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The Castle Tavern

3.9 (55 reviews)
ModerateBars, British
Open • 11:00 am - 1:00 AM (Next day)

The Castle Tavern Photos

THE CASTLE TAVERN ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Loud
Casual
Good for groups
Outdoor seating

Recommended Reviews - The Castle Tavern

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Reviews With Photos

Cullen Skink 10/10
S D.

Go upstairs for your reservations, the downstairs is walk-in and bar seating. The Cullen skink soup was 10/10 (leek potato and haddock) delicious. Service was spotty 5/10 friendly server but very forgetful and didn't mention specials. We noticed the specials board after ordering. I would recommend eating in the bar or outside instead of making dinner reservations. Old Pulteney whisky was great. Fish and chips were just okay, although I appreciate that it is breaded in a gluten free batter with parsley.

Roast Lamb

Outstanding spot for lunch! My husband had Sunday roast, delicious and very reasonably priced. He cleared the plate. I had the Cullen Skink, piping hot and not overly thick/creamy. I also had the warm tomato and goat cheese salad, and it was so so good!

More pictures of the bar
Amanda C.

Food and live music, and a great view of the castle The food is delicious and portions are very generous

Outdoor view
Erin M.

It was a windy and rainy afternoon in Inverness as we were trying to see the Diplomatic Castle when all of a sudden we turn the corner and saw this quaint little Pub. Looking for some respite and a pint we quickly entered in and was greeted with the usual Scottish hospitality and a great pint of Red Ale. We were not there for dinner although saw many entrees and they looked delicious. For us this place was the best place to be at the right time. Out of all the pubs I've been to, this one had the most welcoming curb appeal and was cute as haggis pie!

Mushroom soup
John C.

Ordered the haggis crepe, mushroom soup, and Scottish salmon. The quality of the food is on par with the fancier restaurants in town. The crepe has a nice chewy texture despite that it's covered in sauce and the haggis is fresh is flavorful. Salmon is cooked just right; moist and flaky with no overt fishy smell, lemon not required to mask anything. Very cosy restaurant and seating could be a bit tight inside.

Huggis Bon-bons
Veronica J.

The Castle Tavern served the best Haggis I have tried up to date, therefore I think the venue deserves 5 stars! It is located very close to the castle and is quite busy, so I suggest you reserve your place in advance if possible or at least call and ask whether they have seating space available. Big portions justify slightly higher prices - I had to cancel my main because the starter was enough. The soup is served in a huge bowl, you probably won't need the main;)

Dirty Mac n Cheese
Andy B.

Rustic Scotland ambience. The Castle Tavern is a traditional Real Ale bar, restaurant and beer garden in Inverness. While attempting to visit the castle (which was closed), we stopped here for dinner. I ordered the Dirty Mac n Cheese and washed it down with an Innis & Gunn Lager. Both were awesome. The service was very good. I definitely recommend eating here while traveling to Inverness.

Bar area
Raina S.

Across from the entrance of the Innerness Castle! If you're ever here try the Haggis.

House Rules People!!
Scott P.

Definitely a nice spot to sit outside, take in some good weather (if you are lucky) and have a pint.

Euge R.

The Castle Tavern is located in front of the entrance to the Inverness Castle. It's very quaint restaurant / pub that provides a great view of the River Ness. The Tavern is on its own block and probably my favorite pub in Inverness. The service is friendly and you can sit outside or eat on the second floor where the main restaurant location is located. If your here for just drinks the first floor has a nice set up to mingle and enjoy your scotch. The food served is traditional Scottish food but what really stands out is simply the location and the vibe this place exudes.

Castle Tavern's exterior

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2 months ago

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7 years ago

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9 years ago

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2 years ago

The Cullen Skink soup was amazing! The staff were very friendly, and the ambiance was very nice.

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4 years ago

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3 years ago

Loved this place. Tasty food and very friendly bar tenders. I highly recommend to all!

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12 years ago

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8 years ago

Decent priced drinks, great staff & service, awesome view, and a good selection of real Scottish ales. What more could you ask for?

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7 years ago

So much fun! Great beer and hard cider. Sat with locals all night and felt like we belonged!

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11 years ago

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8 years ago

Great food. Friendly staff. Americans in the midst of World Cup Fifa games. Visit for sure if you're here

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The Castle Tavern Reviews in Other Languages

Review Highlights - The Castle Tavern

“The castle tavern is a delightful little eatery in the heart of Inverness, not to far from Inverness Castle and River Ness.”

Mentioned in 3 reviews

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Mustard Seed Restaurant - Monkfish with Thai curry (But I think it's like an indian curry)

Mustard Seed Restaurant

4.2(168 reviews)
0.3 mi
•££

The Mustard Seed is a must while visiting Inverness! It's very popular--and rightly so--but my…read morelarge group of six was easily accommodated for lunch during the week. We enjoyed the price fixe lunch menu, which is honestly a great deal for two courses! I personally ordered the crispy Brie followed by the sea bass over risotto, and both plates were stellar. My tablemates echoed those sentiments across the board, and we had a great variety of dishes to sample. The carrot and coriander soup was another popular pick at our table. And despite being quite full from the delicious Brie with its bright chutney and balsamic, followed by the light sea bass over beautifully rich squash risotto, we somehow managed to save room for dessert. We shared a sticky toffee pudding featuring a light sponge and rich, decadent sauce. I'm not sure when I'll be back in Inverness, but I do know The Mustard Seed will be on my itinerary. Expect a crowd, but know that it's worth it!

Rather less than anticipated- as this was highly recommended restaurant in Inverness- including an…read moreauthor guidebook and a few good local reviews. Turned out "The Specials Board" had not been updated, even tho we were first available reservation at noon opening. 'Daily Specials' were easily 2.5 times the cost of the 2 course meal options. After our order was placed - AND the 'starter' was brought to table, the server came back to table to say the kitchen 'just informed him that the 'Special' Cod over Butternut Squash from the specials board was apparently not available..... They would replace the North Sea Cod with halibut as the special. Unfortunately the kitchen neglected to tell the waiter that actually the squash too wasn't available and the substituted 'special' was altogether a different combination of veg, fish, and a super rich sauce. Waiter admitted he was disappointed that kitchen didn't tell him the entire special wasn't as listed. A proper resolve could have included some bit of a minor offer of compensation, (discount or perhaps the £7 small glass of wine). Yet not even an apology - just an original comment by the server that he was surprised the kitchen didn't tell him they completely modified the "Special" - Dinner experience across the river Ness was every bit of what one hopes for when on holiday!

Photos
Mustard Seed Restaurant - A partial view of the cozy 2nd floor dining space.

A partial view of the cozy 2nd floor dining space.

Mustard Seed Restaurant - Mussels

Mussels

Mustard Seed Restaurant - Another view of their 2nd floor dining space.

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Another view of their 2nd floor dining space.

The Room Restaurant And Bar - Tennant Lager

The Room Restaurant And Bar

4.2(5 reviews)
0.3 mi
•£

Stopped by this spot after a quick jaunt to Loch Ness. This was the 4th stop on our British Isles…read morecruise and our 2nd stop in Scotland. Inverness is a small town and easily maneuverable. We only had about an hour before we had to meet the bus to head back to the cruise ship. We were starving and I needed a beer. From the outside this place didn't look like a pub but walking in you definitely got that feeling. I ordered 2 Yorkshire puddings and haggis with whiskey sauce (because I was told they were appetizers) and my husband ordered some kind of soup which he said was very tasty. Of course he ate my other appetizer.. Because it was awesome. I ordered the Tennant Lager. Very good choice. Scotland has some mighty tasty brews. The service was ok though not especially attentive or quick. We unfortunately had to ask for everything. Had we more time to spend maybe the wait would not have been so bad. Having said that, the food was great and the beer was delicious. If you have some time and want something tasty, definitely stop in here.

Nice restaurant, prices are correct and the staff friendly. I tried the chicken & haggis bonbons…read morewith pepper sauce. So delicious! The 1/2 pint of beer is priced at £2. You can also chose 2 meals between a list of 8 for £10,50. However, the link between these meals is quite difficult to make.

Photos
The Room Restaurant And Bar - The Bar

The Bar

The Room Restaurant And Bar - Chicken & Haggys

Chicken & Haggys

The Room Restaurant And Bar - Sticky toffee pudding & banoffee pie (the pie has bananas) with ice cream

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Sticky toffee pudding & banoffee pie (the pie has bananas) with ice cream

Hootananny - Bunnahabain

Hootananny

4.2(93 reviews)
0.3 mi
•££

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.

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.

Photos
Hootananny - Bar area and stairs going up

Bar area and stairs going up

Hootananny - Dancing!

Dancing!

Hootananny - Music stage with the street behind

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Music stage with the street behind

The Castle Tavern - bars - Updated October 2026

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