The 23 best Italian restaurants in Scotland - as winners of national awards announced

The very best of Italy’s cultural and food icons were honoured at a ceremony in Glasgow on Sunday 1 December.

The Italian Awards took place at the Hilton Doubletree with host Des Clarke dishing out awards and highly recommended prizes to those going above and beyond to bring the tastes of Italy to Scotland.

Winners and highly recommended honours were given out to businesses all over Scotland from North Berwick to Stornoway, Ayr to Banchory and Glasgow to Edinburgh.

And the man behind The Italian Awards - along with other hugely prestigious events like the Fish and Chip, Entertainment and Hospitality and Image Awards - reckons standards are getting higher every year.

Warren Paul, CEO of events firm Paramount Creative, said: “Every year we bring together the very best of Italy right here in Scotland.

“Food, drink, hospitality, fun, family and that unmistakable touch of style are just some of the elements that make our finalists so special.

“At Paramount we have made recognising the best our mission and we take it very seriously, with strict judging protocols in place – so a win or highly commended honour is something you can trust.

“Our cook-off for the Best Pizza award has become a really big deal – putting people under pressure brings out the REAL best especially with our big name judges waiting to grill them too. Only the best.

“Thank you to everyone in hospitality for another year of incredibly hard work taking care of us all.

“Congratulations to all our winners, commended and finalists – and thanks for bringing the flavours and passions of Italy alive in Scotland.”

Here we take a look at the full list of winners at the 2024 Italian Awards.