Distasteful side of eating out

In its 50th anniversary edition the guide also says diners hate misplaced bookings, restaurants that have no non-smoking areas and those that charge full-price for children.

Customers also see red if a venue promises vegetarian food but fails to deliver, the guide from Which? books reveals.

But its editor, Jim Ainsworth, says that in spite of the gripes, UK consumers have the best choice of restaurants in the world.

Top 10 restaurant gripes
Keeping you on hold when booking
Not letting you eat at time you want
Requiring faxed booking confirmation
Misplacing bookings
Charging full-price for children
Promising vegetarian options, but not delivering
No non-smoking areas
Playing loud muzak
Pouring wine without being asked
Telling you how lucky you are to be eating there

"That the guide has survived and prospered for half a century is thanks to its many readers, whose letters and e-mails help us discover, assess, compare and analyse the best UK kitchens," he said.

"British consumers have helped make the book the genuinely respected institution it has become."

The guide also reveals that restaurant-goers also detest establishments that let them know just how lucky they are to be eating there.

Asking for a faxed confirmation of a booking is also not to everyone's taste.

The guide's restaurant of the year award went to Winteringham Fields, in Winteringham in the north of Lincolnshire.

Regional restaurants of the year were the Carved Angel in Dartmouth, Devon; Guellers in Leeds; Braidwoods in Dalry, Ayrshire; Tan-y-Foel in Capel Garmon, Conwy, Wales; and Suma in Gorey, Jersey.

Restaurants attracting the highest marks (nine out of 10) for cooking were Gordon Ramsay in Chelsea, south-west London; Le Manor aux Quat' Saisons in Great Milton, Oxfordshire; Waterside Inn in Bray, Berkshire, and Winteringham Fields.