The best restaurants Scotland

A Fish & Chips out of the ordinary. If you finish the ashvale whale, the house will offer you a second one, free! Well, if you insist... Or you can choose to finish with a dessert, for the final sweet note. You'll even be given a certificate of achievement! Apart from that, The Ashvale is an excellent seafood restaurant, but not only. A family establishment, it has thought of children's menus and the small appetites of the elderly, not to mention vegetarians and gluten intolerant people.

Leith's Michelin star list also includes Martin Wishart and his eponymous restaurant. Here, we seek subtlety and finesse to sublimate each flavour from the four corners of Scotland, all with the claimed inspiration of French gastronomy. The result is of course wonderful and the service is impeccable. White tablecloths and presentation are drawn with four pins, in a soft and simple decor.

Adorable deep green front, wallpaper adorned with roses, comfortable lounge and so british porcelain trinkets, there is here a cosy decor and full of humour in its way of revisiting the aesthetics of grannies. Brunch is the house speciality, but she also concocts typical Scottish dishes and gourmet desserts. The bar side is more classic and fills up in the evening. To be tested: the "cocktail pots" for cocktails in a "pot" (teapot). The site regularly hosts exhibitions of local artists and creative craftsmen.

Italian restaurant opened since 2001 in the New Town area of Edinburgh. A family business that takes you on a journey to Italy with fresh products and homemade dishes. You will find a varied menu with meat, fish and vegetarian dishes. The restaurant also offers a wine and beer list. If you are in the capital for the holidays, Sambuca offers festive menus to make you feel at home. Good value for money, it's the place for regulars. Simple and cosy restaurant.

This address is distinguished by its elegant, but not stilted, atmosphere. You can have a drink at the bar, which has an impressive wine list and a good selection of champagnes, with an assortment of cheeses or mussels, or lunch at the restaurant upstairs. On the menu, all the classics of French cuisine. Its small tables with designer cutlery and candle holders are a detail that completes the refinement of the whole. The food is resolutely Franco-Scottish and the lunch menu is very good value for money.

To the south of the city stands this small establishment on the waterfront. The contemporary space has beautiful views and serves breakfast and brunch in the morning, sandwiches and salads for lunch, as well as fish, seafood, burgers and meat or vegetarian dishes in the evening. It is also possible to have a snack break thanks to the beautiful pastries. Everything is fresh, local, and changes with the seasons and arrivals. After dinner, the bar takes over to offer cocktails and beers.

This excellent little canteen in the Toll Clock Shopping Centre in Lerwick is a good place to eat well, quickly and cheaply. It is not for nothing that the locals flock here during their lunch break. Cakes, quiches, sandwiches, wraps, bagels, paninis, soups and salads are just a few of the options to choose from before sitting down to eat in the lively dining room. You can also take away, or just have one of their delicious hot drinks to warm up between two excursions.

It's a pleasure to go back to school at this address in Dunvegan. The plates are carefully laid out and their contents rarely fail to delight visitors, as do the regulars. The setting is rather classy and sober, with parquet flooring, stone walls and panelled ceiling. Children are particularly welcome with a menu dedicated to them, at very reasonable prices. It is best to book in advance as this is a popular address.

The Uig Hotel has the only real restaurant in the village, in a sober room with white tablecloths. The food here is all the best Scottish, with fish & chips, salmon, lamb, pork, deer and beef. If you are here on a Sunday, book your traditional meal with a full menu: starter, roast, fish, dessert. There is also a pub area where you can enjoy several of the island's beers and a hundred single malts. The hotel part is also very qualitative, with comfortable rooms.

Relax and trendy, the Cuan Mor is built on a creative decoration combining old stones, parquet floors and panelling, as well as old iron rebar. The strength of this pub is its micro-brewery: Oban Bay Brewery. Its beers are simply excellent and they are tasted with sandwiches, wraps, salads, seafood and other dishes at midday. In the evening, only the main card is available, with burgers, meat, fish or vegetarian options. A good playlist accompanies the experience.

The Stag's Pavilion is located in a long hall facing the golf course and the campsite. Valérie Anne, Scottish, and Rino Pisano, Italian chef, are at the helm of this acclaimed establishment. They fell in love with Arran in 2011, and the crush gave birth to a great adventure. The excellent cuisine features leek and cheese pies, mushroom risottos, salmon with parmesan cheese or sheep shoulders with honey and wine. The success is unequivocal and it is better to book in the evenings in season.

This charming little establishment with its attentive service has no other neighbour than Rothesay Castle as its neighbour. It has established itself as a must for locals for a quick lunch or a long family dinner. The food is both hearty and tasty, with a more sophisticated menu in the evening. Don't hesitate to drop in at lunchtime for gourmet plates at low prices: jacket potatoes, baguettes, pasta, pizzas and more. You can also pick up take-out. You can't go wrong!

If you like fish, you'll love Starfish! This delicious restaurant has made it its specialty and cooks with talent the day's catch in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. The card varies according to availability, but never disappoints. The staff is very pleasant and the plates are well presented. Vegetarian dishes are also available. The restaurant also hosts exhibitions, making its reception hall a veritable art gallery.

This beautiful establishment smells of the Highlands in its cosy, traditional manor house, with a bar and restaurant area. Both are perfectly decorated and very typical, with tartan carpeting and a pleasant medieval castle atmosphere. The food is local and very successful. There are two real alesat the counter. The establishment is also a hotel***, with 32 single, double and family rooms, all with private bathroom and including breakfast.

Next to its bike shop, Velocity has opened a small, relaxed café where you can sit down for a snack and have a soup, salad or sandwich. You can also spend the morning or afternoon there for a hot drink and a cake. The menu features healthy cuisine, with fresh, seasonal and local products, vegetarian and vegan proposals, as well as gluten and allergen-free alternatives. The policy is zero-waste and plastic ban. The decoration is of course in honour of cycling.

Named after the famous castle on Loch Ness, this fine gourmet address opened in 2011 and is run by a father and his daughter. He cooks burgers, fish & chips, curries, haggis, pasta and salads. The desserts are also worth a close look, if you haven't already eaten too much. In the evenings, the menu is enriched with meat and fish, with a wider choice between venison, magpies and grill suggestions. The room is quite sober, black and burgundy, and the staff is smiling. The atmosphere is simple and relaxed.

The mountain atmosphere is claimed loud and clear in this excellent café on the first floor of a sports shop. The decoration is based on elements from the region, with skis, mountaineering helmets and sledges. Through the windows, the Cairngorms' summit is not far away and you can enjoy it even more on the balcony. The food is perfect and the breakfasts are worth the detour. The menu is inspired by New Zealand, with a resolutely Scottish touch. The place is very popular and it's best to arrive early in the season or at the weekend.

It was here that Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, met Kate Middleton while they were both students at the University of St Andrews. Northpoint owes its fame in part to this place, but there is a reason why the two young men met here: it serves breakfasts, good cakes, pancakes, multi-flavoured scones and snacks, as well as soups and varying small dishes at lunchtime. Everything is homemade, with generosity, between tradition and creativity. Evenings are sometimes organized.

International cuisines are very present in Dundee and this good Mexican food promises a successful culinary journey. Tacos, burritos, quesadillas, fajitas, enchiladas, all are on the menu and you choose the garnish. There are also some less ordinary dishes and a fairly complete cocktail menu. The Saturday lunch menus are good value for money. The airy dining room has warm and cheerful colours. Please note: the venue is popular, so if you wish to dine there, especially in the second half of the evening, booking is advisable.

This friendly corner pub with its red façade is one of the favourite establishments of the residents of the city centre. The food is classic of this type of establishment, correct and generous, with burgers, baguettes, paninis, baked potatoes, fish & chips and curries. The room is organized around the bar and on a small balcony. Animated evenings are regular: match broadcasts, quizzes (on Mondays), live music (often on Sundays)... There's always something happening, even several in this lively pub!

This friendly café is hidden at the back of a colourful shop selling delicacies and gift ideas. At breakfast and during the day, locals meet there to chat over sandwiches, baked potatoes, salads, burgers and quiches, or simply enjoy a snack with coffee. The result is very convincing and the pleasant decoration consists of plush deer heads, thick wooden tables and blue-tinted panelled walls.

This elegant, modern address showcases both European and Scottish gastronomy, with an interesting offer at lunchtime and in the early evening. This café bar restaurant welcomes everyone, but is also a privileged place for business (meetings, professional appointments...), hence a certain standing. Located on the seafront, it offers beautiful views of the port. On the kitchen side, the textures and flavours are skilfully worked, for both meat and fish, and there are also good vegetarian dishes that are out of the ordinary.

In a trendy bistro atmosphere, with its pretty cork cards, Three Lemons serves appetizing cuisine, with pizzas, a good choice of burgers, meat and fish. We're sure it's 100% fresh, homemade and generous. It's the meeting place for all locals to indulge themselves. The atmosphere is relaxed and casual. In the summer, you can sit on the terrace made of pallets, or simply sunbathe under the veranda. The gin and whisky list, as well as the wine list, is well worth a look.

You don't necessarily come to Scotland to eat Breton food, but this crêperie is well worth the detour as the tradition is respected there. From the decoration to the plates, everything smells like Armorique thanks to the perfectly cooked pancakes made with flour imported from Brittany. Well garnished and crispy, they can be eaten with a presentation applied in a room rocked by French or vintage music. Cornish cider and Breton kir complete the picture. Pizzas and salads are also on the menu, as well as more classic dishes.

Langass Lodge cooks probably the best food in North Uist, in its small hotel cut off from everything. The dishes are prepared as they are presented: with great care. The best that the land and sea have to offer is on the plate, with fish, seafood, meat and vegetarian dishes. Langass Lodge is also a very pleasant hotel, with 11 rooms with en-suite bathrooms, 6 of which are more luxurious and spacious. Discounts are available from 5 consecutive nights.

At the entrance to the Ben Nevis Trail, this inn can be difficult to find as it is not on the busiest side of the glen and the Nevis River. It can be reached from the Glen Nevis Visitor Centre, following the road to the Ben. Once at your destination, a typical Highland ambience awaits you, with a large dark stone room, huge wooden tables, all the best Scottish food and excellent beers. There is often live music.

The value for money is pretty good in this small gourmet pizzeria that cooks pizzas, of course, but also pastas, paninis, burgers and baked potatoes, served on green-checked tables. The background music is not too loud and the decoration surfs the Italian culture, with photos of actors, singers and posters of the Godfather. The service is diligent and smiling. If you want to breathe a breath of Italy during your stay, this address, located in the heart of the city, will be the right one!

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.

The Ninth Wave is a gourmet restaurant where people come from all over the island and further afield to feast on good fish. It has a lot of rewards and reservations are necessary. The menu changes daily and is made exclusively from the freshest local ingredients. The menu combines Canadian influences with the best of Scottish produce to create boldly flavoured dishes. Try Mull Highland Beef or Mull's excellent cheeses. Reservations are strongly recommended.

A sandwich shop with a menu designed by a starred chef, who employs 25% former homeless people, donates 100% of his profits to charity and is supported by George Clooney, it exists and it's called Social Bite. Here, we come to do a good deed, but also to eat well on the go. Sandwiches, salads and snacks are fresh and breakfast is also available in the morning. Soups are very popular there. Everything is cooked on the spot, using local products. You can eat in or take away.

" Anytime is pie time "is the slogan of this small address and it is difficult to give them wrong. Their lettering, kind of small dressed pies, are very good and cheap. You can count on a wide selection of options ranging from spinach-spinach to chicken-mushroom, and the famous apple pie. Those who are not convinced can also choose toasties, chopsticks, burgers and other cheese. There are few chairs to stay there.

The Black Fox is a warm and trendy pub on Leith Walk that has created the conditions for its success with excellent cheap food and a range of homemade beers to accompany it. Salads, pizzas, burgers and hot dogs will be served in a small room with white bricks and thick parquet flooring. The plates are really copious: enough to mop up the craft beers (consume in moderation!). The place fills up from 6pm and empties just before the last tram.

Di Giorgio is a lovely Italian coffee shop located at the end of Dundas Street, leaving New Town for Inverleith. Like his neighborhood, he is young, connected and relaxed. He has a dedicated clientele who have breakfast in the morning, lunch at noon, but also dinner in a more classy setting this weekend. Whatever your decision, you have the assurance of quality home cooking with an Italian touch: pasta, quiches, burgers, pumped, smoked salmon and good coffee, not far from the Water of Leith and botanical gardens.

If you are going to or leaving the Royal Botanic Garden, this bistro is a great stop for you. Its bright walls decorated with contemporary, colourful paintings create an informal atmosphere maintained by friendly hosts and family clientele. The menu changes every day - everything is homemade - and alternates between coq au vin, macaroni and cheese, mussels and chips or mackerel fillets, or traditional local dishes.

You will have to reserve for this pretty little address located in a charming cottage built in 1836. The menus change every day and can be consulted beforehand on the website or social networks. The experience is quite unexpected, very rural and family oriented, with the guarantee of fresh and seasonal ingredients. You feel like you are in our guests' dining room and the plates are mainly garnished with local meats, prepared in a creative way, and fish. The Gardener's Cottage has two sister establishments: The Lookout and Quay Commons.

This pub with a maritime touch and crimson benches is a real popular venue. On the walls, frames and paintings depict ships from another era and fish of all kinds. There is a terrace and a beer garden for sunny days and bands play regularly on weekend evenings. The selection of beers is well stocked and many also come to eat there. Choose from pizzas, burgers and pub classics such as Fish & Chips or Mac 'N' Cheese.

This excellent restaurant, voted French Restaurant of The Year in Scotland in 2018, with its dark and contemporary décor is quite chic but affordable and casual. The recipes are inventive overall and every detail counts, from the service, to the presentation, to the water which is flavored with violet. Every plate has its own multi-sensory experience! The dishes are superbly prepared with very good ingredients. The staff is very smiling and there is also a bar area.

The Amber Restaurant of the Scotch Whisky Experience is a true Scottish table that showcases national tradition and cooks excellent national dishes. Amber's specials are a good value for money and it's better to prefer hands to tapas for those who are hungry. The clientele consists of both visitors and locals and the bar area attracts whisky lovers from all over the world. The selection is one of the most comprehensive in Edinburgh at attractive prices. The servers are experts who will be able to advise you.

Right next to the university, it is here that students and teachers who wish to relax and chat in an arty and relaxed environment come. You can make the world over again, read or work, while enjoying an excellent coffee, homemade beers, a few cakes or simple snacks for lunch. It is also possible to have breakfast or brunch. The place is also a shop: you can buy coffee, but also something to brew your own beer. It also offers workshops to discover coffee or make perfect lattes.

The atmosphere is that of a happy canteen in this charming village house. Enjoy many Scottish classics such as Haggis, fish & chips, figurines, burgers, but also an avid selection of sandwiches, wraps and potatoes for lunch. Some pasta and salad dishes are also on the map. It is a popular and lively place where paintings and pictures decorate the walls.

This family-run Italian address has been able to attract the favour of local residents, with its fresh and carefully prepared cuisine. Here, no pizzas, but dishes based on transalpine know-how: pasta, meat, fish? Established in 1988 by Carlo and Heather, it imports Italy to Scotland for a different culinary experience. The products are local, as much as possible, and the chef is uncompromising about the great freshness of the fish and seafood, with baked sea bass and mussels being among his specialities. Reservations can be helpful.

This pub, right on the port of Isle of Whithorn, is recognised by CAMRA for the quality of its beers (Pub of the Year for the region in 2013), but also for the quality of its food and the variety of its whisky and wine list. The atmosphere is very local and familiar, with stone walls and maritime decoration. There is a restaurant area for a slightly more formal setting, and a pleasant waterfront terrace for sunny days. The menu changes every day and consists of local and seasonal products.

The Cavens Arms is a great address in Dumfries! Systematically re-elected best local pub every year by the Camra, he held the title from 2006 to 2012, and won it again in 2015. The food is as typical as it is generous, with nice portions of meat, fish, curry, burgers and more. At the bar, there are up to ten real ales, which makes it the place to be, both for eating and drinking. The decoration is simple but classic, with carpet, benches and paintings. Attention: no restaurant service on Mondays.

Connor's is Portpatrick's most adored restaurant, especially for its excellent fish and seafood dishes, but also for its meats and stir-fries. The food is fresh and well presented, making it an ideal place to discover the flavours and craftsmanship of the region, in a simple and classic version. In addition, there is a wide choice of beers and spirits. The location on the port, facing the cliffs, doesn't spoil anything either. The warm welcome and the friendly atmosphere are also worth mentioning.

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...

A few steps from Her Majesty's Palace, Holyrood 9A is a gastro-pub that has made burgers its specialty. The menu offers 13 of them, with inventive and copious formulas around beef, chicken, or vegetarian alternatives. A nice choice of real ales allows you to accompany your meal with a pint, in a classic pub space with panelling and mouldings. We meet there mostly in the evening and on weekends, but we can also have breakfast there until noon. We enjoy it as a family, with children's menus at low prices.