If you are ever in the north of Scotland you should visit Elgin, it's a little town about 30…read moreminutes from where I use to live. In Elgin there is a great little restaurant called Restaurant 55. The food here is amazing and to die for, to be honest there is not mush in the area so there is no doubt that when this place opened it would be really popular. The staffs prides themselves on taking local produce and making amazing meals to cater for everyone, this place has gotten some amazing reviews and it deserves them. They offer a wide variety of menus and have some amazing steak dishes so you will be stuck from choice. For me the desert menu was the selling point everything looks so good and as I watched everyone one else get their deserts I couldn't wait to get through my main course. When I am back in the area I will be paying this place another visit.

If you like to eat and have a nice bit of scenery around you then you should pop into the Birnie…read moreInn in Elgin. The restaurant is located just a few miles out and as far as I know it's a small family business, this is one of my dad's favourite places. Although the restaurant is a little rural the food is everything but. The offer many home cooked meals made from fresh local produce. The staffs are all very polite and friendly and happy to chat to you. This place seems to be popular amongst people of all ages, I have knows friends that have hired once of the halls here for a wedding reception and said it was great and they were looked after well. I likely it hear because not only is the food great it's nice a quite out of the way

While the name and location scream "tourist trap", Johnny Foxes is an outstanding pub that happens…read moreto draw in a non local crowd. We dropped by for an early dinner and got seated right away in a booth. The menu is broadly pub fare, with a focus on burgers and a couple of more upscale dishes (including an excellent fried camambert). We split the camambert (panko crusted and served with a fig and onion jam); my wife had a vegan Scotch broth + house made bread + tomato & pesto bruschetta, while I went with the highland burger: haggis on top of 6oz of dry aged Angus beef. The burger was exceptional, with a deep and pleasantly gamey flavour while the haggis added some richness. Paired with a pint of a local cask ale (Cromarty Brewing Happy Chappy pale), it was as good as dinner as we could've imagined on our first night in the Highlands.

Excellent spot for meal in Inverness. It has a wonderful ambiance especially the booths. It's a pub…read morebut won't table service. They have live music today starting at 10:30. But the highlight is the food. My wife ordered the mussels. They were served in a light cream sauce with a hint of peppers. Sublime and plentiful. I had the soup wich was very good and the steak and Guinness pie. Excellent and so much food I could not finish. Top notch service

This spot is a MUST stop if you are anywhere near the area. A group of 7 of us stopped by in…read morebetween visiting distilleries and it was the best decision ever. We started with the haggis and lunch sampler. The haggis was delicious. I don't know what people saying when its "bad". Also the lunch sampler with the pate was one of the better pates I've had. For lunch 6 of the 7 us ordered mushroom soup and venison pie. Best lunch we have on our holiday aka our vacation. The service was also incredible. The chef and hostess were delightful. They came out to check up on us multiple times and chatted as well.

Fantastic! Great food. The owner is so personable and you leave with a great conversation and learn…read morea lot about the country. No joke, try the haggis. Delicious, a bit like Shepard's pie here. It's great. Beer. Whiskey. Meat.

We booked a table at Mustard Seed based on its reputation, which was strong with local foodies. I…read moremention this in the event that unfavorably influenced our perception of our experience, which was not the five-star dinner that we were anticipating. We arrived on time to a nearly empty restaurant (weekday evening, post rush hour, one other table wrapping up on the ground level as we arrived, a couple more on the upper level), and had to wait for our reserved table, which ended up being by the front door on a cold and rainy evening (aka normal Scottish weather for November). It was unclear what was slowing service down, but the wait to order cocktails was surprisingly long. Our drinks were made promptly and well. We began to place our meal order when the server excused themselves while in the process to take a drink order from the table that had arrived several minutes after we were seated (with the entirety of the lower level of the restaurant available, this boisterous table of four was set right next to us. Fortunately we hadn't been planning a quiet, romantic dinner...). In fairness to our server, there may have only been one other person working tables that night, but not great form even so. We eventually got our order placed. A breadbasket was brought out (three slices of bread for the two of us). Our food arrived in OK time and was itself OK, having seemed to have sat in the pass a little long for some reason. All this said, the menu looked solid, and while the entrees weren't especially memorable this visit, their cocktail options were good (we enjoyed the Highlanders Negroni made with Badachro Coastal gin) and desert options (a proper Mixed Berry Eton Mess). An additional positive note: my wife lost a ring in the restaurant during our visit and the bartender, quickly seeing that we were in distress, joined our search for it. I'm confident we would have given up on finding it were it not for his effort, so again, cheers to you, sir. This was above and beyond, and what I think probably passes for the standard of care that many experience dining here. So a mixed bag for us. I don't think this represents a typical dining experience here. Mustard Seed is well-thought of locally (there is a small, discreet shelf of awards tucked away around a corner), and if we should find ourselves back in Inverness looking for a dinner spot we wouldn't rule out Mustard Seed out of hand. I look forward to the prospect of rewriting this review.

This was an excellent lunch stop for us in the town of Inverness.  We picked this place partially…read morebecause it was a recommendation by renowned travel writer Rick Steves back in 2014.  It is also located conveniently in the heart of the commercial district and right alongside the Ness River.  Our friendly and engaging hostess/manager was Alina, a 17 year veteran.  They have a cozy and attractive 2 story high ceilinged setting and we sat on the 2nd floor.  The lunch menu was a variety of high quality 2 course selections for a very reasonable 18.95 GBP.  Our party of 4 had a delicious and beautifully presented lunch.  For the mains, I had their traditional fish pie and wife had their filet of seabass.  Our travel mates had the rump steak and red pesto gnocchi.  It got busy and the kitchen might have gotten backed up and it took a little while on the food, but we enjoyed hanging out here.  Service was otherwise friendly and attentive.  Highly recommended should you find yourselves in the lovely town of Inverness.

TLDR: tourists should avoid or be prepared for frustration…read more Went there on a Thursday night at 8:20pm. We were told the kitchen closed at 8. No problem, that's on me, even though the hours published on their website don't list the kitchen closing during any certain times and their hours went until much, much later. Still, no real complaint; just the way it is. Fast forward to Sunday. I won't get caught short again; I have a foolproof plan. I'll call ahead. The discourteous person on the other end of the phone explains to me that their kitchen hours are 1115a to 730p. Thanks, we will see you before long then. We arrive just prior to 3pm and the same person I spoke to on the phone informs me that they simply have nothing available; reservations required. Now, this isn't posted on their website, but I understand that since it's Easter Sunday, they may have temporary rules for that. But how about this? TELL ME THAT ON THE PHONE WHEN I CALL AND ASK ABOUT TODAY'S KITCHEN HOURS!!! My bottom line in this place is that they may have great food, but I suspect that they just aren't tourist friendly. We will not give them a third opportunity and if you're here for leisure, I'd recommend that you avoid this place as well. Unless you draft an airtight questionnaire determining when they will deign to allow you to be seated for dinner. And maybe the hostess/phone person should be picked for her abilities to communicate in a friendly, approachable manner.

This was a charming restaurant, friendly staff and cozy atmosphere. The food is delicious! You can…read moretell that the chef enjoys his work!

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.

Excellent food, great selection, auththentic Highland atmosphere, farm to table steak, excellent…read morefish and chips, great prices!

A whetherspoon pub, so you now what you're gonna get: basic food and decent beers at ridiculous…read moreprices. Enjoyed some great beers here, and the Mexican food wasn't too bad.