Crail Restaurant Guide

With over two decades in service, the Smith family’s award-winning chippy (one of the few of its kind to be crowned UK Fish and Chip Shop of the Year) is reason enough to make the journey to the remote East Neuk of Fife region, animated by its many fishing villages. The catch of the day board advertises the name of the boat which has netted your fish, which is accompanied by note-perfect chips that are simultaneously crisp and fluffy. There’s a straightforward dining space inside, but it’s also “great in fine weather to sit at the harbour”, having got the goods to take away – a rite of passage experienced by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge a few years ago.

2023 Review: “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.

2023 Review: “A wonderful selection of dishes, perfect for vegans and omnivores alike” wins a thumbs-up for this long-established curry house (est. 1998). “Knowledgeable staff talk about the food and recommend combinations for you.”

Chef James Ferguson and partner Alethea Palmer relaunched this country pub about five years ago and it’s acquired quite a reputation (and received a glowing review from The Scotsman’s Rosalind Erskine in November 2023). Our feedback is also good if slightly more mixed: fans say it’s “simply fantastic” with “a relaxed atmosphere, plenty of space between tables and a sunny garden; not to mention excellent cooking with robust, delicious flavours using much local produce including seafood”. One critic, though, found the menu “hit ’n’ miss” and another reported some friction having “dared to criticise” a dish.

“THE place to eat in St Andrews” say fans – “… in an unassuming street near the 18th tee of the Old Course”, Dean Banks presides over this ambitious venue (in the former ‘Golf Finn’) where the “bare wooden floors mean it can get slightly noisy at peak times”. “Local seasonal produce is to the fore” and although at lunch there is the option of eating à la carte, in the evening the menu is a tasting menu format only, with eight courses for £125 per person. Top Tip – “there are also a few rooms for you to stay, but these are booked up quickly by golfers in the know”.

“Built right on the seafront in St Andrews”, this striking glazed venue sits “yards away from the iconic Old Course – a stunning location with views across a two-mile stretch of sand”. “As you’d expect in Scotland at this price level, ingredients are super-fresh and of exceptional quality. Lobster and langoustine are landed fresh at the local harbour” and their preparation is “good and solid”. “The downside is that it can be mega busy in peak season and is extremely popular with high-rolling US golfers, so reservations are a must. But with views like this, who cares?”

2022 Review: “Fresh-as-you-like seafood, cooked perfectly with stunning views over Elie Bay – what more could you want?” – that’s the deal at this terrific shack “right on the harbour with a view of the glorious beach” run by Amy Elles of Great British Menu fame. Closed in winter.

“The food is old-school class and the wine list a bit of a joy…”, indeed “all aspects of the experience are superb” at Geoffrey & Katherine Smeddle’s tastefully revamped old inn, which sits a few miles’ drive from the coast and golf courses of nearby St Andrews. Its culinary renown has lasted for many decades now – initially under David & Patricia Wilson and under the Smeddles since 2006. You are not prisoner to a tasting menu here, with a sensibly priced à la carte, although one is available (six courses for £125 per person). Between the various options, numerous diners in our annual poll acclaim it for their best meal of the year.

2022 Review: Overlooking the Firth of Forth, this clifftop coffeehouse overlooking Canty Bay recently took on a new head chef, Lewis Lane, ‘to take the venue in a smarter direction’. In June 2021, Gaby Soutar in The Scotsman, hailed some “impossibly gorgeous-looking” dishes here and a good selection all-round.

This two-year-old revival of an 18th-century watering hole in “the culinary no-man’s-land between Dundee and Edinburgh” is “just perfect”, with a “confident, pared-back menu” from chef Craig McAllister that has “an emphasis on local produce” and is “reasonably priced for the quality of the cooking”.

2022 Review: This new luxury hotel opened its doors in October 2021, months after our survey closed (hence no rating). It looks to have much of interest to diners though – especially ones who like golf – as it sits in a prime location overlooking the Old Course! There are three eateries (run in conjunction with White Rabbit): Eighteen – on a rooftop with panoramic views, where Derek Johnstone, inaugural BBC MasterChef: The Professionals winner, presides over the open-fire cooking of a surf ’n’ turf menu; The Bridge – a posh-looking brasserie, also with views; and a cosy pub, One Under Bar.

2022 Review: Just shy of its centenary, and hard at work sprucing up its gardens (designed by the creator of Balmoral’s gardens no less) – an “elegant” country house hotel whose “airy restaurant” combines “super, fresh, beautifully cooked and presented food with professional and friendly service”. The kitchen garden is at the heart of the operation, and there are further dining spaces outdoors.

“It’s just a shack on the port but the lobster or fish ’n’ chips are spectacular” at this venue perched on North Berwick Harbour, which is open seasonally from April to October. Their suppliers are accredited by Marine Scotland, and if you fancy a change from the national dish opt for crab tacos or chowder.

The food is still of a high standard – “Italian dishes but far removed from the usual Italian restaurant fare” at this local fixture. Run by chef Daniele di Marco, wife Daniela, father Angelo and brother Stefano, service is “always efficient and friendly” and it won a number of very approving reports this year (perhaps helped by a boost from The Times’s Chitra Ramaswamy in March 2024 who “love[d] Osteria‘s resolute conventionality. It‘s been too long since I‘ve encountered butter curls in a restaurant. How retro, and delightful”).