PRESS RELEASE: Embargoed until 00:01 Wednesday 29th October

The Good Food Guide defies doom and gloom of Britain’s pubs demise with its launch of 100 Best Pubs, featuring Leeds’ Highland Laddie in top spot

The Good Food Guide, Britain’s authority on eating out since 1951, has published its inaugural list of 100 Best Pubs in Britain, in partnership with Timothy Taylor’s Landlord and supported by Tracklements and Koffmann’s Potatoes.

Taking the No. 1 spot in Britain is The Highland Laddie in Leeds, a 100-year-old city centre institution that reopened in April 2025 in the hands of new owners Sam Pullan and Nicole Deighton (also of the Empire Café, Leeds). After finding the pub for sale on Rightmove, the couple remastered the historic watering hole with an eclectic menu that raises the bar for casual yet creative pub dining. They said: ‘We are all absolutely over the moon to be recognised as The Good Food Guide’s No.1 pub in Britain! We are even more thrilled to be flying the flag for Leeds and Yorkshire.’

The Good Food Guide’s 100 Best Pubs also welcomed nominations from its readers resulting in longstanding favourite The Broad Chare in Newcastle winning the Readers’ Choice Award. ‘We all enjoy a little recognition,’ said owner Terry Laybourne, ‘and this one is extra special as it comes directly from our customers – the people at the very heart of what we do.’

Despite the doom and gloom picture of Britain’s pubs, with closures currently averaging one per day in 2025, The Good Food Guide is celebrating the nation’s thriving appetite for genuine pubs with proper food and proper beer – and the growing number of venues that are delivering it.

Editor of The Good Food Guide, Chloë Hamilton, said: ‘We went searching for the pubs that nail the drinking and dining side of the equation. It turns out the harder you look the more you find, and they’re not all hidden away in the Cotswolds. The Highland Laddie – a city-centre slam dunk – is a very good case in point.’

Notable among this year’s selection is the Eagle in Clerkenwell, London – one of the very first ‘gastropubs’ (a term now eschewed by the Guide thanks to its association with formal dining) serving the same spirit of ‘big flavours and rough edges’ it delivered upon opening in 1991. The Kinneuchar Inn in the East Neuk of Fife slid into second place with an uncompromisingly delicious menu drawn from the Balcaskie Estate and other prime local producers. High rankings for the Beckford Group (Beckford Arms, No. 4), The Pickled Egg Pub Co (Radnor Arms, No. 5) and the Public House Group (The Pelican, No. 7) demonstrate how some of the most successful dining pubs benefit from economies of scale.

This year’s list also demonstrates the importance pubs play in community. Jane Jenkins, marketing director at Timothy Taylor’s said, ‘Timothy Taylor’s is delighted to have taken part in The Good Food Guide’s 100 Best Pubs campaign celebrating such quality, community-led establishments. Congratulations to all the winners, many of whom serve Timothy Taylor’s Landlord, the UK’s number one cask ale, and a special shout out to The Highland Laddie and the Broad Chare.’

Group CEO and founder of The Food Heroes, Simon Martin, added: ‘We are delighted by the groundswell of support for Britain’s best pubs during these tough times for our industry!’. While marketing director of Tracklement’s, Liz Cuff, said: ‘After the success of Britain’s Best Sunday Roasts in 2024, we’re delighted to support The Good Food Guide in celebrating Britain’s 100 Best Pubs 2025. The fabulous but approachable pub food on show throughout this list goes hand in hand with our award-winning condiments.’

The Good Food Guide’s 100 Best Pubs 2025

1. The Highland Laddie, Leeds

2. The Kinneuchar Inn, Fife

3. The Merry Harriers, Surrey

4. The Beckford Arms, Wiltshire

5. The Radnor Arms, Kent

6. Greyhound Inn, Pettistree, Suffolk

7. The Pelican, London

8. The Abbey Inn, North Yorkshire

9. Inn at The Sticks, Carmarthenshire

10. The Pack Horse, Hayfield, Derbyshire

11. The Eagle, London

12. The Barrington Boar, Somerset

13. The Sun Inn, Dedham, Essex

14. The Kerfield Arms, London

15. The Broad Chare, Newcastle – Readers’ Choice Award

16. Church House Inn, Devon

17. The Killingworth Castle, Oxfordshire

18. The Felin Fach Griffin, Powys

19. The Gunton Arms, Norfolk

20. The Plough, Rye, East Sussex

21. The Bath Arms at Longleat, Somerset

22. The Parakeet, London

23. The Rat Inn, Northumberland

24. The White Hart Inn, Essex

25. The Pipe & Glass, East Yorkshire

26. The Bull Charlbury, Oxfordshire

27. The Farmers Arms, Devon

28. The Devonshire, London

29. Hop Pole Inn, Somerset

30. The Waterman’s Arms, London

31. White Horse Holme, Norfolk

32. The Olive Branch, Rutland

33. The Old Wharf Inn, West Midlands

34. The Star Inn, Harome, North Yorkshire

35. The George at Burpham, West Sussex

36. Fox & Hounds, Hertfordshire

37. Tichborne Arms, Hampshire

38. The Bull Inn, Totnes, Devon

39. Parkers Arms, Lancashire

40. The Woolpack Inn, Gloucestershire

41. The Double Red Duke, Oxfordshire

42. The Cat Inn, West Sussex

43. The Canton Arms, London

44. The General Tarleton, North Yorkshire

45. The Anchor, Walberswick, Suffolk

46. The Camberwell Arms, London

47. The Brisley Bell, Norfolk

48. The Swan, Suffolk

49. The Riverside at Aymestrey, Herefordshire

50. The White Horse, Brancaster Staithe, Norfolk

51. The Kirkstyle Inn & Sportsman’s Rest, Northumberland

52. The Grove Inn, Devon

53. The White Hart, Fyfield, Oxfordshire

54. The Silver Cup, Hertfordshire

55. The Anglesea Arms, Hammersmith, London

56. Heathcock, Cardiff

57. The Feathers Inn, Northumberland

58. The Anchor & Hope, London

59. The Taybank, Perthshire & Kinross

60. The Queens Arms, Somerset

61. Hare & Hounds, Glamorgan

62. Applecross Inn, Highlands

63. The Punch Bowl Inn, Cumbria

64. The Clachan Inn, Dumfries & Galloway

65. The Bull Freehouse, Troston, Suffolk

66. The Exmoor Forest Inn, Somerset

67. The Ship Inn, Northumberland

68. The Bell at Selsley, Gloucestershire

69. The Tamil Crown, London

70. The Millbrook Inn, Devon

71. The Drunken Duck Inn, Cumbria

72. The Bull’s Head, Herefordshire

73. Dylan’s at The Kings Arms, Hertfordshire

74. St Kew Inn, Cornwall

75. The Pilgrim, Buckinghamshire

76. The Howard Arms, Warwickshire

77. The White Horse, Churton, Cheshire

78. The Alford Arms, Hertfordshire

79. The Plough, Bolnhurst, Bedfordshire

80. The Cotley Inn, Somerset

81. The Cornish Arms, Tavistock, Devon

82. Kilchrenan Inn, Argyll & Bute

83. The Red Lion, Isle of Wight

84. The Greyhound Inn, Letcombe Regis, Oxfordshire

85. The Halfway at Kineton, Gloucestershire

86. The Crown, Hastings, East Sussex

87. The Bonnie Badger, East Lothian

88. The Owl Hawnby, North Yorkshire

89. The Blind Bull, Little Hucklow, Derbyshire

90. The Surprise, London

91. The Leicester Arms, Kent

92. The Old Eyre Arms, Derbyshire

93. The Dartmoor Inn, Lydford, Devon

94. The Longs Arms, Wiltshire

95. The New Inn, Herefordshire

96. The Duck at Yeoford, Devon

97. White Horse, Lincoln, Lincolnshire

98. The Gurnard’s Head, Cornwall

99. The Manor House Inn, Somerset

100. The Bunch of Grapes, Rhondda, Pontypridd

ENDS

For further comment, interview requests and images please email editors@thegoodfoodguide.co.uk 

NOTES TO EDITORS  

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X: @goodfoodguideuk 

About The Good Food Guide  

The Good Food Guide is the longest standing restaurant guide in Britain. Founded in 1951, its ethos remains the same today - helping readers to find the very best places to eat around Britain. Owned by Knife & Fork Media, who also run industry platform CODE Hospitality, The Good Food Guide is now a fully digital publication featuring 1,400 restaurants, pubs, cafes and wine bars across Britain. All reviews are conducted anonymously by a network of inspectors and all meals are paid for in full. 

Membership to The Good Food Club is £4.99/month or £49.99/year with full access to our restaurant reviews, more than 200 dining perks and special member events. 

About Timothy Taylor's

Timothy Taylor's represents the gold standard of cask beer and is proud to fly the flag for one of the UK’s great products. An independent Yorkshire company with over 170 years of heritage, Timothy Taylor’s is one of the country’s most highly respected breweries and Landlord, the revered flagship brand, is the number one cask ale in the UK. 

There is no finer beer to have in a pub than a perfectly conditioned pint of Timothy Taylor’s Landlord. It’s beautifully balanced, full of flavour, highly drinkable and pairs well with food. To find your perfect pint of Timothy Taylor’s Landlord visit www.timothytaylor.co.uk/pint-finder. 

About Tracklements

Based in the heart of Wiltshire, B Corp-certified Tracklements lovingly make an award-winning range of over 50 artisan condiments, from the UK’s first Wholegrain Mustard to award-winning Fresh Chilli Jam. To make sure all of their products taste as good as the best homemade, they make them in the same manner as you would at home; with the highest quality, natural ingredients, handmade in small batches. They know the origins of all of their ingredients and work with British farmers and spice growers from all over the globe. The best Sunday roasts deserve the best condiments from Tracklements. 

About Koffmann’s Potatoes 

Koffmann’s Potatoes is a family run speciality food business, supplying potato products to the British food service industry and chefs nationwide. Legendary chef Pierre Koffmann is the head of the family. Under his expert direction, the experienced team has developed Koffmann’s potatoes - potatoes for purpose that offer chefs consistently superior taste to enhance any menu. Koffmann’s is proud to be on the menus of some of the finest restaurants, pubs, hotels in the UK and is delighted to support The Good Food Guide's 100 Best Pubs in the quest to crown Britain's best pub food, of which they firmly believe the potato is the star of the show. The Koffmann’s range is also now available through Ocado bringing restaurant quality products to homes nationwide.