Many passionate epicures make their way to Perthshire for the sole purpose of dining at Andrew Fairlie, having booked their tables months in advance. When Gleneagles hosted the G8 Summit in 2005, Fairlie, a local culinary prodigy who trained in the southwest of France, cooked for a formidable roster of world leaders including Her Majesty the Queen. His restaurant, tucked inconspicuously into an interior alcove of the resort’s main building, is still Scotland's only two Michelin-starred outfit.

Refined, glamorous and elegant, Bertie’s Bar was named after Queen Victoria’s extravagant eldest son, King Edward VII.

In addition to housing a Michelin-starred restaurant, this restored Georgian mansion just east of Inverness is home to Donald and Wendy Matheson, its devoted conservators and residents of more than twenty years. The impressive structure, originally built in 1825, is surrounded by wildflower meadows and landscaped grounds, including an orchard and kitchen garden that supply Chef Charlie Lockley with organic fruit, vegetables and herbs. His six-course tasting menu is exquisite from the breadbasket (which might contain fennel soda bread or pine nut bread) to the memorable dessert courses (goat's cheese from Devon with homemade oatcakes and plum and shallot purée followed by chocolate cake with pearl barley ice cream).

Like everything in The Fife Arms, this restaurant is a dramatic feast for the eyes, from the prominent stag head to the abstract wall mural.

Elsa’s is the signature cocktail bar at The Fife Arms, bringing art deco elegance to the Scottish Highlands.

The Fife Arms’s latest addition to its vast array of restaurants is the Fish Shop located in Ballater, 25 minutes from the hotel. Serving a rotating, seasonal menu of fresh seafood in the restaurant—with a local fishmonger next door—this is a great place to sit and enjoy delicious oysters or maybe a crab crumpet, which has earned a permanent spot on the ever-changing menu. Husband-and-wife duo chef Marcus Sherry and front-of-the-house manager Jasmine Sherry have set out to bring the most sustainable seafood inland, while ensuring the taste is top notch. When asking Jasmine about the oysters, she pointed to a video on the wall which tastefully shows the harvesting process and explained how she crafted relationships with each supplier, solidifying her dedication to local productions and produce. This spot is worth a stop, whether you are visiting the nearby Balmoral Castle or staying down the road at the Fife Arms. You might even catch a glimpse of a royal, as this is known to be one of their favorite spots in the area.

Housed in a former golf factory is the stylized, cozy Forgan’s. With newspaper print wallpaper, fishing net accents and moss green velvet chairs, it is an inspired interpretation of Scottish design. Set just around the corner from sister restaurant Mitchell, the hip spot serves similar, but slightly less impressive, cuisine. The atmosphere, however, is decidedly more convivial: family-friendly events like knitting classes and story time are held during the day, while nighttime entertainment can include live performances and ceilidh dancing (a traditional Gaelic dance).

Still heated by a wood-burning stove, Leakey's is a charming place to sit down and skim the local paper over a cup of coffee and a home-cooked treat. Housed in a converted 18th-century Gaelic church, it is also Scotland's largest secondhand bookshop, filled with antique maps and classic tomes.

What was once the town butcher shop is now a trendy, charming restaurant with delicious farm-to-table food and a bevy of fine wines. Mitchell delivers a fun setting (and live music on weekends) for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and the gourmet market in the front is perfect for picking up charcuterie and cous cous salads for a picnic nearby. For dinner, the cuisine is a touch more sophisticated, but still cozy with dishes like confit pork belly and a chicken and wild mushroom tartine. For little ones, there is a kids menu with reliable hits like fish fingers and mac and cheese.

This merry neighborhood watering hole serves elevated pub grub (the Wagyu beef burgers come from the purveyor who supplies Zuma and Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons) and hipster reinterpretations of Scottish staples. Sausages and mash sounds a bit more exciting when the mash comes in varieties like black pudding with apple and caramelized leek with bacon.

It seemed appropriate, and quite Scottish, on a chilly autumn evening, to indulge in a whisky cider while waiting for my pumpkin and sage savory pie to appear. I had just finished congratulating myself on my order when the waiter emerged with a puff pastry as voluminous as the 16th-century Scottish crown I had seen on display earlier that day at Edinburgh Castle. "Well it's a pie, not a daisy!" he quipped gleefully upon seeing my stupefied expression. Needless to say, I wasn't allowed to get up from the table until I had made a passable effort to finish my vegetables (“Seriously, it's Mum's restaurant!”). Mum's vigilance aside, the pub's versatile menu and irreverent vibe make it a fun place for children to experience the local cuisine. Portion sizes are generous, so dessert-lovers should plan to save room for decadent Scottish specialties like cranachan: toasted oats and whisky-marinated raspberries blended with vanilla cream.

Rumored to be the spot of Will and Kate’s first date, the cozy North Point Café is a perfect lunch spot, serving soups, sandwiches and scones. Not too many salads on offer—after all, this is Scotland.

Edinburgh's Michelin mainstay, located in the Olga Polizzi-outfitted basement of the Balmoral Hotel, earned its star back in 2003 and has maintained it ever since. The plush dining room, refurbished in crimson and velvet, is a refined retreat perfect for enjoying Chef Jeff Bland’s innovative Scotland-by-way-of-France cuisine.

On the top floor of The Old Course Hotel is the elegant and formal Road Hole Bar, which serves an impressive menu of whiskey in a room that looks and feels like your grandfather’s den.

This hotel restaurant, located in a Gothic townhouse, offers some of the best views in St Andrews. With a tony location on the Scores, the dining room at the Russell looks out onto Castle Beach and the craggy bay. The menu is Scottish with a twist; Shetland Bay mussels with a Southeast Asian spin are equally at home as the grilled St Andrews lobster.