Fortrose Restaurant Guide

2023 Review: Phoebe & Graham Fox’s tiny waterside café has long been known for its “lovely food”, which these days is “concentrated on their superb pizzas”. There are “a few outside tables but lots of seats along the harbour with great views”.

A “very busy” split-level restaurant in “a very pleasant location” – a converted church on the banks of the river Ness – where the downstairs dining room curls around an open log fire, and the upstairs has an outdoor terrace looking towards the other side of the water, where the owners run a series of holiday apartments. This is a place that “buzzes at lunchtime” owing to the “very good-value” set menus during the week (“£15.95 for 2 courses is a snip”, as is the three-course Sunday lunch for £45) and while it’s a little too “crowded” for some tastes as a result, there was nothing but praise this year for the “proper cooking” of modern European bent.

“Still one of the best eateries in Inverness”, this European brasserie parlays “the finest of Scottish produce” (not least fish and shellfish) into its very “cosmopolitan menu” with global touches. The “friendly” family-owned venture also has a nice location on the banks of the Ness with views of the ancient castle.

2023 Review: Set in 20 acres of manicured gardens and woodland, this fine Georgian property is nowadays a retreat with 10 bedrooms. As part of the set-up, there’s a 400-year-old walled garden, with a cafe. In mid-2022, the team behind this year’s London smash hit, Sessions Art Club (chef Florence Knight, the artist and restaurateur Jonny Gent, and architect Russell Potter) became involved, with a new small-plates format. There are loud echoes of their earlier project – the quirky corner of a historic site – but it opened after our annual diners’ poll concluded so a rating will have to wait for next year.

2023 Review: In “a great location right beside the River Ness”, this smart hotel was cited this year as being “ideal for business, with staff who are so obliging and attentive”. On the dining room’s menu “there’s not a huge choice”, but all reports say “the cuisine is also very good”.