The Criterion in Fife

The cri-pies and their beer are divinity

Lovely classic pub, make sure you let staff know if you’re expecting table service and they can do it. Also just seat yourself! The food looked fantastic, though unfortunately we had already eaten.

Very nice spot. Chicken/Chorizo pie and ciabatta sandwich we're delicious. Good Scottish ale to boot! Fun eating outside. Service was very friendly.

Had a brilliant beef n ale Cri Pie. Was fantastic. Highly recommended 👌

Excellent pub. Good beer selection, fantastic steak pie. Prices fair.

Ate the cri-pie steak and ale. Delicious.

It was all around top notch! Steak and Ale pie was great.

Their pies are delicious. We had the steak and the chicken one. The chicken had a little kick to it, so good. Great atmosphere, I even got to pet a customer’s golden retriever at the bar, so dogs are definitely welcome inside. Service was great too.

We visited whilst in the area and was looking for quality food and we found it! The homemade steak and ale pie was awesome, and adding haggis just added to the dish. Both me and my partner are the same and enjoyed every mouthful. The gentleman behind the bar was friendly and very helpful in our drink selection and we stayed longer than we should have done on our limited time in the area :) Highly recommend

Lovely food, all of our party enjoyed our lunch 😊

Nestled in the heart of the charming and historic town of St Andrews, The Criterion is an absolute must-visit for those who appreciate fantastic food, top-tier drinks, and a warm, welcoming atmosphere. This cozy yet vibrant spot seamlessly blends tradition with personality, making every visit a memorable one. From the moment we stepped inside, we were met with exceptional hospitality, and the highlight of our experience was undoubtedly Frazier, the bartender. Not only was he incredibly friendly and helpful, but his hilarious banter made us feel right at home. His passion for the menu was evident, especially when he thoroughly explained the Chicken and Chorizo Cri-Pie—breaking down every layer of flavor. And let me tell you, it was absolutely worth the hype! The perfect blend of smoky chorizo and tender chicken wrapped in a golden, flaky crust made for the ultimate comfort dish. Beyond the food, The Criterion boasts an expansive gin and whisky collection, but what truly sets them apart is their Breakeven Bottle concept. This brilliant idea allows guests to try an exclusive and unique bottle of whisky at cost—no markup, just the pure experience of enjoying a rare dram without the hefty price tag. I had the pleasure of trying the Loch Lomond 25 Year, and it was nothing short of exceptional. Smooth yet full of character, with deep, rich notes from the barrel it was aged in—an absolute treat for any whisky lover. Between the incredible drinks, delicious food, and unforgettable service, The Criterion isn’t just a restaurant—it’s an experience. Whether you’re a whisky connoisseur, a foodie, or simply someone who enjoys great company, this place is a true St Andrews gem. Do yourself a favor and stop by—you won’t regret it!

Excellent pub. Very dog friendly. Staff are so friendly and chatty. Brilliant atmosphere and ambience. Would highly recommend this pub for food and drinks.

Fabulous atmosphere & great music. Staff are very friendly. The Cri-Pie is fabulous

Busy and friendly with a nice pint of 80/-

Nice bar, but 1 male member of your staff needs to address his personal hygiene

Our first meal in St. Andrews was at the Criterion. Perfect choice! Great atmosphere and our waitress was so friendly and helpful. Our food was yummy, especially the fish and chips and cri pie! Their coffee was great, too! Wish I were there now!

Only had a couple of pints here but sat at the bar and really enjoyed the atmosphere. Had a good chat with the couple next to me and with the barman who was telling me and my uncle about the different beers on tap. Very knowledgable. I didnt eat but the food looked incredible especially the meat and tatty pie!

The staff was very helpful and kind. The food was amazing.

Lovely, cosy Scottish pub with good selection of drinks & food. Had the famous steak and ale cri pie and it was 10/10. Lots of steak, which was tender & not chewy. Huge portion too. Staff were friendly and it was quick to get served/food came in good time.

Nice little pub with a good atmosphere and nice classic interior. The cri pie is nice but slightly overpriced for what it is smaller menu but Is underneath for a smaller pub. Is nice for a pint though

Just an amazing place. The steak and ale pie is fantastic!! If You’re in St Andrews, it’s a must. Shoot, if you’re anywhere in Scotland, it’s a must!!!

Great pie and onion rings, good selection of beers!

Great beers and food in the centre of StAndrews.

Excellent pub with best pies ever and kindest service in Scotland. Definitely come here!

Lovely, comfortable, warm pub with a cosy atmosphere & friendly staff. The pies looked and smelled amazing, but settled for the nachos on seeing them come out of the kitchen. One portion is great to share between two over drinks. Will definitely visit again.

Great chance discovery during lunch during our stop in Saint Andrews! The Stovies is a delicious dish, the beer was welcome, the welcome and the service impeccable, nice pub in a local atmosphere where you feel good :)

Top work all round. The service was top notch. Every member of staff was on it, attending to all our needs, checking if we needed anything and generally being lovely. The CriPie is totally worth it and the choice of ales on tap was decent. Overall this pub is winning and deserves your patronage. Go.

The Cri pie was everything we were told it would be. The outside tables were comfortable with the heaters keeping it warm. St. Andrew's has so many varied restaurants and pubs, but the Criterion has to be at the top of the list. We were so glad it was recommended to us.

My mum wanted to try this place as soon as she saw it, and when we managed to get a table despite the crowd she was positively giddy at our luck. So it was that much more tragic when she ordered an entree without noticing it had an ingredient she couldn't eat. We apologetically explained our mistake, and the servers couldn't have been kinder. Their handling of the situation and kindness were essential to salvaging our earlier joy. We ended up having a wonderful night and couldn't have been more grateful. The CRI pies were also outstanding!

Visited again (after 4 months) and had food this time. Superb steak burger and fries, and lovely Cullen Skink. Excellent beers and whiskies and great, friendly service. Definitely our favourite pub in St Andrews!

Don't sit next to the door it's very drafty. Outside area has heating

Great point atmosphere with range of tasty beers. Food good too, and covered tables outside.

The pies say ‘world famous’ on them and I’ve gotta say, they live up to their name. Delicious flavours! Fabulous staff and a wholesome Scottish atmosphere ❤️

Very disappointed, refused to be served because we had a 6month old with us and asked to leave.

Enjoyed a day out in St. Andrews

One of the best pubs in town, with great food, friendly staff and cozy atmosphere. Food is in fact better than in some of the fancier restaurants in town.

Very friendly, excellent food and drink, dog friendly

Great bar atmosphere we never ate but food we saw looked really good a good selection of drinks

This pub is good at everything and my dog agrees

Great family owned pub in St Andrews recommended by a local worker at The Golf Shoppe. Perfect Scottish experience, nice beer & whiskey selection, and the steak & ale pie was delicious! Highly recommend!

Nice food and atmosphere,fantastic staff who help in every way. Walk in place and good outside at the front in nice weather.

The last time I was here six weeks ago and lost a significant amount of cash. Tonight the bar staff recognised me and told me they’d found it under the table I had been sitting at. What r the chances of this honesty! My favourite pub in St Andrews, amazing pub and staff.

Great wee pub, attentive staff, delicious food, highly recommend!

Tasty food and beer, friendly staff and a lovely vibe inside.

Popped in here after a good walk around St Andrews, busy place but managed to get a table inside. Ordered the famous Cri pie, steak and ale, with potatoes and peas inside. We also ordered the chicken nachos, when they arrived I had a terrible urge to run out into the street and round up most of the students of St Andrews to help me eat them. The biggest plate of nachos I have ever encountered and sadly they defeated me, I just could not even manage half of them. Food was great... as was atmosphere with friendly attentive staff. Ten out of ten for this place.

Would recommend if visiting St Andrews for the day, lovely “pub” that’s in the main part of the town. We had a lovely Fish and Chips that wasn’t too oily. Great atmosphere too.

Family run bar great selection of beers,wines, etc. Extensive menu. Very popular bar with visitors and locals.

Fab traditional pub with great pies!

Family owned restaurant that doesn’t allow families with children under 5

Pot pie was fantastic. Servers were not cheerful at all.

The steak and ale Cri Pie was fantastic! A great bartender, loved his suggestion of the Regions whiskey flight.

I would love to give this place a five star review. A few niggles made it fall short Firstly though the place has a great atmosphere, is lively and welcoming. The food we ordered was excellent. Cri Pie amazing The niggles are the uncertainty of getting a table as they have no booking system so its not a given that you will eat there. The night we were there the service to take our order was a bit slow. However the food arrived quickly and was tasty. It would also be great if there was some sort of dessert offered even a simple traditional offering to finish . This would not stop me from going back provided I had a back up,in case there were no tables.

A great menu and friendly service. Seating is available for drinks and food outside when it's sunny and not too cold.

Wonderful place. Excellent food and service. If you are in St Andrews you need to go there. Loved it.

Scottish food. The cri pie is a curiosity. It has its charm!

Really good food. Nice outdoor seating area. Lots of different alcoholic drinks. The cri pie was tasty and filling.

Really nice pub! The chicken and chorizo pie was amazing and best fish and chips we ever tried! Totally recommend visiting.

Sat outside on a nice day. Staff is excellent. Old Fashion cocktail was excellent. We had nachos with cheese. Very good

Nice little spot with good atmosphere, great Steak & Ale pie! Worth a visit if you’re in town.

When we're in St andrews this is our go to pub, food is fantastic, good range of real ales and gin, and the staff are really helpful and friendly. Well worth a visit

This place has great food and drinks. Question waiting to get in regularly. No recomdations on food as all fab.Out door area sitting, when the rain came on, they put up their fantastic umbrella with light and heaters. I recommend a visit if you can get in! Good luck.

The pies 🥧 are amazing! Try one!

Great atmosphere and delicious food. Staff were extremely attentive. Will definitely be back 👍

Elitist bar, they judge you by your appearance. A shame

They looked at us (not wearing fancy clothes), rejected us (5 people) saying that there were no space. Right after, a group of 4 people are allowed to go in. Be fancy guys or do not go in there xD

The next time I go I will have to wear a shirt because with a rugby shirt they will not serve you at any time. Disgusting treatment for foreigners

Lovely pub, great range of real ales, great menu, outdoor seating

Decided to have drinks and a meal for my birthday yesterday. However, as we entered we were advised they don't accept cash , only CARD payment. Very disappointed, with this non- inclusive attitude. I'm not in my senior years by any measure, however what of those who are. What about those who cannot access technology. This is not a forward thinking attitude. It's discriminate and an unfair approach. Please review this for the sake of fairness and equality.

Awesome place. Sat at the bar and ordered a beef and ale pie and I am still dreaming about it.

Allowed me to have a Cri Pie for takeaway! So good. Mac n cheese pie til I die.

Update - July 2024 This pub never disappoints. Popped in here on a lovely sunny Sunday afternoon and managed to get a table outside. Friendly, welcoming and helpful staff throughout. Their Cripes are amazing. Keep up the good work guys. ******************************** Update - May 2024 Back in St Andrews, so we just had to visit here again. Nothing has changed since our last visit, but that is good as everything about this place is superb 👌. Drink selection, food menu, atmosphere, prices and the friendliest staff ever. Tried the Chicken and Chorizo Cri-Pie and it was absolutely delicious. ******************************* 2023 - Visit Our favourite bar in St Andrews Lovely tradional friendly pub, welcoming and efficient staff throughout. Nachos are amazing, we shared a plate with a couple of glasses of wine. Great atmosphere 👌

Great atmosphere, food is decent too. I do feel like the pies are a rather overpriced for what they are, it comes with peas and potatoes but then u realise they just throw a little peas and few mini potatoes in the pie. although they are tasty i wouldnt get one twice. Nachos are a decent portion, would be nice to see fresh sour cream, i think they possibly use the bottled stuff. Definitely worth a visit if your in St Andrews. Staff are brilliant and probably one of the best pubs in fife.

It was an indication and I loved it. A small and cozy pub. Familiar, and I found those who served us friendly and helped in the indication of the food, which by the way I found very good. The three we ate. I ordered a local beer.

Excellent Pub where we enjoyed their Cripie. Quick service and very nice guys. Having some time and better understanding what they had available I believe it would have been among the best Pubs. Recommended for a good unpretentious lunch/dinner and even more so for the vast choice of whiskies, beers and other drinks.

Awesome pies. Had the mac and cheese w haggis. Huge servings. And good beer selection on tap.

Went for a motorcycle run with a few pals on the suggestion of having Criterion pies. They did not disappoint. Full dinner in a substantially sized pie! Delicious!

Nice staff and central location. Food? Honestly an expensive let down. I sampled the chicken loaded nachos which were HUGE and just plain mid. the leek and potato soup leaked all over the place and i only got two spoons! the caesar salad built me up and then let me down within two bites. the highlights were the delightful drinks, the mechanized umbrella, and the company. would not come back in a heartbeat!

Its a family owned business in the heart of market street in st andrews. I ordered the cheesy nachos and cider, it was HUGE! It is good enough for 2-3 people to share. The servers were really nice, so was the service. It took a long time for our food to come but we went at lunch and the place was packed so they are not to blame :) They have a nice patio to sit outside which looks really good to sit outside and have drinks with friends. Definitely recommend it!

Great experience, this place definitely has atmosphere! And they are very nice there.

Food was great. I would recommend the Cri Pie, a great concept. Also the chicken nachos as it was so big. Good beer selection too and the prices were reasonable for St Andrews

Food was delicious, nice seating area outside so we were able to enjoy our drinks in the sun

Had a late lunch, very tasty. Good beer selection of beer too

Staff were lovely made the effort to find us a table outside

Lovely meal ,nice friendly service

The Cullen Skink is superb, as was all the food and drinks The service is second to none. Great atmosphere.

Typical small pub with cozy atmosphere, very attentive and nice service, good local food and beer (we liked the St Andrew’s Blond Ale a lot). We had the fried Haggis-Starters (we didn’t have it often before, but this was our favorite one, the typical Haggis-taste was not too strong and the mayonnaise-dip and salad accompanied it well), as main dishes the cullen skink and the Steak&Ale Pie. The main dishes were very delicious, unfortunately both slightly too salty (but: we usually prefer less salt than others, so to most people, it’s probably ok).

Great pub, can be very noisy inside. Pies are to die for

First class service, delicious good and great atmosphere

Good service. Mixers for drinks were over expensive.

Honestly one of the best bars we have ever visited. Cracking atmosphere. Cracking staff and those pies.....amazing. If you happen to meet up with Fraser don't be scared to have a bit of banter with him. All in all 5 star well deserved.

Pub serving food with outside seating area. No deserts.

Quirky charming ambience, with delicious and perfectly portioned entrees. Steak and wine for two- just right.

Great pub. Busy but swift service. Great range of drinks including real ale. Didn't eat.

Lovely pub in the centre of St Andrews. They have tables outside and in - we chose inside and glad we arrived early as it soon filled up. Traditional dark panelled interior, leather seats at the bar and banquette booths for dining. Staff very helpful and courteous, menu has a good selection and food was very good when it arrived - we had burger, scampi, Caesar salad and ciabatta. All round recommend for a relaxed pub lunch.

As others have commented refused to give us a table (even outside) because we had a baby in a pram who we had just put to sleep. Might not have commented as it is down to regulations after all but the staff didnt look like they could care less, families=nuisance

Efficient pub, well-made fish and chips, comforting Cullen Skink. I recommend if you pass by.

So friendly and great food. Brilliant with our dogs too!

Casual pub vibe but food drink and service were exceptional.

Nice place to stop for a drink and food. Lots of collage student's. Difficult to park.

Good food excellent staff....very poor seating and not very comfortable inside,outside looked better but it was too cold to sit out.