Adam's in Birmingham named UK's top restaurant by TripAdvisor's Travellers' Choice Awards 2019

Online review site TripAdvisor has published its ranking of the best fine dining restaurants in the UK as part of its annual Travellers Choice Awards. Michelin-starred Adam's in Birmingham is at the top of the list. 

The ranking is determined by an algorithm, which analyses millions of customer reviews, resulting in a worldwide list as well as one for each of the countries in which the company operates. 

• See the full list of the UK's best fine dining restaurants according to TripAdvisor
• The 25 best fine dining restaurants in the world, according to TripAdvisor
• Tom Shepherd, head chef, Adam's Restaurant

Number one on the list is Adam's in Birmingham, followed by Tommy Banks' Black Swan at Oldstead - named Best Restaurant in the World by TripAdvisor in 2017 - and L'Enclume, Paul Ainsworth at No 6, Aizle in Edinburgh, Maison Bleue, The Old Stamp House, Alyn Williams at The Westbury, Edinburgh's Castle Terrace and Restaurant Sat Bains. 

Meanwhile, TRB Hutong was named best fine dining restaurant in the world, followed by Epicure in Paris and Ristorante Villa Crespi in Italy. Adam's, the Black Swan and L'Enclume also made it into the top 25 list. 

Though it is among the most used online review platforms in the world and a point of reference for potential customers, TripAdvisor is notoriously unpopular among chefs and restaurant owners, who claim its rating and review system is largely unmonitored. 

Marred with reports of fictitious reviews and incidences of fraud by companies offering to write reviews in exchange for money, earlier this year, TripAdvisor published a report claiming it had taken down a million fraudulent post in the last year. 

Despite its flaws, many still see the platform as a useful marketing tool, and estimate that the general consensus gives a good idea of the quality of a restaurant.