Our Top 10 Places to Eat in Scotland

We love food! We love thinking about it, cooking it, smelling it but mostly we love eating it!  Fresh, local, hearty food – Scotland has a rich larder full of wonderful things to eat (and drink!)  We are spoilt for choice and have some superb well established kitchens in our cities and across the country, but more excitingly there are some hidden gems not to be missed.

With 2015 heralded as the Year of Scottish Food and Drink we want to tempt your taste buds with our current Top 10 Favourite Places to Eat in Scotland.

Applecross Inn   (Applecross – Wester Ross)

Full of character and charm in this remote waterside location, this wee family run inn is bustling with life and serving fantastically fresh local dishes. Simple, seasonal and great value whether it’s a juicy venison burger, sweet squat lobsters or local crab.  Getting there over the Belach na Ba (Pass of the Cattle) is spectacular and certainly builds an appetite.

The Gardener’s Cottage   (Edinburgh)

An oasis in the centre of Edinburgh this quaint little Gardener’s Cottage offers a unique and intimate dining experience for either lunch or dinner. Their organic and innovative set menus change every day and we’ve never been disappointed.

Loch Bay Seafood    (Stein – Isle of Skye)

Seating only 7 tables this wee seafood restaurant in the quaint village of Stein serves superb seafood dishes and offers great atmosphere and charm. With stunning views over the loch, the sunsets here are special.  Open from April to October, the Loch Bay is one of those special places you just have to go!

The Balgove Larder & Steak Barn   (St Andrews – Fife)

There is something nostalgic and strangely indulgent about going to a great farm shop. The Balgove Larder is superb, offering a good deli counter and butcher, as well as a larder café.  The jewel in the crown here however is the seasonal Balgove Steak Barn – a semi-open air restaurant serving delicious steaks and burgers from Spring through to early Autumn.  Simple, cool and delicious!

The Cross Restaurant with Rooms (Kingussie – Inverness-shire)

Overlooking the River Gynack, this small personal restaurant serves the finest of fresh local produce, including game from local estates, highland beef, Shetland lamb, and shellfish from Skye and Ullapool. For a warm welcome and great service this is a gem in the highlands.

The Kitchen   (Edinburgh)

For a special treat we can think of nowhere better than Tom Kitchen’s Michelin starred restaurant The Kitchen. The ethos here is ‘From Nature to Plate’ and we love the innovative passionate British cooking here all with the finest local produce.  There’s a lovely unimposing atmosphere at this Leith restaurant where you can enjoy watching the team at work in the kitchen.

Monachyle Mhor   (Balquhidder – Perthshire)

On the banks of Loch Voil this is a special place in Perthshire that feels like a luxury escape. Whether breakfast, lunch or dinner, the food is beautiful, some of which is sourced from their own farm.  Why not spend the night in one of the 14 boutique rooms and simply make the most of the experience.

The Old Library   (Arisaig – Fort William & Lochaber)

Enjoy sublime food in a 200 year old stone built stable converted into a cosy bistro style restaurant on the waterfront in the wee highland village of Arisaig. Enjoy a modern Scottish menu with an occasional French twist using local produce – the Cullen Skink (creamy fish soup) and the venison dishes are personal favourites!

Kerrera Tea Garden   (Kerrera Island – Argyll)

A short ferry trip from the mainland near Oban you arrive on Kerrera – one of the lesser visited islands of Scotland, but a little gem, small enough to walk in a couple of hours and the best bit…stopping off at Kerrera Tea Garden for a huge delicious bowl of home-made soup and a daily specials board of cake! A warm welcome awaits from Easter until September at this quaint, quirky and remote garden café overlooking the Sound of Kerrera and Gylen Castle.

The Ship Inn   (Elie – Fife)

On a sunny day enjoy lunch or an early evening meal on the courtyard overlooking the bay at Elie. Food here is simple, but with locally sourced fresh ingredients the quality is good.  There’s a great holiday atmosphere here, particularly when the sun is out!

Four bonus bites that have just missed out but thoroughly deserve a mention are…

• Ship on the Shore   (Edinburgh)
• Ox and Finch   (Glasgow)
• A Room with a View   (Aberdour – Fife)
• The Black Sheep Bistro   (Glasgow)

There are some excellent routes to eat and drink your way around Scotland.  Not only that but if you fancy getting your hands dirty there are also some great culinary experiences that you can immerse yourself in too.  If you fancy self-catering you won’t be left short either…there are a number of local farmer’s markets and local farm shops offering great quality ingredients to enable you to whip up a storm and impress your friends and family!!

Do you have any other recommendations for us to try?  

We’d love to hear from you so drop us an email with your favourite place to eat.

If all of this has whetted your appetite for a holiday to Scotland then contact us for a bespoke travel proposal and to book your great escape now.