Britain’s 100 Best Local Restaurants 2026: Scotland winners
Published 24 July 2026

The name Ar Bòrd (‘our table’ in Gaelic) perfectly sums up this little village restaurant – you eat in the spacious front room of Iain and Joyce Hetherington’s modern house. What started out as a supper club has evolved into a popular seasonal destination that works because Joyce is a natural host, while Iain’s generous fixed-price carte is built on produce grown, caught or reared on the island. Meals always start with a thick slice of freshly baked sourdough, followed by an amuse-bouche of, say, smoked sea trout on a wafer-thin crispbread given a sharp kick with homemade green chilli sauce. To follow, a mound of delicate white Croig-landed crab is piled on plump chilli pancakes and topped with a cuttlefish-ink cracker. Mains could feature a cassoulet, five-hour slow-cooked shoulder of lamb or pan-fried hake with potato and Inverlussa mussel curry. Desserts are down-to-earth, perhaps a take on Eton mess involving strawberries, meringue and crumbled shortbread with a thick meadowsweet custard. The restaurant is BYOB, although guests can pick up wine from Dugie’s shop in the village.

Next door to its elder sibling, the Little Chartroom, this all-day venue is the McCarrons' first foray into casual eating. Open all day, the compact café, wine bar and bottle shop offers a flexible menu that deals in everything from full breakfasts (with very good coffee) to brunchy kedgeree fritters with curry mayo and cured egg yolk or BBQ flatbread with ox tongue and romesco – though with the likes of crispy squid bun with mushroom XO and baby gem also on offer, it’s possible to assemble a three-course dinner from the various options. And there are terrific Sunday roasts, too. The bottle shop’s range is included in the wine list (add corkage to the shelf price), or you can sip local beers and cocktails. 'Lovely staff, cool atmosphere,' comments one reporter.

In Scots dialect, ‘barry' means fine or good; it's also the first name of chef-owner Barry Bryson, who runs this well-liked addition to Edinburgh's restaurant scene. Barry Fish is his first solo venture, and with olive-green paintwork and fresh, contemporary interiors, it's a bright, modern space. The menu showcases Scottish seafood, with a couple of additions for vegetarians and meat-eaters. Proceedings open with a clutch of ‘big snacks’ (aka sharing plates) ranging from fish pastrami with aïoli and capers to smoked sea bass rillettes with soused Orkney herring. To follow, shelled half lobsters, whole lemon sole véronique and even a roast chicken pie, with a couple of desserts and cheese rounding things off. Alternatively, you can drop by without booking for the ‘first wave’ (early-evening set menu) or rock up for some oysters and Champagne (Tue-Sat, 4.15pm-6pm). Run by an ‘amazingly friendly team’, the restaurant’s relaxed vibe extends to locals, visitors and their four-legged companions. To drink, there are signature cocktails and a small but thoughtfully curated selection of wines.

‘It’s become a genuine local “hot-spot” and has quickly built a reputation as one of the most talked-about food spots in Dundee,’ affirms one fan, so expect regular queues and busy service from a team who know most of their customers by name. Founded by renowned chef, wild cook and educator Harris McNeill and his wife Katie, Eastfield serves up local and seasonal produce ‘cooked with flair and passion’. Occupying that sweet spot between daytime café and restaurant, its communal tables, chalkboard menus and shelves of provisions create a real local buzz. Expect simple, unfussy dishes, and readers speak fondly of the ‘elevated breakfast rolls, handmade pasta and standout bakes’ – the Guinness cake gets plenty of attention. Also look out for specials such as spatchcock pigeon with spring greens, charred onions and salsa verde. On Saturday evenings, the place puts on its glad rags, while drinks satisfy all-comers.

'So good to have Eusebi raise the bar in this local neighbourhood,’ is a typically enthusiastic endorsement for this Scottish/Italian marriage made in Glasgow. Giovanna Eusebi’s jam-packed deli/café/restaurant hybrid cherishes the time-honoured traditions of her homeland and leavens them with ample supplies of seasonal Scottish produce. Occupying a colourful red-and-white corner site, the venue scores heavily with breakfast and brunch, served to a merry throng of workers and shoppers in the ground-floor space. Come for eggs ‘energia’ (with avocado, chilli and lime purée) or one of their savoury breakfast rolls; alternatively, breeze in for coffee and a sweet treat. If you want something more substantial, graduate to the downstairs dining room for plates of pork cheek ragù, gnocchi genovese or, perhaps, one of the big main courses such as chargrilled halibut with courgette and basil purée. After that, cakes and classic desserts have plenty of Italian swagger. Regional wines from the old country keep company with aperitivi, vermouths and spritzes. Eusebi’s slogan is ‘Food, Family, Life and Passion’ – which just about sums it up.

Picture credits: Gerardo Jaconelli

‘You can happily eat on your own here,' although this ‘pearl’ of a seafood restaurant (with an adjoining fishmongers) is always packed with locals and well-heeled visitors. Bright maritime-themed interiors set the tone, while Ayrshire-born chef Marcus Sherry puts sustainably sourced Scottish seafood centre stage, cherry-picking the catch from boats in Peterhead and Scrabster. He also sources hand-dived and creel-caught shellfish from Cape Wrath and Macduff – which lends its name to restaurant’s signature crab crumpet (‘a definite must,’ according to one reporter). Also check out the Shetland mussels with ‘nduja jam and white wine. Mains might range from harissa-roasted monkfish with fennel salad to meaty options including Inverurie pork chop with crushed celeriac and lardo. As a finale, try a slab of Blue Murder cheese with a fried clootie dumpling and apple. There’s also a ‘thoroughly affordable’ set lunch, while Marcus’s warmly welcoming wife Jasmine manages front of house. The well-considered drinks list champions wines from biodynamic vineyards and beers from Scottish microbreweries. ‘If this were a show, I would give it a standing ovation,’ cheered one fan.

With its impressive abstract paintings, café-style furniture and floor-to-ceiling windows opening onto a homely little pavement terrace, effortlessly stylish Gloriosa gives off a seductive Mediterranean vibe on sunny days. Rosie Healey's cooking matches the lively mood with equally sunny sharing dishes that come out swinging as and when they’re ready. An opener of bluefin tuna crudo, chilli, capers and lemon should reawaken any tired taste buds, or you can seek comfort in a dish of roast cauliflower with labneh, saffron and pistachio. Larger plates major in robust pasta riffs including pappardelle with pork ragù and Parmesan, while fish dishes tend to be sturdy, as in braised squid with potato, mussels and aïoli. Alternatively, consider something seasonal and gamey – perhaps whole partridge with squash agrodolce and hazelnut sauce. Desserts veer towards the sharper end of the spectrum, yielding Amalfi lemon sorbet with frozen vodka or raspberry and almond clafoutis. Knowledgeable, very friendly staff manage proceedings admirably. A carefully constructed wine list spotlights small growers, and you might fancy sipping a spicy Margarita before you get started.

Located right on Bruntsfield Links, Leftfield is ‘the type of restaurant that makes the neighbourhood and the city a better place, both from a community and cultural point of view,’ commented one reporter after a visit to Phil White and Rachel Chisholm’s passion project. Pin-sharp fish cookery and fine hospitality go hand in hand here, while the kitchen works to a perfectly formed, regularly changing menu built around excellent Scottish produce. Top of the bill is an extravagant seafood platter that’s never off the menu; otherwise, dishes depend on the market – perhaps octopus with romesco, courgette and fennel or sea trout with peas, broad beans and chorizo. If you want to take a different tack, the line-up also promises the likes of venison haunch with Puy lentils or a roast cauliflower tart involving spinach, feta and pumpkin purée. To conclude, there could be a Basque cheesecake with fruit compôte. The sourdough and olive oil come in for praise, too, while drinks include cocktails, local Port of Leith oloroso sherry and an interesting clutch of fairly priced wines.

Nick Nairn, an avuncular celebrity chef and TV personality (‘veering towards national treasure status,' thought one reporter), is to be found at this rural complex comprising a home and lifestyle store (set up by his wife Julia), a restaurant, kitchen garden and Cook School near the picturesque Lake of Monteith. In a rural setting rather than on the waterfront, the restaurant spills out onto decking peppered with wicker bucket chairs overlooking a leafy field – the best tables in summer. Open all day, we just managed to squeeze into the overflow car park for a late lunch (booking is advised), but the welcome was genuine and while the menu is more crowd-pleasing than inventive (and prices can be punchy), it did deliver on the food front. A home-cured turbot and trout taco, for example, served with jalapeño sour cream, charred avocado, pico de gallo and lime was refreshingly delicious, and we would happily go back for a pizza on a sunny summer’s afternoon, or some shellfish from the BBQ. 

Dunkeld's finest, winner of our Best Local Restaurant award for Scotland in 2025, incarnates one of the more pleasurable ways of dining on today's restaurant scene. It's a smart eatery and wine bar in a bottle shop, with little tables amid the wine shelves, a list that's updated weekly, and a programme of daily tastings. Buzzy at lunchtimes, more intimate in the evenings, the place hits the right notes throughout, not least with Morgwn Preston-Jones' carefully considered dishes sourced from Perthshire farms, mills and homesteads. Start with a hunk of home-baked focaccia and charcuterie, before motoring on to wonderful silky pasta dishes or a hefty roast beef sandwich. Fully loaded sharing boards of cured meats, pâté and cheeses, to be mixed and matched with wines by the glass, add greatly to the sum of human happiness. Simple finishers such as ice creams, mousses and affogato add the right kind of closure, before you toddle away with a couple of choice bottles from the shop.

With prime raw materials harvested from the day-boats less than 40 metres from its front door, the laid-back Dory Bistro ensures that Pittenweem is amply supplied with ‘classy food all year round’. Ruth Robinson's kitchen teems with Cumbrae oysters, lobsters, crabs, langoustines and locally landed fish – not to mention garden pickings and game from nearby estates – and there’s an art gallery to wander around while you work up an appetite. The regular menu makes all kinds of classic moves, culminating in the ‘catch of the day’ served with seaweed and sorrel beurre blanc. The kitchen’s clean, classic style (‘with a touch of adventure’) also shows in desserts such as a layered vanilla and miso ice cream with miso pearls. Visitors applaud the specials board too – particularly as it also features ‘the most amazing aperitifs’. As for wine, expect plenty of on-trend varietal whites to match the fish-friendly menu. Wonderfully friendly local staff add to the pleasure of eating at this harbourfront gem.

‘Great food, magnificent countryside and no passport queues!’ cheered one reporter, while another simply proclaimed, ‘This is all about happiness’. They were referring to the tastefully refreshed Gordon Arms – a fine old coaching inn, now a family-run restaurant with rooms. Guests are drawn into the comforting solidity of well-banked fires, convivial chat and a sense of respite from travel, while seasonality, sustainability and local sourcing are the kitchen’s watchwords. There’s a keen eye for value, too, although eating here also feels ‘elegant and exclusive’. Expect carefully prepared, rustic food from a chef who understands the quality of his raw materials and is content to let them shine: Yarrow Valley venison salami, wild garlic from the Ettrick Valley, beef from the Borders’ herds, and a veritable harvest festival of pickings from the orchard and garden. Elsewhere, honey from the glen is used to dress a ricotta-stuffed courgette flower, while rare-breed pork loin might be paired with ‘nduja-spiced chickpeas. The wine list is well-focused, with some interesting options and a decent selection by the glass or carafe.

‘Great atmosphere, casual service and proper homemade food using local produce,’ is a winning formula at this formidable dining room in a former bank (complete with original marble, soaring ceilings, ornate wooden doorways and huge, slender windows). Run with personal charm and good humour, it’s an upbeat place that knows how to win friends and strike the right note between traditional and contemporary. Lloyd Morse’s kitchen takes a resolutely nose-to-tail approach, showcasing his deep love of Italian and French cuisine, with the emphasis firmly on provenance, seasonality and a style of cooking that is unfussy, hearty and deeply satisfying. One thought their pork belly with polenta and Parmesan was ‘delightful’, while others have praised the 'beautifully cooked’ Shetland lamb chops partnered by freekeh, runner beans and anchoïade; otherwise, consider a bowl of fish stew. The much-loved in-house bakery produces exceptional bread, as well as pastries, while desserts such as buttermilk panna cotta are highly praised. You can dine at the bar without booking, but don’t ignore the Newbarns beers, the coffee Negronis or the impressively adventurous wine list.

Just beyond Tighnabruaich village, this surprisingly smart little restaurant trades in some of the finest ingredients from the Cowal Peninsula and beyond. Behind it is the wife-and-wife team of Marie and Lauren Burke, who ‘put such care and attention into everything they do’ – be it supporting local charities, staging themed nights or offering occasional chippy takeaways on Friday evenings. Beyond the blue-painted frontage, the interior fit-out of sage walls, deep-green banquettes and pendant lighting sets an appealing stage for a broad-ranging repertoire from self-taught Marie’s one-woman kitchen. Slow-braised venison bourguignon and panko-breaded (langoustine) scampi highlight the kitchen’s admirable use of local produce, although ideas are gleaned from far and wide. How about Korean gochujang-glazed calamari with seaweed salad or Sri Lankan vegetable curry? To conclude, an affogato featuring coffee from Argyll's own roastery around the corner is a good way to round things off. There’s no alcohol licence, so drinkers are advised to bring a bottle (£5 corkage pp). Note that bookings are taken over the phone or via Instagram.