The food lover's guide to Crieff & Strathearn

Yes, Crieff has hills to climb, a Highland Gathering that has been coming down the High Street since 1870, Scotland's oldest lending library four miles from town and a whisky distillery that has been producing drams since 1763.

But right now, we want to talk about the food.

Because the food scene in Crieff & Strathearn is genuinely remarkable for a region of this size. Two Michelin stars four minutes from the High Street. Former Gleneagles chefs in an 18th-century coaching inn three miles from town. A private chef with Michelin-starred kitchen experience who will come to wherever you are staying and cook for you. A bakery that has been on the High Street since 1929 and a farming community that have been working the Strathearn valley for generations.

This is not a guide to every restaurant in the postcode. It is a guide to what makes this corner of Perthshire one of the most interesting places in the country to eat, drink and linger over a table.

Right then. Let's eat.

Two Michelin stars, four minutes from the High Street

The Glenturret Lalique Restaurant, set within Scotland's oldest working distillery four minutes from Crieff town centre, holds two Michelin stars. It's one of only two restaurants in Scotland to hold that distinction, and the only one inside a working distillery anywhere in the world.

The restaurant opened in 2021 and was awarded its first Michelin star within seven months. The second followed in 2024. The National Restaurant Awards have called it "a restaurant like no other." The Good Food Guide called it "a marriage made in heaven (well, Crieff, anyway)." The Michelin Guide said it "mixes the luxury with the familiar."

The story behind the kitchen is one worth knowing about. We will be telling it properly very soon.

The restaurant is open Wednesday to Saturday. Booking well ahead is essential.

Former Gleneagles chefs in an 18th-century coaching inn

Three miles from Crieff, in the village of Muthill, The Coorie Inn is the kind of discovery that makes the trip feel genuinely worth it.

Chef-owners Phillip Skinazi and Andrew Mackay are both former executive pastry chefs at Gleneagles. They took over an 18th-century coaching inn and turned it into one of the most celebrated restaurants in Perthshire. Michelin recommended. Two AA Rosettes. The Good Food Guide says "every detail is rich and delectable." The Good Hotel Guide reports that "people are travelling from far and wide to eat there."

People drive for miles for the Sunday roast. That should tell you something.

The pastry chef from Cromlix

Emily was head pastry chef at Cromlix, Andrew Murray's five-star hotel in Perthshire, before opening her own pastry shop on King Street in Crieff. Her partner and chef Andrew was head chef at Cromlix before joining her. Together they opened Ems & Co in 2025. The Scotsman went out of their way to call it "a discovery." Open four days a week. Plan ahead.

Where to eat in Crieff

Crieff has a dining scene that rewards exploration and suits every kind of appetite and occasion.

Craobh has earned five stars on TripAdvisor and a review from The Courier that said: "If every small Scottish town had an eating place like Craobh, the country would be a better place." Local ingredients, international influence, doing things differently.

G's Bistro on the High Street has a new owner who left the corporate world to take it on and describes it as the best decision they've ever made. The new team are committed to "honouring its rich history while bringing fresh energy and a renewed passion for great food." The ambition is clear and the early reviews back it up. Booking recommended.

The Pig in the Bank is the newest addition to the Crieff food scene. A wine bar and small plates restaurant in a beautifully restored former bank building on the High Street. Open Thursday to Sunday and already generating exactly the kind of buzz a new opening deserves.

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Delivino is under exciting new ownership with plans to transition towards a Sicilian-inspired menu. One to watch.

The Square Bar and Kitchen sits right on James Square with a relaxed atmosphere and a tapas menu that pairs well with one of their spritz cocktails.

Crieff Hydro and Murraypark Hotel offer a wonderful selection of restaurants and bars.

The Tower has a beer garden when the sun is out and proper food whatever the weather does.

The Ghurkas is a small family-run Indian and Nepalese restaurant in the heart of Crieff with a following that tells its own story. One visitor who lives an hour away said the curries were "as good as we've had anywhere in Scotland" and that they were considering making the journey specifically for it. Another described it as offering "attentive, anticipatory service and generous portions" and called it "a brilliant asset in Crieff."

The Thai E-San is a family-owned restaurant that cooks the food its owners themselves crave. Authentic Thai cuisine made with quality locally sourced ingredients where possible, a menu that always offers something new to try. The kind of place that rewards going back.

And if you like to hit a few balls before you indulge then The Crieff Golf Club Clubhouse Restaurant is the place for you.

Into Strathearn: Comrie

Six miles west of Crieff, the conservation village of Comrie brings even more to the table.

The Deil's Cauldron has been run by Brian and Katy since 2002 in a 19th-century cottage on Dundas Street. Stone walls, low ceilings, glowing fires. Mediterranean and Scottish cuisine built around fresh local seasonal produce including premium Scotch beef, estate game and fresh seafood. One visitor called it "a wee gem for delicious food and great service." Booking recommended.

And then there is something rather different.

Nelson Reposo is a private chef based in Perthshire with experience in Michelin-starred kitchens in Italy and the UK, as featured on BBC Scotland and BBC Sounds. Through Italba Dining he brings refined Italian technique and seasonal Scottish produce directly to your table, wherever that table happens to be. Bespoke menus for intimate dinners, shooting parties and luxury stays. Think hand-dived scallops with celeriac and truffle, homemade tagliatelle with West Coast lobster, Perthshire berry tartlet with hazelnut granola. He also runs pasta-making workshops for those who want to get their hands properly floury.

This is the kind of thing that most destinations cannot offer. A private chef of this calibre, this close, with this much to work with in the local larder.

From the farms

No food guide to Strathearn would be complete without the producers who make it possible.

Summer Harvest at Ferneyfold Farm near Crieff has been working the Strathearn valley for generations. Mark and Maggie Bush produce a multi award-winning cold-pressed rapeseed oil, grown, pressed and bottled on the farm. It holds multiple Scotland Food and Drink Excellence Awards and two Gold Star Great Taste Awards. It is used in some of Scotland's top kitchens including Restaurant Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles.

Crieff Food Co brings it all together in one place. Over 70 Scottish suppliers, more than 50 from Perthshire, under one roof on the High Street. A food hall built entirely around what this region produces, with a café menu that changes with the season and a deli counter that does the work.

Coming this October

All of this comes together in a nine-day celebration of food and drink this autumn. The Crieff Food & Drink Festival runs from 10th to 18th October, with an Artisan Food and Drink Market at The Steading, chef masterclasses, tastings, food challenges and events in local businesses across the town.

It's the right festival for the right place.

Full details at experiencecrieff.co.uk/crieff-food-drink-festival

Crieff Food and Drink Festival is proudly sponsored by Crieff Food Co.

Experience Crieff: it's yours to discover.experiencecrieff.co.uk