Yorkshire pub Black Swan named world's best restaurant

The top two restaurants in the world are in the UK

A country pub in Yorkshire has been named the best restaurant in the world, based on customer reviews.

The Black Swan at Oldstead, North Yorkshire, has won the 2017 TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Restaurants Awards.

And second place went to a British restaurant too: Raymond Blanc’s Belmond Le Manoir Aux Quat’Saisons in New Milton, Oxfordshire.

The Black Swan has won the 2017 TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Restaurants Awards (The Black Swan)

This is the first time a British restaurant has taken the top spot since the awards began in 2012.

The Black Swan has also broken the two-year reign of of Martín Berasategui in Spain which had held the title since 2015.

The pub’s success comes down to brothers Tommy and James Banks, who took over the establishment at the ages of just 17 and 19.

Tommy (lower) and James Banks took over the establishment at the ages of just 17 and 19

Four years ago, at the age of 24, Tommy Banks became the youngest British head chef ever to win a Michelin star.

Incredibly, this is the first time the Black Swan has featured in the awards at all.

Dishes on the menu include squid dressed in horseradish juice, Texel lamb with turnip and mint and cake made from chicory root and blackcurrant - many ingredients come straight from the garden.

The restaurant brings gourmet food to a relaxed setting

Reacting to the award, Tommy Banks, Head Chef at The Black Swan at Oldstead said, “It’s a huge honour to win this award, but what makes it really special is that it's been awarded because of feedback from our customers.”

The Black Swan and Le Manoir Aux Quat’Saisons are two of three UK restaurants to feature among the world top 25 in the 2017 Travellers’ Choice Restaurants awards. The third UK restaurant honoured among the world’s best is Heston Blumenthal’s The Fat Duck, which comes in 12th.

The Travellers’ Choice Restaurants awards winners were determined using an algorithm that took into account the quantity and quality of reviews for restaurants around the world, gathered over a 12-month period.

There’s no judging panel as is the case with other restaurant awards, so to win, a restaurant has to deliver both excellence and consistency.

Travellers’ Choice Favourite Fine Dining Restaurants Worldwide:

1. The Black Swan at Oldstead, Oldstead, United Kingdom
2. Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, New Milton, United Kingdom
3. Maison Lameloise, Chagny, France
4. L'Auberge de l'Ill, Illhaeusern, France
5. Martin Berasategui, Lasarte, Spain
6. Daniel, New York City, United States
7. La Colombe, Constantia, South Africa
8. David's Kitchen, Chiang Mai, Thailand
9. Maido, Lima, Peru
10. El Celler de Can Roca, Girona, Spain
11. Restaurant Alcron, Prague, Czech Republic
12. The Fat Duck, Bray on Thames, United Kingdom
13. Restaurante Benazuza, Cancun, Mexico
14. Ristorante Don Alfonso 1890, Sant'Agata sui Due Golfi, Italy
15. DOC, Armamar, Portugal
16. i Latina, Buenos Aires, Argentina
17. Chez Bruno, Lorgues, France
18. The Grove, Auckland Central, New Zealand
19. Indian Accent, New Delhi, India
20. TRB Hutong, Beijing, China
21. Azurmendi, Larrabetzu, Spain
22. Muse Restaurant, Pokolbin, Australia
23. Voila Bistrot, Paraty, Brazil
24. The French Cafe, Auckland Central, New Zealand
25. Funky Gourmet, Athens, Greece

Travellers’ Choice Favourite Fine Dining Restaurants Europe:

1. The Black Swan at Oldstead, Oldstead, United Kingdom
2. Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, New Milton, United Kingdom
3. Maison Lameloise, Chagny, France
4. L'Auberge de l'Ill, Illhaeusern, France
5. Martin Berasategui, Lasarte, Spain
6. El Celler de Can Roca, Girona, Spain
7. Restaurant Alcron, Prague, Czech Republic
8. The Fat Duck, Bray on Thames, United Kingdom
9. Ristorante Don Alfonso 1890, Sant'Agata sui Due Golfi, Italy
10. DOC, Armamar, Portugal
11. Chez Bruno, Lorgues, France
12. Azurmendi, Larrabetzu, Spain
13. Funky Gourmet, Athens, Greece
14. Ciel Bleu Restaurant, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
15. Noma, Copenhagen, Denmark
16. Da Vittorio, Brusaporto, Italy
17. Teppanyaki Restaurant Sazanka, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
18. Terasa u Zlate Studne, Prague, Czech Republic
19. Waterside Inn, Bray on Thames, United Kingdom
20. The Three Chimneys, Colbost, United Kingdom
21. Le Cinq, Paris, France
22. Epicure, Paris, France
23. Es Calo Restaurant, Calo de Sant Agusti, Spain
24. Disfrutar, Barcelona, Spain
25. Uliassi, Senigallia, Italy

Travellers’ Choice Favourite Fine Dining Restaurants UK:

1. The Black Swan at Oldstead, Oldstead, North Yorkshire
2. Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, New Milton, Oxfordshire
3. The Fat Duck, Bray on Thames, Berkshire
4. Waterside Inn, Bray on Thames, Berkshire
5. The Three Chimneys, Colbost, Isle of Skye
6. L’Enclume, Cartmel, Cumbria
7. Adam’s, Birmingham, Midlands
8. Quay Fifteen, Southampton, Hampshire
9. The Five Fields, London
10. Aizle, Edinburgh