2026 One to Watch: Oudh 1722

The National Restaurant Awards were launched in 2007 to celebrate the UK eating-out scene. The Top 100 is produced from an academy of more than 200 chefs, restaurateurs, food writers: the UK is split into 11 regions, voters nominate seven restaurants they have visited in the previous 12 months, those weighted votes form the national ranking. The specialist awards sit alongside that ranking and identify category leaders in service, drinks, sustainability, regional excellence, notable new openings. For the 2026 One to Watch page, Pearl treats Oudh 1722 as a single-winner specialist award rather than a ranked list. Oudh 1722 marks Aktar Islam's London debut after building Opheem in Birmingham into a two-Michelin-starred restaurant. The Southwark restaurant focuses on Awadhi cuisine, drawing on the royal cooking traditions of Lucknow through kebabs, dum cooking, breads, curries, sharing dishes.

The 2026 One to Watch page on Pearl captures the single official specialist-award winner, Oudh 1722, links that recognition back to a live restaurant profile.

In the 2026 National Restaurant Awards, One to Watch went to Oudh 1722 in Southwark, London. Oudh 1722 marks Aktar Islam's London debut after building Opheem in Birmingham into a two-Michelin-starred restaurant. The Southwark restaurant focuses on Awadhi cuisine, drawing on the royal cooking traditions of Lucknow through kebabs, dum cooking, breads, curries, sharing dishes. Pearl uses this page for searchers who are looking for the specific award category, the winning restaurant, the broader 2026 National Restaurant Awards context.