After my consultation of the opinions of Gemini artificial intelligence, it seemed that my previous neglect of the AA Restaurant Guide had been misplaced and Gemini had gone so far as to hint that the Automobile Association publication was the restaurant guide for me. So I bought one. I like having printed copies of guides - they feel as though they are for ever - they are there on the bookshelf not somewhere as transient-feeling as the internet. We all know deep down, don’t we?, that one day everything on that internet is just going to vanish - perhaps as an accident or by the actions of a bad actor or, well, for some reason, yet to be imagined. And when it’s all gone the books will still be there on the bookshelves, comforting, beckoning to you to pick one of them up and read it.
And so, let’s look at the 2026 printed guide and see which of the Birmingham and West Midlands region restaurants featured in it -
Gloucestershire
Almondsbury
The Curious Kitchen at Aztec Hotel and spa ✳️✳️
Bibury
The Brasserie, Swan Hotel ✳️
Buckland
Buckland Manor ✳️✳️✳️
Cheltenham
Bao + BBQ ✳️
Bhoomi Kitchen ✳️✳️
Cowley Manor Restaurant ✳️✳️
The Curry Corner Est 1977 ✳️✳️
The Greenaway Hotel & Spa ✳️✳️✳️
Hotel du Vin Cheltenham ✳️
Le Champignon Sauvage ✳️✳️✳️
Lumière ✳️✳️✳️✳️
Prithvi ✳️✳️✳️
Purslane ✳️✳️
The Restaurant Ellenborough Park Hotel ✳️✳️
Chipping Camden
Three ways House Hotel Restaurant ✳️
Cirencester
THE PIG-in the Cotswolds ✳️
Clearwell
Tudor Farmhouse Hotel & Restaurant ✳️✳️
Coleford
Simply Wild Restaurant ✳️✳️
Verderers ✳️✳️
Gloucester
Hatherley Manor Hotel & Spa ✳️
Leclade on Thames
New Wave Brasserie and Spa ✳️
Lower Slaughter
The Slaughters Country Inn ✳️✳️
The Slaughters Manor House ✳️✳️✳️
Michinhampton
The Ragged Cot Inn ✳️
Moreton-in-Marsh
Manor House Hotel ✳️✳️
Nailsworth
Wilder ✳️✳️✳️
Nether Westcote
The Feathered Nest Inn ✳️✳️✳️
Painswick
The Falcon ✳️
The Painswick ✳️✳️
Selsey
The Bell Inn ✳️✳️
Stow-on-the-Wold
The Kings Head Inn ✳️
Nether Westcote
The Feathered Nest Inn ✳️✳️✳️✳️
Stow-on-the-Wold
Number Four at Stow ✳️✳️
Old Stocks Inn ✳️✳️
Stroud
The Bear of Rodburgh ✳️
The Burleigh Restaurant at Burleigh Court ✳️✳️
Tetbury
The Brasserie at Calcot ✳️✳️
The Close Hotel ✳️✳️
Thornbury
Ronnie’s of Thornbury ✳️✳️
Thornbury Castle Hotel ✳️✳️✳️
Upper Slaughter
Lords of the Manor ✳️✳️✳️✳️
Westbury-on-Severn
The Barn at Severn and Wye Restaurant ✳️✳️
Winchcombe
The Lion Inn ✳️
43 restaurants in the county (88 rosettes)
Herefordshire
Aymestrey
The Riverside at Aymestrey ✳️✳️
Hereford
The New Inn ✳️✳️
Ledbury
Feathers ✳️
Ross-on-Wye
Conservatory Restaurant, Kings Head Hotel ✳️
Symonds Yat (East)
Saracens Head Inn ✳️
5 restaurants in the county (7 rosettes)
Shropshire
Bridgenorth
The Acton at Morville ✳️✳️
Hodnet
The Bear Inn ✳️✳️
Ludlow
The Charlton Arms ✳️✳️
The Cliffs at Dinham ✳️✳️
The Feathers ✳️
Fishmore Hall ✳️✳️ (clearly not inspected since the change of ownership 2 years ago)
Market Drayton
Goldstone Hall ✳️✳️
Munslow
Crown Country Inn ✳️✳️
Norton
The Hundred House ✳️
Oswestry
Pen-y-Dyffren Country Hotel ✳️✳️
Shifnal
The Granary Restaurant ✳️
Shrewsbury
House of the Rising Sun ✳️
Lion & Pheasant Hotel ✳️✳️
The Royalist Restaurant Prince Rupert Hotel ✳️✳️
The Saloon Hawkstone Hall ✳️
Telford
The Ugly Duckling ✳️
16 restaurants in the county (26 rosettes).
Staffordshire
Cheddleton
The Flintlock at Cheddleton ✳️✳️✳️
Consall
The Plumicorn ✳️✳️
Ellastone
The Duncombe Arms ✳️✳️
Hoar Cross
The Ballroom at Hoar Cross Hall ✳️
Leek
Three Horseshoes Country Inn and Spa ✳️
Lichfield
The Boat ✳️✳️✳️
The Larder ✳️✳️
Upstairs by Tom Shepherd ✳️✳️✳️
Stafford
The MoatHouse ✳️✳️
Stoke-on-Trent
Lunar ✳️✳️
10 restaurants in the county (21 rosettes)
Warwickshire
Alderminster
Ettington Park Hotel ✳️✳️
Armscote
The Fuzzy Duck ✳️✳️
Henley-in-Arden
The Mount by Glynn Purnell ✳️✳️
Ilmington
The Howard Arms ✳️
Kenilworth
The Cross at Kenilworth ✳️✳️✳️
Long Compton
The Red Lion ✳️
Lower Brailes
The Kitchen at Feldon Valley ✳️✳️
Royal Leamington Spa
Oscar’s French Steakhouse & Bistro ✳️
The Warwick at Mallory Park ✳️✳️✳️
Shipston-on-Stour
The Bower House ✳️✳️
The Royal Oak Whatcote ✳️✳️
Stratford -upon-Avon
Hotel du Vin,Stratford-upon-Avon ✳️
No 44 Brasserie on the Waterside ✳️✳️
The Woodsman, Hotel Indigo ✳️✳️
Wishaw
The Belfry ✳️✳️
15 restaurants in the county (28 rosettes).
West Midlands county
Birmingham
670 Grams ✳️✳️
Adam’s ✳️✳️✳️
Chez Mail Brasserie & Bar ✳️
Hotel du Vin & Bistro ✳️
Land ✳️✳️
Opheem ✳️✳️✳️
The Oyster Club by Adam Stokes ✳️✳️
The Restaurant Folium ✳️✳️✳️
Simpsons ✳️✳️✳️
The Wilderness ✳️✳️✳️
elsewhere in West Midlands county
Meriden
The Barn at Berryfields ✳️✳️
Royal Sutton Coldfield
The Bridge at New Hall Hotel & Spa ✳️✳️
Solihull (Hampton in Arden)
Grace and Savour ✳️✳️✳️✳️
Wolverhampton
Bilash ✳️✳️
14 restaurants in the county (34 rosettes). Cheltenham (population 122,00) has 2 more rosettes (25 distributed around 11 restaurants than Birmingham (population 1.2 million), 23 distributed to 10 restaurants). The heavily populated West Midlands county (population 3,4 million) has 54 fewer rosettes than Gloucestershire (88, spread around 43 restaurants, population 670,000).
Worcestershire
Abberley
Badgers ✳️✳️
The Manor Arms ✳️✳️
Broadway
The Back Garden (Dormy House Hotel) ✳️✳️✳️
Foxhill Manor ✳️✳️
Grill by James Martin (Lygon Arms Hotel) ✳️
Hook by Martin Burge (Fish Hotel) ✳️✳️
MO (Dormy House Hotel) ✳️✳️✳️✳️
Tattersalls Brasserie ✳️✳️
Callow End
The Refectory at Stanbrook Abbey Hotel ✳️✳️
Chaddesley Corbett
Brockencote Hall Country House Hotel ✳️✳️✳️
Malvern
The Cottage in the Wood ✳️✳️✳️
The Inn at Welland ✳️✳️
L’Amuse Bouche Restaurant (Cotford Hotel) ✳️✳️
Ombersley
The King’s Arms ✳️
The Venture In Restaurant ✳️✳️
15 restaurants in the county (33 rosettes). How lovely to see that the AA Guide knows that Broadway is in Worcestershire unlike the Michelin Guide which perpetually places it in Gloucestershire
Therefore, in all, 118 West Midlands restaurants were featured in the 2026 edition of the guide (a total of 237 rosettes) when it was first printed and since then some are gone because of closures and a few have appeared. The year is already well half passed and summer’s lease hath too short a date but I will report future developments with this guide in the future as I have with other important guides.
No comments:
Post a Comment