Piccalilli earns a Michelin Bib Gourmand in a hidden city centre courtyard

Some of Nottingham's best cooking is easy to walk straight past. Piccalilli sits up inside Cannon Court, a narrow alley just off Long Row in the city centre, and in February 2026 it gained national recognition when the Michelin Guide named it among its new Bib Gourmand restaurants.

Michelin announced 37 new Bib Gourmands for Great Britain and Ireland on 3 February 2026, ahead of its main ceremony in Dublin the following week. The Bib Gourmand is awarded to restaurants serving "excellent quality food at good value", and Piccalilli was the Nottingham name on the list.

The restaurant is run by Dan Coles, described by the Good Food Guide as a veteran Nottingham chef, and it occupies the upstairs unit that was once home to Kushi-Ya. Coles had first run a pop-up in the same space several years earlier, before returning to make it his own.

Inside, the room has exposed brickwork, aged timber and dried flowers, with a tiny open kitchen. The menu is built around small plates for sharing, with three or four dishes per person suggested. Welsh rarebit croquettes with walnut ketchup have become something of a signature, alongside seasonal plates such as hake with Cornish potatoes, samphire and parsley sauce.

The drinks list leans local too, with beers from Nottingham brewers including Lenton Lane Brewery and Cidentro cider from nearby Melton Mowbray, plus cocktails and fairly priced wines.

Sunday lunch has built a following of its own. The Nottingham Food Blog visited in March 2026 and found roast and braised bavette of beef with potatoes cooked in beef dripping, a Yorkshire pudding filled with braised beef and a jug of gravy, at £30 for two courses or £35 for three. The reviewer's verdict was simple: "I reckon it is the best one we have eaten in Nottingham over the last year."

For a restaurant with a handful of seats and a kitchen you can see from your table, a Michelin nod is a wonderful reward, and a reminder that the city's independent food scene keeps producing gems in unexpected corners.

Piccalilli is at 1a Cannon Court and opens for lunch from Thursday to Sunday and dinner from Thursday to Saturday. Menus and bookings are on the Piccalilli website.