Linlithgow 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.

2021 Review: A bright Indian street food design is laid on strong at this large yearling, serving a variety of boldly flavoured bites. One or two encouraging early reports of “amazing flavours” win it an inclusion, but too few reports for a rating as yet.

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!”

Now in its 11th year, Tom & Michaela Kitchin’s “friendly” and “sometimes hectic” Scottish gastropub wins consistently high ratings for its “clever (if rich)” and “yummy” food. “Of course we had the famous steak pie, but the rest was pretty good as well”.

2021 Review: “From the owners of nearby Locanda De Gusti” – this three-year-old sibling is praised for its “authentic Neapolitan pizza” and at a good price too.

No reports as yet on this spring 2023 newcomer – the latest opening in the expanding empire of MasterChef: The Professionals 2018 finalist Dean Banks. But The Scotsman’s Gaby Soutar is a fan – in her February 2023 review she noted that the “foraging theme only seems to extend as far as the branding” with a menu that only “features the prerequisite pub classics, like fish ’n’ chips, Sunday roast, pies” along with some “fancier bits”. But she concluded that “Scotland has another excellent country pub”.