A Preston city-centre restaurant headed up by a Masterchef finalist has secured a place in the esteemed Michelin Guide.

263, located just off Winckley Square, is overseen by Oli Martin, a BBC Masterchef: The Professionals finalist in 2018 and winner of BBC Masterchef The Professionals: A Festive Knockout in 2020.

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In the guide, Michelin said the restaurant has a ‘friendly vibe and subtle Nordic style’, with ‘fair’ prices that offer ‘modern, carefully cooked dishes with interesting textures and great depth of flavour’.

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Speaking to Blog Preston about the restaurant’s relaunch in 2021, Oli said: “I wanted to take a step back from being on the stoves and the general running of the kitchen, to allow myself more time to be able to put my focus on the dishes, on the style of the service and the offering.

“Sometimes, you need to step away from things to progress. Once I’d visited 263, I knew it was somewhere with bags of potential and a place I could see myself at home and making a difference.

“Lancashire is a genuine gourmet destination – and Preston is, for many, the gateway into the county.”

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Michelin also praised 263’s waiting staff, saying ‘attentive service comes from a young team’.

Head Chef Rikki Hughes has worked with some of the best chefs in the UK, joining 263 from Tom Kerridge’s 2 Michelin Star restaurant, The Hand and Flowers.

Owned by restaurant entrepreneur Mark O’Rourke, who owns Fino Tapas, La Neta, and Winckley Street Ale House, 263 relaunched on November 26 2021.

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Speaking to Blog Preston in 2021, Mark said: “Oli is definitely the man for the job.

“His style of cooking and determination to produce a great quality product is the thing that will make 263 a true success.

“I firmly believe that Oli will create a menu and a restaurant that people will talk about in the same breath as the very best restaurants in Lancashire and the rest of the UK.”

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The restaurant is named after Mark son’s birth date and is located in Winckley Square Hotel.

For more information on 263, visit – https://www.263preston.co.uk/our-story

Read more: See the latest Preston news and headlines

Have you visited 263 yet? Let us know in the comments below

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