Fife Restaurant Guide

Geoffrey and Katherine Smeddle are “still on top of their game” at the eighteenth-century rural inn a short drive from St Andrews which they have run in golfing country for 16 years; and where “standards have remained so high”, keeping it “up there with the best in Scotland”. Geoffrey’s “sound” modern Scottish cooking “hits all the right notes – not too fancy, but also not too casual” – while there’s also “great people-watching on your visit”. A single complaint this year: “miss their lunch openings”.

“A seafood restaurant that never fails to please, with constantly changing menus that reflect what is available seasonally”. That’s the take on this small (24 covers) family-run fish restaurant and ‘seasonal hotel’ which sits on Hawkcraig point, with views of Edinburgh and the islands of the Forth. “The owners really do pull out all the stops to give a nice dining experience. Great for that special occasion!”

Part of the Balcaskie Estate – which provides much of the produce for the menu – this seventeenth-century pub is run by chef James Ferguson and front-of-house Alethea Palmer, and continues to be highly rated for its short-but-impactful menu that would look just as at home in Shoreditch as it is in the middle of Fife.

“A lovely local restaurant with a high level of cookery” – Craig Millar’s bright coastal dining room provides “a good choice, especially fish at reasonable prices, plus beautiful sea views”. He follows a tasting menu format, offering 5-course and 6-course options.

Akin to a posh chippy, this tiled, two-year-old collab between the same backers as Ondine and fish suppliers Welche’s again gets the thumbs-up – “a fab place at Newhaven Harbour that’s busy and exciting, with great fresh Scottish seafood”.

“If you want to eat fish in Edinburgh, this is the place to go” – “a great spot at a lovely quiet location down on the dockside in Leith, and just delicious”. Set in a seventeenth-century watchtower, the “characterful restaurant” serves “really good fresh fish, simply and yet imaginatively”. The owners also run The Shore next door, and Fishers in the City.

“A truly a fantastic experience from start to finish” – Tom & Michaela’s flagship venue occupies a “buzzy” warehouse in Leith and was again Edinburgh’s most commented-on destination in our annual diners’ poll. Criticism is impressively absent: there is nothing but reams of praise for “excellent fine dining”, produced from a glass-walled kitchen whose chefs create an “amazing food journey” (with “Tom and his senior team also coming out into the dining room to talk about the dishes”). There are tasting menus for either £130 or £180, with a more conventional evening à la carte menu priced at £110 (the best bargain being the set lunch, which is half this price). “An expensive experience, but well worth it and a real treat”. “Despite a lot of competition in Edinburgh now, Kitchin holds its head up high”.