A number of Scottish restaurants have been shortlisted for The Good Food Guide Awards 2025.
On Wednesday morning, the nominees for the prestigious awards were unveiled across a range of categories including Restaurant of the Year and Best Value Set Menu. The Good Food Guide Awards, which are put on in partnership with OpenTable, celebrate the best emerging and established eateries across the UK for the year ahead.
Among the restaurants shortlisted for the coveted Best New Restaurant prize is Lyla in Edinburgh. Situated on the city’s Royal Terrace, Lyla specialises in line-caught fish and sustainable shellfish sourced from the Scottish Isles.
Celebrating its first birthday, the restaurant is currently hosting a series of chefs from a selection of the UK’s top eateries to serve up guest menus. On January 30, the team from the Michelin Starred St Barts Restaurant in London will prepare a series of dishes that “champion the very best small-scale farmers, growers, and conservationists this country has to offer”.
Elsewhere in Edinburgh, Timberyard and Montrose have been nominated for the Drinks List of the Year prize. The family-run restaurants, set in the heart of the city on Lady Lawson Street and Montrose Terrace respectively, offer extensive drinks menus including a wide variety of wines, cocktails, and spirits.
The fourth and final Edinburgh restaurant to be nominated at The Good Food Guide Awards 2025 is The Palmerston, which is in the running to take home the Best Value Set Menu gong. The Palmerston Place eatery offers a set two-course lunch menu for £21, while a three-course option is also available for £24.
Finally, Philip Mcenaney and Katie Austin from the Boath House in Nairn have been shortlisted for the Chef to Watch award. Situated within a Grade A listed Georgian Mansion hotel, the Boath House serves up seasonal menus that prioritise fresh and quality ingredients.
Meanwhile, no Scottish restaurants have been nominated for the top Restaurant of the Year prize. A total of five eateries have been shortlisted in destinations such as London, Somerset, and Birmingham.
Co-editor of The Good Food Guide Chloë Hamilton commented: “This year’s shortlist is a magnificent mix of starry names alongside some brilliant lesser-known talent that anyone interested in restaurants should be taking note of. If last year’s ceremony is anything to go by, our return to Theatre Royal Drury Lane is set to be a huge night of celebration with some revelations to remember.”
The Good Food Guide Awards 2025 will take place on February 3. Read on for the full list of nominees, while more information can be found on The Good Food Guide Awards website.
Restaurant of the Year
- Osip, Somerset
- Restaurant Jericho, Leicestershire
- St John (Smithfield), London
- Opheem, Birmingham
- The Ritz Restaurant, London
Best New Restaurant
- Skof, Manchester
- Lyla, Edinburgh
- Briar, Somerset
- Row on 5, London
- Albatross Death Cult, Birmingham
- Native, Worcestershire
Drinks List of the Year
- KOL & Fonda, London
- Timberyard & Montrose, Edinburgh
- Osip, Somerset
- Cornus, London
Chef to Watch
- Jake Dolin – Manteca, London
- Elliot Hashtroudi – Camille, London
- Sam Lomas – Briar, Somerset
- Kyu Jeong Jeon and Duncan Robertson – Dongnae, Bristol
- Maria Close – Rockliffe Hall, County Durham
- Meedu Saad – Super8 Restaurants, London
- Philip Mcenaney and Katie Austin – Boath House, Nairn
Best Value Set Menu
- Josephine Bouchon, London
- The Palmerston, Edinburgh
- Dilsk, Brighton
- Pompette, Oxford
- Wilsons, Bristol
- The Devonshire, London
Most Beautiful Restaurant
- Grace & Savour, West Midlands
- The Dover, London
- Hearth, Hampshire
- The Park, London
- Woven by Adam Smith, Berkshire
- Wildflowers, London
The Russell Norman Award for Restaurateur of the Year
- David Carter, DCCO group
- Jason & Irha Atherton, The Social Company
- James Gummer, Olivier van Themsche & Phil Winser, Public House Group
- Guirong Wei, Master Wei, X’ian Impression, Dream X’ian
- Florence Mae Maglanoc, Maginhawa Group
- Dom Hamdy, Ham Group
- Jonathan MacDonald and Daniel Spurr, Scoop Restaurants
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