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Restaurants
in the Scottish Borders.

It’s 20:06 in the Borders.
Scottish Borders

Dinner in the market towns.

Eating out in the Borders is a pleasure, often in old buildings full of character. There's a family-run restaurant in Melrose with a Michelin Bib, an Italian kitchen in the town's old railway station, and a restaurant in an old inn across the Tweed at Gattonside. Near Jedburgh, a country restaurant is known for its game, and a country inn of 1836 sits on the green at St Boswells. Book ahead, especially on Fridays and Saturdays.

The Hoebridge→
Buccleuch Arms→
Giacopazzi's→
Restaurant of the day17 hours ago

Buccleuch Arms.

A country inn of 1836 on the green at St Boswells, built as a hunting lodge, with 19 rooms, a bistro and bar, and four Scottish Inn of the Year...

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Tonight15 hours agoScottish BordersBuccleuch ArmsRestaurantScottish BordersProvenderRestaurantScottish BordersMonte CassinoRestaurantScottish BordersThe Caddy MannRestaurantScottish BordersBrevityRestaurantScottish BordersBurts HotelRestaurant

A table for tonight.

Restaurants to book ahead, and the ones you can still walk into.

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From the magazine13 hours agoThe printed copy of Issue 12Issue 12Spring / Summer 2026

Jack Blackwell worked at Noma in Copenhagen before opening Dōr, his shop in Kelso, in a former florist's that had been cold and damp for over 20 years.

Dōr is a small, thoughtful shop on the high street in Kelso, in the Scottish Borders, with coffee at its heart. Jack started out helping in the cafés his mum ran, then worked in bars and restaurants, among them Timberyard in Edinburgh. When Covid paused his hospitality career, he moved back north in search of a slower pace, a new home and a new community, and found all three in Kelso. 'From those early days, it really felt like time to do something rather than dream about it'. Doing most of the work himself, he uncovered the original fireplaces, floor and window boxes, kept the traditional shop front and made the inside fresh and flexible.

See Dōr · Scottish Borders
From our guide11 hours ago

The Caddy Mann.

A highly respected restaurant with a string of accolades to its name – including being chosen as the UK’s best game restaurant – the Caddy Mann is a family-run affair that puts as much love into its coffee and home-bakes as it does into its lunch and dinner menus. The slow-baked Caddy Mann lamb and the locally sourced Game Pie are both popular dishes.

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Afterwards9 hours agoScottish BordersWallace Mural100 yardsScottish BordersThe Falls of Clyde0.8 milesScottish BordersDouglas Village8.4 miles

Round the corner from Duke’s Deli.

The three good places closest to it: Wallace Mural, The Falls of Clyde and Douglas Village.

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From our guide6 hours ago

Provender.

Loosen your belt buckle. This Michelin-recommended, family-run restaurant has been lauded by publications as diverse as The Scotsman and the LA Times, on the strength of a menu that champions local produce while combining “contemporary Scottish, British and French cooking” – expect anything from pan-roasted venison loin to wild mushroom tartlets. Chef Christian Edwardson is a local who learned his trade under the legendary Pierre Koffmann in London.

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From our guide4 hours ago

Monte Cassino.

No blackjack tables or roulette wheels here. This traditional Italian restaurant is one of Melrose’s most reliable culinary offerings, with Naples-born chef Antonio Caterino serving up dishes such as Pasta Alessa (with eight-hour slow-braised lamb) alongside the usual Italian classics. The pizza – predictably, given Caterino’s Neapolitan roots – is excellent.

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From the magazine2 hours agoThe printed copy of Issue 10Issue 10Spring / Summer 2025

The Buccleuch Arms, an inn at St Boswells in the Scottish Borders, began as a hunting lodge in 1836 and has been named Scottish Inn of the Year four times.

The red sandstone inn was built as a lodge for the 5th Duke of Buccleuch, and it has kept plenty of its period charm. During the pandemic it was also named Community Hotel of the Year. Today there are 19 comfortable bedrooms and a large beer garden, and in the Blue Coo Bistro and Bar the menu showcases seasonal local food. It makes a lovely base for the middle of the Borders, with Dryburgh Abbey, Scott's View and the River Tweed all close by.

See Buccleuch Arms · Scottish Borders
Restaurants18 minutes ago

The Hoebridge.

A restaurant in an old inn at Gattonside, across the Tweed from Melrose, with a seasonal menu and a garden, open for dinner from Wednesday to Saturday.

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RestaurantsJust now

Giacopazzi's.

A family-run gelato parlour and fish and chip shop by the harbour in Eyemouth, with multi-award-winning ice cream.

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