Chain restaurants across the country have signed up to Rishi Sunak’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme, meaning from Monday diners can bag a bargain meal by getting 50 per cent off their dinner up to £10 at the likes of Nando’s, Pizza Express and McDonald’s.
Other restaurants, including vegan mecca byChloe, pie master Dominic Ansell’s bakery and The Lebanese Bakery have vowed to offer 50 per cent off Monday-Wednesday throughout September too.
But thousands of independent and high end eateries have also signed up, meaning those hankering after Michelin-starred fare can bag a meal for as little as £6 per course, per head.
While at least 40 Michelin starred venues have signed up nationwide, some deals are much better than others, with those that have a good value set menu already in place offering the best deals.
For instance, Mayfair’s Social Eating House, run by celebrity chef Jason Atherton, is offering two courses for £12, while Gymkhana, London’s top Indian restaurant, is offering a lunch deal of two courses for £17.50 on Wednesdays.
Here FEMAIL brings you the restaurants with the best deals across the UK.
SOCIAL EATING HOUSE: TWO COURSES FOR £12
Jason Atherton, a Michelin starred chef and regular on Saturday Kitchen and Great British Menu, is offering guests lunch at a bargain price of £12 for two courses at his relaxed central London bistro, Social Eating House (pictured)
Before lockdown, Jason offered a £22 set lunch menu for two courses and £28 for three courses. But food fans can now enjoy his world class dishes at £6 per course, after getting £10 per head off the bill
Jason Atherton, a Michelin starred chef and regular on Saturday Kitchen and Great British Menu, is offering guests lunch at a bargain price of £12 for two courses at his relaxed central London bistro, Social Eating House.
Before lockdown, Jason offered a £22 set lunch menu for two courses and £28 for three courses – but food fans can now enjoy his world class dishes at £6 per course.
The menu features the likes of roast mackerel, apple vinegar pickle, fresh green apple and golden raisins to start. Mains courses include aged Cumbrian Angus rump with charcoal grilled triple cooked chips, béarnaise sauce and a large leaf salad.
Diners opting for dessert, under three courses for £18, can treat themselves to a seasonal Kentish cherry and yoghurt parfait or basil sorbet. The price goes up to £26 for those who want a cocktail.
Jason Atherton’s flagship restaurant, Pollen Street Social, will also be taking part in Eat Out to Help Out – meaning diners can take advantage of eating at one of London’s most exclusive restaurants for a fraction of the price.
Pollen Street, alongside its usual menu, will also be offering three courses for £29.50 or three courses with half a bottle of wine for £48.50 – chosen by their expert Sommelier.
AQUAVIT: THREE COURSES FOR £22
Aquavit London, a Michelin starred Nordic diner in Soho, usually offers a two-course lunch menu priced at just £29 with three courses available for £32, which is now down to £19 and £22 respectively. Pictured is the inside of the restaurant
Led by head chef Jorjon Colazo, the menu at Aquavit is full of fresh, locally sourced ingredients and Nordic-inspired dishes. Pictured is a strawberry and meringue dish for the Nordic celebration of Midsommar
Aquavit London, a Michelin starred Nordic diner in Soho usually offers a two-course lunch menu priced at just £29, with three courses available for £32.
This means under the new scheme it will be at bargain price of £19 for two courses, or £22 for three.
Led by head chef Jorjon Colazo, the menu at Aquavit is full of fresh, locally sourced ingredients and Nordic-inspired dishes.
Focusing on clean flavours, simple presentation and quality ingredients, the menu features an array of tempting choices inspired by Scandinavian cuisine.
Stand out dishes include the likes of scallops with seabuckthorn and dill; and lamb with fermented turnip and persimmon.
The restaurant has been closed since the start of lockdown, and is set to reopen on 24th August – meaning diners will have two weeks to take part in the promotion.
LEROY: THREE COURSES AND A SNACK FOR £35
The trendy Shoreditch Parisian diner and wine bar Leroy (pictured), which earned a Michelin star last year shortly after opening, is currently offering a reduced menu due to Covid-19. Its set menu of three courses and a snack for £45 is £35 under the scheme
The trendy Shoreditch Parisian diner and wine bar Leroy, which earned a Michelin star last year shortly after opening, is currently offering a reduced menu due to Covid-19.
Its set menu of three courses and a snack for £45 changes daily as they use fresh produce but often includes the likes of olives, dusty knuckle sourdough, steamed plaice with mussels, white wine sauce and samphire, and buttermilk panna cotta with poached white peach.
With the Eat Out To Help Out scheme, the restaurant’s offer is reduced to £35 per head – or £8.75 a course.
ST JOHN: TWO COURSES FOR £19.10
North London’s St John restaurant is completely unassuming from the outside (pictured), but is highly rated by food experts, and earned a Michelin star last year
North London’s St John restaurant is completely unassuming from the outside, but is highly rated by food experts and earned a Michelin star last year.
The simple traditional British diner that focuses on cooking whole animals and is one of the capital’s most affordable Michelin starred diners, costing an average of £29.10 for two courses on the à la carte menu.
Under Eat Out to Help Out, diners can get the two courses for less than £20; their meals include brown shrimps with white cabbage, lamb sweetbreads with peas and a mint and Eccles cake with Lancashire cheese.
GYMKHANA: TWO COURSES FOR £17.50
Mayfair’s Michelin-starred Indian restaurant Gymkhana (pictured) offers the very reasonable deal of two courses for £27.50 or three courses for £32.50. Under Eat out to Help Out, diners can enjoy the set menu for £17.50 at lunchtime on Wednesdays
Mayfair’s Michelin-starred Indian restaurant Gymkhana offers the very reasonable deal of two courses for £27.50 or three courses for £32.50.
Under Eat out to Help Out, diners can enjoy the set menu for £17.50 at lunchtime on Wednesdays.
Menu options include duck egg bhurji, lobster, malabar paratha – a kind of Indian bread and scrambled eggs – as well as and kid goat methi keema, salli, pao – a minced meat curry with bread.
The mains include gucchi, khumb and truffle pilau – a type of spicy rice – as well as Goan prawn curry, while the desserts include anjeer kheer – an Indian rice pudding – as well as honey kulfi apricot and rasmalai trifle.
SIMPSONS: TWO COURSES AND A GLASS OF WINE FOR £30
One of Birmingham’s five Michelin starred restaurants, and led by chef director Luke Tipping, Simpsons (pictured) has earned a reputation for offering one of the best dining experiences in the UK’s second city
One of Birmingham’s five Michelin starred restaurants, and led by chef director Luke Tipping, Simpsons has earned a reputation for offering one of the best dining experiences in the UK’s second city.
The modern British restaurant set in a Georgian dining room offers a set two-course lunch for £40 – which is only £30 under Eat Out to Help Out.
The menu includes cured salmon, Cotswold’s white chicken and custard tart with strawberry sorbet.
MURANO: TWO COURSES FOR £20
Angela Hartnett’s one-starred Italian diner Murano in Mayfair (pictured) offers a £30 two-course menu
Angela Hartnett’s one-starred Italian diner Murano in Mayfair offers a £30 two-course menu which includes the likes of lamb rump, caponata, basil, and buttermilk panna cotta with English strawberries as well as Swiss chard and ricotta ravioli, with broad beans, peas, marjoram.
As it’s taking part in the scheme, the offer is now just £20 per head, meaning diners can get a Mayfair meal for £10 per course between Monday and Wednesday.
AMAYA: SIX TASTING COURSES FOR £17
Amaya, a top end Indian diner in Knightsbridge (pictured), offers a lunchtime platter for those after a quick bite. Offering the equivalent of three courses, six tasting portions are served at the same time on a platter, which includes a dessert, for £27 per person. Under Eat Out to Help Out, the six course indulgence is just £17 per head
Amaya, a top end Indian diner in Knightsbridge, offers a lunchtime platter for those after a quick bite.
Offering the equivalent of three courses, six tasting portions are served at the same time on a platter – which includes a dessert – for £27 per person.
Under Eat Out to Help Out, the six course indulgence is just £17 per head.
Amaya is part of the MW Eat group, which also owns Veeraswamy, another Michelin starred diner taking part in the deal, as well as Chutney Mary, which is in the Michelin guide, and the Masala Zone chain.
TOP RESTAURANTS WITHOUT A MICHELIN STAR IN THE SCHEME
ARROS QD: TWO COURSES FOR £13
Arros QD, widely considered one of the top Spanish restaurants in London (pictured), is a feature in the Michelin Guide and has the vibe of a luxury hotel. Its lunchtime deal offers two courses for £13, under Eat Out To Help Out
Arros QD, widely considered one of the top Spanish restaurants in London, is a feature in the Michelin Guide and has the vibe of a luxury hotel.
Its lunchtime deal offers two courses for £13, under Eat Out To Help Out.
The Fitzrovia diner is led by top Spanish chef Quique Dacosta, who also owns the three Michelin starred Quique Dacosta Restaurant in Denia, Spain, as well as four other restaurants, one with a Michelin star.
Arros QD’s main attraction is its paella, which is wood-fired with state of the art equipment.
THE IVY: TWO COURSES FOR £8.75
Celeb haunt and one of London’s most famous casual diners, the upmarket Ivy Market Grill in the heart of the West End, usually offers a deal for £17.50 for two courses between 11.30 and 6pm. Under Eat Out to Help Out, this is just £8.75 a meal
Celeb haunt and one of London’s most famous casual diners, the upmarket Ivy Market Grill in the heart of the West End, usually offers a deal for £17.50 for two courses between 11.30 and 6pm.
Under Eat Out to Help Out, this means two courses are only £8.75, while the deal for three courses is £11, meaning you can dine at the restaurant that was a favourite of Princess Diana and the Beckhams for less than £10.
Options include the likes of creamed white onion soup, Hoisin-glazed crispy duck leg, chargrilled halloumi with Padrón peppers and strawberry ice cream with pistachios and a white chocolate sauce.
The Ivy has 12 more restaurants in London, and more than 20 across the rest of the UK offering similar deals.