Number 27

An evening in Inverness is not complete without music and whisky. (Unless you don't like one of…read morethose things, in which case one or the other will do...for us, it was both!) We spent one of our 4 nights in town at Hootananny...It's a lively spot with a full restaurant and bar and good whiskey recommendations from the bartender. On this night, it was a jam, as opposed to a frontal performance...these jams you'll find throughout Scotland are really not performances, but musicians who gather together in the front of the venue, sitting in a circle, typically with a group of them with their backs to the audience, who play for each other, for the sheer and obvious love of the collaborative music. They ran through all kinds of traditional Scottish tunes, occasionally with instruments put aside to let a couple of them sing a cappella. It was a beautiful experience to watch "performers" immersing themselves in each other's music, with us, the audience, grateful, if not incidental, receivers of it. They've got a decent whisky selection too, and, as I found throughout Scotland, every bartender seemed knowledgeable in what was offered and willing to have a conversation to help guide you to what you might want to drink that night. (I had a Bunnahabain dram.) If you've got a few nights in town, this is one of the main 3 venues you should check out...the other two we experienced were more direct performances, also good, but to experience a musician's jam circle like this, is truly a wonderful and unique experience to have when in town.

Good place to come for music any night of the week. They post that schedule a week out, so plan…read morearound that. Sound quality could be a bit clearer. The food was decent standard pub food. Considering their reputation is on the music, it was perhaps better than I expected. Several good local beer choices on draft, though I wish they had something on cask. And of course many whisky choices, with good navigation. Service was friendly and not rushed, perfectly timed with the 1.5-hour table max.

Bar area and stairs going up

Dancing!

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Music stage with the street behind

The Castle Tavern

3.9(55 reviews)

From Culloden battlefield we searched for a local spot to grab a beer and food - this place popped…read moreup. The patio was great for two extremely tired travelers - a pint and a bowl of chowder !! perfectly and completely delicious cullen skink ( fish chowder) with haddock, potatoes and green onion - seasoned to absolute perfection, not to mention the fish and chips.

Walking back to my guest house I decided I should get a little something to eat. I had the soup…read moreof the day, tomato, and a lovely glass of Sauvignon Blanc. The soup was very tasty, and it came with a terrific slice of bread. If you sit outside, remember your table number and order at the bar.

Seating Area at Castle Tavern

Steak Fajita Salad at Castle Tavern

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Storefront for Castle Tavern

MacGregors

4.6(81 reviews)

0.3 mi

This is a MUST VISIT if you're in Inverness. I was lucky enough to get to chat with Bruce…read moreMacGregor, one of the owners, and listen to him play. His passion, talent, and story telling is unmatched! The roast dinner was delicious and the cocktails were so fun! They take great care with the details around the pub, giving nods to history while pushing forward progress within the re-adoption of traditional Scottish music. Come for a drink or a meal, and stay for the vibes, history, and immense talent on stage.

Re: Delicious Sticky Toffee Pudding…read more To the Greek couple we met in Inverness, with great apologies, we suffered confusion of which delicious desserts we had at various restaurants around the city, inadvertently directing you towards a place that did not serve sticky toffee pudding. We should have pointed you towards MacGregor's as having the most delicious sticky toffee pudding, now verified after having several others that did not perfectly balance sweet with salt as that of the sticky toffee pudding at MacGregor's. If the pub is full, please find your way to the end of the bar and the small door to the left that takes you to the cosy table service room where Jess and other wait staff, including little Nala, will take the best care of you. We also highly recommend the steak & ale pie and fish & chips, should you require something a bit more than the sticky toffee pudding. Again, apologies, and we are certain you will have a fantastic experience at MacGregor's!

We were delighted to be awarded the 'Best Bar in Scotland' at the recent Visit Scotland Thistle Awards.

Fish & Chips

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Whiskey tasting

Johnny Foxes

4.0(110 reviews)

We ate here on our last night in Inverness after a very long day on a tour. We did not have…read morereservations but the restaurant was accommodating and kind. The World Cup Game was on so it was lively and fun. I will tell you, this was some of the best seasoned food we had the entire time we were in the UK (two weeks). Finally we didn't feel the need to add salt to something. The flavor was just spot on. My husband had the beer steak pie with puff pastry, I had the Cullen skink, my son had a pizza (I can't remember if it was on the kids' menu or not) and my daughter had a Caesar salad with chicken, which she eats a lot at home and had been craving. Both the skink and the stew were perfectly flavored! The fish in the stew was tender and so was the steak in the pie. If we ever go back to Inverness, we will be sure to be returning to Johnny Foxes. Oh! And our waiter was wonderful! I don't remember his name but a young blonde man with a mullet kind of haircut. Thank you to him!

I was walking back to my guest house after a long day on a tour. I decided to pop in to Johnny…read moreFoxes, and I'm glad I did!I had the steak and Guinness pie, it came with French fries and peas. It was HUGE! I wished I could share it. It was so tasty I managed to eat most of it, I just didn't have room for much of the fries or peas. Quick service and a lovely pub atmosphere.

Dining room

Supposedly this mayo is coleslaw??

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Bar area

Glenalbyn Bar

3.4(9 reviews)

•£

After a long day of travel, nothing hits quite like a pint and a dram at a local pub…read more Looking to stretch our legs after the 4 1/2 hour train from Edinburgh, we checked into our inn and wandered down to the river, finding Glenalbyn just across the bridge. This well when pub is low key, inviting, and not geared towards tourists: the perfect spot to unwind. I enjoyed a pint of a local ale (McEwan's 80) and a dram of Isle of Skye (a smooth, slightly peaty blended whisky) while we sat. A fine diversion for the afternoon

Classic pub. Friendly, helpful and local establishment. Playing traditional tavern music .read more

Beer menu

Smokey rusty nail

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riverside tavern

5.0(3 reviews)

this is a famed little pub on the black isle. formerly known as the drouthy duck, there has long…read morebeen an active live music scene here. this is currently my local. the pub has recently been taken over and the food has been transformed - really good, hearty meals from local produce. it also has a good combination of real ales as well as the usual lagers. the best thing about this place is that it brings all sorts of music that you just don't see ordinarily including martin stephenson from the dainties. it is becoiming renowned for good quality gigs and is getting busier and busier on these nights

The Riverside Tavern, which used to be known as the Drouthy Duck, is a fantastic pub/restaurant. It…read morehas a lovely atmosphere and does great meals. There is a great selection of drinks which are reasonably priced. The food is excellent and also well priced. I have been here for several meals and have always really enjoyed it. The mussels are fabulous! There is plently of tables to choose from and you can sit downstairs or upstairs. There is a lovely area upstairs and there are nice cosy log fires. The staff are always very friendly and helpful. The service is quick and efficient. There is good music and live entertainment. They have specials on the menu each day and the food certainly appears to be home cooked and very tasty. A great night is always available at the Riverside Tavern.

Black Friars

3.8(20 reviews)

0.3 mi

I wanted to like this place, cute atmosphere, smelled good, nice music, but from the second we…read morewaked in, the seemingly annoyed long haired red head 'greeted' us. Our service was horrible, we waited over 40 mins for our food, it took us forever to get our order taken, and we were being completely ignored. Anytime we ask her for something she seems completely put off. What was worse as there was hardly anybody in the place. Pretty pissed by the time we got our food and completely over it. Our waitress and an older gentleman who what I think was an owner were completely oblivious. I watched other people come in and order and then leave because they waited so long. i"it was ridiculous

Food was fair but service was poor. Ordered an Old Fashioned that was so small.. only a little over…read morea finger and cost 11£. No wonder the place was empty

Inside the pub

Exterior

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Old Market Inn

4.5(4 reviews)

Look you are either going to absolutely love this place, or completely hate it. There is no middle…read moreground. Go there at 10pm one night, buy a beer and stand by the bar for 15 minutes. You'll see. Downstairs: Never been in, seems a bit 'Local' In the sense of 'Royston Vasey' rather than ' Rovers Return' though. But upstairs: A total gem. A 100% Music dive of the best sort. Bar is tiny, but still hosts some of the best LIVE music to be had in Inverness and beyond. True sometimes its comedically awful. But sometimes its totally amazing. You never know what you're gonna get, and that's part of the fun, More hits than misses in my experience. Place can be quiet (but is never empty), or it can be completely packed out. It has a totally amazing friendly buzz either way. One day you'll get a 6 piece Death Metal band, next it could be some grey haired R&B growler, or a Cornish folk duo. At the weekends, don't be surprised to see 18 year old Goths drinking snakebite next to bearded kilties with Guiness who - but for the smoking ban - would doubtless be chuffing away on pipes. Mucially its mainly quieter Folky type stuff during week nights, and touring wannabes and up and coming bands playing the weekends. The size of the place means that the acts are mixed in with everyone else. Friendly, scruffy, and very chilled out, this is the bar where the Proclaimers hung out before they made it big. I almost always pass through when I'm out on the town planning to head to Hootenanny or wherever, and quite often, end up staying put.

The upstairs pub has all you want if you like to hang out with a few pals over a pint or four…read more there is live music over the weekends thae staff are great and the atmosphere is warm great place for students.

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It's not a bar with music. It's music with a bar.

Black Isle Bar

4.6(75 reviews)

Very tasty pizza and beer and friendly staff. The secret garden area upstairs was nice in the mini…read moresheds. But it can be quite busy even on a weeknight. We got a half and half pizza and enjoyed both halves.

As our forefathers said - pizza is life is pizza. (I may be paraphrasing, and possibly made that…read moreup...) We love good pizza, and even on a trip where we're focusing on local cuisine, if good pizza is available, we're willing to forego a meal of local culture to put it in our mouths. Black Isle Bar is located on Church Street, in the main couple of blocks stretch of bars and restaurants in the heart of Inverness. After a day out exploring Speyside whiskies, it was exactly what we needed for dinner. You order at the counter and find a table where they will deliver your food. The pizza menu has a handful of good vegetarian options, and there are plenty of beers on tap. My wife and I shared the Broccoli and Stilton pizza...It had a good, light, and chewy crust and overall good flavor, though I didn't taste much of the honey listed as one of the ingredients. We also shared a salad, which was quite fresh. They've got a nice rooftop garden-like seating area too (though it was too cold for us Californians to enjoy that space) Great pizza in a lively atmosphere with very friendly service. We'd definitely get it again if we were in Inverness.

Important Message

Pepperoni pizza and blue cheese pizza

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Rooftop Garden

The Malt Room

4.9(27 reviews)

We stopped in one night, not as part of a tour or experience, during our time in Inverness. You can…read moreget whisky and good recommendations at almost all of the venues and bars in town, but The Malt Room is supremely whisky-focused...no entertainment or food...just whisky with bartenders who are experts in what they serve. We had a Kilchoman dram which we liked, but we especially liked the ability to have a conversation with the server about what we might want and the no-pressure offer to smell the corks and make a good choice. There is quite a lot to choose from, and they offer flights as well. It's an intimate space...a few comfortable chairs, and you can stand at the bar as well. It may be a destination for whisky tourists, but plenty of locals seemed to be there as well. The address is on Church Street, but the entrance itself is off a small passageway off Church Street on the way to the food court entrance of the Victorian Market indoor mall...but there is a sign on Church Street pointing the way. If Whisky is your thing, and you don't want the liveliness and noise that comes with the nearby music bars, The Malt Room is the place to go!

This place deserves a 6th star, but you need a love for whiskey to appreciate how amazing it is…read more What a rare treat with absolutely incredible whiskeys and knowledgeable and capable staff. It's the star of Inverness if you are on a whiskey travel, a must see

Kilchoman Dram

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The Bar

Number 27 - pubs - Updated August 2026

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Johnny Foxes

4.0

(110 reviews)

We ate here on our last night in Inverness after a very long day on a tour. We did not have…read morereservations but the restaurant was accommodating and kind. The World Cup Game was on so it was lively and fun. I will tell you, this was some of the best seasoned food we had the entire time we were in the UK (two weeks). Finally we didn't feel the need to add salt to something. The flavor was just spot on. My husband had the beer steak pie with puff pastry, I had the Cullen skink, my son had a pizza (I can't remember if it was on the kids' menu or not) and my daughter had a Caesar salad with chicken, which she eats a lot at home and had been craving. Both the skink and the stew were perfectly flavored! The fish in the stew was tender and so was the steak in the pie. If we ever go back to Inverness, we will be sure to be returning to Johnny Foxes. Oh! And our waiter was wonderful! I don't remember his name but a young blonde man with a mullet kind of haircut. Thank you to him!

I was walking back to my guest house after a long day on a tour. I decided to pop in to Johnny…read moreFoxes, and I'm glad I did!I had the steak and Guinness pie, it came with French fries and peas. It was HUGE! I wished I could share it. It was so tasty I managed to eat most of it, I just didn't have room for much of the fries or peas. Quick service and a lovely pub atmosphere.

Lock Inn

3.8

(43 reviews)

4 stars for the food and server! Our burger and soup were pretty good and came out within 15…read moreminutes. 1 star for the two women at the bar who are not friendly "at all" and were taking other orders from people who arrived at the bar "after" me. Why they have an attitude is very odd and does not help the restaurant at all.

Place is great, good food and good service, close to everything in town, love the old ambiance,…read moregreat view of the weirs

The Castle Tavern

3.9

(55 reviews)

From Culloden battlefield we searched for a local spot to grab a beer and food - this place popped…read moreup. The patio was great for two extremely tired travelers - a pint and a bowl of chowder !! perfectly and completely delicious cullen skink ( fish chowder) with haddock, potatoes and green onion - seasoned to absolute perfection, not to mention the fish and chips.

Walking back to my guest house I decided I should get a little something to eat. I had the soup…read moreof the day, tomato, and a lovely glass of Sauvignon Blanc. The soup was very tasty, and it came with a terrific slice of bread. If you sit outside, remember your table number and order at the bar.

THe Benleva

4.9

(9 reviews)

We had just driven from Keswick and needed to find a good place to get a hearty dinner. We came…read moreacross Benleva only a short distance from our hotel. Dinner starts at 5pm and even though we showed up early, they let us order. It was excellent. Clean, football on the TV, great selection of beer, excellent service and great menu selection. After a couple of Guinness and a very good meal, we were able to relax and enjoy our evening. Can't say enough about our bartender, would go back in an instant. The only thing I would do differently is stay at their hotel also, have a few more Guinness & shot some pool!

Pros: - warm atmosphere…read more- free parking - casual clothing - TV to watch sporting events - indoor and outdoor seating - live music starting at 9:30pm - moderately priced food, amazing whiskey selection from all regions of Scotland - Scottish and local foods on menu - This is perfect to escape from the rain, especially if you're looking for a down to earth and easy vibe atmosphere Room for improvement: - falafel burger is very dry, a nice spread on it would be an easy fix! Tip: the peanut butter and chocolate lava cake was so WARM and comes with a scoop of rich vanilla ice cream! SO. GOOD.

Water Front

4.0

(27 reviews)

This place is fabulous. Great food, wonderful service and a fun place to sit, eat and relax after…read morea long day of touring through the countryside. I think I had the best fish and chips ever here and I will definitely be back when I return to Inverness.

We happened upon this lovely place by accident. The food was wonderful and the atmosphere was cozy…read moreand friendly. The service was nice and friendly too. Don't let them fool you... we ate there twice and both times we walked I. Without a reservation and both times there was a bit of "discussion" as to whether they would be able to seat us. They did. And they were never completely full either time! lol! Gets our full recommendation. Picture is the Trawlers Pie and the Steak and Ale pie. Try the Scottish Blaggis appetizer. And their bread pudding was really good as well!

Black Friars

3.8

(20 reviews)

I wanted to like this place, cute atmosphere, smelled good, nice music, but from the second we…read morewaked in, the seemingly annoyed long haired red head 'greeted' us. Our service was horrible, we waited over 40 mins for our food, it took us forever to get our order taken, and we were being completely ignored. Anytime we ask her for something she seems completely put off. What was worse as there was hardly anybody in the place. Pretty pissed by the time we got our food and completely over it. Our waitress and an older gentleman who what I think was an owner were completely oblivious. I watched other people come in and order and then leave because they waited so long. i"it was ridiculous

Food was fair but service was poor. Ordered an Old Fashioned that was so small.. only a little over…read morea finger and cost 11£. No wonder the place was empty

MacGregors

4.6

(81 reviews)

This is a MUST VISIT if you're in Inverness. I was lucky enough to get to chat with Bruce…read moreMacGregor, one of the owners, and listen to him play. His passion, talent, and story telling is unmatched! The roast dinner was delicious and the cocktails were so fun! They take great care with the details around the pub, giving nods to history while pushing forward progress within the re-adoption of traditional Scottish music. Come for a drink or a meal, and stay for the vibes, history, and immense talent on stage.

Re: Delicious Sticky Toffee Pudding…read more To the Greek couple we met in Inverness, with great apologies, we suffered confusion of which delicious desserts we had at various restaurants around the city, inadvertently directing you towards a place that did not serve sticky toffee pudding. We should have pointed you towards MacGregor's as having the most delicious sticky toffee pudding, now verified after having several others that did not perfectly balance sweet with salt as that of the sticky toffee pudding at MacGregor's. If the pub is full, please find your way to the end of the bar and the small door to the left that takes you to the cosy table service room where Jess and other wait staff, including little Nala, will take the best care of you. We also highly recommend the steak & ale pie and fish & chips, should you require something a bit more than the sticky toffee pudding. Again, apologies, and we are certain you will have a fantastic experience at MacGregor's!

The Anderson

4.1

(15 reviews)

•£££

Let me start off by saying this is my first review. As a restaurant owner myself I like to steer…read moreclear of the whole scene. I do however find Yelp to be a helpful metric and this is the first time since I have been a member of yelp since 2009 that hospitality has challenged by stance. There is so much to say, but as a 46 year old who has spent their entire life enjoying the sound of their own voice I will keep this brief as I am being dragged, kicking and screaming, into maturity. Just outside of Inverness sits a quirky and humble inn perched on a corner in a village with the same qualities in equal measure. The host and owner, Jim, has plied his trade here since 2003 and I can only imagine that the well worn, but not shabby, interior and decor is a product of passion for his craft. They seem to have an ability to cobble together a staff that only exceeds their grace in hospitality in their camaraderie as a team with a total sweetie manning the ship. Everyone is beyond welcoming. The food veers away from your typical standard Scottish pub fare with splashes of American standards along with some continental fare, while still having chow that is common to the region. The beer and whisky menu is curated and a welcome refreshment on the middle leg of our journey as most Scottish pubs tend to lean more towards regional standards, not a bad thing, but after drinking dozens of pints of bitters and milds it was a delight to see a lovely pilsner on draft. I am not a whisky drinker myself but I am in hospitatliy and over hearing the servers describe the selection when asked by the guests one can tell they have done their homework. All in all a place busting with charm and personality in each and every employee and hospitality at its finest. If you're lucky enough to be able to take the trip and brave the roads you will be handsomely rewarded.

Before we went on our trip, my boyfriend did a little bit of research on the are we would be…read morestaying so we didn't waste time trying to figure out nearby good places. Not even 10 minutes from our place he had marked The Anderson. Just a short drive from our AirBnb, and lucky to get a parking spot just across from it, this was starting to be a great night. We walk in, and the host immediately greeted us. There was an empty room to our left, which I'm assuming was for private parties or busier nights, but we were escorted straight in the room behind the host. Cozy room, with a small bar, and filled with locals. All having a good time, and some even talking with the staff showing they visit the restaurant often. That was a good sign and made us feel great about picking this place for dinner. Our server was awesome. Very friendly, treated us like family, and helped us with what to order. The specials of the day are all written down on a chalk board and she brought it to our table and explained each dish to us. One of the things we wanted to try was their haggis, and since we didn't know if we would like it or not, she recommended just getting a side which she said would be enough for both of us. On top of that I got the Special Pie of the day: Chicken Bacon and Mushroom pie. The way she described it sounded delicious so I just had to try it, even if I'm not a fan of pie crust. Haggis came out and to my surprise I really liked it. It's texture is kind of like ground beef and corn beef hash in one (IMO), salty and flavorful. The Pie was perfection! I even loved the crust. Homemade, flaky, buttery delicious crust but not a lot of it so you can truly enjoy the flavors of the filling. Tender juicy chicken, creamy sauce with mushrooms and the bacon adds more flavor to it. The pasta special was a monkfish wrapped with pancetta with a creamy sauce and was divine. While we enjoyed our dinner we also had the chance to pick a record to play on the turntable - How cool is that? And even with the music and everyone having conversations all around the place was never loud so we could enjoy our conversation as well. Honestly one of the best finds during our trip.

The Caledonian Pub

3.2

(14 reviews)

•£

Just adding the photos which was taken at the pub to go with my previous review. There's pool…read moretables in the back.

This is an exceptional and pleasant place. The staff is friendly and competent. The FOOD is…read moreremarkably good. We had the classic Fish and Chips--yes with the unnecessary peas LOL. The portion of fish was about a half pound lightly breaded and VERY tasty. This meal is among the best Fish and Chips we have ever had. Tender,moist, flavorful. You will not be disappointed

Encore Une Fois

4.5

(29 reviews)