Ramsons, an Anglo-Italian restaurant in Ramsbottom, near Bury, has been awarded the coveted Good Food Guide North West Restaurant of the Year award by consumer watchdog Which?, it was revealed today.
The award recognises excellence and good service at independent restaurants, pubs and cafes.
It also includes a public vote, which received over 20,000 entries.
Judges praised the Ramsbottom restaurant's use of local produce and `air of informality'.
Ramsons, owned by Ros and Chris Johnson, will now compete with nine other regional winners for the national title.
Well-deserved
Elizabeth Carter, editor of the Good Food Guide, said: "Ramsons is a well-deserved winner of the regional award. Chris Johnson's civilised restaurant exudes the right air of informality, and the food, with its stress on local produce, is contemporary without being too fashionable. Its clearly focused Italian perspective is a strong part of the winning formula.
"We know from the feedback we receive throughout the year that people feel passionately about great local restaurants, and this award is an opportunity to give them recognition."
The restaurant is no stranger to food accolade success.
Last year it was crowned the best in the north west by the influential guide for the first time.
And in 2004, it won Best Restaurant and Best Caterer titles in the Booker Prize for Excellence Awards.
The restaurant, in Market Place, used to be called the Village and has been owned by the couple for 25 years.
It takes its name from wild mushrooms that grow on the banks of the River Irwell.
The winner of the national award will be announced at a ceremony at the British Museum on June 17.
Tweet
