Restaurant in Nottingham, United Kingdom
Sharing plates, Michelin-noted, easy to book.
Raymond's holds two consecutive Michelin Plates and a 4.9 Google rating from over 800 reviews, making it one of Nottingham's strongest arguments for Modern British cooking at the ££ price tier. Counter seating, sharing plates, and a by-the-glass wine list reward exploratory diners. Book a week ahead for weekends; mid-week evenings offer the most relaxed pace.
If you visited Raymond's once and left thinking it was a reliable one-off, book it again. The format that made it work the first time — counter seating, sharing plates, a wine list built for grazing — holds up on repeat visits precisely because the menu rewards exploration rather than defaulting to safe favourites. Raymond's earns its Michelin Plate recognition (2024 and 2025) not through formal dining theatre but through the kind of consistent, well-executed cooking that keeps a room full of regulars and new faces in equal measure.
Raymond's sits in the Lace Market, Nottingham's most food-credible neighbourhood, at 8 Stoney St. The room leans into counter seating and moody lighting, which means the experience is inherently social and observation-led , you watch the kitchen, you share plates with whoever you came with, and the pace is set by the food rather than a timed tasting schedule. For an explorer-type diner, that flexibility is the point. You are not locked into a sequence; you build the meal as you go.
The fish crackling is the entry point the Michelin guide specifically flags as worth ordering , described as addictive and tone-setting for the menu that follows. As a Category 1 verified detail, it is one of the few specific dish references Pearl can stand behind here. Beyond that, the menu trades in immensely satisfying Modern British plates built around sharing, which puts Raymond's in a different operating mode from the more formal tasting-menu venues in the city. For the right diner, that is an advantage, not a compromise.
The wine list deserves a separate note. The emphasis on choice by the glass is a practical signal: this is a list designed for people who want to drink across a meal rather than commit to a bottle. That suits the sharing-plate format well and gives solo diners or mixed-preference groups more room to move. If wine is part of why you are going out, Raymond's handles that dimension better than most venues at the ££ price point across Nottingham.
Raymond's works leading at the start of an evening rather than late. Counter seating and a lively room are the format's strengths when energy is building, not winding down. The buzz the Michelin assessors noted is a real factor , this is a room that rewards arriving with time to settle and order in stages. Mid-week evenings tend to offer the most comfortable pacing if you prefer to eat without noise competition. Weekend evenings will be fuller and louder, which suits a group but is less ideal if conversation is the priority.
Given the £££ rating sits at ££, timing also matters for value. Arriving earlier allows you to move through more of the menu without feeling rushed, which is where the sharing format delivers its leading return. A long Tuesday or Wednesday dinner here covers ground that a compressed Friday sitting may not.
Raymond's counter-led, sharing-plate format is inherently group-friendly, but the database does not confirm a dedicated private dining room. What the format does deliver for groups is structural: sharing plates remove the ordering friction that slows larger tables at more conventional restaurants, and counter seating means the kitchen is part of the experience for everyone at the table rather than a back-of-house abstraction. For a group celebration at the ££ price tier, that is a meaningful practical advantage over more formal alternatives. If a fully private room is essential for your occasion, verify directly with the restaurant before booking, as Pearl cannot confirm that provision from current data.
For special occasions in the main room, Raymond's format is better suited to groups of two to four than to large parties. The counter dynamic and sharing pace reward smaller numbers who can move through dishes together. A group of six or more may find the logistics of a shared counter more complicated , in which case Harts offers a more conventional table layout for larger bookings.
Raymond's occupies a specific and useful position: it is not the cheapest option in its neighbourhood, but it is meaningfully more affordable than the city's flagship fine dining venues while holding Michelin recognition. That gap is the core of the value argument. See the comparison table below for how it stacks up against key alternatives.
Address: 8 Stoney St, Nottingham NG1 1LP, in the Lace Market. Reservations: Booking is rated Easy , this is not a venue where you need to plan months out, but mid-week evenings and early weekend slots fill reliably, so book at least a week ahead to avoid disappointment. Budget: ££, positioning Raymond's as a considered but not extravagant choice for Nottingham dining. Dress: No formal dress code is confirmed; the moody, stylishly understated room points toward smart-casual as the appropriate register. Wine: Strong selection by the glass , lean on the list rather than defaulting to a bottle if you want flexibility across the meal.
The Michelin Plate in consecutive years is a credible indicator at this price level. It places Raymond's alongside venues like hide and fox in Saltwood in the category of Modern British restaurants doing consistent, technically sound work outside of London without the overhead costs that push covers into the ££££ tier. If you are comparing across the national Modern British category, the reference points with more formal recognition include L'Enclume in Cartmel and CORE by Clare Smyth in London , but those operate at a fundamentally different price tier and format. Raymond's is not competing with them; it is offering something more accessible and more repeatable.
For visitors exploring Nottingham more broadly, Pearl's guides to Nottingham bars, Nottingham hotels, and Nottingham experiences give a fuller picture of what the city has to offer around a dinner at Raymond's.
Booking difficulty is rated Easy, so you do not need weeks of lead time. That said, mid-week evenings and early weekend slots fill regularly given the venue's Google rating of 4.9 across 810 reviews and its Michelin Plate status. A week to ten days ahead is a sensible buffer for a weekend dinner; mid-week you may find same-week availability without difficulty.
Order the fish crackling first , the Michelin guide flags it specifically as the entry point that sets the tone. The format is sharing plates and counter seating, so come prepared to graze and build the meal in stages rather than working through a fixed sequence. The wine list is designed for by-the-glass drinking, which suits the format well. Budget for ££ and expect a lively, informal room in the Lace Market rather than a formal dining setting.
Pearl does not have confirmed details on dietary accommodation from the current data. Contact Raymond's directly before booking if dietary restrictions are a factor , a sharing-plate menu with multiple components across a meal is generally more adaptable than a fixed tasting sequence, but that needs to be verified with the kitchen in advance.
At the ££ price tier with two consecutive Michelin Plate awards and a 4.9 Google rating from over 800 reviews, Raymond's delivers clear value for Nottingham. You are getting a Michelin-recognised Modern British kitchen at a price point well below the city's flagship fine dining venues. The comparison that matters: alchemilla and Restaurant Sat Bains both operate at ££££ with deeper tasting formats. Raymond's is the right call if you want quality cooking without the full-evening-length, high-spend commitment.
Pearl cannot confirm whether Raymond's offers a formal tasting menu from current data. The venue is described as a sharing-plates operation, which implies the menu is built for self-directed grazing rather than a fixed sequence. If a tasting menu format is important to your decision, check directly with the restaurant. For a confirmed tasting menu at Michelin-recognised level in Nottingham, alchemilla and Restaurant Sat Bains are the clearer choices , at a higher price point.
For a bigger formal spend with tasting menus, Restaurant Sat Bains (££££) is Nottingham's most decorated kitchen. alchemilla (££££) offers a plant-forward Modern European format at a similar tier. At the ££ level, Ibérico World Tapas covers Mediterranean sharing plates if you want a different flavour register, and Delilah Fine Foods works well for a more casual daytime visit. Raymond's is the pick if Michelin-recognised Modern British cooking at an accessible price is the priority.
Yes, for occasions where the priority is a lively, high-quality dinner rather than formal ceremony. The room , moody lighting, counter seating, stylishly understated , creates the right atmosphere for a celebratory meal without the stiffness of a full fine dining service. For two to four people, it works well. For a larger group wanting a private room or a more formal occasion structure, verify availability directly, as Pearl cannot confirm private dining provision from current data. Harts is a more conventional alternative if a traditional occasion format matters.
The fish crackling is the one dish Pearl can specifically recommend from Michelin-verified data , it is described as addictive and sets the tone for the rest of the meal. Beyond that, the menu is built around sharing plates in the Modern British format; work through the menu in stages and use the by-the-glass wine list to match across dishes rather than committing to a single bottle at the start. Order more than you think you need , the format rewards grazing.
| Venue | Cuisine | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raymond's | Modern British | In the heart of the city’s historic Lace Market neighbourhood, you’ll find this fun and welcoming restaurant that could scarcely be more on-trend. Sharing plates, counter seating, moody lighting, stylishly understated décor… it’s got the lot – and judging by the buzz it’s a recipe for success. Start with the fish crackling if you can, a totally addictive snack that sets the tone perfectly for a menu of immensely satisfying dishes. The wine list adds to the experience, with an interesting selection and a pleasingly large choice by the glass.; Michelin Plate (2025); Michelin Plate (2024) | Easy | — |
| Restaurant Sat Bains | Modern British, Creative | Michelin 2 Star | Unknown | — |
| alchemilla | Modern European, Modern British | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Kushi-Ya | Japanese | Unknown | — | |
| Ibérico World Tapas | Mediterranean Cuisine | Unknown | — | |
| Delilah Fine Foods | Unknown | — |
A quick look at how Raymond's measures up.
Booking is rated easy — you are unlikely to need more than a week or two of lead time for most nights. That said, Friday and Saturday evenings at a Michelin Plate venue in the Lace Market will fill faster than midweek. If you have a fixed date, book it early to avoid the counter being full.
Raymond's runs on a sharing-plates format with counter seating and moody lighting — come expecting a lively room, not a quiet table-service dinner. The fish crackling is a noted opening snack worth ordering. It holds a Michelin Plate for 2024 and 2025, which at ££ pricing is a strong signal that the kitchen is consistent.
The venue database does not confirm specific dietary accommodation policies. Contact Raymond's directly at 8 Stoney St, Nottingham NG1 1LP to confirm what the kitchen can accommodate before booking, particularly for a sharing-plate format where dishes are designed for the table.
At ££, Raymond's sits in a comfortable position: meaningfully more affordable than Restaurant Sat Bains but offering genuine Michelin-noted cooking. Two consecutive Michelin Plate recognitions at this price point make a strong case for value. If you want polished sharing plates without a fine-dining bill, it is a practical choice.
The venue database does not confirm whether Raymond's operates a tasting menu format. The sharing-plate structure is the documented format. Go in expecting to build a meal across several dishes at the table rather than a set progression — that is the format the kitchen is designed around.
Alchemilla is the step up for more ambitious modern cooking and a longer commitment. Kushi-Ya covers similar sharing-plate ground with a Japanese focus. Ibérico World Tapas is the direct structural alternative if you want the sharing format at a comparable price. Restaurant Sat Bains is the serious tasting-menu option when budget is not the constraint.
Yes, within a specific frame: it works well for a birthday or celebration dinner where a relaxed, energetic room suits the group better than a formal one. The Michelin Plate credential gives it enough weight for a special occasion, but if you need a quiet private room or ceremony, the counter-led format is not that venue.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
