The Good Food Guide, in partnership with Square, are inviting the public to nominate their favourite local restaurants to be in the running for Britain’s 100 Best Local Restaurants 2026.
Now in its 16th year, the campaign is dedicated to seeking out and celebrating the best of local, independent dining – the places at the beating heart of communities around Britain.
We encourage you to direct diners towards the nomination form via your website, emails social media channels, and in your restaurant by using the printable assets provided. We have also provided a QR code to be added to the bill, till receipts and other printed materials to direct diners to the nomination form.
You can find the nomination form here: https://www.thegoodfoodguide.co.uk/best-local-restaurant/nominations
Nominations are open from 9th March until 16th April 2026.
ARE YOU A PUB? We will be running our 100 Best Pubs campaign later in the year. Sign up here to be the first to find out about how to get involved.
As headline partner of Best Local Restaurants, Square proudly supports the independent restaurants at the heart of Britain's neighbourhoods. With payments, point-of-sale and funding in one unified system, Square's tools help local businesses grow and keep communities thriving.
In support of The Good Food Guide's search for Britain's 100 Best Local Restaurants, Square is offering up to £4,000 off hardware* to all eligible restaurants that switch to Square before the list is announced. Click below to find out more.
Eligibility
A Best Local Restaurant will generally meet the following criteria:
• Independently run; owned by the chef or a hands-on proprietor
• Offer regularly changing, seasonal menus at affordable prices
• Demonstrate strong relationships with local suppliers
• Be rooted in the local community
• Offer at least two dinner services a week
• Give customers a genuine, warm welcome
See 'Six signs you're in a great local restaurant' for more on what we're looking for, and view last year's winners here.
The final list of 100 Best Local Restaurants, including one overall winner and additional regional winners, will be selected by editors of the Guide in consultation with inspectors.
'We are completely gobsmacked about winning the Best Local Restaurant award. To be included in the top 100 in our first few months would have been a great achievement but to be the overall winners is such a huge honour and testament to all the hard work of the team since day one, so this is for them. Our sign above the door says "a neighbourhood bistro" and being a great local restaurant is everything we wanted Bavette to be. Thank you to everyone who has come through our doors, you’ve made Bavette what it is'
— Bavette, overall Best Local Restaurant winner 2024
Assets
You can download the below assets to share your participation in the campaign:
Nomination cards
Business cards which restaurants can have professionally printed or can order from our shop here. The cards have a QR code which links directly to the nomination form. We recommend displaying these on tables or leaving with receipts to encourage nominations.
Social media assets
Artwork which you can post on your social media channels to encourage nominations. We have provided a square version for main feed posts and a portrait version for stories.
Digital website button
Use this on your website to link to the nomination form: www.thegoodfoodguide.co.uk/best-local-restaurant/nominations
Other ways to share
If you have an email list, your email newsletter can be a great way to announce your participation.
FAQS
Q: Can you provide more details on printing business cards?
Restaurants can purchase business cards here. Or should have business cards professionally printed in the correct size (90x50mm). Any printed materials are at the restaurant’s expense.
Q: How can customers nominate from our website or via our social media channels?
We recommend adding the digital button to your website with a link to the nominations page: www.thegoodfoodguide.co.uk/best-local-restaurant/nominations. This button can also be used on your social channels, although you are welcome to use your own imagery too.
Q: Can restaurants publicise The Good Food Guide's 100 Best Local Restaurants?
Yes. We encourage you to advertise your participation as widely as possible. We recommend using email marketing, social media, your website and printed business cards to prompt nominations.
Q: How many nominations do you receive?
In previous years we have received up to 60,000 nominations. We do not disclose how many nominations each restaurant receives.
Q: How are nominations verified?
Nominations are carefully audited by The Good Food Guide team before being passed to the editors for consideration. Incomplete submissions and invalid names will be removed and multiple nominations for the same restaurant from the same individual will not be valid.
Q: If I get nominations for The Good Food Guide's 100 Best Local Restaurants will I be included in The Good Food Guide?
Not necessarily. Receiving nominations does not guarantee inclusion in the Guide. However, the winners must be of Good Food Guide standard and therefore will be included in the Guide.
For any queries that have not been answered on this page, you can contact us at editors@thegoodfoodguide.co.uk. We will endeavour to answer your query as quickly as possible.
ASSET DOWNLOAD
Click 'download' to get a zip file of all restaurant assets for The Good Food Guide's 100 Best Local Restaurants 2026 in partnership with Square:
