Michelin announces new Bib Gourmands for 2026 - here's what it actually means
Michelin has awarded a slew of British and Irish restaurants a prestigious Bib Gourmand, praising the unique establishments for serving affordable, high-quality meals.
Every year, food experts known as ‘Michelin Inspectors’ descend on food-slinging businesses across the world.
Once seated, they will order various dishes from the menu and proceed to rate a venue's ability to rustle up something spectacular for a budget-friendly price.
In 2026, 37 businesses have been newly-awarded Bib Gourmand status, including BORGO, an Italian eatery in Dublin, and Jai Ho in Bishop’s Cleeve.
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If this is the first time you’re hearing about the Michelin seal of approval, then you may be wondering how it differs from a star, and what criteria the awarded companies have to adhere to.
FOODbible has detailed everything you need to know about the 2026 Bib Gourmand, including criteria, as well as listing all 37 newly-assigned organisations in the UK and Ireland.
What is a Bib Gourmand?
According to the official Michelin website, the Bib Gourmand is named after the iconic Bibendum mascot.
It was introduced in 1997 as a way to specifically ‘recognise restaurants offering excellent value for the quality of their cooking’.
“While the price threshold varies a little from country to country depending on the cost of living, inspectors apply the same principle worldwide: great value for money,” the site reads.
To be classed as ‘good value’, the establishment usually must serve a complete, satisfying meal - usually composed of a starter, main and dessert - at a set price that is more affordable than that of a Michelin-starred restaurant in the same region.
The second criteria inspectors take into consideration is that the food must be classed as ‘delicious’ and relatively simple.
That means you won’t usually find menus boasting molecular gastronomy or super precious ingredients making the Bib Gourmand list.
Instead, you’ll discover budget-friendly and accessible businesses.
Is Bib Gourmand more important than Michelin Star?
It’s a common misconception that restaurants awarded a Bib Gourmand are not worthy of a Michelin Star. However, that’s not quite the case.
Michelin Stars are awarded to specific premises that serve up ‘outstanding food’, with star levels one to three on offer.
These businesses usually present Promethean dishes, often composed of high-quality ingredients. Guests are usually willing to pay a premium price tag for the product too, according to inspectors.
On the other hand, Bib Gourmand restaurants are lauded for exhibiting creativity, skill, and harnessing the ability to deliver a special experience without forcing guests to fork out a ton of money.
While the dishes are often less complicated than those found in starred kitchens, they are still classed as delectable, and usually reflect the chef’s mastery of cooking, flavours, and techniques.
A restaurant displaying a ‘simpler style of cooking, which is recognisable, easy-to-eat, and often something you feel you could attempt to replicate at home’ is likely to receive a Bib Gourmand, as per the food experts.
Meanwhile, a business that is awarded a Michelin Star is likely to serve unique, boundary-pushing cuisine. Expect the prices to be much more inaccessible, too.
According to Fine Dining Lovers, the Big Gourman guide can act as a ‘great resource for those… who love good food but can’t afford to eat in expensive restaurants.’
The Bib Gourmand is known for having a less rigid evaluation system than the traditional star system.
This means a breadth of styles and budgets are likely to be rewarded.
Due to there being ‘no set formula’, it means Manchester’s Spanish-inspired tapas house El Gato Negro, A Pong Mae Sunee, a street food stall in Phuket, and Alba in St Peter Port, a restaurant hailed for its ‘globally inspired, vibrantly flavoured dishes’ can all win the award.
New Bib Gourmands for 2026
37 new Bib Gourmands in Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland were announced on Monday (2 February).
Four of these are based in Scotland, two in Wales, and a whopping 12 in London.
Three Dublin-based establishments have also received the prize, as has Beau in Belfast.
The announcement comes a week before the Michelin Guide Great Britain & Ireland 2026 ceremony.
New Great Britain and Ireland Bib Gourmands 2026
Scotland:
- Mara, Aberdeen
- Angeethi by Sagar Massey, Cardonald
- Sebb’s, Glasgow
- The Clarence, Glasgow
Northern Ireland:
- Beau, Belfast
Republic of Ireland:
- Bigfan, Dublin
- Borgo, Dublin
- Fôret, Dublin
- Farmgate Lismore, Lismore
Wales:
- The Gaff, Abergavenny
- Purple Poppadom, Cardiff
Channel Islands:
- Alba, St Peter Port, Guernsey
England:
- Ragù, Bristol
- Gina, Chingford
- Jai Ho, Bishop’s Cleeve
- Almanac, Glossop
- Norman’s Neighbourhood Kitchen, Kirkburton
- The Oarsman, Marlow
- Erst, Manchester
- Post, Newman
- Counter Culture, Newquay
- The Yurt at Nicholsons, North Aston
- Piccalilli, Nottingham
- Shwen Shwen, Sevenoaks
- Cantaloupe, Stockport
London:
- Akara, Borough Market
- Tamila, Clapham
- Oren, Dalston
- Cadet, Islington
- Goodbye Horses, Islington
- Canteen, Notting Hill
- Café Spice Namasté, Royal Albert Dock
- Kruk, Peckham
- Lai Rai, Peckham
- Singburi, Shoreditch
- Calong, Stoke Newington
- Ssam Ssam, Wimbledon
Ella Scott