Yorkshire takes centre stage at AA Hospitality Awards

AA Hospitality Awards 2026: Yorkshire restaurants take centre stage

Yorkshire has had a particularly strong showing at the 2026 AA Hospitality Awards, with The Star Inn at Harome named AA Restaurant of the Year for England, The Black Swan at Oldstead taking the inaugural AA Sustainable Restaurant of the Year title, and The Penny Bun in Otley crowned AA Inn of the Year.

The awards were held at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House in London on 21 September. The AA also announced its latest three- and four-Rosette restaurants, with the new awards forming part of the AA Restaurant Guide 2027.

The Angel at Hetton: Yorkshire’s five-Rosette pinnacle

At the summit is The Angel at Hetton, which currently holds five AA Rosettes — the highest possible AA culinary rating.

The Angel’s five-Rosette award was achieved in September 2024. It remains the only Yorkshire restaurant in the five-Rosette category. When the AA awarded the fifth Rosette, AA Media managing director Simon Numphud said the organisation had followed chef Michael Wignall’s cooking throughout his career and described him as one of Britain’s most talented chefs.

Five-Rosette restaurants are described as being at “the pinnacle”, where cooking compares with the best in the world. They have highly individual voices, demonstrate exceptional culinary skill and set standards that few others achieve. The restaurant retained its Michelin star in 2026, meaning that its five-AA-Rosette status continues alongside its Michelin recognition.

Three Yorkshire restaurants in the four-Rosette elite

• The Black Swan at Oldstead
• Shaun Rankin at Grantley Hall, Ripon
• Forge at Middleton Lodge

There were no new Yorkshire four-Rosette restaurants announced at the September 2026 AA Hospitality Awards. That makes Yorkshire’s existing four-Rosette restaurants particularly significant: all three remain in a category the AA describes as “among the top restaurants in the UK”, where cooking demands national recognition and is characterised by intense ambition, technical skill, consistency and a desire to continue exploring and improving.

The Black Swan at Oldstead becomes the first-ever AA Sustainable Restaurant of the Year

Set on Tommy Banks’ 160-acre farm in North Yorkshire, Michelin-starred The Black Swan Oldstead has spent 20 years crafting its menus from homegrown and foraged ingredients.

It has now been awarded the inaugural AA Sustainable Restaurant of the Year 2026–27 at the AA Hospitality Awards, recognising its commitment to sustainable sourcing, low food miles, and responsible supply chains.

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AA Restaurant of the Year for England – The Star Inn at Harome

Thatched-roof favourite The Star Inn at Harome has been named Restaurant of the Year, adding another brilliant moment to an already memorable year for the North Yorkshire restaurant.

Just three months after Chef-Patron Andrew Pern celebrated 30 years at the much-loved 14th-century thatched inn, Andrew and Chef-Director Stephen Smith were there to collect the coveted title.

The award is separate from the Rosette system. The AA says the Restaurant of the Year award recognises restaurants providing cuisine of a truly excellent standard while also demonstrating innovation, ambience and a high standard of hospitality.

AA Inn of the Year – The Penny Bun

Another firm favourite at the Yorkshire Food Guide, Ilkley’s Penny Bun, home to an outstanding Sunday lunch and, not to mention, their iconic bar snacks, took home Inn of the Year.

The award recognises the broader hospitality experience of an inn rather than simply its restaurant cooking. A huge achievement, and of course, very well deserved.

New Yorkshire Rosette holders in 2026

The AA Guide is updated throughout the year, rather than waiting for the September awards ceremony. That means several Yorkshire restaurants entered the AA system or received new Rosettes during 2026.

Among the notable additions are:

General Tarleton, Knaresborough — 2 Rosettes

The General Tarleton returned to the AA Guide in April 2026 with two Rosettes. The AA’s two-Rosette standard recognises restaurants achieving higher standards and greater consistency, with more precision in the cooking and obvious attention to the quality of ingredients.

Hansom, Bedale — 2 Rosettes

Ruth Hansom’s Bedale restaurant joined the AA Guide with two Rosettes in July 2026.

Plates by Oxalis, Beverley — 2 Rosettes

David Tait’s Beverley restaurant was awarded two Rosettes in September 2026, making it one of the freshest Yorkshire additions to the current AA list.

Restaurant Elm, Sheffield — 3 Rosettes

Restaurant Elm was initially awarded two Rosettes when it entered the AA Guide in February. At the September 2026 awards, it was promoted to three Rosettes, putting it into the AA’s nationally recognised culinary-excellence tier.

The September promotion is particularly notable because the AA’s three-Rosette category represents a substantial step above the two-Rosette level: the cooking must demonstrate outstanding culinary excellence, with high-quality ingredients treated with skill and creativity.

2026 Yorkshire AA Rosette restaurants:

Five AA Rosettes

• The Angel at Hetton

Four AA Rosettes

• The Black Swan at Oldstead
• Shaun Rankin at Grantley Hall, Ripon
• Forge at Middleton Lodge

Three AA Rosette Restaurants:

• Yorebridge House, Leyburn
• Chartwell at Aldwark Manor
• Goldsborough Hall, Knaresborough
• Roots, York
• Legacy, York
• Skosh, York
• The Traddock, Settle
• The Bow Room Restaurant at Grays Court, York
• The Rafters, Sheffield
• JÖRO, Sheffield
• Melton’s restaurant, York
• Fifty Two, Harrogate
• Pignut and The Hare, Scawton

• The Star Inn at Harome
• Chef’s Table at Swinton Estate
• Box Tree, Ilkley
• The Lantern Room, at Manor House, Lindley
• The Homestead Kitchen, Goathland
• Restaurant Elm, Sheffield

Two AA Rosette Restaurants:

• The Lime Tree Inn, York
• Middlethorpe Hall & Spa, York
• Wood Hall Hotel & Spa, Wetherby
• Clocktower, Harrogate
• Horto at Rudding Park, Harrogate
• General Tarleton, Knaresborough
• Hansom, Bedale
• Plates by Oxalis, Beverley
• Rhubarb, Harrogate
• Crab & Lobster restaurant, Asenby
• Bar & Restaurant Eighty Eight, Grantley Hall, Ripon
• Fletchers Restaurant, Grantley Hall, Ripon
• The Timble Inn, Timble
• The Pheasant Hotel, Helmsley
• Samuel’s at Swinton, Masham

• Prashad, Bradford
• Wentbridge House Hotel, Pontefract
• The Fell Hotel, Burnsall
• The Clarendon Country Pub With Rooms, Hebden
• Shibden Mill Inn, Halifax
• Grassington House, Grassington
• The Pipe and Glass, Beverley
• DN1, Doncaster
• The Wensleydale Heifer, West Witton
• Crathorne Hall Hotel

• The Fleece Countryside Inn, Ripponden
• The Westwood Restaurant, Beverley
• The Coach House at Middleton Lodge Estate
• Chadwicks Inn, Maltby
• Elements, Aldwark
• Bosun’s Restaurant, York
• Normans Neighbourhood Kitchen
• Wolds Restaurant, Flixton
• Plates by Oxalis, Beverley

One AA Rosette Restaurants:

• Hotel du Vin & Bistro York
• The Rise, York
• Chez Mal Brasserie and Bar
• Sora, York
• The Star In The City, York
• The Judge’s Lodging, York
• York Minster Refectory, York
• Blue Bell, Doncaster
• Six by Nico, Leeds
• Bello Bistro, Saltburn-by-the-Sea
• Hotel du Vin & Bistro Harrogate
• The Fat Badger, Harrogate
• Pranzo Italian, Harrogate
• The Orchid, Harrogate
• FYR Bar & Grill at Thorpe Park Hotel and Spa, Leeds
• The Fairfax Arms, Gilling East
• The Penny Bun, Otley
• The Terrace, Masham
• Black Horse Inn, Kirkby Fleetham
• The Tack Room Restaurant, Middleham

• The Beverley Arms, Beverley
• The Lister Arms, Malham
• The View, Skipton
• Ruthvika Spices and Kitchen, North Ferriby
• Brasserie on the Green, Reeth
• Chaloner’s, Guisborough
• The Plough Scalby, Scarborough
• The Farrier, Scarborough
• Cecil’s at The Weston Hotel, Scarborough
• Restaurant at the Palm Court, Scarborough
• Pranzo, Ilkley
• Bello Bistro, Saltburn

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