6 Best Restaurants in Scotland

With a minstrels' gallery, crystal chandeliers, and tall windows with views over the Tweed, the dining room at the Tontine Hotel has a grand feel. Therefore it's a bit surprising that it also serves good home cooking for the family at reasonable prices. Local produce is used for all the dishes, including the steak pie and burgers as well as the vegetarian tagine and Moroccan stew. For the most part, the menu remains traditional, though with creative touches, like venison with dauphinoise potatoes. There is also a good wine list. Bring along the kids, as they have their own menu.

Originally built in 1827, this attractive hotel restaurant often has a piper by the door to greet hungry travelers ready for a Scottish setting and some Scottish fare. Tartan carpets, dark-wood paneling, and buck heads mounted on the walls set the mood, and the bar is a shrine to Robert Burns. The surrounding gardens overlook the Brig o' Doon as well as a small, rushing river. The food keeps to the Scottish theme: try panfried scallops with citrus butter to start, and venison casserole with juniper berries and creamed potatoes or the haggis with neeps and tatties (served with a dram) as a main course. There are several rooms for rent upstairs.

The talented chef at this unpretentious restaurant has built its menu around what local suppliers can offer. This range of ingredients creates options like the wood pigeon starter and the occasional squirrel dish, which is very popular. There are also choices like smoked duck with blue cheese and hazelnut, game pie, and rack of lamb, too. The vegetarian menu is long and creative.

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.

As you enter Dunblane from Stirling Road, the beautifully renovated Riverside Inn, once the Stirling Arms, has a welcoming and relaxed atmosphere. The interior of light wood is surprisingly expansive, as is the menu, which offers a varied pub menu that includes roast sea bream, seafood linguine, and excellent burgers. A pleasant terrace looks directly onto the river. It is one of three historic pubs in the area refurbished to a high standard.

Once local favorite the Westport, this reliable lunch and brunch stop has been revamped with swanky contemporary interiors complimented by a relaxed vibe, tasty cocktails, and excellent pub food. The reasonably priced menu offers everything from chunky gourmet sandwiches to seared scallops to heaped salads—all are best enjoyed in the flowery garden on sunny afternoons. Upstairs are four bright bed-and-breakfast rooms from £200.