12 of Scotland’s most beautiful restaurants have been named by a top travel mag ahead of the hospitality industry getting set to reopen fully next month.
The team at Conde Nast Traveler have picked out their favourite venues from across the country for incredible cuisine amongst stunning surroundings.
From a long-running farm-fresh classic in Edinburgh and an art-filled hotel favourite in Cairngorms National Park to a glass barn at an artisan cheese farm on the Isle of Mull and a newcomer in the Borders the list contains some of the most enjoyable places to eat not just for the skill of the kitchen but also the interior design team.
The luxury and lifestyle travel magazine, which regularly feature articles on the best places to go for the best travel experiences, chose five top venues in the capital and incredibly none from the country’s biggest city, Glasgow.
Top Edinburgh venue, The Wichery by the Castle, which regularly features on lists of beautiful eateries for its gothic decor, was joined by the Scandi-style Timberyard, which was described as “one of Edinburgh’s best seasonal restaurants”, and The Gardener’s Cottage on London Road, which was hailed as “quaint, cosy and airy”.
(Image: The Witchery by the Castle FB)
Newcomer Noto, was praised for its “sleek” interior, with its dangling exposed bulbs and minimal dark furniture, while one of the city’s top cheesemongers IJ Mellis also represented Edinburgh with its new sit in eatery being described as the “UK’s answer to a Parisian wine bar”.
Elsewhere the ever-present Gleneagles in Perthshire and the vibrant and dynamic Fife Arms in the Cairngorms were the hotel restaurants who made the list.
The Fife Arms, which was also recently named one of the best hotels in the world for 2021 by the travel mag, was singled out for its specially commissioned mural by Argentinian artist Guillermo Kuitca which runs the length of the walls of its restaurant which was inspired by “the ebb and flow of the Clunie River just outside”.
(Image: The Hoebridge FB)
The ever popular Inver in Strachur on the quiet shores of Loch Fyne was also named for its incredible views, while The Seafood Ristorante in St Andrews was another selected for its “sweeping bay views” over St Andrews Bay and West Sands Beach.
A recent addition to the Scottish Borders, the charming family-run The Hoebridge in Gattonside was also cited, with a table in the conservatory recommended, where “thick wool blankets are laid on the backs of chairs in case it gets cold”.
(Image: Eilidh Cameron)
Representing the Western Isles are Kinloch Lodge on the Isle of Skye, with its hand-woven details and fabrics and lovely views over boggy Loch na Dal and Skye’s Sleat peninsula, and The Glass Barn at Isle of Mull Cheese on the Isle of Mull.
The latter was chosen due to featuring a more than 100 year old frame which was built on the River Clyde in Glasgow and recycled by owner Lily Reade’s parents in the 1990s, as well as a small ornamental grapevine, making it one of the most unique entries on the list.
You can see the full article here.
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