Hidden Scotland
Sign in
The Tolbooth's window framing Stonehaven harbour, its boats and the green headland.
Aberdeenshire

Tolbooth Seafood Restaurant

A seafood restaurant upstairs in Stonehaven's Tolbooth, the town's oldest building, on the old pier, with fish landed in the harbour below.

Visit websiteCall
Welcome

On the old pier at Stonehaven harbour stands the Tolbooth, the oldest building in the town.

George, the fifth Earl Marischal, built it at the end of the sixteenth century as a storehouse for Dunnottar Castle; in 1600 it became the courthouse and tolbooth, and the court sat here until 1767, after which merchants and fishermen used it as a store once more.

Upstairs is the Tolbooth Seafood Restaurant, and its windows look straight down over the harbour, the boats and the green headland beyond. Much of the fish and shellfish comes from local fishermen who land it in the harbour, and the menu follows the catch: halibut, sole, squid, lobster, crab and langoustine, with Shetland mussels and scallops, a seafood risotto and whole monkfish or sea bream.

It opens from Tuesday to Sunday, and booking ahead is wise, above all for a table by the window. In summer there is a small museum of the town's history downstairs.

The Daily

Arrives at 5am every day.

A free morning email to see what’s on this week, catch up on what’s happening in Scotland and find somewhere new to go.

The Daily for 1 November, from Scotland with love. A misty lane runs past slate-roofed cottages toward a wooded hillside.
Not farMontrose Golf Links19 milesSee itMontrose Golf Links
Before you go

Open Tuesday to Sunday for dinner, and for lunch from Wednesday; closed on Monday.

Booking is wise.

Where
The Old Pier, Stonehaven harbour.
Telephone
01569 762287.

Opening hours

Their website
Monday
Closed
Tuesday
5pm–9.15pm
Wednesday
noon–9.15pm
Thursday
noon–9.15pm
Friday
noon–9.15pm
Saturday
noon–9.15pm
Sunday
noon–8pm

Eaten here? Tell others what to order and when to go, and the best go on this page with your name.

Add your tip
Where it is

On the old pier at Stonehaven harbour.

Close byStonehaven.
  1. The white front of the Ship Inn on Stonehaven harbour.The Ship InnAn inn of 1771 on the edge of Stonehaven harbour, with malts, real ale and a sun terrace.Under a mile 1 min by road
  2. The white front of the Marine Hotel on the harbour at Stonehaven.The Marine HotelA harbourside bar serving the beer of its own brewery, six°north, and some of the best from Belgium.Under a mile 1 min by road
  3. The white front of the Carron Fish Bar in Stonehaven with its sign about the deep-fried Mars bar.The Carron Fish BarThe Stonehaven chip shop where, the story goes, the deep-fried Mars bar was first fried, in 1992.Under a mile 2 min by road
  4. StonehavenStonehavenA harbour town below the cliffs of the Mearns.Under a mile 2 min by road
  5. Man in chef's cap leans from serving hatch at thebayfishandchips.comThe Bay Fish & ChipsAward-winning fish and chips on the promenade.1 mile 3 min by road
  6. Dunnottar CastleDunnottar CastleThe fortress the Tolbooth was built to serve.3 miles 7 min by road
Directions
Connie & Ruby's shop interior with a red counter and colourful trinketsRestaurantsMy Beautiful Caravan0.5 miles
The ice-cream counter at Aunty Betty's under its painted ceiling.CafeAunty Bettys1.0 miles
Swimmers and sunbathers round Stonehaven's open-air pool on a sunny day.AttractionsStonehaven Outdoor Pool1.1 miles
The white-streaked sea cliffs of Fowlsheugh above blue water, a seabird in flight.AttractionsRSPB Scotland Fowlsheugh4.7 miles
Waterfall dropping from grassy cliffs into a sheltered sea inletAttractionsRSPB Fowlsheugh4.7 miles
Grass-topped limestone cliff with a thin waterfall dropping into the seaAttractionsCrawton Waterfall4.8 miles
The white Creel Inn at Catterline with its sign, a lobster creel on the terrace.RestaurantsThe Creel Inn6.4 miles
Rowing boat "The Gray Starling" sits among wildflowers overlooking a rocky sea stackAttractionsCatterline Bay6.6 miles
Brae's bright café room, a counter of bakes and tables by big windows.CafeBrae at Chapelton6.7 miles

Recommend to a friend

Stay nearby

Places to stay near the restaurant, and when each is next free.

Timber cabin with metal roof and decking surrounded by woodland treesNorth Lodge and River Cabin
  • Sleeps 6
  • In Banchory
  • 14 miles from the Tolbooth
Free 8–9 NovA stone farmhouse covered in climbing ivy stands behind a gravel drive, seen through overhanging pine branches.Cuttieshillock
  • Sleeps 6
  • In Glen Dye
  • 14 miles from the Tolbooth
Free 1–2 NovA stone cottage with dormer windows sits behind a low blue gate, a rose-covered archway framing the front door.Gamekeeper’s Cottage
  • Sleeps 6
  • In Strachan
  • 14 miles from the Tolbooth
Free 2–3 NovA stone steading with a slated pyramid roof and a chimney stands behind a green nameplate sign, a chair visible through the window.No 2 Steading Cottage
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Strachan
  • 14 miles from the Tolbooth
Free 12–13 NovPlaces to stayEvery stay in AberdeenshireAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
Hidden Scotland, the magazine

Scotland, in print.

We want to show you the best that Scotland has to offer. The makers and the creatives, the enduring experiences, the evocative tales, the concealed corners. The roads less travelled that take you to places that matter. The adventures that gather you up and sweep you away. The blend of the wild and the artistic that makes Scotland what it is. We’d love for you to join us.

Get Issue 9Read it here
Read on

What we have written about it and more in Aberdeenshire.

From the magazineFishing Towns and VillagesArticleStory famous locations in AberdeenshireArticleWhere to eat in Stonehaven
More in Aberdeenshire
Find out more

For further reading, before you go. The details on this page were checked on .