SIX restaurants in Edinburgh and Glasgow plus three elsewhere in the country have made it into the prestigious Top 100 list of SquareMeal UK.
With four nominations, Edinburgh has been named the best Scottish city for dining in the list compiled by the website’s readers and professional advisers.
Seafood specialist Ondine is joined by The Michelin-starred The Kitchin, Mark Greenaway’s new venue Grazing and seasonal sourcing experts The Timberyard in maintaining the capital’s lead.
The two Glasgow dining establishments that made the top 100 were The Crabshakk in Finnieston and Two Fat Ladies at The Buttery, while Restaurant Andrew Fairlie in Gleneagles Hotel, The Whitehouse in Lochaline, and The Peat Inn in Fife were the other restaurants representing Scotland.
Only one of the Scottish restaurants made the top 40, namely Ondine in Edinburgh. The Peat Inn sneaked into last place at number 100.
The top 100 is distinctive as it is the only poll to exclude London restaurants, allowing the UK’s regional dining scene to be lauded.
The website compiles the list every year, based on thousands of votes from an annual survey whose results are then moderated by SquareMeal’s editor, Ben McCormack, and his reviewers.
SquareMeals describes Ondine on George IV Bridge: “Ondine’s chef Roy Brett studied under Rick Stein, and champions sustainably sourced seafood in his sleek Edinburgh restaurant. The dining room is a chic mix of metallics and monochromes, with a curved oyster bar taking centre stage.”
Ben McCormack said that the list is proof that opportunities to eat well now exist in more of the UK’s cities, he said: “While 10 years ago this list would have been dominated by gastropubs and country-house hotels, the thriving restaurant scene in Edinburgh proves that London isn’t the only UK city with a nationally recognised food scene. There’s never been more of an appetite for dining out in the UK – and UK diners have never been so spoilt for choice.”
Restaurant Moor Hall in Lancashire was voted best in the UK. SquareMeals in the top 100 list. It’s located in the 16th century manor of that name.
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