Edinburgh restaurants are in with the chance of being crowned the 'best in the UK' at the inaugural Uber Eats awards.
The food delivery app's first-ever awards, judged by industry experts such as Prue Leith, will see the winner of the ‘Restaurant of the Year’ land £100,000 to build and expand their business.
After the public nominated their favourite food spots across the UK and Ireland earlier this year, the shortlist has now been unveiled, representing the most highly rated and most popular restaurants that each region of the UK has to offer.
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And the top ten restaurants in Scotland have been unveiled, including five of our city's top food spots.
The Edinburgh eateries to have made the shortlist are:
- Bonnie Burrito (Edinburgh)
- Bread Meats Bread (Various Locations)
- Bundit’s of Leith (Edinburgh North)
- Mother India (Edinburgh & Glasgow)
- Smiddy BBQ (Edinburgh North)
And the food spots to make the Scotland shortlist of ten are are:
Bucks Bar (Various Locations)
- Crazy Wok (Glasgow)
- Julie’s Kopitiam (Glasgow South)
- So… NYC Bagels and Brew (Aberdeen)
- Yippon Sushi (Glasgow)
For the next stage in the voting process, customers can view the shortlist and vote for their favourite restaurants from across the UK and Ireland from today until 16 June at ubereatsawards.com
The top restaurant from each region will then be invited to take part in a judging day, where their food will be tasted by the panel of judges, including Prue Leith, restaurateur and TV host, and Rachel Ama, vegan chef.
Mathew Price, Uber Eats General Manager, Mark Lewis, Chief Executive at Hospitality Action, Lorraine Copes, Head of Procurement at Be Inclusive Hospitality, and Nafisa Bakkar, CEO of Halal Gems, will also contribute their wide-ranging expertise to the judging panel.
Matthew Price, Uber Eats General Manager, said: “There are so many amazing independent restaurants on Uber Eats and the shortlist really demonstrates the vast amount of options and cuisines available across the UK and Ireland. I can’t wait to see the fantastic stories that are brought to light, try some of the best food available on our high streets up and down the country and recognise the pioneers and innovators shaping the future of our restaurant industry.”
Dame Prue Leith, cook, restaurateur, TV presenter and author, said: “Opening your own restaurant is desperately hard work, nerve-wracking and expensive. But there are few things as exciting and satisfying. I’m delighted to work with Uber Eats to crown their first Restaurant of the Year and shine a light on some extraordinary people and restaurants. They are the future of the industry. I’m looking forward to discovering pioneers across the UK and Ireland and of course to eating some amazing food.”
Beyond the grand prize category, the awards will also highlight the trailblazers in the industry who are leading the way after a turbulent few years for restaurants and the hospitality industry.
These Pioneer Awards include:
- Female Chef of the Year
- Black-owned Restaurant
- Sustainable Restaurant
- Health-focused Restaurant
- Community/Social Impact Restaurant
