Diners' Choice: Best Ambiance restaurants in Inverness / Scottish Highlands

OpenTable

Updated December 05, 2024

Looking for restaurants with the best ambiance in Inverness / Scottish Highlands? You’re in the right place. Each month, OpenTable analyzes nearly 2 million global diner reviews from the past four months. We sort the results by location and category to help you discover new favorite restaurants. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Contrast Brasserie

4.6

4.6 (972)

£25 and under

Scottish

Inverness

About the restaurant

Welcome to Contrast Brasserie. With a sharp focus on Scottish, locally sourced produce, we invite you to savour the tastes of the season with a touch of Pan-Asian flair.

From succulent rare breed pork, prime dry-aged beef to market fresh fruit and vegetables we try to stay true to our Scottish roots, creating simple dishes built around one great ingredient. Located just a short walk from the City Centre of Inverness, take a wander along the tree lined river where a warm welcome awaits!

Early Bird Menu not available on Saturday night

Top review

Alison

Dined 2 days ago

Fabulous food, gorgeous atmosphere and lovely staff!

The Shores Plockton

4.6

4.6 (223)

£41 and over

Scottish

Plockton

About the restaurant

Shop Open Daily. 9am-3pm - Sundays. 10am-3pm

Restaurant

Lunch 11am - 2pm Friday to Sunday
Dinner 6pm - 8pm Friday & Saturday

***We have a 10% Service Charge***

The Shores Seafood Restaurant is set in a beautiful location, in the stunning village of Plockton, on the Scottish mainland near the Isle of Skye.
The team at The Shores aim to seek the finest local, seasonal produce, delivering modern Scottish cuisine, with a number of influences.

Scotland’s coastal waters are world famous for their rich & varied produce, freshly caught Langoustines, Lobster & King Scallops by local fishermen to name just a few of the highlights.

It’s all about what’s on the plate......

We welcome you to enjoy an evening with us. We have an interesting and varied selection of beer, cider & wines, and if you fancy something a little stronger, we have an ever increasing selection of Scottish Single Malts & Gins.

Top review

Katri

Dined on Nov 29, 2024

Warm welcome followed by professional and kind service. We were celebrating a birthday and there was wee "happy birthday" sign on table rather than reserved. I thought it was nice wee gesture. The bottle of prosecco Santi Nello was lovely, we also had port wine Cockburn's Fine Ruby with the dessert and that was nice as well. The port worked well with the soft and well balanced chocolate tart. The tart was not too sweet, and the portion size just right. For starter we had the scallops, and they were made to perfection. For main we had the smoked haddock, again well balance flavours, though the smoky flavour was very strong, so you defenetly have to like smoked. Presentation on all the foods were well thought off and bonnie. Personally I loved the use of edible flowers. We had a lovely time at the Shores Plockton and would defenetly come back. Highly recommend. Thank you again to the whole staff.

Hootananny Inverness

4.5

4.5 (545)

£25 and under

Scottish

Inverness

About the restaurant

WE DO NOT ACCEPT BOOKINGS FOR DRINKS/MUSIC ONLY
MINIMUM ORDER OF ONE MAIN PER PERSON
WE DO SERVE FOOD ON SATURDAYS ON A WALK IN ONLY BASIS

Top review

John

Dined on Dec 8, 2024

Excellent service and food was really good. Nice pint of Guinness 👍

Cafe 1

4.8

4.8 (2440)

£26 to £40

Scottish

Inverness

About the restaurant

Welcome to Cafe 1
I have pleasure in offering you a unique, fine dining experience here in The Highlands at Cafe1, Inverness.

We take great pride in sourcing local ingredients - some produced by ourselves from our own Croft!

Our open plan kitchen turns quality Scottish produce into appealing modern dishes.

We are a restaurant that moves with the times.

All tables are re-booked 2 hours later.

Cancellation policy.
No shows will be charged at £20 per person Monday - Thursday £40 per person Friday & Saturdays.
Cancellations within 5 hrs of dining will be charged £15 per person with the restaurants discretion.

Norman MacDonald MBE
Glenfiddich Spirit of Scotland
Proprietor

Top review

ianVIP

Dined 3 days ago

Always a 1st class experience with a good choice from the menu, great service and overall an enjoyable evening

The Loch Ness Inn

4.7

4.7 (1137)

£25 and under

Scottish

Inverness

About the restaurant

The Loch Ness Inn, is a small hotel located in Drumnadrochit, just 1.5 miles from Urquhart Castle and 15 miles from Inverness, the capital of the Highlands.

Our restaurant offers diners the chance to experience the best of local Highland produce, cooked to perfection, in a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere. We have a wonderful wine & gin list to accompany your food.

Visit our Brewery Bar and sample our excellent range of local beers and whiskies.

Top review

Brian

Dined on Dec 7, 2024

Great food and a lovely setting in Dramnadrochit. It was our first trip to the area so we didn’t know what to expect. The food was amazing and the hospitality and service were exceptional. I had the venison and potato and leek soup. Both were top notch. My wife had the Christmas dinner and even with my help we were unable to finish. A really wonderful place tucked away in a small town on the shores of Loch Ness. Highly recommended for anyone spending the night in the area.

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Popular dish

beef burger

Popular dish

Sticky Toffee Pudding

No27 Bar & Kitchen

4.7

4.7 (1055)

£25 and under

British

Inverness

About the restaurant

A privately owned bar and kitchen, situated in Inverness town centre opposite The Castle.

We offer a selection of local ales, wines, spirits,draft beers and lagers. Emphasis is on fresh home cooked food with a difference and all our dishes are prepared to order.

Our friendly team are dedicated to giving you a night to remember!

Top review

Karen

Dined on Dec 13, 2024

Very attentive, friendly and efficient staff despite the restaurant being very busy. Food was lovely.

Discover more

Popular dish

Chefs Homemade Steak Pie

Popular dish

Spicy Buffalo Chicken Wings

Popular dish

Mussels

Scotch & Rye

4.5

4.5 (945)

£25 and under

American

Inverness

About the restaurant

Our style is industrial prohibition with a splash of steampunk thrown in for good measure. Find us on Queensgate and enjoy craft beers, vintage cocktails & some incredible comfort food!

Let us transport you to the speak-easy world of 1920's Chicago. Where the streets were ruled by unrelenting gangsters, and the drinks were inspired by the minds of geniuses. Scotch & Rye is our homage to the hard working, harder drinking people of that era, delivering our signature New York & Chicago inspired burgers and home-cookin', all washed down with great craft brews, unique (and award-winning) cocktail creations and a service team with an unmatched personality! We are also a dog-friendly bar! All well-behaved dogs are most welcome at Scotch & Rye.

Under 18s must be accompanied by an adult and vacate the premises by 10 pm.*
*Table with under 18s must book in for a meal and all be eating.

We look forward to hosting your safe, enjoyable dining & drinking experience.

Top review

Jasmin

Dined 3 days ago

Great hospitality from Paula as always 😊 one of our favourite places to come for drinks.

The Badachro Inn

4.6

4.6 (517)

£25 and under

Scottish

Gairloch

About the restaurant

Visit The Badachro Inn | Restaurant by Gairloch for the best hospitality the West of Scotland can offer. The Inn offers good food, beer, wine and spirits to go with it.

Badachro Inn is a unique bar / restaurant in a unique place – a sheltered bay in spectacular Loch Gairloch – one of the best West Coast anchorages. It’s a popular place to meet for a drink or a pleasant meal.

Visit us for the best hospitality the West of Scotland can offer. The Inn offers good food, beer, wine and spirits to go with it. We can also point you in the right direction for places to visit and accommodation in the local area.

WE CANNOT ACCEPT DOGS IN THE CONSERVATORY AREA. IF YOU WISH TO BRING YOUR DOG PLEASE BOOK A TABLE IN THE BAR AREA.

PARTIES OF OVER 6 MUST BOOK BY PHONE ON 01445741255. Please call between 9AM-12PM. OR 3PM-6PM

IF ALL TABLES ARE FULLY BOOKED WHY NOT TRY ONE OF OUR OUTSIDE WOOD FIRED PIZZA FROM THE STAG AND DOUGH ON OUR DECKING CA

Top review

Poppy

Dined 3 days ago

Lovely place, food, service. Couldn’t fault. Thank you!

The Mash Tun Hotel

4.7

4.7 (65)

£25 and under

British

Aberlour

About the restaurant

The Mash Tun sits beside the River Spey, nestled in beautiful Aberlour. Recently refurbished, it is now a stylish boutique hotel. This historic establishment has been transformed into a beacon of Scottish hospitality, marrying tradition with contemporary luxury.
Our small restaurant offers fine dining without the fuss and a cosy and intimate ambiance.
The whisky bar boasts a magnificent stock of Scottish malts, with a few guest stars from around the world and our own award winning Stalla Dhu range. We also boast our own cigar humidor where guests can choose from an impressive selection of Cuban and New World cigars, to be enjoyed in our enclosed and heated cigar hut!
We look forward to welcoming you soon.

Top review

Leslie

Dined on Dec 13, 2024

Everything was wonderful, will definitely be back. The haddock fish and chips were delicious.

Redcliffe Bar and Restaurant

4.6

4.6 (209)

£26 to £40

Scottish

Inverness

About the restaurant

Welcome to Redcliffe Bar and Restaurant.
Locally owned and operated Venue. Good seasonal menus created by our head chef Andrew.
Ambient restaurant with good selection of beers and ales. Great wine list!
Excellent Outdoor Area with full table service using the latest technology. Come and see our ladybird outdoor Wood fired Pizza Oven.
And the best bit - The views to Inverness Castle and Ben Wyvis. Simply Stunning!.
Come along and enjoy our hospitality. We look forward to serving you soon.

Top review

carole

Dined 3 days ago

Table was ready and waiting. Friendly and efficient waiting staff. Food was lovely and served promptly. We ate from set menu, good value for money.

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