Top chefs and quality cuisine acclaimed as Lichfield and Birmingham restaurants named in UK's top 100

Both Opheem in Birmingham and Upstairs by Tom Shepherd in Lichfield have been recognised alongside quality eateries in London, Liverpool, Manchester and Edinburgh in the National Restaurant Awards Top 100 list.

The list, described as "the definitive guide to the UK's best restaurants", comes from a panel of more than 200 experts drawn from across the industry including food writers, chefs and restaurateurs.

The UK is split into 11 regions, with members of the panel voting for the top seven restaurants they have experienced in the last 12 months, weighted in order of preference, with the results compiled, and the top 100 list of the best restaurants created.

From the list, which saw The Ritz in Mayfair in London ranked number one, Opheem was ranked at 48, while Upstairs by Tom Shephard was ranked 82.

In the ranking list, Opheem, based in the Jewellery Quarter, is described as an "entirely different proposition to any other Indian restaurant in the UK", due to the owner and head chef Aktar Islam using European techniques to make different styles of Indian cuisine.

The restaurant was launched in 2018 and is famed for Mr Islam's signature dish of achaari pink fir potatoes with tamarind, which sees potatoes water-bathed, grilled, put through an espuma gun and deep fried in three different ways as crisps, pillows, and croutons.

In early 2024, Opheem was awarded its second Michelin star, and is one of only two Indian restaurants in the country to have been given the accolade.

Upstairs by Tom Shepherd is described on the list as a gem of a restaurant located above a jewellery shop in the heart of Lichfield.

The restaurant opened in 2021 and has gained a reputation for poised, modern British cooking, as well as being the only Michelin-starred restaurant in Staffordshire.

Sutton Coldfield-born chef Tom Shepherd is the mastermind behind the restaurant, which is housed above his father's jewellery shop, and has produced a menu which includes a single, seven-course tasting menu in the evenings, with a shorter four-course option available at lunchtimes.

The ranking guide said his focus is on flavour-led, produce-driven dishes that embrace the seasons and produces cooking which is assured but unfussy, with each dish often comprising only two or three elements. 

To see the full list of the Top 100 restaurants, visit the National Restaurant Awards website.