Location: set your location

What's on in Perth & Kinross - Follow us on Twitter

Ostlers Close

Ostlers Close
25 Bonnygate
Cupar, Fife, KY15 4BU
Phone: 01334 655574
amend this address
Find hotels nearby
  • Food served: Tue–Fri 7–9.30pm; Sat 12.15–1.30pm, 7–9.30pm. Closed Sun/Mon
  • Pre-theatre times: N
  • Number of wines sold by the glass: 10
  • Private dining: N
  • Also offers: Children's portions
  • Music on stereo: Nothing
  • Capacity: 26
  • Largest group: 28
  • Open since: 1981
View larger map of KY15 4BU
  • Average price:
     £28 (lunch)
     £28 (evening meal)
  • House wine: £17 per bottle

Send us more details about this place.

Eating & Drinking Guide

The 2011/12 edition of The List's Eating & Drinking Guide is out now – only £5.95 (+p&p).

This review is taken from the current (2011) edition.

Ostlers Close owners Amanda and Jimmy Graham are firm believers in the maxim “small is beautiful”. Amanda loves her dwarfish dining room where she dances effortlessly between the tables in the style of a vivacious big sister. Chef Jimmy clatters away merrily in his compact kitchen preparing a concise yet diverse list of imaginative dishes. The couple invest much of their free time sourcing or growing interesting ingredients to light up each season. Late summer, for instance, finds Jimmy trawling the forests of Fife for chanterelle mushrooms to enrich his meat dishes or add texture to a herby risotto. Meanwhile Amanda teeters on a rickety ladder plucking damsons, which are crafted into tangy sorbet or immersed in spirit to prepare a plum-scented gin. These latter fruity concoctions provide a poignant counterbalance to a silky dessert of vanilla pannacotta. Even the wine list is a well-woven tapestry spanning a wide price range, with many old favourites and a few quirky surprises. Try a glass of golden sunshine in the form of dessert Semillon from the little known Australian wine region of Mudgee.

  • High point: Excellent Scottish cuisine, low on gimmicks, high on taste.
  • Low point: Phone ahead if you are vegetarian
The Larder

Listed in The Larder – in the shops now or buy online.

For nearly 30 years Ostlers Close has been the hidden secret of fine Fife dining. Tucked down a Cupar close, owners Amanda and Jimmy Graham keep their menu seasonal and clearly invest time and care sourcing or growing their ingredients. Jimmy’s foraged chanterelle mushrooms enrich his meat dishes or add texture to a herby risotto and local damsons are gathered to create a tangy sorbet and a plum-scented gin to counterbalance to a silky dessert of vanilla pannacotta. It’s not flash, or big, but it is a beacon of great Scottish cuisine.

Reviews of Ostlers Close (25 Bonnygate, Cupar)

3. Ostlers close, Burntisland – 26 April 2011, 11:34pm5 starsOstlers CloseReport

What a find, the best restaurant in Fife. Wonderful food, excellent hospitality,an absolute delight.
As the restaurant is intimate, bookings are essential if you wish to experience fine dining at its best.
This restaurant is one of Fifes best kept secrets.
We will be definately be back.

2. Denny, Ostlers Close – 1 February 2009, 12:12pm5 starsOstlers CloseReport

What a find!
If your in Fife don't miss out on a meal here! I drove down from Aberdeen to sample Mr & Mr's Graham's great menu. Has to be one of the best lunches I have had and believe me, I have been in many five star places over the years.
Delicious quality food at a reasonable price. Just wish they were in Aberdeen as we have a distinct lack of such quality! Mrs Graham obviously provides a great service combined with a warm welcome. You don't have to meet Mr Graham to tell he's a perfectionist and takes great pride in his skills...
I will be back and recommending Ostlers Close for a very long time!
Denny

1. Stavros, Chance Inn – 26 November 2008, 3:20pm5 starsOstlers CloseReport

My wife and I have dined at Ostlers Close on quite a few occasions and have taken many of our guests to share in the experience. I am quite surprised that nobody has yet submitted a review for this outstanding restaurant.
The whole experience is of the highest quality. The attention and care taken by Amanda with all her guests is very unusual in this day and age of impersonal service. The menu offers a great choice of mouthwatering options where making a choice is alway difficult. Either the perfectly cooked and presented fish dishes, always fresh, or the succulent seasonal game options would satisfy even the most demanding palette. The wine list is varied in price but always capable of providing a satisfying choice. If you are in a dilemma, Amanda can always help out with a suggestion.
This is the only restaurant we have visited that provides specially baked and very tasty gluten free rolls. I am still amazed that the AA only awards it with 2 Rosettes!! I would rate this as on of the best in the whole of Fife (where there is a high concentration of Scottish Masterchefs

PS. For the List's information, the decor has changed and the lighting is quite subdued.

To post a review you'll first need to log in: Forgotten your password?

Log in

Not registered? Sign up – it only takes a minute.

RSS feed of these reviews