10 Best Restaurants in Fife and Angus, Scotland

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.

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.

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.

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 at surprisingly low prices, 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 nice. 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 £20 lunch or £28 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.

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 taking dessert and a drink or two while watching the bird life and resident rabbits.