‘A long lunch in London is what we’re good at’: bistro above a pub wins UK restaurant of the year

Bouchon Racine is old school, for lovers of traditional French cooking and boozy afternoons – it even aims to stop taking bookings online

If you’re someone who consults social media to find the best spots for a weeknight dinner reservation, you’d be forgiven for thinking that having a viral social media account or influencer chef at the stove is the only way to run a successful restaurant these days.

However, the operators of the newly-crowned top UK restaurant are not just unbothered about competing in the algorithm olympics, they’re actively seeking out ways to be more analogue – even considering only take bookings by phone.