Insight Guides: Pocket Scotland - Insight Guides (2016)
RESTAURANTS
We have used the following symbols to give an idea of the price for a 3-course meal for one person without wine or service.
££££ over £45 ££ £22-£32
£££ £32-£45 £ under £22
EDINBURGH AND LOTHIAN
Champany Inn £££ Champany, Linlithgow, West Lothian, tel: 01506-834532, www.champany.com. Open Monday-Friday for lunch and dinner, Saturday dinner only. Acclaimed for its steaks and wine cellar, and set in an old mill with beamed ceilings and antique tables. An informal, moderately priced ‘Chop and Ale House’ adjoins. Reservations advised.
Contini Ristorante ££ 103 George Street, tel: 0131-225 1550, www.contini.com. Open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The name may have changed at Centotre, as it was formerly known, but the same family still serve the same delicious northern Italian food.
Gusto ££ 135 George Street, tel: 0131-225 2555, www.gustorestaurants.uk.com. Open daily for lunch and dinner. A typical trattoria with a modern twist: open-kitchen, stainless-steel decor, and a bustling atmosphere combined with traditional Italian cooking.
Henderson’s of Edinburgh £ 94 Hanover Street, tel: 0131-225 2131, www.hendersonsofedinburgh.co.uk. Open Monday-Saturday for breakfast, lunch and dinner; bistro and deli open Sunday. Eat in the basement restaurant, upstairs in the bistro or take something home from the deli. Perfect for vegetarians, it offers salads, vegetarian pasta and moussaka, or vegetarian haggis with neeps and tatties. Good desserts, organic wines, plus live music in the evening.
The Honours £££ 58a North Castle Street, tel: 0131-220 2513, www.thehonours.co.uk. Open Tuesday-Saturday for lunch and dinner. From the Martin Wishart stable, this option in New Town is to his same high standards and boasts a brasserie-style French menu.
Howies ££ 29 Waterloo Place, tel: 0131-556 5766, www.howies.uk.com. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Elegant Georgian setting to enjoy Scottish and French cuisine consisting of fresh, tasty ingredients in an informal atmosphere. Also open from 11am for coffee.
Number One ££££ The Balmoral Hotel, 1 Princes Street tel: 0131-557 6727. Open daily for lunch and dinner. World-class cooking, using the best of Scottish produce, at this wonderfully stylish Michelin-starred restaurant.
Pickles £ 56a Broughton Street, tel: 0131-557 5005, www.getpickled.co.uk. Open daily 4.30pm-late. For something different and a little lighter, this chill-out place offers delicious platters featuring Scottish cheeses or meat and, naturally, a huge range of pickles and sides.
Timberyard £££ 10 Lady Lawson Street, tel: 0131-221 1222, www.timberyard.co. Open Tuesday-Sunday for lunch and dinner. Located in a former warehouse, this family business is about respecting the environment. Only local artisans’ ingredients go into the imaginative dishes, and some produce is grown on-site.
Vin Caffè ££ 11 Multrees Walk, tel: 0131-557 0088, www.valvonacrolla.co.uk. Open daily for coffee, lunch and dinner. Part of the legendary Italian family institution, Valvona and Crolla, so well-loved throughout the city, this first floor restaurant is superb.
The Witchery by the Castle ££££ 352 Castlehill, Royal Mile, tel: 0131-225 5613, www.thewitchery.com. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Whether it is Aberdeen Angus beef or Scottish lobster the cooking at the Witchery won’t disappoint and a galaxy of celebrities would agree. Good pre-theatre suppers help to keep the cost down.
SOUTH AND BORDERS
Carrick Lodge ££ 46 Carrick Road, Ayr, tel: 01292-262 846, www.carricklodgehotel.co.uk. Open daily for lunch and dinner. This hotel restaurant delivers great service along with a mouth-watering combination of flavours. Pigeon breast with black pudding is a popular starter, as is hoi sin, ginger and chilli-caramelised salmon for mains.
Kailzie Gardens Restaurant £ Near Peebles (on the B7062), tel: 01721-722807, www.kailziegardens.com. Open Wednesday-Sunday for brunch, lunch and tea. This delightful restaurant serves wholesome home-cooked lunches and fine afternoon teas inspired by local suppliers.
Marmions Brasserie ££ Buccleuch Street, Melrose, the Borders, tel: 01896-822245, www.marmionsbrasserie.co.uk. Open Monday-Saturday for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Relaxed, friendly restaurant with good use of local produce. A good place to stop for lunch when touring the Border abbeys.
Simply Scottish £ 6−8 High Street, Jedburgh, Roxburghshire, tel: 01835-864696. Open daily for coffee and lunch. A café that serves sophisticated and contemporary Scottish fare, made from the freshest ingredients.
GLASGOW
Babbity Bowster £ 16-18 Blackfriars Street, tel: 0141-552 5055, www.babbitybowster.com. Open daily for lunch and dinner. The popular downstairs café-bar serves seafood and Scottish fare with a French influence, but for a quieter, more intimate dinner, it’s advisable to eat upstairs in the charming dining room (dinner only Tuesday-Saturday). You can stay here too, but it can sometimes be very noisy.
Café Gandolfi £ 64 Albion St, tel: 0141-552 6813, www.cafegandolfi.com. Open daily for morning coffee, lunch, tea and dinner. In the heart of Glasgow’s merchant city, this restaurant offers good, simple food in a pleasant atmosphere.
Drum and Monkey £ 91 St Vincent Street, tel: 0141-221 6636. This casual pub-restaurant serves Scottish-French cuisine daily in Victorian surroundings and is a local favourite.
Jamie’s Italian ££ 1 George Square, tel: 0141-404 2690, www.jamieoliver.com/italian. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Housed in a stylish conversion, Jamie Oliver’s Italian-style restaurant offers honest Italian rustic seasonal fare.
Ox and Finch ££ 920 Sauchiehall Street, 0141-339 8627, www.oxandfinch.com. Open daily lunch and dinner. In a trendy part of town, this sharing-plate restaurant offers relaxed and rustic fine dining. The menu consists of a selection of tapas dishes and the dining area is bright and open.
La Parmigiana ££ 447 Great Western Road, tel: 0141-334 0686, www.laparmigiana.co.uk. Open Monday-Saturday for lunch and dinner, also Sunday late lunch. This small, family-run establishment in Glasgow’s west end serves Italian cuisine in elegant surroundings. The restaurant prides itself on the authenticity and excellence of its cuisine.
Red Onion ££ 257 West Campbell Street, tel: 0141-221 6000, http://red-onion.co.uk. Open daily lunch and dinner. Dishes are a modern twist on classic Scottish cooking, all delicately prepared. The spacious and relaxed space has mixed seating, including booths and a mezzanine.
Rogano £££ 11 Exchange Place, tel: 0141-248 4055, www.roganoglasgow.com. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Open since 1935, this famous restaurant has an Art-Dec interior. It specialises in the freshest of seafood and has an excellent wine list. Downstairs, Café Rogano is a more informal, moderately priced restaurant. Reservations essential.
Willow Tea Rooms £ 217 Sauchiehall Street, tel: 0141-332 0521, www.willowtearooms.co.uk. Open Monday-Saturday for breakfast, lunch and tea; Sunday for lunch and tea only. Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s original tearooms (upstairs from the jewellery shop on the ground floor). Mackintosh designed the details of the building’s interior. Recreated Willow Tea Rooms are at 97 Buchanan Street. Both serve the sandwiches, cakes and tea you would expect.
Windows £££ In the Carlton George, 44 West George Street, 7th floor, tel: 0141-354 5070, www.carlton.nl/george. Open daily for breakfast, lunch, pre-theatre meals and dinner. An excellent and attractive restaurant with interesting rooftop views. Only the freshest produce is used. It is advisable to book.
CENTRAL SCOTLAND
But ’n’ Ben £ Auchmithie, tel: 01241-877223, www.butnbenauchmithie.co.uk. Open Wednesday-Monday for lunch, Monday and Wednesday-Saturday for dinner. This restaurant housed in a row of cottages is best-known for its high tea and inexpensive seafood dishes which are served in comfortable surroundings by friendly staff.
The Cellar £££ 24 East Green, Anstruther, Fife, tel: 01333-310378, www.thecellaranstruther.co.uk. Open Thursday-Sunday for lunch, Wednesday-Sunday for dinner. This famed seafood restaurant located in the waterfront town of Anstruther has a menu that ranges from the renowned crayfish-and-mussel bisque to Scottish beef and lamb. Excellent wine list.
Clachan Inn £ 2 Main Street, Drymen, tel: 01360-660824, www.clachaninndrymen.co.uk. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Very child-friendly, with special children’s menu. Pub menu that includes fish and chips and hearty casseroles.
India on the Green ££ 9 Victoria Road, Ballater, tel: 01339-755701, www.indiaonthegreen.co.uk. Open daily for lunch and dinner. For delicate cuisine from India and Bangladesh, with a Western twist, try this award-winning option.
The Kilberry Inn £££ Kilberry Road, Kilberry, tel: 01880-770223, www.kilberryinn.com. Open Thursday-Sunday for lunch, Tuesday-Sunday for dinner. It’s worth seeking out this wonderful restaurant with rooms, reached by a single-track road between Tarbet and Lochgilphead. Scottish restaurant of the year in 2009, the local produce is used to wonderful effect.
Moon Fish Cafe £££ 9 Correction Wynd, Aberdeen, tel: 01224 644166, www.moonfishcafe.co.uk. Open Tuesday-Saturday for lunch and dinner. Tucked away among Aberdeen’s medieval streets, the changing menu brings up-and-coming food trends from around the world to the table. Friendly staff create an unpretentious atmosphere.
Old Boatyard ££ Fishmarket Quay, Arbroath, tel: 01241-879995, www.oldboatyard.co.uk. Open daily for lunch and tea. An attractive modern building, which retains a traditional feel, the restaurant is located in Arbroath’s newly developed harbour. Seafood is a favourite, but there are plenty of other tasty choices.
Peat Inn £££ By Cupar, Fife, tel: 01334-840206, www.thepeatinn.co.uk. Open Tuesday-Saturday for lunch and dinner. A pioneer in the revival of Scottish cuisine, this restaurant is a dining experience. Reservations recommended. If you want to stay here as well, the inn has 8 rooms; book well in advance.
The Seafood Restaurant £££ Bruce Embankment, St Andrews tel: 01334-479475, www.theseafoodrestaurant.com. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Where better to eat seafood than in this classy restaurant with a beautiful view over the water. Serves up lobster, prawns, scallops and much more.
The Silver Darling £££ Pocra Quay, Aberdeen, tel: 01224-576229, www.thesilverdarling.co.uk. Open Monday-Friday for lunch, Monday-Saturday for dinner. Superb seafood that varies depending on the daily catch. ‘Silver Darling’ is the local nickname for herring.
HIGHLANDS AND ISLANDS
Badachro Inn ££ By Gairloch, tel: 01445-741255, www.badachroinn.com. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Delightful setting overlooking Loch Gairloch for this popular pub with a plesant garden. The daily changing menus highlight locally caught seafood and there is a wide choice of real ale, wine or malt whisky.
Bosville Restaurant ££ In the Bosville Hotel, Portree, Skye, tel: 01478-612846, www.bosvillehotel.co.uk. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Serving bistro-style food where fresh local seafood is a speciality, as are Aberdeen Angus beef and game. The dishes are seasoned with locally grown herbs and accompanied by local organic vegetables. Reservations are a must.
Café 1 ££ 75 Castle Street, Inverness, tel: 01463-226200, www.cafe1.net. Open Monday-Saturday for lunch and dinner. Located in the town centre, this well-reputed restaurant offers new Scottish cuisine. Reservations recommended.
Creelers Arran ££ Home Farm, Brodick, Arran, tel: 01770 302810, www.creelers.co.uk. Open Tuesday-Saturday for lunch and dinner. Renowned fish restaurant featuring seafood that comes from Arran, which is smoked on site at the owners own smokehouse.
The Three Chimneys ££££ Colbost (near Dunvegan), Skye, tel: 01470-511258, www.threechimneys.co.uk. Open Monday-Saturday lunch, daily dinner. Check opening times in winter. This is an award-winning restaurant that offers fine food using local ingredients in charming surroundings. Five-star rooms are also available if you want to stay overnight.