182 Best Restaurants in Scotland

Knowing its clientele, this quirky, noisy inn (built in 1705) serves huge, hearty portions that are what you need after a day's walking on the nearby West Highland Way. Scottish staples like sausage and mash, minced beef, and haggis jostle for a place beside occasionally more adventurous dishes. The dining areas are hung with swords and copies of old paintings, but the best place to eat is the crowded bar. This is a genuine traveler's pub (hearty rather than elegant) with a range of whiskies and mounted animals presumably brought by earlier travelers. The bear at the door should not put you off (it is stuffed and very old). There is traditional music every weekend, and there are 34 basic but clean rooms for rent.

Tucked down narrow Thistle Street, Dusit doesn't register on most travelers' radars, but it has been a local favorite since 2002. An authentic, contemporary Thai restaurant run by Bangkok-born Pom, the menu here delights with deliciously creamy curries, spicy stir-fries, and fragrant seafood specialties, all of which use a mix of fresh local produce and imported Thai vegetables. If you're dining as a duo, opt for the banquet menu (£32.50 per person) to try a little of everything.

Painted powder-blue, this long harborside building-turned-eatery and foodie shop is the place to pick up freshly netted and smoked local seafood. After ordering at the shop counter, head up the stairs round the back to feast on lobster, langoustine, and crab accompanied by salads and chips. Come rain or shine the rooftop terrace, with a stunning seaside panorama, is a fine if bracing spot to dine.

This popular West End Italian deli/restaurant hybrid is located beside the Gibson Street entrance to Kelvingrove Park. The deli counters are packed with the type of high-quality Italian ingredients that dreamy summer picnics are made of—think cured meats, antipasti platters, and miniature sweet pastries—while the dine-in menu makes use of these quality ingredients with a familiar mix of rich pasta dishes, pizzas, and Italian sandwiches. It's especially busy during weekend lunch service and the summer, when the restaurant doubles in size thanks to its large number of outdoor tables. Make sure to save room for the famous ice cream, some of the best gelato Glasgow has to offer. 

The stone-built cottage set in pleasant surroundings aims to merge Scottish and Mediterranean cuisine, continuing the work of its previous Turkish chef--owner. The restaurant has now passed to new owners, but the signature kebabs are still on the menu, as are the tabbouleh salad and halloumi. The menu is long and varied, with these Turkish staples sitting comfortably alongside haggis and fish-and-chips. It is very popular so booking ahead is recommended.

This intimate restaurant has been packing in the crowds nightly thanks to its modern bistro fare presented stylishly but without fuss. You could start with a delicious goat cheese and fig tart, for example, followed by a pepper-crusted salmon fillet with coconut curry. The atmosphere is lively, and the staff runs things effortlessly well—but you'll need a reservation, especially on weekends.

This laid-back bistro, just a few minutes from Haymarket Station, has a loyal following—and for good reason. Its multicultural menu combines Scottish classics with everything from Thai sweet potato soup to Italian affogato. Hardwood floors, stone walls, soft-blue hues, and seaside paintings set a coastal theme. The international wine list is as varied as the daily specials. Lunch and early-evening menus offer good value, with three courses for £22.

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.

At this very popular spot in Stirling/Bridge of Allan, you'll find an adventurous menu that includes Chinese bao buns and a cheerful use of spices (the sriracha chicken burger is a delight). The brunch menu features flavors from around the world too, and there are excellent choices for vegetarians such as cauliflower steak and squash and black bean tacos. The long drink menu embraces wine, unusual juices, and gin, perhaps best enjoyed on the pavement terrace.

One of the early occupants of the new Finnieston, the Gannet has maintained its stellar reputation. Its comfortable wood-and-brick interior denotes the emphasis on the natural provenance and unencumbered presentation of their food. Tasting menus of six courses are offered for carnivores (from £90) and vegetarians (from £70), and change regularly.

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.

This café with handmade wooden tables and windows overlooking the main town square offers excellent coffee and tea, sandwiches and burgers, platters, and soup in the central square of Aberfeldy. Habitat takes great pride in its coffee making and has awards to prove it; it works closely with sustainable farmers. On a good day you can take your time looking out toward the hills from the handmade tables in the square.

Greek cuisine was not well represented in Glasgow until Halloumi arrived to fill the gap. Its large windows onto the street invite you in to a simply decorated interior with white walls and wooden tables, where you will find a reassuringly familiar menu of small plates, or meze. Beautifully cooked moussaka and souvlaki make their appearance along with slightly more expensive swordfish and octopus dishes. Like many other restaurants in the city, it has embraced the small plate/sharing menu in the Greek meze tradition.

Fish shares the menu here with local lamb, pork, and game. Although it's just a few miles from Oban (where it sources its seafood), the setting is rural, surrounded by crofts that are still working farms. Inside, modern furnishings are offset by white walls.

A country hotel that recalls an old coaching inn, the opulent dining room at the Horseshoe Inn has large gold-framed mirrors and heavy drapes to emphasize its grand style. The dinner menu combines well-established favorites with fine dining, from fish-and-chips to roast lamb and baked cod. There's an impressive three-course roast menu on Sundays for £16.95 and a good value lunch menu at £13.95 for 2 courses and £17.95 for three. As you would expect, the pace echoes the surroundings and the cuisine—slow with plenty of time to savor. If you elect to stay in the area, the restaurant also has eight rooms.

A welcome addition to the West End dining scene, this trendy and accomplished restaurant has a thorough menu of Southeast Asian small plates that allow diners to mix and match different dishes. Founded by the team behind Finniston's popular Ox and Finch restaurant, Ka Pao opened its doors to high expectations from local foodies and absolutely did not disappoint.

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 lovely hotel has been beautifully transformed into a fine dining haven, with influences from the owners' extensive travels to Japan. The restaurant features an impressive tasting menu (with accompanying wines) with vegetables and herbs from the kitchen garden; the wine list is diverse and joined by a full list of sakes. The hotel's unique Japanese inspiration is seen in the simple and elegant rooms.

This gastro-pub at The Shore in Leith combines a beautiful historic setting with great quality food and a wide selection of Scottish gins. At lunchtime, the dark-wood bar does a roaring trade in simple fare such as gourmet burgers, fish cakes, and haggis (traditional or vegetarian), but in the evening, the kitchen ups the ante with a chalkboard menu of locally caught seafood specialties, from hake to monkfish. Exposed stone walls attest to the building's 15th-century origins. Come on Sunday and choose from the legendary brunch and roast dinner menus.

Close to Glasgow University, this popular bar and restaurant attracts a more mature student crowd. It's an airy spot with high ceilings, leather sofas, and wood floors, and the specialty is good, eclectic international food at reasonable prices. It covers the spectrum: breakfast, brunch, small plates, lunch, and dinner. The extensive menu is impressively varied, including Goan chicken curry, Vietnamese soup, harissa halloumi, and even fish-and-chips. This is a relaxed, unhurried place, whose casual air belies its excellent cooking.

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.

Offering all things Italian, this constantly busy, noisy, and extremely friendly café sits in the heart of the West End. Its pizzas, made on the premises while you wait with a coffee or a glass of Italian wine, are probably the best around, and the house-made pastas are just as consistently good. You can create your own pizza combination from the many topping options, but do leave room for the tiramisu. Perch on a stool by the window with a cappuccino while watching the world go by, or grab a seat at one of the crowded tables or in the mezzanine.

The friendly staff at this huge, popular Cantonese eatery guide you through the dishes here, including barbecued duck, deep-fried wontons with prawns, and more challenging dishes like pork with jellyfish or king prawn with salted egg. On most days you will see local Chinese families seated at the huge round tables enjoying the dim sum for which the restaurant is rightly famous. This isn't the place to come for quiet intimacy, but it's good food in a lively atmosphere.

A bakery-café with an inordinately sweet tooth, Lovecrumbs joyously, deliciously, and unashamedly focuses on what really matters in life: cake. It serves delectable confections of all kinds, from sumptuous Victoria sponges to heavenly peanut-butter brownies to mouthwatering lemon tarts. You'll find an occasional savory baked good on the menu, but don't count on it. Eat inside with a cup a coffee among the quirky knickknacks, or get your cake to go. The opening times are advertised with the caveat "roughly," but you will know the place by the appreciative crowds at busy times.

Retaining the feel of an old-fashioned bakery, Mhor Bread delights with not only its homemade sourdough and other delicious breads, but also doughnuts, shortbread, and more. The café/tearoom is open for breakfast and lunch, with menu items such as fine sandwiches, soups, and desserts, including an amazing array of pies with different fillings. Want to go on a picnic? You can order takeaway lunches.

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 small and often crowded bar in the Moulin is the best place to try the ales produced in Scotland´s first microbrewery, which you can visit in the afternoon after enjoying the good, hearty pub food to be had here. The restaurant is proudly Scottish in decor and in its menu,  which includes venison, scallops, mussels, and, of course, haggis. You can also stay overnight in one of the hotel's 15 reasonably priced rooms. It is located slightly away from the busy High Street, which can be an advantage.

Clublike but unstuffy, this outstanding basement restaurant, set within the Edwardian splendor of The Balmoral hotel, is made for intimate dining. The food is extraordinary, with a menu that highlights the best of Scottish seafood, meat, and produce in inventive fashion—from Orkney scallops and Gigha halibut to Aberdeen Angus beef and foraged girolle mushrooms. However, the prices make this a place for seriously special occasions; the seven-course menu is £115 per person, without wine. Service is impeccable and friendly, as you would expect for these prices.

This tiny, intimate restaurant serves only the freshest ingredients, superbly prepared, on a constantly changing menu. Halibut is served with choucroute and a passion-fruit dressing—a typically unpredictable meeting of flavors. The pork belly with hispi cabbage is tantalizing as is the red mullet with mussel broth. Desserts are equally seductive. Set-price lunch menus are both excellent and a good value. There's room just for 40 diners so the result is cozy, but curiously it doesn't feel too cramped. It's best to book ahead, especially on weekends.

Serving arguably the best-value seafood in Oban, the late John Ogden's quayside fish shack is a local legend. Look for a green-painted shed on the pier, then join the line of cognoscenti waiting for simply sautéed scallops, grilled langoustine, and lobster, oysters, and mussels. Freshness is everything here. With just a few rough-hewn outdoor tables, you may have to eat standing up, but it's worth it.