Restaurants in Scotland
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Port-na-Craig Inn
Right on the river, this top little spot sits in what was once a separate hamlet. Delicious main meals are prepared with confidence and panache; there are also simpler sandwiches, kids’ meals and light lunches. Or you could just sit out by the river with a pint and watch the anglers.
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Gordon’s Trattoria
The delicious aroma of garlic bread wafting into the street will guide you into this snug haven of wisecracking waiters and hearty Italian comfort food. In summer you can chomp on pizza and slurp wine while comfortably seated at a pavement table, and late-night hours means that Gordon’s often develops a bit of a party atmosphere after midnight on Friday and Saturday.
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Gordon House Hotel
The small, laid-back hotel rooms are in good shape, but they vary a bit, so have a look at a few. No 2 is probably the best of the doubles. You can dine in the restaurant (mains £11 to £13), which serves posh nosh like pan-seared breast of guinea fowl with tarragon and grain mustard, or the lounge bar, and there’s a beer garden for sunny afternoons.
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Mustard Seed
The menu at this bright and bustling bistro changes weekly, but focuses on Scottish and French cuisine with a modern twist. Grab a table on the upstairs balcony if you can – it’s the best outdoor lunch spot in Inverness, with a great view across the river. And a two-course lunch for £7 – yes, that’s right – is hard to beat.
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Café Hub
A Gothic hall beneath the Highland Tolbooth Kirk – now home to the Edinburgh Festival offices – has been transformed into this bright and breezy bistro with zingy yellow walls, cobalt-blue furniture and lots of imagination. Drop in for cake and cappuccino, or try something more filling – fish chowder with crusty bread, or vegetable chilli with corn chips and rice.
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Songkran
Be prepared for a squeeze to get into this tiny basement restaurant! The reason for the crush is some of the best Thai food in Edinburgh – try the tender yang (marinated and barbecued beef, chicken or prawn), the crisp and tart orange chicken, or the chilli-loaded warm beef salad. There are two branches: choose here for lunch, and Songkran II for dinner.
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Café 52
This little haven of laid-back industrial chic – a high, narrow space lined with bare stonework, rough plaster and exposed ventilation ducts – serves some of the finest and most inventive cuisine in the northeast. Try starters such as baked black pudding with wine-poached pear, or mains like beef casserole with red wine and Moroccan spices.
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Suruchi
A laid-back Indian eatery with handmade turquoise tiles, lazy ceiling fans and chilled-out jazz guitar, Suruchi offers a range of exotic dishes as well as the traditional tandoori standards, many with a Scottish twist. An amusing touch is provided by menu descriptions translated into broad Scots ('a beezer o' a curry this…gey nippie oan the tongue').
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Leven’s
From the spectacular chandeliers and slowly pulsing blue/purple mood lighting to the designer colour palette and Villeroy and Boch tableware, everything about this restaurant oozes style. The food lives up to the surroundings, with clever and unexpected combinations of flavours, colours and textures in dishes such as beef sirloin Panang curry, with peanuts and lime leaves.
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Byre Theatre Bistro
A happy, buzzy spot with comfy couches, works of art on the wall and a well-developed menu that encompasses some delicious fusion cooking. Lunchtime sandwiches come with interesting fillings, such as hummus and red pepper. Dinner gets more sophisticated, featuring dishes such as seared tuna steak on sultana-and-nutmeg couscous with smoked-tomato dressing.
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Hadrian’s Brasserie
The brasserie at the Balmoral Hotel has a 1930s feel, with pale-green walls, dark-wood furniture, and waiters with white aprons and black waistcoats. The menu at Hadrian’s includes posh versions of popular dishes such as asparagus with rocket and parmesan, haggis with whisky sauce, game terrine with Cumberland jelly, and rib-eye steak with bearnaise sauce.
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Mother India
Glasgow curry buffs are forever debating the merits of the city's numerous excellent south Asian restaurants, and Mother India features in every discussion. It may lack the trendiness of some of the up-and-comers but it's been a stalwart for years, and the quality and innovation on show is superb. It also makes a real effort for kids, with a separate menu.
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Edenmore Guest House
If you need a B&B, Edenmore Guest House is the saving grace of this ramshackle town. It’s very friendly, and offers small, spotless rooms and a hearty welcome – nothing seems too much trouble for the owner. Room No 4 is the best double. The guesthouse is just off the main A78 and offers evening meals (thank goodness!).
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Cavens Arms
Engaging staff, ten real ales on tap, and a warm contented buzz make this a legendary Dumfries pub. Generous portions of typical pub nosh backed up by a long list of more adventurous daily specials make it one of the town’s most enjoyable places to eat too. If you were going to move to Dumfries, you’d make sure you were within a block or two of here.
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Rainbow Arch
It’s always a sign of a good Chinese restaurant when you see members of the local Chinese community eating there, and you’ll see plenty of them at the Rainbow Arch. The menu is more adventurous than most – look out for deep-fried minced octopus cakes – and even the standard dishes, such as lemon chicken, are a cut above the average Chinese restaurant.
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Martin Wishart
In 2001 this restaurant became the first in Edinburgh to win a Michelin star. The eponymous chef has worked with Albert Roux, Marco Pierre White and Nick Nairn, and brings a modern French approach to the best Scottish produce, from roast scallop with Bellota ham and black cherry juice, to roast loin of lamb in a herb crust with asparagus tortellini.
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Loch Fyne
Housed in the old Victorian fish market building next to Newhaven harbour, this stylish restaurant and seafood deli serves up spectacular shellfish platters (£40, enough for two people) of fresh oysters, mussels, scallops, clams, cockles, crab, lobster and langoustines, as well as sustainably fished or farmed salmon, prawns, cod, halibut and haddock.
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Forth Inn
In the middle of the village, the solid Forth Inn is the lifeblood of the town, with locals and visitors alike queuing up for good, honest pub fare; the best bar meal in Aberfoyle. It also provides accommodation and beer, with drinkers spilling outside into the sunny courtyard. Single (£55) and double (£80 to £90) rooms are available, but they can be noisy at weekends.
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Seafood Restaurant
The Seafood Restaurant occupies a stylish glass-walled room, built out over the sea, with plush navy carpet, crisp white linen, an open kitchen and panoramic views of St Andrews Bay. It offers top seafood and an excellent wine list. Look out for its special winter deals.
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Foodies at Holyrood
This stylish cafe, handy for a post-sightseeing snack after visiting Holyroodhouse or Dynamic Earth, is dedicated to serving top quality, locally sourced produce. Healthy breakfasts range from homemade muesli to porridge with apple, sultanas and cinnamon, while the lunch menu includes soups, freshly prepared sandwiches, ciabattas and baked potatoes.
reviewed
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Omar Khayyam
This is a modern Punjabi restaurant with attentive, waistcoated waiters, stylish modern decor and an unusual water feature trickling away in the middle of the dining room. The food is always fresh and flavourful, ranging from old favourites such as chicken tikka masala to more unusual dishes like Kabul chicken (with chick peas, cumin and coriander).
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Point Restaurant
The Point Restaurant’s lunch and dinner menus offer exceptional value – delicious Scottish/international cuisine served by attentive, smartly clad staff in an elegant room with dark-wood furniture, proper linen napkins and art deco chandeliers. With a three-course dinner at £22 and house wine at £15 a bottle, reservations are strongly recommended.
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Sweet Melindas
With ingredients sourced from the fishmonger next door and the vegetable market around the corner, and everything from the bread to the chocolate truffles handmade in the kitchen, Sweet Melindas offers a true taste of Scottish home cooking. The ambience is chilled and the menu concentrates on seafood, with at least one vegetarian starter and main.
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Where the Monkey Sleeps
This funky little number in the middle of the business district is a perfect escape from the ubiquitous coffee chains. Laid-back and a little hippy, the bagels and paninis – with names like Burn the Witch or Meathammer – are highlights, as are some very inventive dishes, such as the 'nuclear' beans, dripping with cayenne and Tabasco.
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Loon Fung
It's rare to get such an authentically Chinese experience in Scotland and it's quite a surprise after a spot of late-night dining to emerge to Sauchiehall rather than Hong Kong. There are various set meal options but be adventurous and pick dishes off the pages of Chinese specials rather than the Westernised plates; there are some real gems here.
reviewed