24 Best Restaurants in Fife and Angus, Scotland

Next door to the Scottish Fisheries Museum, this popular fish-and-chips shop has a functional space to eat, but most people order takeout. Try local specialties including Pittenweem prawns in batter or the catch of the day, which could be mackerel (line caught by the owners), hake, or local crab.

This homey restaurant serves lunches and dinners that offer a taste of quality Scottish home cooking, including Arbroath smokie pancakes, mince and tatties, venison with rowan jelly, and rich moist gingerbread, all at reasonable prices. It's next to Auchmithie's lovely shingle beach; a stroll here is the perfect way to work up an appetite or work off overindulgence.

Refuel on the excellent house-roasted coffee beans and tasty bagels at this buzzy New York--themed joint with fabulous light bites and matching decor including a subway-themed basement. Order at the counter, then take a cozy window spot for some entertaining people-watching while enjoying a warming bagel, panino, focaccia, ciabatta, or croissant dipped into one of their hearty and spicy soups. 

Fife foodies flock to this beautifully converted 17th-century farmhouse surrounded by verdant fields just 10 minutes outside town. The prix-fixe menus offer exquisitely crafted dishes using the best seasonal Scots produce such as beef, pork, mackerel, and wild sea trout. The atmospheric, dark-beamed, stone-walled interior has the warmth of an open fire and stunning views over the green landscape and St. Andrews. There's an attractive garden out front: the perfect spot for having dessert and a drink or two while watching the birdlife and resident rabbits. For superb value, consider the excellent three-course lunch for £35.

Downstairs at Dundee Contemporary Arts, this lively eatery serves breakfast at the bar, cocktails and snacks on the terrace in fine weather, or dinner in the open-plan dining area with huge windows that offer views of artists at work in the printmakers studio. There are plenty of handsomely presented dishes featuring quality Scottish meat, fish, and vegetables.

Bringing new purpose to an old bowling pavilion, this café's owner freshly painted its clapboard, spruced up the delightful color-glazed fanlights, and gently restored many of the unusual features of this late-Victorian beauty. Expect light meals, breakfasts, salads, buttermilk pancakes, and superfresh home bakes: the seasonal fruit-festooned cream sponges are a treat. Book in advance.

Head down a country lane to this organic farm and café-bistro for a tasty vegetarian meal made of produce grown in the wonderful gardens. On a sunny day take your crepe or heaped salad to a bench outside by the nursery, or grab some take-out deli foods from the shop. Bothy (small cottage) accommodations are also available.

This hut on the pier, a hidden gem, sells beautifully cooked lobsters as well as other items like lobster rolls and dressed crab. They'll crack the lobster for you to allow for easy eating on a nearby bench; there is no seating, but the lobster is wonderful. Hours are seasonal (Easter to late September only) and weather-dependent.

Overlooking Elie's sandy beach, the Ship Inn combines a nautically themed pub--restaurant serving superb Scottish cuisine with six pristine, tastefully white-shuttered rooms, four with stunning views of the sea. The relaxed atmosphere and views—with the comedy of a cricketing contest on shifting sands a bonus—make for an afternoon you'll never forget, especially if the weather is lovely. Sports lovers visit Elie on summer weekends to watch cricket matches played on the beach outside, and it's a magic spot to dine at any time. The staff fires up a barbecue and cooks simple fare, including fish, lobster tacos, burgers, and chicken.

It looks like an old Scottish pub, and it is, but the vibrant ceramics, tapas, and sangria are so authentic they'll make you feel as if you're in España. Choose from the set menus, like a £22 lunch or £30 dinner, and you'll be served a steady stream of cracking little dishes. Booking in advance is essential. One word of warning: don't go looking for a quiet, romantic meal.

Set in the Rusacks Hotel's sophisticated yet relaxed brasserie-style rooftop venue, 18 delivers an exquisite dining experience along with attentive service and a quality Scottish produce-heavy seasonal menu by top chef Derek Johnstone. The freshest seafood, including Orkney scallops and halibut, are accompanied by zesty but not overpowering flavors and tasty al dente vegetable sides, while the impressive selection of dry-aged Aberdeen Angus cuts on display as you enter are expertly cut, flame-licked, and seared to perfection.

If you're not in a rush, take time to savor excellent coffee, inventive sandwiches, pizzettes, cakes, and handmade chocolates at this appealing café and shop selling quality fare. If you're in a hurry, buy delicious cheese or chocolates to go or pick up a cheese and apple scone.

You can't go to Arbroath and not sample some fish-and-chips. Just across the road from the Signal Museum and painted in nautical white and blue, this local favorite has outside benches for warmer days. You'll find all the classics—breaded or battered—but if you are in the mood for something a little different, the spicy fish (in a spiced batter) has certainly won over discerning locals.

Located within Newport's handsome former Victorian ferry terminal, this is a stunning spot to dine casually while spellbound by views of the Tay River and the Dundee skyline across the water. A versatile menu includes seafood shared platters and maritime mains, Scots steaks and lamb, and plenty of vegetarian options.

Just off the A90, this small country park has lots of children's activities, including a giant sandpit, go-karts, a barrel train, and a wooden maze. Most essentially, there's an excellent café, serving door-stop-size sandwiches, full breakfasts, tasty soups, meringues, and warm scones.

This eatery overlooking the harbor run by Dundonian chef Craig Millar put St. Monans on Scotland's culinary map. The six-course fixed-price dinner menu has vegetarian and meat options, but with salty fruits of the North Sea on the Fife quayside—such as crab, cod, hake, and mackerel—it's all about Craig's expertise with seafood. For a great value visit, try the three-course lunch for under £40. 

Painted powder-blue, this long harborside building-turned-eatery and foodie shop is the place to pick up freshly netted and smoked local seafood. After ordering at the shop counter, head up the stairs round the back to feast on lobster, langoustine, and crab accompanied by salads and chips. Come rain or shine the rooftop terrace, with a stunning seaside panorama, is a fine if bracing spot to dine.

Since 2006, chef Geoffrey and Katherine Smeddle’s cozy restaurant with rooms has served elegantly presented, contemporary Scottish dishes using the finest seasonal and local ingredients, including East Neuk seafood, Angus beef, and locally sourced game. For one of Fife’s best culinary experiences, you can splurge on a tasting menu dinner (6 courses for £115) in the stylish dining room or choose an overnight package to stay in one of their fancy rooms.

This small basement eatery on Perth Road, with wooden tables and chairs and a quirky staff, attracts a diverse clientele. It serves well-crafted pasta dishes and mains that showcase fresh Scottish ingredients. It's a very intimate and quiet place—so usually a good choice for couples—but be warned that it books up on weekends. Many characterful West End pubs are nearby.

Once local favorite the Westport, this reliable lunch and brunch stop has been revamped with swanky contemporary interiors complimented by a relaxed vibe, tasty cocktails, and excellent pub food. The reasonably priced menu offers everything from chunky gourmet sandwiches to seared scallops to heaped salads—all are best enjoyed in the flowery garden on sunny afternoons. Upstairs are four bright bed-and-breakfast rooms from £200.

The striking glass-walled venue perched above the West Sands consistently delivers the freshest and most refined Scottish-Italian-influenced seafood dishes as well as seasonal meat and vegetarian options amid a smart but laid-back marine setting. The emphasis is on prime Scottish seafood while adding Italian and other international flourishes in exquisite dishes such as the East Neuk crab risotto starter with chili, scallion, and coriander or the North Sea turbot main with Shetland mussels and courgettes. The open-plan layout and kitchen make for a buzzy atmosphere but insist on a sea-view table for the serene views. It's a fine place for a blowout meal but it's best to be selective if on a budget: the prime location, top-quality produce, and service come at a pretty penny.

The line of customers outside might be a bit off-putting, but just focus on the sweet smell of fish-and-chips from St. Andrews's best chipper. There's a busy light-filled dining room and modish seating area, or you can carry out and eat on the university grounds (though be wary of the dive-bombing gulls). The menu also offers tiger prawns, seared scallops, mussels, burgers, and a fish of the day, but you can't go wrong with the battered haddock supper with chips. Reserve in advance if you want to dine in. Their basement sister restaurant in Dundee shares the same excellent menu.