17 Best Restaurants in Aberdeen and the Northeast, Scotland

The Old Royal Station, built for Queen Victoria and restored after a disastrous fire in 2015, now houses this charming café, where breakfast, lunch, and afternoon tea is served. The hearty brunch menu features dishes like eggs Benedict, eggs Royale, and locally-accented treats such as black pudding and apple gateau with lemon butter; and don't miss the posh take on stovies—a roast beef stew with mashed potatoes, spring onions, red wine gravy, and beetroot.

Huge windows overlook the harbor and beach at this quayside favorite in a former customhouse, long one of Aberdeen's most acclaimed restaurants. The French-inspired menu focuses on fish: try the crab bisque with samphire to start, then move on to a lavish seafood platter of scallops, mussels, langoustes, prawns, and cockles.

Ask anyone about this long-established place and the response will probably be overwhelmingly positive. Fish-and-chips is the specialty, and the secret-recipe batter is now the stuff of legend. Finish the Whale—a gigantic fillet of battered haddock with fries —and you'll be rewarded with a second one free. The decor is basic; think wooden chairs and tables. Ashvale also has siblings in Elgin, Ellon, Banchory, and elsewhere in the northeast.

This artsy café--restaurant has an innovative menu, an atmospheric dining room with open kitchen, and covered outdoor seating. The menu features veggie options such as mushroom falafel, grilled halloumi with crushed walnuts, and barley fricassee, as well as lots of imaginative Middle Eastern--fusion meat and seafood choices. No matter what you order, local produce makes it tasty and fresh. The handsome restaurant is in a silvery granite building with exposed-stone walls, huge windows, and shiny black tables.

The menu at this bohemian haven in the West End combines old-school Scottish culinary values with Italian trattoria recipes—think saltimbocca, risotto, and bruschetta, all with magnificent local produce. There's a heavy emphasis on seafood, but vegans and vegetarians are well catered for too.

This restaurant at the Ship Inn, a former coaching hostelry, is exactly where you want to refuel after a bracing walk from Dunnottar Castle. Renovations have sadly taken away much of the history, but wood paneling and rattan chairs make it comfortable, and huge windows provide views of the harbor. It's worth lunching here just for the sweeping views of Stonehaven Bay, and should you decide to stay overnight, the Ship Inn offers cozy rooms from £120.

In summer it can seem as if everyone you see in Cullen is licking a cone from the Ice Cream Shop. There's only a handful of flavors but they are all made on-site. It also sells an abundance of old-style Scottish "sweeties" (candies) that may be novelties to visitors from elsewhere.

A bright, breezy vegetarian and vegan café--eatery, Foodstory pulls in a loyal crowd to graze on its healthy, freshly made breakfasts, lunches, and wonderful cakes. Expect organic breakfast and brunch choices such as superfood porridge, scones, and filling dishes such as vegetarian hot pot. Lunch options include a daily-special light dish, soup, rolls, pies, wraps, and heaped salads. Recycled chairs, tables, wooden panels, and tiles give it a homey kitchen-canteen feel. In addition, Foodstory is proud of its zero-carbon and zero-waste credentials. It also offers yoga and meditation classes.

With light streaming through the large windows onto the wooden tables and rattan chairs, there is an airiness and freshness to this eatery. Fish landed just a few miles away on the Moray coast is a good bet, as are the long-aged steaks. Either way, be sure to finish with a seasonal fruit panna cotta: there's elderflower in June and raspberry and strawberry in July and August, all from the estate's walled gardens, which you can visit.

Popular with students and academics alike, this cheerful café across from the cathedral offers loungy seating downstairs and table and chairs upstairs. Expertly made coffee is on offer, as well as cakes and snacks.

This casual place serves the freshest fish, caught in nearby Buckie and cooked to crispy perfection (gluten-free batter is available, too). There's a seating area inside, but it's best for takeout. You can walk down the hill and head toward the harbor for some benches with sweeping views: a nice spot for a meal.

This elegant yet relaxed seafood restaurant can be found along a medieval lane next to St. Nicholas Kirk. Mains may include freshly caught sea trout, halibut, or hake served with imaginative accompaniments such as celeriac with seaweed. The sophisticated atmosphere of the dining room is enhanced with striking landscape photography and somber lighting. A gin bar serves craft distillations and cocktails.

The friendly Quaich is a local favorite, serving great cakes and other baked goods, outstanding full Scottish breakfasts, warming porridge, and a plethora of snacks and sandwiches. Unusual dishes include a salmon omelet and haggis panini. The outdoor seating is a plus in summer.

This modish fish restaurant has remarkably reasonable prices for the quality of the food and size of the servings. Try the rich Cullen skink (a creamy smoked-haddock soup), a pint glass of fat prawns served with mayo and oat bread, or some freshly fried squid with a lime sauce, all beautifully presented on wooden boards.

With its reclaimed woodwork and mismatched wooden chairs, rows of malt whisky bottles, decorative oak barrel-ends, and walls hung with prints, the Craigellachie Hotel's bar--restaurant (formerly the Copper Dog) is an edgy blend of cozy and shabby chic. The menu is equally relaxed, with mouthwatering steaks and seafood, locally produced gourmet sausages and pies, and outstanding platters of Scottish cheeses, charcuterie, and smoked fish, all of which can be matched with regional craft beers.

You might not expect to find quality West African food way up north in Aberdeen, but celebrating the city's increasingly diverse food culture, Tasty T tempts diners with mouthwatering meat skewers, spicy and hearty soups, jollof rice, okra, and plantain dishes. Visit on the first Friday of the month for a helping of Afro beats served up by DJs with your dinner.

The slick facade and glowing red interior might be a little intimidating at first, but the smiling staff is approachable and happy to help you choose the right blend of flavors and textures. The menu includes dishes like kushiyaki-style skewers of aged sirloin steak, sushi, miso soup, and salad.