AA Rosettes: Tom Aikens and the Ritz come out on top as recipients are announced

In a record year for the AA guide, Muse by Tom Aikens and the Ritz restaurant came out on top in London.

Revealed a month later than usual, the motoring guide announced the new recipients of three, four and five rosettes – its three highest honours – this morning, via a live-stream.

Muse and the Ritz were both awarded four AA rosettes, which the guide says denote "the top restaurants in the UK, where the cooking demands national recognition". No new restaurants, either in London or elsewhere, were awarded the coveted five rosettes, which signify world-class restaurants who "set standards to which others aspire to, yet few achieve."

Of the 26 restaurants to pick up three rosettes – a record breaking number for a single announcement – eight were from London, including Claridge's acclaimed opening Davies & Brook, Ollie Dabbous's Hide Above and the often overlooked Frenchie in Covent Garden. Interestingly, Jason Atherton's The Betterment, which was indifferently reviewed upon opening, also made the cut. The full list of London award-winners is below:

Having run since 1956, the rosette scheme is sometimes considered a bellweather for how restaurants are likely to fare in the Michelin guide, which for 2021 is revealed in January. Unlike other AA awards, which sometimes reference service and comfort, the rosettes are similar to the Michelin stars in that they are purportedly only about the quality of food. Three rosettes is thought to be equivalent to one star, four to two stars and five to three stars, though an exact match-up is rare.

Muse by Tom Aikens marks a return to form for the chef; Aikens, whose career has been marked by controversy, received adoring reviews in the national press for the 25-seater in Belgravia which opened at the start of the year, including a rare five-star review from the Standard. The Ritz, meanwhile, is broadly considered one of London's top restaurants, with prominent fans including the Standard's Fay Maschler and the restaurant critic Andy Hayler. Hayler, who is the first person to have been to every three star Michelin restaurant in the world, wrote recently that the Ritz cooks better food than anywhere else in the UK.

Simon Numphud, Managing Director at AA Media said of this year's announcements: “This has been an immensely difficult year for the hospitality industry, and yet restaurants across the country have continued to provide incredible dining experiences to the public despite these considerable challenges.

"The dedication and hard work of the teams behind these establishments is inspiring, particularly during this time, and we are pleased to be able to celebrate them with the announcement of these AA Rosettes.”

This month's announcement follows the awards given in February, in which seven London restaurants were deemed worth of five rosettes, including Claude Bosi at Bibendum, Core by Clare Smyth and the Lecture Room and Library at Sketch.