TripAdvisor has released its final list of the Traveller’s Choice Awards for 2023, naming the best restaurants in the UK and in the world. After an analysis over the 12-month period, restaurants from 58 countries and 478 destinations have been included, including 49 restaurants in the UK snatching up the awards this year, with eight being in Scotland. Michelin Star restaurant in Leith, The Kitchin, came second best fine dining restaurant in the UK and took the 13th spot in the entire world.
The Traveller’s Choice Awards are split up into six categories: Fine Dining, Everyday Eats, Date Night, Hidden Gems, and two new subcategories for 2023, Family-Friendly and Vegetarian-Friendly Restaurants.
The best Scottish restaurant in the Fine Dining group was, of course, The Kitchin, a Michelin Star restaurant serving seasonal fine dining fronted by Michelin Star Chef Tom Kitchin. With a philosophy that follows the motto “from nature to plate”, The Kitchin Group works with local traders to provide the freshest ingredients possible, while knowing exactly where your food comes from. Plus, the restaurant ranked seventh in Europe!
Edinburgh was also a hit in the Everyday Eats category with three out of the top ten listings, with mashed potato bar Makar’s Gourmet Mash Bar taking fourth place in the UK. Dine, the brasserie-style dining and drinking spot, came eight, while Howies Waterloo Place took the ninth spot.
Sarah Firshein, Head of Editorial at Tripadvisor, said: “Restaurants provide a great way for travellers to get immersed in a destination’s history and culture. This year’s Travellers’ Choice Restaurant winners – whose diversity and geographic reach reflect the fact that the last remaining pandemic-era travel restrictions have lifted – are especially exciting.”
“We know Tripadvisor travellers seek out first-hand intel and guidance, and that’s exactly the spirit of these lists: All of our winners were selected not by professional food critics or editors, but by real diners who have left their feedback on Tripadvisor within the past year.”