Haddington Restaurant Guide

“What a cracking spot after a round of golf!” say fans of Tom & Michaela Kitchin’s East Lothian outpost, which is handy for nearby Muirfield. It serves “excellent food, and an amazing breakfast if you stay overnight”.

2022 Review: “A very classy experience with little or no fault to find”, say fans of the Roux-branded operation at this well-known Lutyens-designed golfing hotel, which looks towards the Firth of Forth, although it again attracted only a limited volume of feedback. Also acclaimed: “a lovely country-house ambience for a perfect afternoon tea, with spot-on service”. (Albert Roux, who passed away in early 2021, had been in charge of managing the cuisine here, but now it’s handled by his son, Michel Roux Jr).

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.

2022 Review: A short train-ride from Edinburgh, this cosy harbour-side bistro has been run by chef/patron Logan Thorburn since 2006 and serves a traditional-ish menu which focuses on fish and seafood, but not to the exclusion of all else. Struggles with staffing issues and Covid-19 kept the restaurant closed in September and October 2021, but reopening subject to finding the necessary staff is heralded on their facebook page from November 2021.

This “lovely restaurant by the Water of Leith” is “just the perfect place for a business lunch”, with “lovely staff, simple fish dishes and rock-solid wines”. Set in a seventeenth-century watchtower, it has been running for more than 20 years and is the flagship of a small group with a branch in the city as well as The Shore next door.

This “great local Italian” has been a popular success over the past 17 years, and owner “Angelo Cocchia is brilliant as front of house, supported by his team”. “Shortage of staff means some services have now stopped, and two sittings for dinner has been normal in recent times”.

“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.