A DUNFERMLINE restaurant with a taste for success is in the running to win a top industry award.

Jack ‘O’ Bryan’s is down to the final two in the Restaurant of the Year 2024 (Fine Dining) category in the Scottish License Trade News (SLTN) competition. 

It's a publication widely considered to be the hospitality industry’s 'Bible' and the other finalist is The Dipping Lugger in Ullapool.

Bryan Coghill, from Jack 'O' Bryan's, said: “We are absolutely delighted to be a finalist in this year’s prestigious SLTN Awards which we certainly feel are the benchmark for excellence in our industry.

“It would be fantastic if, 26 years after winning our first SLTN award, when Michelle and I ran the hotel in the north east of Scotland, we could win again now with Jack ‘O' Bryan’s which is very much headed up by our son Jack, who is the head chef and pastry chef for the business.

“He has had an incredible year, with success in other award schemes, alongside national coverage and recognition in publications such as Sainsbury’s magazine and The Sunday Times Scotland.

“I am celebrating 40 years in the industry this year. I’ve been a chef, a restauranteur and a hotelier, as well as my son’s mentor and teacher.

“Winning this award would be the best possible way of marking this anniversary as a family.”

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A few weeks ago, Jack welcomed the judges from SLTN to sample his food.

“We’re always pleased to put our inventive food in the spotlight,” he said. “What we cook for our customers means the world to us as it’s the food that we ourselves love to eat - Iberian food from Spain, Portugal and Scotland’s natural larder.

“The judges must have enjoyed it for us to be down to the last two finalists, but we are humbled, and appreciate that they have been sampling a great many very exceptional quality restaurants from right across the country as part of the judging process.

“The news of being down to the last two restaurants in the awards has come at the best time for us as we look forward to a break as a family with myself and my fiancée Sarah getting married next week,” said Jack.

“We have plenty more exciting news to announce from our family business in the coming weeks.

“To win the award really would be the icing on the wedding cake, (excuse the pun!).

"We’d like to thank our incredible staff for their efforts, as we certainly couldn't do it without them, and of course our amazing customers too.”

This year’s awards night is taking place on November 7 at the Hilton in Glasgow.