The 31 award-winning restaurants that have shut down in the last year including Michelin-starred picks

A SHOCKING number of award-winning restaurants have been forced to close their doors over the last year, Sun Money can reveal.

With costs spiralling and diners’ wallets squeezed, even the very best restaurants in the country aren’t safe from closure. See if your favourite chippy or Indian made the list.

We looked at 11 major restaurant awards since 2024, listing the must-go spots across the UK.

These included prestigious awards such as Michelin stars and AA Rosettes, or have been featured in the Good Food Guide or the National Restaurant Awards.

We also included niche awards too, including the Squaremeal Awards and Asian Curry Awards.

In total, 31 award-winning restaurants which featured on these lists have closed over the past 14 months.

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Nineteen are in London, while 10 closed across the rest of England.

No restaurants closed in Wales, while two closed in Scotland.

See the full list.

London – 19 closures

London has been the hardest hit, with a total of 19 closures.

They include the two Michelin-starred Claude Bosi at Bibendum, which closed last August after eight years.

The popular restaurant had gained its two stars just a year after opening.

In a statement released on social media, chef Bosi and his wife Lucy said the business had been “unable to reach a resolution with our partners and landlords”.

Another hit to the London fine dining scene will be the closure of Club Gascon, which is set to close at the end of this month.

The posh Michelin-starred eatery is run by chef Pascal Aussignac and is inspired by his French upbringing.

Some restaurants have been forced to close shut down just months after opening their doors.

London Fields restaurant Sesta was picked out by the National Restaurant Awards as a “One to Watch” finalist.

But in a shock to the restaurant scene, it closed its doors just over a year after opening.

It wrote on Instagram at the time: “While we’ve loved every minute of bringing this little restaurant to life, sadly times are just too hard to make ends meet.”

Another London favourite, Hello JoJo in Camberwell, shut after only six months in operation.

Rest of England – 10 closures

Six Rooftop in Gateshead was listed in the Michelin Guide but closed last month.

It said it had “faced difficult trading conditions, a tough economic climate and losses over a sustained period”.

The restaurant added: “Like many in the hospitality sector, we’ve absorbed increasing costs for as long as we could, rather than pass the full impact on to our guests, but the cumulative effect has now become unstable.”

Manchester favourite Örme also said it had closed due to “significant economic pressures”.

The British fine dining restaurant was known for its excellent tasting menu and Sunday roast.

But that wasn’t enough to keep it from closure, with its owners saying keeping the business going had become “unfeasible”.

Scotland – two closures

The Gannet in Glasgow and La Garrigue in Edinburgh both closed at the end of 2025.

Independent restaurant The Gannet had served up local seasonal cuisine in a relaxed fine dining setting.

Chef-patron Peter McKenna said he wanted to “close this page and move onto the next”, and has now opened up a more casual bistro called Eleven Fifty Five in its place.

French bistro La Garrigue had received high praise from Gordon Ramsay, who named it as one of his “best restaurants“.

But La Garrigue was plagued by “difficult trading conditions” towards the end of its time on the capital’s food scene.

Why are restaurants closing down?

The hospitality sector has been hit hard in recent years by a perfect storm of rising inflation, increased staff costs and changing customer habits.

Restaurants and pubs have still been trying to find their feet after being forced to shut during the COVID pandemic, with many having to take out loans to cover the lost income.

But since then the cost of living crisis has squeezed households and meant they’re less willing to part with their cash.

Energy, rent and supply costs have risen for restaurants – and it’s got more expensive to hire and keep on staff too.

Last year, the Government introduced a rise in National Insurance contributions for employers.

The minimum wage has also risen, proving a problem for the hospitality sector.