Dunfermline Restaurant Guide

2023 Review: “The best steaks we have ever eaten!” – the Davidson family’s roadside inn near Linlithgow has built its renown over four decades in operation, for the quality of its meat; and there’s also a selection of prime-quality burgers. Reflecting their heritage, South African wines are the backbone of what’s a high-quality list to bolster the generally red-blooded vibe.

2023 Review: “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!”

This old inn by the Union Canal, close to Edinburgh airport, is a “really lovely place to sit and watch the barges go by” while eating “well executed classics” from the superior gastropub menu – and it’s “nice to see seasonal game on the menu, too”.

It’s “worth a ride on the tram” (to the terminus of the Edinburgh line, which is a short walk away) to get to this dockside outfit in a Victorian building, which was launched in 2018 by fancy seafood haunt Ondine, of the nearby capital, and Welch Fishmongers, who supply it. It’s a “very busy” place with “limited tables” in the tiled dining room and on the outdoor terrace: one diner for whom “the takeaway was the only possibility” reports that “it was worth the long queue” for the “excellent fish and chips” (as against the fancier fare in the dining room) even in the winter chill.

Tom & Michaela Kitchin’s upmarket Scottish gastroboozer (est. 2013) is an “excellent” spot that’s “always fun to visit” – and “child-friendly too” (“a saviour” if you are sprogged-up). The hearty grub (“would go back just for that steak pie!”) is “good value”, while there’s a hint of Scandi in the décor, nodding to Michaela’s Swedish heritage. These days, the Kitchin mini-empire also stretches to ‘The Kitchin’, in Leith, and restaurant-with-rooms ‘The Bonnie Badger’, in the coastal village of Gullane, a short drive from Edinburgh.

“Small and unassuming” it might be, but Paul Gunning’s “top-end” Stockbridge basement has built up quite a reputation for its “relaxed” fine dining approach; whether you go for the two- or three-course set lunch, or the five- or seven-course evening tasting menu, it’s all “very, very good” and “prices have remained reasonable” to boot. The team also runs Dùtchas, in Leith, which focuses on seasonal tasting menus.

2024 Review: “If you’ve ever been in Thailand, you’ll know how authentic the food is” at this “very popular Stockbridge restaurant” (which also has an offshoot near the castle). It’s “small, intimate and always busy, but the efficient staff try their best to provide you with a good dining experience”. Top Tip – “the chili crab signature dish”.

2024 Review: “The food is of the highest standard” at chef Maciej Szymik’s modern European spot, tucked away in the New Town – “we were lucky to stumble on it”. There’s “only a handful of tables in each room, which gives the feel of quasi-private dining”. “My only real criticism is the portion sizes are too large – it just wasn’t possible to leave room for dessert”.

2022 Review: “Still knocking out great burgers with a retro feel – the relish selection harks back to the 1970s”. This “great local burger joint” in Stockbridge which celebrates its half-centenary this year is “always reliable and never changes”. “The staff are rushed off their feet, but they’re always really professional and smiley”.

“Love this restaurant – just my kind of place…” is a sentiment shared by many on the merits of Lloyd Morse and James Snowdon’s “busy, bustling” West End spot, whose “superb and interesting meals” make it several reporters’ “absolute favourite in Edinburgh”. Set in “an old banking hall with stone floors and lots of hard wood surfaces, it can get disarmingly noisy”, and natural wine sceptics need to be vigilant. It is, though, “a great place to take a vegan friend”, even though “non-vegan options predominate”. Top Menu Tip – “epic bread and butter”.

2023 Review: “Amazing Italian cooking using Scottish produce – impeccable – and with outstanding service” inspires excellent feedback on this stylish and moodily decorated New Town site. It was opened in mid 2021 by Stefano Pieraccini of the Rocca Group in premises vacated by Martin Wishart’s The Honour (RIP).

“Beautiful views”, including of Edinburgh Castle from some lucky tables, add further to the distinction of this famous chamber, named for the year of its construction and King Louis XV’s favourite mistress. Overseen nowadays by prominent chef, Dean Banks, our best reports this year relate to special events co-hosted by Dean and other famous chefs on the site. For the most part here, though, the fixed menu format has been dropped and the menu is now of individually priced dishes with luxurious ingredients (Smoked Lobster, Beef Fillet Rossini with Foie Gras and Truffle, Champagne-baked Market Fish). Feedback on this latest format has scaled peaks and troughs – from “not too pretentious but perfect for that special occasion” to “overpriced” and “poor all round”.

2022 Review: “In the Caledonian Hotel (Waldorf Astoria)” for the past couple of years, in a space previously occupied by the Galvin brothers, Mark Greenaway's hyped modern English and Scottish venture may be a little ill-named (it's less about sharing plates than heftier options) but receives feedback that’s notably sound, including for the “fab” puds and “well-presented” Sunday lunch.

“Always a must-do when visiting Edinburgh” applaud the many fans of Tom & Michaela Kitchin’s converted warehouse in Leith, which – impressively for a twenty-year-old destination – was the most commented-on restaurant in the Scottish Capital in our annual diners’ poll this year. On occasion, “Tom Kitchen is there and comes out to greet new diners” and a visit is “consistently a treat” down to its “attentive service despite the fully booked restaurant” and “excellent-value-for-money, Michelin-starred food”. That said, its ratings have been higher – they were dragged down this year by a minority who found the experience “overpriced”: the three-course à la carte menu is £130 per person, or there is a ‘Surprise Tasting Menu’ for £165 per person. (Cheapskates go at lunch for three courses for £69 per person). Top Tip – “The menu around game season is unbeatable”.

Virginie Brouard’s smart outfit in a mock-Tudor building in the West End has established itself as one of Edinburgh’s most reliable Gallic restaurants as it noses into its third decade, with “reasonable prices” part of the draw, whether you opt for the à la carte menu or the two-course set lunch for £29. If you’re in the mood for a pre-dinner drink, her adjoining wine bar ‘Le Di-Vin’ occupies a dramatic former church (and has formerly featured as one of the best of its kind in the land in a Sunday Times national survey).

This “beautiful room” – a Georgian former banking hall modelled on a Florentine palazzo – makes a wonderful setting for an Italian restaurant that is “definitely a swagger establishment”, attracting celebs from Sean Connery to Margot Robbie over its 20-plus years. Victor Contini, who runs it with his wife Carina, received a knighthood from the President of Italy in 2024 in recognition of his achievements! The venue can become “very noisy”, though, and critics say it “promises much, but attention to detail is lacking”.