Criterion Public House in Fife

I will dream about the cri pie for months. Went here after recommendations from my caddy and very happy I did. The staff were exceptional and paired me a pint of the house ale to go with my steak pie. Tip for you add some haggis to the pie what a combination. Absolutely no complaints this is everything a pub should be and more. Management should be proud of what they have achieved here. Great outdoor seating area which was sadly full to the brim but I enjoyed sitting in the bar chatting to other customers. Cracking place.

I want to say that this was a great busy local pub and restaurant but it is so pestered by small flies indoors that until they can solve this problem I would not recommend. Nowhere else nearby has this problem.

Popular and we can see why. Indoor and outdoor seating areas. Good table service and a menu that surpassed its promises. I had the Cullen skink which was delicious and came with crusty bread. Hubby had the dirty scotish chips which included haggis. Loved the full plate of nachos and only wished we had more room for them as they looked fab. Definitely would recommend this place. Very good service.

Service was friendly and quick. I had the veggie pie, hubby had mushroom soup with a couple half pints of cider and it was the best meal we’ve had since we’ve been in Scotland (and we’ve eaten some yummy food). Absolutely comfort food at its finest! YUM

My wife and I had lunch lunch at The Criterion Bar in St Andrews on 17/08/2024. We arrived just before 12:00 - it wasn't to busy at this time so managed to get a window table but by 12:30 you would have struggled to get any seat. Brilliant service and attention by the staff as the bar got busier. I had 2 pints of Innes & Gunn accompanied by the Filthy Scotsman Burger. My wife had 2 glasses of white wine accompanied by a goats cheese, tomato and caramelised onion Ciabatta. Absolutely faultless service, food and drink, highly recommended a visit to the The Criterion Bar if you visit St Andrews.

We got lucky and managed to get a table for 2 last minute on a very busy sunny day!Staff were lovely and polite! Fantastic customer service. Food was very nice. We had a toastie with mug of soup and loaded dirty fries. I do think the toastie and soup was expensive (£10) but it was very nice!Would definitely recommend as a nice place to eat

A brilliant restaurant with great food and staff who really care.I’ll be returning and I’ll be singing your praises to all and sundry.A well deserved five star review and more.Covid Safety looks paramount lots of outdoor space for wheelchair use Thank you so much for helping me make this experience so memorable

We stopped here for lunch on a rainy day last week. The staff were all absolutely lovely, very attentive and could not have done more for us. It felt very COVID-safe and our tuna melt ciabattas were out of this world - enormous and so tasty! Only small downside was we were seated just in front of the door which was open (maybe a COVID thing?) and it was rather chilly. Nonetheless, a great wee find. We will be back.

Such a welcoming atmosphere, to eat in or to have a drink. All the staff were great, but Hazel made a real effort for us and was so friendly!

Brilliant staff who were very attentive and kept you up to date on progress of food order. Haggis chicken and cheese nachos are a must!!! We’ll definitely be back to try a pie!

Tatty old man pub desperately clinging to the martial myth, good for tourists that fetishise the idea of going to a salt of the earth pub but want a more gentrified vibe.Also owners were very rude and passive aggressive and treat the very lovely young bar staff poorly.

The staff are all so friendly, polite and accommodating. Every precaution taken to keep their visitors safe. The way they have utilises the outside space is very inventive and creative. The Cri Pie is definitely not to be missed - it tastes absolutely delicious. Can’t wait to go back!

The table service is so lovely! So welcoming and even offered me some local haggis. First outing in about a year due to covid and it was completely worth it! Can’t wait to make my next visit

Our go to place whenever we are over in St Andrews. What a perfect way to end lockdown and enjoy our first drink indoors.The staff are all really friendly, they are taking appropriate measures against Covid including, track & trace, table service only, masks, reasonable spacing between tables etc – felt very safe Great selection of beers/real ales/gin/wine.Food is very good too – we opted for the toasted sandwich and wow it was fantastic, served with a lovely side salad and some nacho chips. - great value for money. Never anything to fault.We will be back soon

We arrived not realising it was 4 maximum to a table so there was 5 of us. We were happy to split between 2 tables. The only issue was one of the tables was right by the door. The staff were apologetic about this and made such a big effort to turn on all the heaters and point them at us. We didn't realise the kitchen only served pies later in the night but the waitress was apologetic and lovely about this and the pies were yummy anyway! Worth a visit for the nice staff, food and drinks! Thanks guys!

Had lunch in here on Sunday 16th May. The staff were very friendly and all very aware on the current guidelines. The food was outstanding. I'd heard so much about the crie pie and it certainly didn't disappoint. Can't wait to visit again.

Excellent in every way. What a great experience & a credit to St Andrews. Had lunch twice during our stay so can vouch for consistency. They’re absolutely COVID safe & very diligent, fab cheery service & fab food... you’ve got to have the nachos Well done to the team at the Criterion

Absolutely loved this place. Great find. Food was terrific, staff friendly and very helpful. Delighted to get a seat outside to enjoy the little sunshine that we got on our trip to St Andrews. Will definitely be back and would recommend to all. Had the veggie pie, which was great but would love to visit again to try the nachos they looked amazing. Thanks.

I live near St.Andrews and have been to many places, my parents visit all the time from Liverpool and we always look for somewhere that suits everyone however never walked as far up the street , this time after a walk we fell upon the Criterion. We where shocked as there was not fuss or manic over sitting, plenty of seats and greeted by friendly staff.The restrictions where easy Mask on , Sanitise , fill in Details and sit not like other places where panic sets in.We sat and choose with Staff there to answer any iquestions. The food was so nice all fresh and not a stupid price, I had the Chips with Chilli etc on top ( a must for comfort food!!) the drinks and meal was excellent the food was out of this world, we be back with more of my visiting family and will spread the word as a fellow buissiness owner near by . 10 out of 10 ( student waitress was so friendly Blonde medical studant) and bar man chatty and helpful great atmosphere , pets welcome. once again thank you !! we will be back

Quite good food, and a kind staff. My wife and I had a nice lunch and were quite content with the overall experience. Thank you for having us.

Could not fault our 2nd visit to criterion. The staff were so friendly and could not be more helpful during what must be a very difficult time for owners and staff. The food is amazing and my partner loves the famous cri pies. Can't wait to come back next time we are in St Andrew's, thanks for making our visit brilliant.

Went for lunch today with my wife and son. Could not fault the food and the staff are brilliant. Great to see this in so difficult times. Best of luck to Stevie and Hazel - they deserve it.

Amazing food and great service. You can see the owners take care of their staff. Which is great to see especially in this climate. Would definitely recommend.Was only here for a few days but ate here twice and was magic every time

Lovely independent pub with a relaxed atmosphere and friendly service. Some very cozy booths near the windows. And the pies are delicious!

The most fabulous drinks, the kindest people, the cutest atmosphere, love the fairy lights. The nachos are so good! Add to the top of your list to visit St. Andrews!!

This pub has a nice atmosphere, we didn’t eat here but the food looked nice. Nice atmosphere and good covid safe procedures in place. Staff were very nice too. We visited the place often when we were in town.

Vine a tomar una cerveza relajante en un descanso en esta ciudad. Fui recibido por una linda joven llamada clara que fue amable al encontrar una mesa y claramente desinfeccionó la gran disciplina del covid en todas partes. Un pub muy acogedor, uno de los mejores de la calle Andrews Welldone equipo y gracias

Pasé con los vecinos para compartir una cerveza y un té. La comida era excelente, el servicio realmente bueno y tenía una excelente relación calidad-precio. Este pub está atendido por gente encantadora y dirigido por una pareja que se preocupa. ¡Sigue así!

Visitamos por primera vez el 25 de septiembre. Tomamos un trago y algo de comida.Mi amigo tenía el sándwich de jamón y queso tostado, yo tenía el sándwich de queso brie y arándanos y la combinación de sopa de tomate asado. Mi marido tenía los 5 nachos con chili de frijoles. . Las raciones eran generosas y las bebidas también estaban bien.La segunda vez que visitamos fue un agradable domingo por la tarde y estaba muy ocupado, así que nos sentamos en la carpa en la carretera.Mi amigo y yo compartimos un buen Sauvignon Blanc de Nueva Zelanda + mi esposo tenía un buen Innis + Gunn lager. Se acercaba la hora de la cena, así que mi amiga Joan disfrutó de los panqueques todo el día con tocino y almíbar, y yo comí el panini tostado de brie, tocino y arándanos y mi esposo el pastel "Cri" de pollo, chorizo y tomate seco. Mi marido dijo que era una tarta preciosa pero que no podía encontrar el chorizo. . .De todos modos me encantó el servicio, me encantaron las medidas de Covid y es un pub encantador en general.

Un lugar maravilloso para tomar una copa y unos nachos increíbles. Orientación clara sobre las regulaciones del coronavirus proporcionada por nuestro amable servidor (¿crees que se llamaba Emily?) Que nos hizo sentir cómodos y seguros. ¡10/10 volverán!

Qué pub tan brillante. Es precioso por dentro, decorado como debería estar un pub antiguo. Impecablemente limpio con un propietario y un personal muy amables. Atentos al detalle con vasos de la marca adecuada para las distintas cervezas (señal de buen pub). La comida era excelente y con una buena relación calidad-precio. En general, un pub muy bien gestionado con un nivel excelente. ¿Por qué no 5 estrellas? ? ? ¡Sólo vuelan en el ungüento los perros! ! ! Nunca sabré por qué un pub tan encantador deja entrar perros. Un minuto de relax con un par de copas. ¡El minuto siguiente está en Crufts! Para ser justos, los perros se portaban bien, pero había ese olor a "perro", si sabes a qué me refiero. Recomiendo encarecidamente este pub. Es una pena lo de los perros.

Un pub con historia y bastante tradicional por dentro. Grandes fotos antiguas también de la calle Andrews, ¡pero las tartas! No tiene sentido seguir o tratar de desarrollar esta narrativa: ¡los pasteles son simplemente fabulosos! Para ser justos, el pub, el personal y las cervezas también son mejores que buenos. Gracias por una velada muy agradable.

My work colleagues and I were doing a job above the Criterion Bar so one day during the week we decided to go down for lunch. I can honestly say it was the best bar lunch we have ever had and the food and service was second to none! I believe it was a waitress named Laura who looked after us she was incredibly polite and very professional at her job we will definitely be back! Would highly recommend!

Great veggie options and accommodated us very well plus dogs. Thoroughly recommend it. Good covid measures in place

Me and my partner took our young lab for lunch here. We were sat outside in a lovely sheltered area with plenty of space around us for the pooch. The food was lovely, quick and easy app ordering service and the menu options for vegetarians was great. Would definitely recommend.

Visited after a round of golf as this pub is very close by. Ordered a local ale and the steak and ale pie - extremely tasty! Would absolutely recommend. The staff were wearing masks and COVID measures were in place and being followed. We could also see the staff actively wiping down chairs / tables and santising their hands. Exceeded expectations.

Visited for lunch on a Saturday afternoon. Pies are amazing and sandwiches were great. Great service and atmosphere

This is a lovely traditional pub in the middle of St Andrews. Indoor and outdoor seating available. Totally nailed the covid measures required. Details taken at door with a request to use the hand sanitizer. App available to simply order all your drinks and food to your table. Table service and face masks when visiting the small toilets. Friendly helpful staff and a nice vibe. Didn’t feel rushed to leave, found the contactless app ordering easy once I started it.

From the moment we walked in we were made to feel welcome! Everyone was keen to make sure we were happy. We received our drinks almost immediately and the food wasn’t far behind them. It was absolutely delicious and set us up for the rest of the day! We love St Andrews and we will definitely be back to The Criterion! Fab!

Great choice of beers, wines and spirits and very good bar food well served. Cri Pie is a must if you're hungry enough!

Very friendly , dog friendly , they offer the the dog a drink before you.It is a cask marque camra recommended pub which guarantees a well served pint from a selection of 6 real ales .Coffee and cake exceptional in presentation and quality and famous for its pies . I is not part of a large group but is privately owned.Please don't miss in your visit to St Andrews

Good food and excellent service , perfect ambiance, bar staff very attentive and well mannered and good experience

Popped in yesterday for lunch - regular stop off when we're in St. Andrews.For anyone not familiar with the Criterion they do the best pies in the land. If a pie could be on a bucket list this one should be. Nice staff & good choice of drinks.

Great atmosphere. Good selection of beers & ciders on tap. Food not too bad either. Downside is no kids under any circumstance,

They pack a lot of people into a small space. A nice pub with a good menu and a good range of drinks.

No food apart from the Cri Pies we had the chicken and the beef. Both great, service good, beer good. pity no other food after 5:30.

One of the jewels of St. Andrews - whether you are there for a day or a week. Cri Pies are to die for!! Order from the bar and wait at your table for a plate of awesomeness.

Had a few drinks in this pub while visiting St Andrews it's a great place for a drink was very busy but the service from very helpful and friendly bar staff added to the experience this pub had a mix of visitors like ourselves and locals and this added to the ambience . Great location and urge anyone visiting to give it a try you will enjoy

We visited the UK and I would have to say that this was the best food we had on our entire trip, which included St. Andrews, Edinburgh, and London. The chicken chorizo Cri-Pie was the absolute best! The atmosphere was great and our server was very attentive and a lot of fun. I would absolutely eat here again!

This is what a pub should be , Criterion has everything you would want: the people who work here are professionals , no nonsense taken or given , friendly efficient and confident in what they have to offer . Having sampled the fabulous pies on a previous visit we went for a change and had stovies and a vegan burger , both terrific with special mention for the stovies . Sat at the bar , fabulous mix of customers , vibrant and busy but all handled with ease . Thank you Criterion , a joy to watch a real pub working

We stopped in for lunch and had the Buffalo Burger and the Stovies. The menu says 'after a buffalo burger you will never go back to normal burger'. That's probably true, it was an exceptonal burger. The Stovies claim to be 'just like mother made' Well my mother probably wouldn't have known a stovie if it came up and shook her by the hand ! It was however very tasty and warming since it was a bit of a chilly day. On a cold blustry Monday parking outside was easy but in the summer I would guess you have 'as the saying goes' two hopes ( Bob Hope and No Hope ) of finding a spot.

Visited this pub last week for lunch lovely mug of soup sandwich salad coleslaw and crisps.All very tasty and nicely presented.The staff were all very attentive.Would definitely return here and try the pie as watching them being served they looked great.

Quick lunch and a beer at this lovely little pub in the heart of St. Andrews. Order at the bar & they bring the food to your table. Food is delicious and as everywhere in Scotland, friendly staff!

We were a group of 6 for lunch on a busy Saturday. The really helpful staff put together a group of tables to seat us all together. The food was lovely and the service friendly and fast. Would highly recommend.

Popped in on a day trip to St Andrews. Had some lovely beer and food. Friendly staff and reasonably priced compared to some in St Andrews. The steak and ale pie was amazing. Will definitely be back.

Busy pub but the pies are worth waiting for. Excellent quantity and quality at a very reasonable price. Staff very friendly and attentive. Will definitely return on my next visit St Andrews

Dropped by to visit the Old Course and decided to have our lunch at this outlet. We enjoyed the atmosphere and the friendly and attentive service. We ordered a steak & ale pie,stovies, buffalo burger and baggies roll with beer and wine. The food was tasty and reasonably priced.

Visitando la calle Andrews para ver a nuestro hijo que está en la Universidad en un día de lluvia torrencial, así que llamamos al Criterion, inicialmente solo para tomar una copa, pero al final tuvimos un fantástico almuerzo de pub. Tuve el bistec y cerveza Chi Pie, ¡fue uno de los mejores pasteles que he probado! Lleno de bistec, papas y guisantes. Mi esposa tenía la macarrones con queso que también le encantó.

Very nice pub with chilled atmosphere and a great selection of local beers. He hadn’t booked and were able to get a table for four. We ordered various pies and the food came quickly. They were definitely freshly made and not frozen but we didn’t enjoy them very much as all of them were quite salty. Just a little mistake but I wouldn’t definitely visit again to give it another chance.

A Cri-pie, a pint of Porter and broon sauce. What more could a man want on a cold winter's night? Oh, and as it happens to be a Thursday, live music from the brilliant Black Sheep trio.

Storico pub nel centro del paese, piccolo e molto frequentato. Ottime birre e discreti piatti tipicamente scozzesi. Piacevole l'ambiente, buono il servizio.

When in St Andrews a visit to the Criterion should be on the cards. Great selection of beer good atmosphere and friendly helpfull staff. Nice menu and the bacon rolls are recommended..

We popped into this pub for a coffee which was lovely lots of people some just having a drink and some having food.

Popped in for a drink. Great selection of beers and lagers. Very friendly staff and a good ambience about the place. Saw one of the famous CRI-PIES which looked great. Will definitely be trying on our next visit

Llamamos al Criterion varias veces mientras visitábamos la calle Andrews y probamos la maravillosa cerveza Stewart's 80 / -, que es excelente.

Loved the ambience, beer and drinks selection , staff very attentive and friendly, loved it and will return

The cri pies are delicious and a great value. You pay at the bar if you are able to find a table. We lucked out after standing for about 10 minutes. Definitely recommend as nice pub experience.

Visited just after lunch and place was relatively quiet. Still waited too long for our meals but food was decent when it arrived. A pub with character.

Thanks to previous TripAdvisor reviews, we chose to have lunch here. The pub offers excellent service and atmosphere and delicious food at reasonable prices. Our party ordered the steak & ale pie, the chicken & chorizo pie, the stovies, and the nachos. All were served to perfection!

Liked the decor. Liked the atmosphere. Liked the food. Liked the beer and liked the staff. Actually I think this is the best proper pub in St Andrews.

Excellent pub, good choice of beers, great food especially the famous Cri-Pie. Really friendly staff, would recommend to everyone.

Not much into bars to be honest but needed a decent hot meal and the place came highly recommended.

Found the Criterion pub whilst visiting St Andrews , A small local pub with great atmosphere and friendly staff and a yummy cri pie

My wife r3membered us having lunch here on a trip through here 15 years ago . I didn’t . How could I forget !

Cozy pub to go to after class. Delicious hot meals (the puff on the pies was stunning!) and great cider/beer on tap.

My wife and I had lovely food brought to us by superb staff. The choice of beers on offer was top quality and the people there were very friendly. Definitely want to return even though it's quite far away from us.

Went for a visit here with my mum and dad on a family holiday and, to put it simply, nothing at all to complain about! Service for both drinks and food was quick, and for what is ostensibly just a tiny wee bar, it was all very nice. We all had one of their famous pies and were on agreement that they were very very tasty and filling big things to eat. Ingredients used seem to be of good quality, and they were baked to perfection. Really not much to say about this place as its a simple wee (emphasis on the wee) Scottish pub with a small menu of basic but very nice pub food staples. Pub grub done very well, essentially. Oh and nicely mixed cocktails too!

All the staff were really concerned to know everything was okay and it was! We had a lovely lunch with haggis sandwiches, chilli con carne, and nachos, and mugs of delicious courgette and sweetcorn soup. Lovely salad garnish too.

Di passaggio da St. Andrews durante il nostro tour in Scozia, ci siamo fermati in questo pub.

My dad and I traveled to Scotland for a guy's trip to play golf and at St. Andrews, The Criterion must be a hot spot for all the locals. Our caddie gave us this recommendation and told us to go order one of their pot pies. Man oh man...they did NOT DISAPPOINT! In addition to being so flaky and piping hot, the filling was just cooked to perfection. We split both the steak and ale pie as well as the chicken, chorizo and sun-dried tomato one. Both of them were so so good! Add on to that the delicious drinks we had and awesome whiskey flight. Keep up the great work everyone!

We ate here as we had heard good reviews. The staff were lovely engaging and friendly, unfortunately the food wasn't anywhere near as good. The burger was OK, the steak & ale pie with mash was luke warm and dry, the vegtable bowl again was satisfactory. Alot of money for not a great meal - sorry.

Comimos allí hoy para el almuerzo y tenemos que complementar al chef, gerente y personal ya que la comida, el servicio y la limpieza del lugar era insuperable. Teníamos la lasaña y la hamburguesa de búfalo y ambos eran encantadores. Caliente, fresco y ambos servidos en platos apropiados, no pedazos de pizarra o tabla de cortar antihigiénicos, ¡hurra!

£5.60 for a Neck Oil! That is a crazy price, The Golf Inn was over a £1 less. No where near. I can’t stay and have a few drinks because that is no where near

Entrati per caso in questo pub, ci siamo accomodati in questo locale un po' piccolo ma dall'atmosfera tipicamente scozzese. Abbiamo mangiato un steak and ale pie ( sorta di torta rustica con spezzatino di carne cotta alla birra, piselli e patate) e un panino. Porzioni abbondanti e birre eccellenti. Visitate St Andrews e fate una sosta in questo pub!

Excellent moment dans ce pub, whisky, gin tonic et bières très bonnes. Les tourtes sont aussi très bonnes.

Great beer and friendly staff used by locals. Everything we were looking for on a Friday night pub crawl in St. Andrews. Defo be back.

Great food, outstanding service, super friendly staff. We were asked 3 times if everything is ok and how the food was. For me as a german i am not used to something like that. Typical Scottish👍

Visited St. Andrews in June then a month later for several days each time. Felt really let down that WiFi wasn’t working on either occasion- could understand once but not both times.

this place must have the best selection of whiskies and local gins amongst a great selection of draught beers.

This pub is awesome! My wife and I stopped in here recently on our trip to Scotland. The staff was amazing, food was just as amazing. We ordered the classic pies... I ordered the Chicken and my wife ordered the steak. WOW!!! I am going to try and recreate these dishes now that we are home. While we were there we Facetimed with our children and the staff was extremely receptive when we asked one of them to chat with our daughter. If we make it back to St. Andrews this pub will absolutely be on our list to revisit.

Very delicious. One for everybody. It is enough for one person, even a man :-) Three kinds available.

My wife and I visited the Criterion and decided to try their pies. My wife had the steak and ale pie while I had the chicken and chorizo.

Sometimes unfriendly staff, but in the most charming of ways. I would be too if I were overwhelmed by tourists. Still holds up and their own ale is delicious. TOP SPOT for a drink in the sun!

Very nice pub with chilled atmosphere and a great selection of local beers. He hadn’t booked and were able to get a table for four. We ordered various pies and the food came quickly. They were definitely freshly made and not frozen but we didn’t enjoy them very much as all of them were quite salty. Just a little mistake but I wouldn’t definitely visit again to give it another chance.

Very friendly and helpful staff at this pub - good veggie options which made choosing quite tricky! They even had vegan “cheese” as an option on several of the meals, including the super veggie burger.

Returned a year later to try the pies. Nice little pub able to get a table so keen to try the pies. I recommend the steak and ale pie hubby had the butternut squash one like the idea of the potatoes and peas being inside the pie, lovely pastry and generous filling. A couple of good pints served by young friendly staff. Was worth the wait!

This small but characterful pub has maintained it's standards. Range of beers usually good in terms of brewery and strength.

Great place for real ale great service friendly staff nicely presented food lgbt friendly and lovely atmosphere . Small pub but has evening entertainment also has outdoor area for those brave enough to experience the easterly winds .

One of the best bars in town. Staff are knowledgeable and friendly. Premises are small so can get busy quickly especially at lunchtime with tourists. Good range of beers although I was disappointed that they had no Deuchars on my two visits this week. Just meant I had to try something else equally as good. Three tables outside are a good spot to watch the world pass by. Definitely worth a visit if you are passing.

I really like the pies at The Criterion. They are really big and come out piping hot with an crispy pastry on top. For £10 it is definitely worth it giving them a try. The pud also has a nice atmosphere but can get very busy at peak times - so make sure to be on time and get a seat to taste these crispy and flavorsome pies.