The Royal Hotel

If you love harbourside views, then you'll be delighted by this attractively converted former pub along Fife's famous East Neuk. Most of the tables offer views of the water, while a small terrace is ideal for the summer. As you'd expect in this location, there's some seafood among the high-quality ingredients, which underpin refined, attractively presented dishes which are full of flavour. There's a choice of dishes on the fixed-price lunch menu, with two options for the main course on the dinner tasting menu.

There’s been an inn of some kind on this site for well over 100 years, and its current incarnation is surely one of the most appealing. A fine restoration has left it with a chic bistro-style dining room at the front and a characterful, stone-walled bar to the rear – plus four bedrooms upstairs, ideal for exploring Fife’s beautiful East Neuk. Dishes executed with palpable care combine with warm, attentive service to ensure you’ll have a smile on your face – once you’ve made the tricky choice between the likes of asparagus panna cotta and Scrabster cod with curried bisque.

The maxim ‘less is more’ is rarely so well applied as it is here. East Neuk’s bounteous local larder is showcased on a menu that changes up to twice a day; fresh fish is a highlight, and the specials are just that. This charming 17C village pub has a modish feel – sit in the cosy bar or vaulted dining room.