The Good Food Guide was founded by Raymond Postgate in 1951 and today it remains the longest-standing and best-selling guide to dining out in the UK.
Inspections are conducted on an ongoing basis and anonymously with impartial recommendations then offered.
Members of The Good Food Guide Club can access hundreds of reviews and pictures via their app.
Currently there are 93 Scottish restaurants listed in the Good Food Guide, with a number new additions, which get added on a regular basis.
(29-35 Hamilton Pl, Edinburgh EH3 5BA)
This relatively new bakery has been a sell-out success since it opened last year.
The first bakery from Scottish baker Darcie Maher, Lannan is known for Maher’s signature bakes, from classic viennoiserie to custard slices, yum yums and iced buns, with limited-run creations using local and seasonal produce including lemon meringue tarts, dauphinois pastries and crème brûlée danishes.
But to try these you need to be up with the lark.
The Good Food Guide had this to say about this new entry: “From lines out the door at The Palmerston to crowds overwhelming her Stockbridge bakery, Darcie Maher can’t help but attract queues for her pastrywork. Do the goods deliver?
"Absolutely. The sunny corner spot is an apothecary-like arrangement of glistening cardamom buns, puffed-up pain au chocolat, vanilla slices and sugared cinnamon scrolls stuffed with cloud-like vanilla cream, while a hatch onto the working bakery offers a glimpse of masters at work."
(76 Victoria Rd, Glasgow G42 7AA)
This southside neighbourhood eatery has been quietly getting rave reviews, and is now in the sights of the Good Food Guide.
The entry for here reads: “This convivial southside joint is big on personality, if not scale. A large open pass and counter dining blur the lines between chefs and diners while an eclectic crowd of punters perch on high stools or gather around a few small tables, chatting animatedly against a subtle backdrop of retro tunes.
“The concise but ever-changing menu of just 10 savoury and three sweet items feels like a scratch affair, devised according to available ingredients and the chefs’ fancies that day.
"You could strike comfort-food gold, although you might feel challenged if you're a vegetarian or a traditional ‘starters and mains’ kind of person; it's pot-luck with a homely feel.”
(1 Princes St, Edinburgh EH2 2EQ)
This long-standing Edinburgh restaurant is another new entry to the Good Food Guide and, oozes olde-worlde charm, say inspectors.
The entry in the Guide reads: “Choose between a three- and seven-course taster, which naturally showcases Scotland's larder, with producers name-checked on the back – the salmon and langoustines, for example, are from fourth-generation fishmongers George Campbell & Sons, while honey is harvested from an apiary on the hotel's roof.
“This is faultless fine dining from head chef Matthew Sherry, with more than a dash of old-school, grown-up glamour for good measure, opening with exquisite amuse-bouches ranging from tiny potato scones layered with egg, salmon and salty caviar to subtly seasoned beef tartare in a crisp, crumbly pastry case."
(Yarrow, Valley, Selkirk TD7 5LE)
The restaurant with rooms in the Scottish Borders is one of the latest additions to The Good Food Guide.
The team there said this in the entry: "The Gordon Arms is a genuine family affair – Bryn in the kitchen, Oxana front of house – and guests are drawn into the comforting solidity of well-banked fires, convivial chat and a sense of respite and restoration from travel.
"Seasonality, sustainability and local sourcing are evident across the carte and monthly changing five-course tasting menu – and there's a keen eye for value, too.
"You’re welcome to have just one dish or three kindly priced courses. Expect carefully prepared, rustic food from a chef who understands the quality of his raw materials and is content to let them shine."
(40 George St, Edinburgh EH2 2LE)
This Edinburgh coffee shop is new to the guide and is a local gem.
The entry reads: "Service is taken as seriously as the coffee at this pint-sized, basement-level café, and there's a relaxed buzz that makes you want to hang around.
"If you're not here for a caffeine hit – maybe a £10 coffee flight or a single-origin pour from one of the world's best roasteries – you might like to indulge in soup and a sandwich for under £10, or the decidedly less virtuous toasted chocolate banana bread with tahini, honey and mascarpone.
"Tea drinkers should note the selection of 'brewed to recipe' infusions from London's cult Postcard Teas."
(87, 91A Henderson St, Leith, Edinburgh EH6 6ED)
This Leith restaurant is also new to the Good Food Guide.
The entry for it reads: "In the spirit of its namesake, Heron perches intently on the Water of Leith, peering out towards the cranes and dockyards of Edinburgh’s old port.
"Canapés are flawless: a delicately fluted nori cup is filled with fruity, tender langoustine, tart plum and pressed cucumber, while a wafer-thin croustade combines rich, herbal gribiche with musky flakes of Arbroath smokie.
"Moving deeper into the menu, a veal sweetbread coated with a hugely savoury sourdough glaze sits on creamy celeriac purée with sugary bursts of candied walnut, the dish perfectly balancing sweetness and intense, malty umami.
"Elsewhere, a solitary Hasselback Jersey Royal is presented in a pool of deliciously rich oyster crème fraîche, with cod roe providing some contrasting salinity."
(105 Church St, Inverness IV1 1EY)
This bar and restaurant is described by the guide as 'a bit of a departure for Inverness and a great addition.
Opened in 2021, this laid back wine bar has become a popular spot for locals.
The guide continues by saying: "Inside is a small mix of tables with a room upstairs for tastings or private bookings – and when the sun shines, there's hot competition for a seat outside to enjoy the 200-strong wine list or the selection of Scottish beers, ciders and whiskies.
"Platters of cheese and dry-cured meats all come from Highland producers and are served with locally baked sourdough bread. Dogs and children welcome. Booking highly recommended."
(1 Ness Walk, Inverness IV3 5NE)
This mainstay of the Inverness dining scene has only just recently made it into the Good Food Guide. A
lthough the team don't rate the design of the restaurant, they say this about the food: "The food is sublime, cocktails masterly, the music smooth 'bossa nova' jazz, the vibe quintessentially cool. If you're after a table in the summer, you need to book weeks in advance.
"To avoid a revolving door of disappointed diners, a notice at the entrance spells it out. They're full. Rocpool's success is largely down to owner Steven Devlin, a warm, welcoming whirlwind who works the room, whipping off coats and whisking diners to their table.
"On the menu, Scottish ingredients are taken on a journey to more far-flung locations. Loin of Speyside venison might stay in the Highlands but the hand-dived West Coast king scallops are given a nudge towards the Mediterranean with baby chorizo, spring onion, crème fraîche and a lemon, garlic and parsley butter, while the ceviche of tuna takes a longer trip, seasoned with sesame, soy and chilli with creamed avocado, wasabi, lime and coriander."
(1 Palmerston Place, Edinburgh EH12 5AF)
Edinburgh's Palmerston is a new addition, with the Good Food Guide inspectors saying: "Menus are short, punchy and dependent on the availability of produce, while provenance is proudly woven through the courses, with breeds, locality and origin name-checked whenever possible. Look closely, and there is a love of Italian cooking at play.
"The team on the floor know their stuff, and come across as a friendly crew, independently knowledgeable rather than simply well-briefed."
(9 W Argyle St, Ullapool IV26 2TY)
This seasonal catering truck is a must-visit in Ullapool. The Good Food Guide think so too, and said: "Open daily from the beginning of April to the end of October, this totally unpretentious catering trailer is a godsend for holidaymakers and locals alike.
"Be prepared for queues, and for outside picnic seating if you want to eat on site – although the quality of the locally caught, sustainable seafood is second to none.
"Hand-dived scallops with herb butter, creel-caught langoustines with hot garlic and thyme butter, hot-smoked trout from the Ullapool Smokehouse, and a tempura-battered haddock wrap that’s fast achieving cult status are typical examples from a daily changing menu that's in tune with the catch from the inshore boats."
(Craignure, Isle of Mull PA65 6AY)
This B&B with restaurant is another new addition to the Good Food Guide, who said: "Good food is hard to come by in the Highlands but Pennygate Lodge performs a useful service and offers plenty of warmth.
"The menu performs something of a double act with hearty, pub-like comfort food at lunch (paninis, Cajun chicken Caesar salad, a rich, creamy Tobermory smoked haddock chowder), and more intricately constructed dishes materialising at dinner – although Hebridean seafood is a leitmotif throughout."
(Kimpton Charlotte Square Hotel, 38 Charlotte Square, Edinburgh EH2 4HQ)
This Edinburgh favourite, from chef Stuart Ralston, is now in the Good Food Guide. The entry reads: "Despite nearing a decade of service, Aizle feels like a much younger restaurant. Following a cross-town transplant from St Leonard's Terrace in 2020, Stuart Ralston’s creation is now firmly established in the heart of the New Town’s Kimpton Charlotte Square Hotel, yielding a comprehensive change in ambience.
"Menus allude to single ingredients rather than whole dishes, so expect an ambitious, highly seasonal journey into the unknown, with precise, technical skill and no small amount of theatre throughout."
