The Top 2%: The 10 best family-owned restaurants around the UK

One of the UK’s great family-run success stories, Singburi was truly the little Leytonstone hole-in-the-wall that could, beginning life as a chippy before becoming a legendary Thai restaurant under owners Tony and Thelma Kularbwong. While the original site no longer exists, Shoreditch’s Singburi 2.0 is run by Tony and Thelma’s son Sirichai, and takes the greatness, indomitable spirit and classic dishes of the original restaurant, and passes them through the lens of contemporary London.

Wen’s specialise in Chinese home-cooking: the type of thing that the Wen family, originally from Shandong, would serve you up if you were a guest at their very own table. The menu is a tour de force, and it’s hard to go too wrong – but must-haves include the delicate pork dumplings and the deep fried whole seabass.

Famed for being a favourite spot of Mo Salah’s when he played for Liverpool, Bold Street’s Bakchich is a Lebanese restaurant with a truly homely feel: the family behind it, headed up by founder Adam Outaaraft, work around the clock to serve up breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Whether you fancy a lunchtime wrap with crumbly falafel or an evening feast of glistening shawarma (or a classy brunch of zaatar eggs…), Bakchich’s range – and its spotlighting of fresh, tasty Lebanese cuisine – make it one of our favourite family-run spots.

Holohan’s proudly bills itself as Belfast’s finest purveyor of Irish cuisine, and is owned by a family with hospitality in its blood. The Holohans have been welcoming guests to their establishments for three generations, each as keen to show their guests the very best of the craic as the last. The house dish is boxty – a type of Irish potato pancake – but you’d be a fool to miss the Guinness sticky toffee pudding as well.

Family runs through every single dish at York’s Roots restaurant, because much of the produce you’ll be served at this Michelin-starred establishment comes from owner Tommy Banks’ family farm in Oldstead. Roots is a celebration of British produce, with their Sunday Roast, which moves with the seasons rather than constantly remaining the same, a particular highlight.

The newest iteration of Simla opened ten years ago in Newcastle’s Quayside district, though the family at its heart have been cooking in the city since 1981. Simla serves up “contemporary” Indian food, and its menu includes mouthwatering dishes from all over the Indian subcontinent, from warming Chettinad to rich Chingri malai.

Stretford Canteen pitches itself as fine dining done unfussily: it’s led by Jo Sandwith, Dean Taylor and their daughter Eve, all of whom work front of house and in the kitchen, and dishes are simple but brilliantly executed. Expect French-inflected classics like steak au poivre and salad Nicoise, delivered with heart, soul, and all the warmth of family. 

There’s iconic, and then there’s Wheeler’s: their distinctive frontage is the mainstay of many an Instagram story, and the seafood behind the doors more than lives up to its storied reputation. This is the only remaining outpost of the Wheeler’s seafood restaurants established across London and Kent in the 1850s, and is run by Delia Fitt, whose mother Martha preceded her, while head chef Mark Stubbs has worked in the kitchen for 25 years. An absolute must for seafood lovers.

Edinburgh’s Timberyard was started in 2012 by Andrew and Lisa Radford, with a progressive mission statement. In 2026, those aims have been taken up by Ben, Jo, and Abi Radford, who put sustainability at the heart of all they do. Serving up dishes with a light, Scandinavian bent, Timberyard is best showcased via its impressive tasting menus, which innovate fabulously to avoid waste.

A one stop shop for pizza, pasta, and even calzone, La Galleria is Birmingham city centre’s family-run Italian, which, happily, has a menu that your whole family will love too. Located conveniently near Birmingham New Street train station, La Galleria is a versatile restaurant that  works as well for a quick lunch as it does for a pre-theatre treat.

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