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Summary
“The Smeddle Family has consistently turned out very good food served by very knowledgeable and capable waiting staff” (all backed up by a heavyweight wine list) at this famous, upscale inn – sensitively modernised over the years and set “in a tiny village just outside St Andrews”. One reporter gives us the local lowdown: “As it happens the family have just announced that the business is up for sale. (March 2025). They have run it for twenty years and took it to one Michelin Star. Before them the legendary David Wilson ran it for thirty five years. Watch this space for details of the new owner…” [no transaction has yet been announced as of October 2025]
Summary
“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.
Summary
In prime golfing territory a short drive from St Andrews, Geoffrey and Katherine Smeddle’s well-known and highly acclaimed restaurant-with-rooms “never disappoints”. It again won praise this year for its “quiet excellence” – both its service and its modern Scottish cooking which can be accompanied by a vintage from their very extensive (and in places expensive!) cellar. “Good news, lunch is back on Fridays and Saturdays”.
Summary
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”.
For 34 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
Have you eaten at The Peat Inn?
Cupar, KY15 5LH
Restaurant details
The Peat Inn Restaurant Diner Reviews
"Beautifully balanced, complex dishes that were quite exceptional. It's still packed every service and deserves to be. such consistency from Geoffrey Smeddle. "
Prices
| Availability | 2 courses | 3 courses |  |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lunch | £60.00 |  |
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| Dinner | £85.00 | |
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| Cost | Availability | Courses | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Menu1 | 135.00 | Lunch only | 6 |
| Menu2 | 135.00 | Dinner only | 6 |
Traditional European menu
| Pudding |
|---|
| £0.00 |
| Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £38.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £4.00 |
| Extras |
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|---|---|
| Service | 10.00% |
Cupar, KY15 5LH
Opening hours
| Monday | CLOSED |
| Tuesday | 6 pm‑9 pm |
| Wednesday | 6 pm‑9 pm |
| Thursday | 6 pm‑9 pm |
| Friday | 12 pm‑1:30 pm, 6 pm‑9 pm |
| Saturday | 12 pm‑1:30 pm, 6 pm‑9 pm |
| Sunday | CLOSED |
Best British, Modern restaurants nearby
Scottish restaurant in Kilconquhar
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Fish & seafood restaurant in St Andrews
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