My Top 5 Dining Experiences in Scotland – H&B Perspectives

Can't Miss Meals in The Home of Golf

Connor Evers, PGA

January 9, 2025

6 Minute Read

This past year, I celebrated traveling to my 30th country and have been fortunate to enjoy so many incredible places. One of my favorite things to do when visiting a new destination is search for the best restaurants and unique experiences to take in the local cuisine. From eating street food in Bangkok, enjoying fresh pita bread and hummus at Tel Aviv Beach, to farm to table steak in Buenos Aires, many of my fondest travel memories center around food.

For me, enjoying the local cuisine is as important to the journey as taking in the famous sights. I've found that it’s best appreciated with others and tells so much about a city or country. It's a central part of a culture and can reflect a country's history, their climate, and past tradition. I see it as a free tour guide to a location, but via food.

While I'd love to talk about my favorite dining locations throughout the world, I’m here, more specifically, for Scottish cuisine and why it’s simply incredible.

Scottish food often faces an unfair and outdated stereotype. Some claim it’s bland, unseasoned, or unappealing, especially compared to other parts of the world. I’m here to say that prejudgment is straight rubbish. In my experience, that misguided view often comes from someone that has not been to Scotland and buys into the myth, or they visited decades ago and are unaware just how much has changed.

In contrast, I have always found the food in Scotland to be flavorful, extremely fresh and consistent. Anywhere from Princes Street in Edinburgh to more remote parts of the Scottish Highlands, consistency is what rings true throughout each of my dining experiences. I’ve traveled to Scotland multiple times and have yet to have a poor meal.

With that all being said, here is my subjective list of the Top 5 dining experiences in Scotland:

1. Fine Dining at Mara – Dornoch

Mara is a restaurant connected to the Links House Hotel in Dornoch, Scotland, adjacent to the world’s #2 ranked golf course, Royal Dornoch. Without question, Mara was the best dining experience of my life—full stop. I love trying different foods, and this meal was truly unique.

All of the food and ingredients at Mara are sourced directly from the Highlands, ensuring everything is fresh and flavorful. The menu features dishes like rabbit, pigeon, venison, and oysters—the list goes on. I dined with Trisha, the hotel’s group concierge, who took the reins and ordered for me, leaving me with no say in the matter (and I wouldn’t have had it any other way).

The wine list was nearly 20 pages long and every selection was perfectly paired for each dish. If you’re in the Scottish Highlands—and especially in Dornoch—dinner at Mara is a can't miss experience.

A special thanks and shoutout to Phil Scott and his team at Links House and Mara. Congratulations on your recent One MICHELIN Key recognition.

Any night spent here is bound to be better than most.

2. Best Fish & Chips at Crail Golfing Society – Anstruther

If you ask someone where to find the best fish & chips in St. Andrews, many will answer that with Tailend. Don’t get me wrong, Tailend is very good, especially when enjoyed as a take away order while watching folks putt out on the 18th green of the Old Course. But there’s a new sheriff in town––or rather, not far from town: the fish & chips post-golf at Crail Golfing Society.

I played the Balcomie Links at Crail for the first time in October of 2022. After golf, my friend Larkin and I got a tour of the clubhouse from David Snodgrass, the club's professional. We were welcomed with great Scottish hospitality and David invited us to stay for lunch in the clubhouse. Being a Sunday, the obvious choice for lunch was a Sunday Roast, but the fish & chips were calling our names.

After playing in 30 mph winds and finally beating Larkin at golf for the first time, that meal tasted even better. We both agreed: it was the best fish & chips we’d ever enjoyed. I'm already looking forward to my next visit to the 7th oldest club in the world.

The best in Scotland? It has my vote.

3. Incredible Steak at Kyloe – Edinburgh

I rarely order steak while overseas. It’s always on the menu and I usually reach the common view that “I can get this anywhere”. But while over in 2022, I decided to indulge with dinner at Kyloe, given the high remarks it receives in our post expedition surveys plus the recommendation from my colleague Whitney Hedrick, our Director of Member Services.

Growing up on a 200 acre farm in Eastern Iowa with about 250 head of cattle each year, I’m always a tough critic of steak. Kyloe in Edinburgh is one of the best cooked steaks I’ve ever had. The restaurant is located right off Princes Street, adjacent to the Caledonian Hotel and across the street from the Johnnie Walker Whisky Experience. Outside of the food, they have specialty cocktails, usually not on the menu and only advertised via the service staff. When I heard about their peanut butter and jelly infused Old Fashioned, no arm twisting was needed. The mini PB&J sandwich on the toothpick was a touch of class.

That little toothpick... Magic.

4. Dining with the Members of The Honorable Company of Edinburgh Golfers – Gullane

I would regret not mentioning the lunch at Muirfield, The Honorable Company of Edinburgh Golfers. The typical day at Muirfield consists of playing fourballs (your own golf ball) before lunch. After your morning golf is complete, it's time to shower and change into a jacket and tie for gentlemen and a dress or skirt for the ladies to enjoy lunch in the clubhouse. Then it's back to the course for an afternoon round of foursomes (alternate shot). Simply put, it’s one of the best single day experiences in golf.

The spread for lunch, to put it mildly, is huge. It's full buffet style with every style of meat imaginable, from haggis bon bons to a Sunday Roast…but on a Tuesday or Thursday. The appetizer options alone could quite a meal, and then there's dessert. Many members of the club are there also eating and are curious where you’re from and the classic “How did ye get on with morning fourballs?” (In a Scottish accent).

The experience in the clubhouse is just as great as it is on the course. From viewing the original rules of golf to seeing the history of how the club has evolved over hundreds of years, it’s almost like being in a museum, but for golf. The hardest part of the day? Changing back into your golfing attire and playing afternoon foursomes.

An experience that will never, ever get old.

5. Quintessential Pub: The Red Lion – Prestwick

This would not be a complete and accurate list without a mention of a Scottish pub. Back to my point on culture, pubs are woven into the fabric of life in the United Kingdom. It’s where you go if you’re having a great day or a bad day. Where birthdays, baptisms, and anniversaries are celebrated. Even where folks go to give cheers to a late friend or family member after a funeral. There are so many great pubs around the country, but my favorite has to be The Red Lion.

Golf and The Red Lion go hand in hand. This is where the rules of the 1st Open Championship were discussed and voted on and then the championship was then played around the corner at Prestwick Golf Club––just a 5 minute walk from the pub. The classic pub fare is great, especially following a round of golf at any of the courses in Ayrshire, but especially Prestwick. Sitting in the pub or outside in the beer garden, it’s a cool and unique feeling to be a part of the history, especially being a golfer.

Good food, great history.

3 Spots on My List for the Future

1. Three Chimneys – Isle of Skye

The Three Chimneys out on the Isle of Skye has been on my list for years. Like Mara, everything is locally sourced from the Isle of Skye area. You usually need a reservation for multiple months in advance, given its long running reputation as one of the best dining experiences in Scotland.

2. Oystercatcher – Portmahomack

I was just in Scotland a few months ago with my Dad. We had plans to go to Oystercatcher in the small village of Portmahomack. It’s about a 20 minute drive from Dornoch. But with off-season road construction on the A9 northbound, we were late and missed out on this restaurant. It’s a seafood restaurant and almost everything is “boat to table.” Guess I have another great reason to return to The Highlands.

3. Old Clubhouse – Machrihanish

One of the biggest gaps where I have not played much golf is out on Mull of Kintyre. The Old Clubhouse Pub in Machrihanish is on the list. Thinking of a summer Scottish night at this classic pub makes me want to jump on a plane and head across the Atlantic immediately.

I hope you enjoyed this read and were maybe inspired to look for a few of these spots on an upcoming trip to Scotland. I look forward to sharing more of my personal experiences from Great Britain & Ireland and Beyond in the future.