Queens Arms in Eccles tops Good Food Guide’s 100 Best Pubs 2026

The ranking, announced today (2 November) at London’s Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, recognises pubs combining high-quality food and drink with welcoming service and a strong community focus.

The Queens Arms, a 19th-century railway tavern serving Japanese izakaya-style food, took the top spot, followed by the Cow in Notting Hill, London, and the Highland Laddie in Leeds.

The Greyhound Inn in Pettistree, Suffolk, placed fourth, followed by the Red Lion in Brinkley, Cambridgeshire. The Compasses Inn in Tisbury, Wiltshire, was named Readers’ Choice and ranked sixth.

The list, produced in partnership with Timothy Taylor’s Landlord and supported by Square, was selected by the Guide’s editors and regional inspectors following public nominations.

Top 50 Gastropubs recognised

A total of 20 venues on the Good Food Guide’s ranking also appeared in the 2026 Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropubs.

The Devonshire in Soho, crowned the UK’s number one gastropub in January, placed 61st in the Good Food Guide, while the Unruly Pig in Suffolk, ranked second in the Top 50 Gastropubs, secured 52nd place.

The Abbey Inn in Byland, North Yorkshire, ranked 13th in the Top 50 list and 10th in the Good Food Guide, while the Highland Laddie in Leeds placed 30th and third respectively.

Other pubs appearing on both lists included the Woolpack Inn in Slad, the Star Inn at Harome, Parkers Arms in Lancashire and the Cornish Arms in Tavistock.

Tommy Banks’ General Tarleton, which received the Top 50 Gastropubs One to Watch award earlier this year, also featured at number 55.

Regional recognition

The Olive Branch in Clipsham, Rutland, secured 27th place.

Director Ben Jones said: “We’re thrilled to be ranked number 27 in Britain. It’s a fantastic result for our team and something everyone here can feel proud of.

“We’ve always believed that a pub should be a place where you can enjoy an excellent meal, a good drink or simply spend time with friends.”

Pub group EatDrinkSleep also secured two places, with the Felin Fach Griffin in Brecon ranking 32nd and the Gurnard’s Head in Cornwall placing 74th. The latter also ranked 38th in the 2026 Top 50 Gastropubs.

EatDrinkSleep co-founder Charles Inkin said: “We couldn’t be happier to be included in this list with a pile of other superb pubs that do excellent food.”

He added that while pubs continued to close across the country, many remaining operators were delivering food and hospitality at a significantly higher standard than when the business started in 2000.

Good Food Guide’s 100 Best Pubs 2026: Full list

1. Queens Arms, Eccles, Greater Manchester
2. The Cow, Notting Hill, London
3. The Highland Laddie, Leeds, West Yorkshire
4. Greyhound Inn, Pettistree, Suffolk
5. Red Lion, Brinkley, Cambridgeshire
6. The Compasses Inn, Tisbury, Wiltshire
7. The Beckford Arms, Fonthill Gifford, Wiltshire
8. Inn at the Sticks, Llansteffan, Carmarthenshire
9. The Radnor Arms, Folkestone, Kent
10. The Abbey Inn, Byland, North Yorkshire
11. The White Hart, Fyfield, Oxfordshire
12. The Kerfield Arms, Camberwell, London
13. The Barrington Boar, Barrington, Somerset
14. The Kinneuchar Inn, Kilconquhar, Fife
15. The Pelican, Notting Hill, London
16. The Pack Horse, Hayfield, Derbyshire
17. The Merry Harriers, Hambledon, Surrey
18. The Shaston Arms, Soho, London
19. The Sun Inn, Dedham, Essex
20. The Broad Chare, Newcastle upon Tyne
21. The Bath Arms at Longleat, Horningsham, Wiltshire
22. The Wellington Arms, Baughurst, Hampshire
23. Hop Pole Inn, Limpley Stoke, Wiltshire
24. Church House Inn, Harberton, Devon
25. The White Hart Inn, West Mersea, Essex
26. The Crown Inn, Harbury, Warwickshire
27. The Olive Branch, Clipsham, Rutland
28. The Rose, Deal, Kent
29. The Parakeet, Kentish Town, London
30. The Waterman’s Arms, Barnes, London
31. The Rat Inn, Anick, Northumberland
32. The Felin Fach Griffin, Brecon, Powys
33. The Farmers Arms, Woolfardisworthy, Devon
34. The Old Wharf Inn, Stourbridge, West Midlands
35. The Gunton Arms, Thorpe Market, Norfolk
36. The Marble Arch, Manchester, Greater Manchester
37. The Eagle, Clerkenwell, London
38. The Plough Rye, Rye, East Sussex
39. The Star Inn, Harome, North Yorkshire
40. The Latimer, Notting Hill, London
41. Fox & Hounds, Barley, Hertfordshire
42. Parkers Arms, Newton-in-Bowland, Lancashire
43. The Woolpack Inn, Slad, Gloucestershire
44. The Brisley Bell, Brisley, Norfolk
45. The Bull Inn, Totnes, Devon
46. The Hawthorn, Shepherd’s Bush, London
47. The Bildeston Crown, Bildeston, Suffolk
48. The Woolpack Inn, Totford, Hampshire
49. The Plough, Bolnhurst, Bedfordshire
50. The Wellington, Margate, Kent
51. Camberwell Arms, Camberwell, London
52. The Unruly Pig, Bromeswell, Suffolk
53. The Grove Inn, Kings Nympton, Devon
54. The Swan, Stratford St Mary, Suffolk
55. The General Tarleton, Ferrensby, North Yorkshire
56. The Queen’s Arms, Corton Denham, Somerset
57. The Kentish Hare, Bidborough, Kent
58. The Taybank, Dunkeld, Perthshire and Kinross
59. Heathcock, Cardiff
60. The Canton Arms, Stockwell, London
61. The Devonshire, Soho, London
62. The Cat Inn, West Hoathly, West Sussex
63. The Bull Charlbury, Charlbury, Oxfordshire
64. The Feathers Inn, Hedley on the Hill, Northumberland
65. The Kirkstyle Inn and Sportsman’s Rest, Slaggyford, Northumberland
66. The Hoddington Arms, Upton Grey, Hampshire
67. Applecross Inn, Wester Ross, Highlands
68. The Bull’s Head, Craswall, Herefordshire
69. The Keelson, Edinburgh
70. St Kew Inn, Bodmin, Cornwall
71. The Ship Inn, Low Newton-by-the-Sea, Northumberland
72. The Alford Arms, Frithsden, Hertfordshire
73. The Earle Arms, Heydon, Norfolk
74. The Gurnard’s Head, Zennor, Cornwall
75. The Clachan Inn, St John’s Town of Dalry, Dumfries and Galloway
76. The Trof, Manchester, Greater Manchester
77. The Andover Arms, Hammersmith, London
78. Queen’s Head, Newton, Cambridgeshire
79. The Tamil Crown, Islington, London
80. The Red Lion, Freshwater, Isle of Wight
81. The Cornish Arms, Tavistock, Devon
82. The New Inn, Great Limber, Lincolnshire
83. Nobles by Bellfield, Edinburgh
84. King’s Head, Spratton, Northamptonshire
85. Dylans at the Kings Arms, St Albans, Hertfordshire
86. The Old Point House, Angle, Pembrokeshire
87. The Old Eyre Arms, Hassop, Derbyshire
88. The Black Horse, Amberley, West Sussex
89. The Flying Stag, Braemar, Aberdeenshire
90. The Crown, Hastings, East Sussex
91. The Candover, Preston Candover, Hampshire
92. The Clarence, Glasgow
93. The New Inn, Hereford, Herefordshire
94. The Lytton Arms, Old Knebworth, Hertfordshire
95. The Bunch of Grapes, Pontypridd, Rhondda
96. The Swan Inn, Fittleworth, West Sussex
97. Freemasons at Wiswell, Wiswell, Lancashire
98. The Bryntirion Inn, Bala, Gwynedd
99. Fylingdales Inn, Fylingthorpe, North Yorkshire
100. The Falcon Inn, Fotheringhay, Northamptonshire