The best restaurants Highlands

To eat small marine dishes on the go just a stone's throw from the loch, this tiny address offers salads, sandwiches, fish & chips and others at good prices and above all ultra fresh. The quality is there. This is evidenced by the awards received by this small establishment: an award for the best cullen skink as well as prizes for the products and the quality of its shop. Everything is to be taken away, to enjoy outside, facing the island of Skye.

Away from the main street, this address is clearly not appealing from the outside, but don't hesitate to push the doors. Behind its warehouse look is a trendy and relaxed bar-restaurant, with a rather metallic and contemporary setting. The dishes are traditional Scottish, decent and hearty. Shareable trays are available, as well as a burger menu and a children's menu. Sometimes there's live music on the weekends. You can sip cocktails in the bar area, as well as spirits and wines from all over the world.

If you miss France at the edge of Europe, Bord de l'Eau will be able to cure your homesickness in no time. And for good reason, it is a compatriot who is in the driver's seat, in the person of Daniel Chrétien, an expatriate from the South-West of France. Just opposite the port, this restaurant serves great local classics in a decor that is a credit to the capital. Is it the recipes that sublimate local and ultra-fresh ingredients, or the high quality of Scottish products that enhance our traditional flavours? It's up to you!

Built around 1900, this pub-restaurant is a perfect place to eat and drink in Mallaig. In a recently renovated room (2018) with red and grey colours, you can enjoy a simple but efficient menu, quite classic for this type of establishment. The dishes are rather successful and there is also a billiard table for amateurs. The place also makes a hotel, and is also very appreciated as such, with its three modern and comfortable rooms, double and twin, with bathroom, TV, courtesy tray, hairdryer.

On the same site as the train station, this excellent restaurant specializing in the flavors of the sea offers a refined and original table to Kyle of Lochalsh. The interiors are contemporary, with a traditional touch, and the plates are beautifully set. There is of course a lot of fish, but also a meat dish and a vegetarian option. All the ingredients are sourced locally: peat-smoked salmon, artisanal cheeses, fish from Mallaig...

The cuisine is of high quality in this hotel run by the chef. Local cuisine, fish and seafood, curry, steaks, etc. will be offered. The dishes are traditional and hearty, for a cuisine that invigorates and allows you to face the harshness of the climate or to be comforted after a day full of discoveries. You can finish your meal with a malt or gin from the bar. The establishment has two of them: a lounge bar with a panoramic view of the loch and an outdoor café, very enjoyable in the summer, at sunset.

For superb local Scottish cuisine, it's around here. Lochinver Larder has based its great popularity on its beautiful and inventive menu, where you can enjoy great classics such as haggis or its famous magpies, but also gratins, curries, quiches and many other delicious dishes. At lunch, the choice also includes jacket potatoes, paninis, burgers and baguettes. Vegetarian and gluten-free options (bread and pasta) are available on request when ordering.

The Clachaig Inn is a legend in Glencoe. A true landmark for hikers, locals and tourists alike, it consists of three different bars. The Boots Bar is the most typical, with its tree trunks, barrels and dark lighting, but you can opt for the quieter Snug or the restaurant oriented Bidean Lounge. The mountain atmosphere reigns and the traditional food is a success. The choice of beers is immense, with up to 15 real ales, and the selection of whiskys has nothing to be ashamed of either. There is regularly live music at the weekends.

This famous red-roofed address has been on the Fort William Pier for over 25 years. Here you can choose from mussels, salmon, crab pies, cullen skink, hake and much more. Fans of maritime flavours will be won over and the presentation and location will not spoil anything. The establishment also offers... cruises! These allow you to discover Loch Linnhe and Loch Eil and to see seals, dolphins, porpoises...

The N°1 Bistro is the restaurant of the Mackays Hotel. It is located in a street that holds a record: that of being the shortest in the world! In addition to this curiosity, the restaurant is interesting for its menu that meets all budgets and offers varied and quality dishes. Lunch on the go or British bistronomy in the evening, you'll find what you're looking for. As the hotel is also a hotel, you will be able to stay in the hotel at a good value for money.

This restaurant is confidential and has chosen an operation that is just as confidential, since the chef is a passionate doctor who devotes his free time to sublimate the products of the Highlands and to surprise his guests. You will need to make a reservation for lunch or dinner, as the room can only accommodate a maximum of 10 people. The menu is very short, and is composed exclusively of fresh ingredients from the local area, and cooked with inventiveness. It is complemented by a drinks menu which is also very elaborate. The result is a real gastronomic experience!

Wickers World is a colourful announcement: the establishment offers "the best food in town". And it challenges you to come and check it out. Their café, ice-cream parlour and snack area offers a wide choice of dishes, paninis, sandwiches and other savoury snacks to satisfy every hunger, to eat in or take away. The home-made preparation and the freshness of the products really play in favour of the flavours. Proud of his town, the staff will welcome you warmly, with the avowed aim of making you come back to Wick.

The Old Ferry Bar has quite a history... that of the old ferry that used to cross the loch before the bridge made it obsolete. It was better to take early in the morning, before the captain had consumed too many pints, at regular arrivals and departures. Pub and restaurant have a beautiful atmosphere, as well as a breathtaking view and a tasty traditional menu, all fresh produce, served in generous portions. Gin lovers: test the cocktails!

One of the things you can enjoy in Scotland are the small cafes, located in the tourist spots, that don't focus on their location, but offer a real choice of fresh, local and tasty products. Stacks Coffee House & Bistro is one of them. Everything is fresh, sandwiches, soup of the day, scones, cookies, cakes, bagels..., in season, with a menu that varies, and at very reasonable prices. So you can take a break there with confidence!

The Store Café is located on a street perpendicular to the NC500, but well indicated. A very small establishment, it is one of the gourmet nuggets you'll find on your way. In a warm atmosphere, you are invited to sit down as you please and help yourself. Tempting cakes and drinks are available free of charge. All you have to do is indicate what you have eaten when you pay. Hot meals can also be served and prepared, as well as gourmet drinks.

Installed in Inverness in 2019, this surf & turf restaurant honors the fresh and local products of the Highlands, hence its name. In the kitchen, the goal is to give your taste buds a divine culinary experience, sublimating rigorously selected products with passion. In addition to the menu, the wine and beverage list is equally well thought out. The lunch and early evening menus are particularly attractive.

The Café de Paulo is located in the Victorian Market: even if it rains, you can have tea on the terrace, in an uchronic and exotic environment. This small café offers all kinds of sweet and savoury snacks, freshly prepared, including breakfasts, soups of the day, special sandwiches, salads, scones, afternoon teas, hot chocolates and gourmet coffees... It has a mezzanine area in addition to the room downstairs. You can enjoy a warm gourmet break there for a very good value for money.

Small local and typical cafeteria-style lunch. To take away or on the spot, you will find paninis, toasties, burgers and many other snacks. Good quality and cheap, it's the place to be when you have little time. Cosy atmosphere and a staff that listens to you. You even have a £4 menu for the little pirates! You can't miss it, it is located in one of the main streets of Wick. The perfect stop between two visits or before taking the road on the mythical NC500!

How about having lunch while watching the hustle and bustle of a small fishing port that's always bustling with activity? This restaurant offers you ultra-fresh seafood, freshly landed. Depending on the day's finds, you will have on the menu langoustines, shrimps, mussels, haddock, monkfish, turbot, sole... Vegetarians and carnivores will also find what they are looking for. The sweetness of the dessert is provided by the chef, who prepares delicious homemade desserts.

Located in the heart of Mallaig, this boutique restaurant is an iconic address in the small port town. For more than 60 years and 4 generations, the Lawrie family has excelled in the art of smoking fish (on chips from whisky barrels) and preparing shellfish. They select the best products from the local fishery and prepare them with unparalleled expertise. On sunny days, you can enjoy a fish & chips.

Situated between Fort Augustus and Drumnadrochit, in the small town of Invermoriston, this establishment is a friendly stopover on the edge of Loch Ness. On the menu, you'll find classic pub food, but also inventive and tasty recipes. You come here for breakfast, lunch or a snack during the day, both sweet and savoury. Special mention should be made of the cakes, including the excellent carrot cake. The staff is very friendly and is happy to advise you on more confidential sites.

Café Margot is located above the North West Outdoors sports and leisure store. Completely renovated and refurbished, it has the spirit of a cosy tea and coffee shop where you can take a short break. It offers gourmet breakfasts, lunches and snacks at any time of the day, in addition to hot and cold drinks and homemade ice cream. You will be able to compose your sandwich (in a bread just out of the oven) or your salad, with generosity and a long list of ingredients.

This seafood shack/restaurant has won several awards for its take-out food. What Kirsty and Fenella, the owners, cook is exclusively freshly caught fish and shellfish from the port of Ullapool. They also ensure the respect of sustainable fishing and a reasoned environmental approach. On the menu, according to the seasons and inspirations: crab cakes, lobster burger, fish & chips tempura style, scallops with wild rice... The dishes are to take away or can be tasted on the spot, in the open air.

Deli-ca-sea serves exclusively fried products to take away. Several variations of fish & chips are offered here, with a choice of sauces and two possible portion sizes (the small one is very copious, the large one is pantagruelike). Proximity to the port and the ethics of the store oblige: everything is ultra fresh. The freshly caught fish comes from the port opposite. In addition to fish & chips, there are burgers and vegetarian dishes. You can enjoy your fish & chips right in the boat in front of you, on the pebbles, while watching the departure or arrival of a ferry.

Elegant restaurant without being stuffy or expensive, the RedPoppy offers a simple and revisited British cuisine. At lunchtime, the spirit is pubfood and snack, with club sandwiches, paninis, soup of the day, fish & chips and burgers. In the evening, the cuisine is more elaborate with traditional dishes. For lunch and dinner, the ingredients are fresh, locally sourced and the dishes are prepared in-house with expertise and passion for taste. The "Traditional Scotish High Tea" menu, served between 5 and 6 pm, is particularly appreciated for its very good value for money.