdvisor and Google repeatedly mention flaky service and sullen staff, with one writer saying: “The food was very good. It's a shame that the service is so, so bad.”

While The Marksman was the inspectors’ overall winner, 38 pubs from across the UK have been added to the guide.

They were chosen by Michelin’s 120 full-time inspectors who scour the UK and Europe looking for the latest gastronomic talent.

Burr told The Independent: “While pub closures continue, hundreds of pubs are thriving thanks to excellent cooking and carefully selected drinks.

“Our guide recognises the best of the best, as the British pub food scene continues to get stronger.

“Part of the boom in great pub food is the freedom to experiment that chefs have in smaller establishments.

“There’s a great community spirit about some of the pubs on the list. We’ve heard of allotment owners bringing in fresh produce to chefs in return for a couple of pints.”

Michelin's Eating Out In Pubs 2017 is out now.

East Midlands

Fox & Hounds, Charwelton

Royal Oak, Eydon

White Horse, King's Sutton

East of England

Pint Shop, Cambridge

Crown & Punchbowl, Horningsea

Little Dunmow, Flitch of Bacon

Unruly Pig, Bromeswell

Swan, Long Melford

Swan, Statford St Mary

North West

Higher Buck, Waddington

South East

Garibaldi, Beaconsfield

Pointer, Brill

Russell Arms, Butlers Cross

Sun Inn, Dummer

White Hart, Overton

Haddington Arms, Upton Grey

Compasses Inn, Crundale

Duke William, Ickham

Globe and Rainbow, Kilndown

The Duck, Pett Bottom

The Beacon, Royal Tunbridge Wells

Plough, Kelmscott

South West

Mexico Inn, Longrock

St Tudy, St Tudy Inn

Rams Head Inn, Dolton

Wild Duck, Ewen

Bell Inn, Stroud

Seymour Arms, Blagdon

Redan Inn, Chilcompton

Bunch of Grapes, Bradford-on-Avon

West Midlands

The Pound Inn, Leebotwood

Yorkshire and Humber

Bluebell, Arkendale

Aysgarth Falls, Aysgarth

Grantham Arms, Boroughbridge

Alice Hawthorn Inn, Nun Monkton

Scotland

The Bellachroy, Dervaig, Isle of Mull

Wales

Raglan Arms, Llandenny

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