Fife chef gains One Michelin Star for Edinburgh restaurant
A chef from Glenrothes is celebrating Michelin success as his restaurant was awarded one star at the 2025 ceremony in Glasgow.
Acclaimed chef and restaurateur Stuart Ralston has been awarded his first Michelin star for his seafood-led fine dining restaurant Lyla. Located within an elegant Georgian townhouse, Lyla is a 28-cover restaurant that celebrates the best of the Scottish waters. This is Stuart’s first Michelin Star and follows ten years of operating leading Edinburgh restaurants including Aizle, Noto and Tipo.
Speaking of this achievement, which was awarded at the 2025 ceremony in Glasgow, Stuart said: “I am thrilled and honoured that Michelin felt that we deserved this award. Like many chefs, I have followed the guide my whole adult life and in many ways it's shaped my career and who I am. Massive thank you to my spectacular team at Lyla, and the group at large. I’m very lucky to have such an amazing team. And of course to all our guests for supporting us over the years.
"This industry can come under fire at times because it can be a tough business, but I believe it's a brilliant career choice. I managed to work myself all the way up from washing dishes to owning a group of successful restaurants in our capital city, Edinburgh, which I love. This industry can give hope and a chance to people from all walks of life, and I'm living proof of that.”
Mark Donald, executive chef at The Glenturret Lalique restaurant, which retained their Two Stars from last year, said he was ‘really proud of Scotland and Stuart’. “ I am super happy the ceremony was in Scotland, really proud it was in Scotland. I thought the restaurants that were awarded were fully deserved. It's nice to see Stuart finally get recognised.”
Stuart, who grew up in Glenrothes, has travelled the globe working in some of the world's best restaurants and kitchens before coming back to Scotland. From a family of chefs and cooks, Stuart spent his twenties working in New York under Gordon Ramsay, undertaking stages with chefs David Bouley, Marcus Samuelsson, Terrance Brennan, Daniel Humm, Paul Liebrandt and Jean-Georges Vongerichten. Following a time spent as Chef de Cuisine at the world-famous Sandy Lane Resort in Barbados, Stuart returned to his native Scotland where in 2014 he opened his debut restaurant, Aizle, which serves a blind-tasting menu revolving around Scottish produce. This was followed by NYC neo-izakaya Noto in 2021 and Italian-inspired Tipo in 2023.
Opened in the last months of 2023, Lyla is Stuart’s fourth and most personally ambitious restaurant. A 10-course seafood focused fine-dining restaurant with classic, table-side service. At Lyla, guests begin upstairs, in the drawing room with snacks and drinks from the champagne trolley, before heading downstairs past the dry ageing fridges to the dining room, overlooking the open kitchen.
Lyla has been recognised as one of the Best New Openings 2023 by Condé Nast Traveller and crowned Restaurant Newcomer at the Food & Travel Awards 2024. It has been mentioned as one of the most exciting restaurants in the UK by World’s 50 Best and debuted at number 28th on the National Restaurant Awards 2024.