182 Best Restaurants in Scotland

Up a steep flight of stairs, this laid-back café has window seats with great views over Portree Harbour. It uses only local produce (whatever is "fresh, local, and available") and is a good no-frills option for hearty breakfasts, as well as lunchtime favorites—from locally caught scallops to creamy summer risotto. There's also an especially varied vegetarian menu, and the cakes are great, too.

Occupying what was once the tea market, this trendy café draws a style-conscious crowd and can justly claim to have launched the dining renaissance of the Merchant City. The café opens early, serving its wonderful signature breakfasts, and the main menu is varied but resolutely Scottish; don't miss the scorched mackerel, the roast rack of Dornoch lamb, or the smoked haddie and Stornaway black pudding. Wooden tables and chairs crafted by Scottish artist Tim Stead are so impressively built, it's hard to believe they're inanimate. The bar on the second floor is more intimate, much less busy, and lets you order from the same menu—but that should remain a well-kept secret.

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 Italian-style café with alfresco seating for good weather serves lunch and smaller bites to a mainly day-visitor crowd. The ciabattas and soups are well made and substantial, if not enormously adventurous, and the staff is attentive.

This bright and pleasant restaurant offers a combination of Scottish and Turkish flavors (an expression of the owners' backgrounds) as well as fine views out to sea. Look for mezze as well as pides (Turkish pizza)—try the haggis-and-cheese or crayfish-and-olive combinations.

An abandoned fishermen's mission (a place where fishermen stayed while in port), situated at the far end of town near the harbor, now houses this pleasant café serving lunch, soup, sandwiches, and house baking. The specials often include fish freshly delivered from the harbor. The building also contains the local archives, a marine center, and a budget 14-bed bunkhouse.

The interiors of this traditional red-sandstone house in central Jedburgh are quite conservative, but the fine-dining menu is creative. Food presentation is artistic, and the taste of what is always local produce confirms the artistry. You might begin with mussels marinière or queen scallop ceviche and continue with the sea bass with asaparagus risotto or the artichokes two ways. Thursday's steak nights are especially popular with rib-eye aficionados, and the restaurant has a cocktail bar and a house beer. There are simple but elegant bedrooms if you prefer to linger.

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.

This lively, welcoming traditional pub in the center of town has a separate bar and dining area, comfortable seating, and a large selection of beers. It's a magnet for locals at dinnertime and always seems to be busy, a testimony to the quality of its food as well as the large portions. Favorite dishes include grilled pork fillet with a white wine sauce, chicken tikka masala, a large range of steaks and burgers, and excellent desserts that are made on the premises. Everything comes in generous quantities. Reservations are advised, especially for Friday and Saturday evenings.

This Michelin Bib Gourmand-restaurant is located at the foot of Glasgow Cathedral, with amazing views of the imposing Gothic church. Set up by a married couple who both trained as chefs in some of London’s most competitive professional kitchens, rich Italian food graces the menu, with options such as deep-fried lasagna bites, chicken liver parfait on sourdough, and traditional pasta dishes—all done extremely well. The beef pappardelle is surely the best in the city. An astute selection of cocktails and wines is also available.

This amazing Italian delicatessen and restaurant is located on Alexandra Parade, one of the East End's busiest thoroughfares. The beloved spot has been family-run since 1982, when it first opened in the heart of Dennistoun. It can be difficult to get a table because the place is so popular, especially on Sundays.

A mile west of Roslin, this welcoming Italian spot serves classic pasta, pizza, seafood, and meat dishes—from spaghetti carbonara to eggplant parmigiana—in a modern dining room. It may be a tad pricey but given the lack of decent eateries in the area, it's your best dining bet if you're visiting the chapel, especially with kids in tow.

Just off the town's cobbled square, this well-established pub and restaurant with wooden tables and a bustling, cheerful atmosphere seems to be permanently busy. Its extensive menu combines generously sized burgers, steaks, and meat pies with the ever-popular fish-and-chips. The craft beers are good, food is delivered quickly and politely, and desserts are too tempting to resist, especially the sticky toffee pudding (made with dates) beloved by Scots. Reservations are advised for dinner, with the last food orders at 8:30 pm. There is live music on some nights.

A must for those with a sweet tooth, this "chocolate bar" within the Balnakeil Craft Village serves world-class truffles and stunningly rich hot chocolate made in its specialist "chocolate factory," which sources the beans from around the world. There are also sandwiches, cakes, and coffee available.

Set within a grand former banking hall on George Street, this superb restaurant serves light but satisfying Italian favorites divided into primi, secondi, and dolci, all within an airy setting of grand Corinthian columns, an open marble-topped bar, intricate wall hangings, and soft gray banquettes. The food choices are strictly seasonal, but regularly appearing favorites include the Scotch beef carpaccio and the homemade ravioli with ricotta and spinach. Come for a light lunch or, with the help of the extensive wine list, a long and indulgent dinner.

Inside what was once the mansion of tobacco merchant George Buchanan, the Corinthian Club includes two bars, a nightclub, and a casino in its maze of rooms. At the heart of the building, the main restaurant, the steak-and-seafood-focused Brasserie makes a dramatic first impression with its glass dome and statues. You can dine here, take afternoon tea, or sip a cocktail in one of the small rooms that divide this huge space, but don't expect to find a quiet table in a corner.

The unfussy menu in this little restaurant--café features dishes such as soups, quiches, and sandwiches by day or steaks and lasagna by night. It isn't fancy, but it is made and served with great enthusiasm and generosity. You're unlikely to find a scone anywhere else as large as the ones here. There are also five simple but comfortable guest rooms available (from £100 per night).

This eatery overlooking the harbor run by Dundonian chef Craig Millar put St. Monans on Scotland's culinary map. The six-course fixed-price dinner menu has vegetarian and meat options, but with salty fruits of the North Sea on the Fife quayside—such as crab, cod, hake, and mackerel—it's all about Craig's expertise with seafood. For a great value visit, try the three-course lunch for under £40. 

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.

Glasgow's first dedicated South Indian restaurant adds a unique taste profile to the city's already accomplished Indian dining scene. Occupying a large penthouse space on Candleriggs, the luxurious restaurant's menu is entirely gluten-free and allows diners to mix-and-match thanks to its variety of small plates. Chickpea flour is used across the board in all baked dishes, from the delicious naans to the iconic (and huge) rotis. The small plates mean costs can quickly add up, so if you are looking for a taste of luxury at a lower price, get in before 6:30 pm when the pre-theater menu offers a selection of the same dishes at reduced rates. 

Located in Stirling's city center, meals here are based on a tasting menu where diners choose one dish from five groups that roughly correspond to starters, mains, and desserts. Ingredients are locally sourced as well as imaginatively prepared—often over an open flame—such as rabbit with vegan cheese or ox heart with Jerusalem artichokes. These tasting menus are moderately priced and served in a pleasant and comfortable atmosphere.

This hip eatery, situated just off the Royal Mile, serves exclusively vegetarian and vegan favorites, and its inventive dishes and modern interior make it a popular place with young locals. The menu changes constantly, but the invariably creative, flavorful dishes often leave carnivores forgetting they're eating vegetarian. The food is very affordable, and there's free water with mint and strawberries. You may need to book in advance during the summer.

The reputation established here by noted chef Willie Deans is now carried on by his son Jamie, who continues to produce new and imaginative fusion dishes using local ingredients. There is a prix-fixe menu (a steal at £27.50) and an à la carte menu that includes sea bream and venison as well as a cheese soufflé starter that has won rave reviews from visitors. The upscale impression created by the plush velvet seating at the entrance is reinforced by the restaurant´s reputation for some fairly spectacular cocktails. Its Sunday brunch menu (£22.50 for two courses, £28.50 for three) is equally as appealing.

Don't miss it: in one corner of the square, off Callander's main street, a narrow door opens into a high-ceilinged old church hall crowded with good things to eat there or take away. You can order tasty soups, house-made cakes, and plump sandwiches from the counter, or try the excellent coffee or a glass of wine. The arched wooden ceiling and wooden floors, together with the wooden tables and shelves of food, somehow create a very homey setting.

This rustic little deli-café, in an old mill on the edge of Broadford, serves delicious coffee, cakes, and savory snacks ranging from toasted sandwiches and baked potatoes to soups and salads. Come early for the Eggs Royale made with locally smoked Scottish salmon.

An iconic burger restaurant on Duke Street in Dennistoun, this independent spot has quickly become a cult favorite in the area, with tables filling up most nights of the week. The no-frills burger joint serves huge topped burgers (with vegan and vegetarian options too) and delicious ribs. They even serve Mexican Coca Cola, which still sticks to the 1980s recipe and is made with raw cane sugar. 

For a good balance of art and food, look no further than this café at a contemporary art and crafts gallery in the town center. You'll find the freshest ingredients here, from soup to salads, sandwiches to quiches; everything is made on-site, including the bread, and it's all organic. The soup of the day is always a good choice, as are the seasonal fruit pies. The light-filled café is downstairs, beneath the shop and gallery, and has wooden tables and chairs. You can also choose to sit in the conservatory or the lovely walled garden, if the weather allows.

The city's most inventive Indian restaurant, Dishoom serves up an all-sensory experience, from the smells that greet you (delicious whiffs of incense mixed with aromatic spices) to the sight and sounds of the interior (the decor is all distressed-wood panels and chandeliers, inspired by Bombay's 1920 Iranian cafés) to the taste of the food itself. A tapas-style menu of deliciously tender meat, seafood, and vegetarian dishes welcomes you, along with delicious desserts. Wash down your meal with your pick from the extensive beer and cocktail menu, or come early for breakfast (the sausage and bacon naan rolls are to die for).

Off a pretty country road on the eastern shore of Loch Ness—less than 6 miles east of Drumnadroicht as the crow flies, but a 30-minute drive around the northern tip of the lake—this low-slung, white-stone eatery is the perfect place to stop for lunch or dinner. The menu is a combination of well-prepared old favorites like fish-and-chips, together with burgers, steaks, pies, and seafood. It's busy during the summer and on weekends, so be sure to book ahead. Stay for dessert (try the sticky toffee pudding) or grab a coffee and a cake from the Ness Coffee van opposite and take it for a stroll along Dores Beach.