Latest news with #Spitalfields
Daily Mail
28-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Deliveroo reveals top UK restaurants of the year - as a trendy sandwich pop-up in east London scoops the top spot
Deliveroo has revealed the top takeaway restaurants in the UK, including a TikTok viral sandwich shop and high street bakery Gail's. The winners of the food delivery platform's annual awards were announced on Wednesday, based on 160,000 customer votes and the verdict of a panel of judges; Deliveroo founder Will Shu, food critic Jimi Famurewa and Tilly Ramsay. Winners were split across five different categories including independent businesses on both national and regional levels - and a new category sponsored by darts sensation Luke Littler who uncovered the nation's best kebab. The most prestigious accolade, the Independent Restaurant of the Year UK & Ireland, won by trendy London sandwich shop, Crunch, based in Spitalfields Market. Competing against Crunch for the crown, were restaurants who'd already picked up regional awards, including a Leeds cake shop and Bristolian fast-food chain. Each were judged by the panel on brand personality, food quality and value, packaging and presentation, customer reviews and loyalty, innovation, and going the extra mile. First place winner Crunch, a brioche bread sandwich pop-up shop, was awarded two prizes. After being crowned the International Restaurant of the Year for Greater London, it went on to battle against the other regional winners before winning the national category too. The self-described 'experimental' eatery, which opened in 2022, shone brightest with its 'Patty Melt', a sarnie containing truffle beef, red Leicester, and black truffle mayonnaise on golden brioche, which was the most popular dish on Deliveroo. Having amassed a cult following on social media, the trendy bap makers were praised for their string of five star reviews, and by judges 'for creating a new era of game-changing sandwiches and their fearless approach to cooking.' Regional categories were won by a mixture of pizza, cake and salad outlets. In Belfast, health food restaurant and burrito bar, Seed, won the Independent Restaurant of the Year for Ireland. Serving acai bowls, superfood salads, burritos and smoothies, health conscious Seed won the hearts of the Irish. Scotland preferred pizza over salad, with the nation nominating Big Manny's Pizza as their winner. The Aberdeen-based eatery serves a range of decadent cheesy pies and is famed for their unrivalled meat specials and 18-inch pizzas, available by collection only. Bristol won on burger and chips with the city's Oowee Diner located on North Street, winning the area for its burgers, tasty dips and loaded dirty fries. Get Baked, a cake shop and bakery located in Leeds, took home the crown for Manchester and Leeds. The eatery has amassed a cult following online, in particular for its Bertha cake, a huge layered chocolate cake that was inspired by the Roald Dahl tale Matilda. Leeds was also the destination for the winner of the Luke Littler x Deliveroo Best Kebab Award, with the city's Sqew Shawarma Bar nabbing the title. The darts prodigy shortlisted ten 'Litter-approved' venues, all of which went to a public vote with Sqew Shawarma Bar, coming out top. Sqew's Khobez kebab with chicken, salad and sauce, was a notable mention. Additional awards were granted in acknowledgment of other hospitality strengths, including Deliveroo's Above and Beyond awards. Divisive high-street bakery, Gail's, was also given a Heart of the Community award across the nation, a win that will no doubt come as a surprise to those who have accused the chain of 'gentrification'. The bakery was at the heart of fierce debate last year, as locals in a number of locations, including Worthing and Wandsworth, fought back against plans to build new outlets on their high-streets. Others in the category included the Environmentally Sustainability award, given to Bujo in Dublin, the Customer Obsession award, which went to Burger Me Up in Birmingham, and the Rider Love award given to Thunderbirds, a chicken restaurant with various outlets across London. The Icon awards also showcased the talents of UK restaurant owners, with Naeem Aslam, Director of Aagrah Leeds winning the Lifetime Achievement, and Rich Myers, Founder of Get Baked scoring the Changing the Game award. The Rising Star award went to Enrico Pinna, Co-Founder of Ad Maiora, in Manchester. The Role Model award was given to Tim Vasilakis, Founder of The Athenian, which boasts multiple locations across the UK, including in London, Bristol and Sheffield. Reflecting on the overall winner of this year's Deliveroo awards, Jimi Famurewa, food critic and Deliveroo restaurant awards judge, said: 'It's an honour to be a returning judge for Deliveroo's UK & Ireland restaurant awards, and I was blown away by the passion and talent on display at the Independent Restaurant of the Year cook-off. 'Each finalist brought something unique and delicious to the table, making the final decision incredibly tough for us. 'However, Crunch from London stood out amongst the fierce competition, showcasing immense creativity, fine dining-level technique and mindblowing flavour that impressed us all.' Michael Medovnikov, Co-founder of Crunch: 'From our humble beginnings in a Shoreditch pub to winning Independent Restaurant of the Year for UK & Ireland with Deliveroo in just a few years – it's an absolutely surreal and incredible feelinh. We poured our hearts into every single sandwich we've made for our customers, so this award is for our amazing team and all the customers who've supported us from the start of this wild journey. Thank you to Deliveroo and everyone who voted for us to receive this amazing recognition!' Deliveroo's 2025 Restaurant Awards winners National Independent Restaurant of the Year Awards 2025 - CRUNCH, Old Spitalfields Market, London. National Independent Restaurant of the Year Awards Independent Restaurant of the Year, Ireland 2025 - Seed, Belfast Independent Restaurant of the Year Scotland 2025 - Big Mannys' Pizza, Aberdeen Independent Restaurant of the Year South England and Wales 2025 - Oowee Diner, Bristol Independent Restaurant of the Year North England and Midlands 2025 - Get Baked, Manchester & Leeds Independent Restaurant of the Year, Greater London 2025 - CRUNCH, Old Spitalfields Market, London. Luke Littler x Deliveroo Best Kebab Award 2025 Sqew Shawarma Bar, Leeds - Luke Littler x Deliveroo Best Kebab Award 2025 winner Icon Awards Lifetime Achievement 2025 - Naeem Aslam, Director of Aagrah, Leeds Changing the Game 2025 - Rich Myers, Founder of Get Baked, Manchester & Leeds Rising Star 2025 - Enrico Pinna, Co-Founder of Ad Maiora, Manchester Role Model 2025 - Tim Vasilakis, Founder of The Athenian, London, Bristol, Birmingham, Swindon, and Sheffield. Above and Beyond Awards 2025 Heart of the Community Award 2025 - GAIL's Bakery, nationwide Environmentally Sustainability Award 2025 - Bujo, Dublin (Sandymount, Terenure Village) Customer Obession Award 2025 - Burger Me Up, Birmingham (Stirchley) Rider Love Award 2025 - Thunderbirds, London: Canary Wharf, Charing Cross, Clapham Junction, The O2, Wimbledon, Parkden Resorts, Westfield Stratford
The Sun
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
MasterChef finalist announces sudden closure of top UK restaurant after shock kitchen blaze that ‘got bad quickly'
A LEADING UK restaurant has shut its doors after a shock fire. Som Saa based in Spitalfields, East London, suffered "significant damage" following a kitchen blaze. The Thai restaurant's closure was announced on Monday via Instagram by joint owners Andy Oliver, a former MasterChef finalist, and Mark Dobbie. The duo said: "Sad news: Yesterday we had a fire our kitchen extraction system. "It got bad quickly, and we had to evacuate. "All the team are safe and well, but we have significant damage to repair and a large clean-up to do." The pair also thanked the London Fire Brigade. They said the emergency services "were in the building, saving the day," just three minutes after 999 was called. Oliver and Dobbie confirmed that the restaurant will remain closed at least until the end of the week. But they admitted: "We don't yet know when we can reopen. "Our team have been getting in contact with impacted bookings. "We will post updates (and share some learnings from this very scary day) in the coming days." Moment fire erupts on beach as major blaze seen along tourist hotspot seafront with fears it was started deliberately Co-owner Andy Oliver achieved notoriety for his cooking on Series Five of MasterChef UK. He impressed the judges to reach the final, only to be pipped at the post by fellow contestant Mat Follas, who has gone on to run a series of successful restaurants such as the Wild Garlic. Nonetheless Andy decided to become a full-time chef after his TV success, and began working at the Michelin-starred Nahm restaurant in London. Here, under the tutelage of David Thompson, the "Pad-Father" of Thai Cooking in the UK, he met Mark Dobbie in 2009. After hitting it off in Nahm, the pair decided to go into business together, and launched Som Saa in a pub garden in Peckham in 2013. Their Southern-Thai pub grub was a huge hit with the punters. Remarkably, they crowdfunded an upgrade of Som Saa into a permanent restaurant in Spitalfields in 2016. In 2023, the pair opened Kolae in Borough Market, which also offers Southern Thai cuisine. The new restaurant received the remarkable accolade of a Bib Gourmand at the 2025 Michelin Guide Ceremony for Great Britain and Ireland. Kolae remains open and operational despite the fire to its sister restaurant, Som Saa. 2
