The Michelin Stars for 2023 were announced on 27 March at an awards dinner at Silverstone, and there's two new Michelin stars for Scotland.
Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of the Michelin Guides said: “Great Britain & Ireland continues to impress with the sheer variety of its Michelin Stars.
"Whether diners are looking for somewhere formal or casual, historic or new, there is a Michelin Starred establishment for them. In every region of Great Britain and Ireland, you can now find hugely talented chefs calling out to gourmets with their exquisite and accomplished cuisine.
To have 20 new One Michelin Stars and three new Two Stars in a year where the hospitality industry has faced so many challenges, is an extraordinary achievement.
"The addition of four new Michelin Green Stars to the selection is also a clear illustration of the growing desire within the restaurant industry for more sustainable gastronomy.”
The 2023 Guide has 20 new one star restaurants, three new two star restaurants and no new three star restaurants, with two new one stars in Scotland.
In the 2023 Guide there are 12 Michelin Star restaurants in Scotland, including the new stars.
Timberyard was presented with the prestigious accolade as the restaurant turns 10.
Owned and operated by Edinburgh’s Radford family since 2012, Timberyard remains focused on ingredient-led cooking created with respect to nature and produce, and sourced from local, artisan suppliers, and Scotland’s natural larder.
Two talented head chefs, Sam Yorke and Tomás Gormley run Heron, in Leith. Aged just 25 and 28 years old, the pair are the youngest chefs in Scotland to receive a Michelin star for their restaurant.
Since opening in 2021, Heron offers farm to table fine dining with an a-la-carte menu and two tasting menus that change every few weeks, showcasing the best of Scotland’s seasonal produce including organic fruit and vegetables from The Free Company, wild fish and seafood from Belhaven Lobsters, game and heritage breed meat from MacDuff Butchers from the Lothians and Scottish Borders.
The pair first joined forces as head chefs with a pop-up at-home fine dining experience, Bad Seeds, during Covid which was a sell-out each week.
Yorke and Gormley met when they were both working at Seasons (now closed) which was included in the Michelin Guide.
Scotland’s only restaurant with two Michelin Stars, Restaurant Andrew Fairlie can be found in the grounds of the luxurious Gleneagles Hotel and is renowned for its excellent service and immaculate dishes.
The restaurant has maintained its two star status under the guidance of head chef Stevie McLaughlin, who worked closely with the late Andrew Fairlie for years.
Edinburgh’s Condita retained their one Star rating.
The Michelin Guide says this of the restaurant: "Chef Conor Toomey offers a surprise menu where interesting modern dishes are confidently prepared and skilfully presented.
"A hand-drawn bookmark picturing some of the ingredients hints at what is to come; produce is British but it’s the quality that dictates the origin, not the location."
The Peat Inn, By St Andrew’s. Picture: The Peat Inn
Having won Scotland’s first ever Michelin star back in the 80s, the Inn is run by head chef Geoffrey Smeddle, who takes full advantage of the wonderful region of Fife to source only the best ingredients.
The menu focuses on some of the best seafood and game dishes that this area is famed for.
Picture Marc Millar Photography
Tom Kitchin's flagship restaurant in Leith has kept its one star.
The restaurant’s philosophy follows a “nature to plate” journey, highlighting the best of Scottish seasonal produce, utilising classic French techniques.
The Guide says: "Choose from the perfectly balanced à la carte or opt for one of the surprise, vegetarian or prestige tasting menus. Highland game is a speciality, as is his ‘Rockpool’ dish of fresh local seafood."
Located in the East Neuk of Fife, The Cellar is a cosy eatery that has flourished under the head chef, Billy Boyter.
The Michelin Guide awarded a star to the little eatery on the great work that began with industry veteran Peter Jukes, and is now carried through with local boy Billy who recently announced the decision to introduce a four day working week.
Glasgow's first Michelin Star in 14 years was awarded to Cail Bruich, who retained the accolade in the 2022 Guide.
Head chef of Cail Bruich, Lorna McNee, brought the star home to the city just over five months into her first head chef role at the west end restaurant.
The last restaurant to hold a star in the city was Gordon Ramsay’s Amaryllis which closed in 2004.
Cail Bruich, which also has three AA Rosettes as well as one Michelin star, was opened in 2008 by brothers Chris and Paul Charalambous who ran the kitchen and front of house respectively.
Martin Wishart has worked with the likes of Albert Roux and Marco Pierre White (Photo: Martin Wishart)
Run by one of Scotland’s top chefs, Wishart worked under the likes of Albert Roux, Michael Roux Jr and Marco Pierre White before launching his own restaurants across the country.
In this flagship eatery in Leith diners can look forward to menus that showcase Wishart's skills.
The 2022 Guide commented on how Restaurant Martin Wishart has become an Edinburgh institution.
Loch Bay Seafood Restaurant
Chef patron Michael Smith of the Loch Bay has plenty of pedigree, he was chef director at Skye’s Three Chimneys when it earned its Michelin Star in 2015.
Offering contemporary Scottish dishes with “classic French influences”, the restaurant is well worth the trek to Stein, on the Waternish Peninsula in Skye, with the Fruits de Mer menu a particular highlight.
The Glenturret Lalique restaurant is the first fine dining establishment within a distillery in Scotland and opened in 2021.
The restaurant is headed by former Number One at the Balmoral head chef Mark Donald.
Mark took up the post at the Balmoral Hotel's Michelin Starred restaurant in 2018 after a 13-year stint abroad.
Michelin said of this restaurant: "Dinner is a multi-course tasting menu of precisely crafted modern dishes with a clean, delicate look and great depth of flavour, and Head Chef Mark Donald perfectly balances local and global influences with contrasting textures.
"Detailed service sees many dishes finished at the table and the ‘Sweetie Box’ of petit fours is a talking point."
This fine dining restaurant close to Kelvingrove park in Glasgow's west end opened in 2021 and is chef Graeme Cheever's first solo venture.
Graeme has had a hugely successful career with Geoffrey Smeddle at fine dining restaurant Étain, Martin Wishart at Loch Lomond and the luxury Isle of Eriska Hotel.
The Guide said that Unalome had 'bold, classically inspired' dishes and an extract reads: "His considerable culinary skills pay their respects to the finest of Scottish produce, be it Gigha halibut or Ayrshire lamb, in dishes that display his classical leanings.
"There is boldness and a sophistication to the cooking – and it’s well worth going for the full tasting menu and the thoughtfully considered wine pairings."
The only changes from last year are the new stars, as all Michelin Stars were retained from 2022.
Last week the Michelin Bib Gourmands were announced, but there were none awarded to Scottish restaurants this year. Ka Pao and Celentanos in Glasgow retained theirs from 2022.
