Hidden Scotland
Sign in

Food and drink
in Caithness.

It’s 20:05 in Caithness.
Caithness

Where to eat in Caithness.

Caithness is the place for fish straight off the boats and beef from the farms around. Eat seafood in an old ice house on Scrabster harbour, fish and chips from a village chip shop, or a lunch at a family farm near Wick that serves its own Highland beef. There are hotel dining rooms by the river and in the middle of Wick, and a relaxed café and deli tucked inside a shop. Places can be far apart, so plan your stops.

The Galley, Scrabster→
No 1 Bistro→
Castletown Chip Shop→
Ulbster Arms Hotel→
Olive→
Place of the day18 hours ago

The Galley, Scrabster.

A seafood restaurant in an old ice house on the harbour at Scrabster, cooking fish landed at the port, with a vaulted stone dining room.

See the place
Food and drink16 hours ago

Olive.

Olive calls itself ‘a shop within a shop’: an informal coffee shop and dining space.

See the place
From the magazine14 hours agoThe printed copy of Issue 06Issue 06Spring / Summer 2023

Daniel Chretien, a chef from the south-west of France, cooks traditional French food at Bord de l'Eau, a restaurant beside the River Wick in Caithness.

His Gallic restaurant stands a bread roll's throw from the river in Wick, and its name is French for the water's edge. Traditional French cuisine is the order of the day, so expect everything from terrines and soups to pan-fried frogs' legs, with hand-picked red wines to go with them. It is a long way from the south-west of France to Wick, one of the two small towns where most of Caithness's 25,000 people live. This far-flung corner of the mainland can feel closer in spirit to Orkney and Shetland than to the rest of the country.

Photograph: Ana Marrie on Google MapsSee Bord de l'Eau · Caithness
From our guide12 hours ago

Castletown Chip Shop.

There’s nothing fancy or wholesome about this Thurso fish and chip shop, but it serves up the kind of grub that hungry bellies hanker after. As well as the traditional fish suppers and jumbo sausages, your visit might also coincide with a batch of deep-fried spam fritters or – around Christmas – battered pigs-in-blankets and sprouts.

See the place
Tonight10 hours agoCaithnessThe Galley, ScrabsterRestaurantCaithnessNo 1 BistroRestaurantCaithnessUlbster Arms HotelRestaurantCaithnessCastletown Chip ShopRestaurantCaithnessPuldagon Farm ShopRestaurant

A table for tonight.

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

See all the restaurants
From our guide9 hours ago

No 1 Bistro.

Part of Mackays Hotel in Wick, this is an enjoyable lunch spot with an emphasis on Scottish produce and a menu that incorporates everything from pan-fried Orkney scallops or mushroom ravioli to pulled beef mac and cheese. Suppliers include Caithness Smokehouse and Scrabster Seafoods.

See the place
Somewhere to eat7 hours ago

Ulbster Arms Hotel, Caithness.

A four-star hotel on the banks of the River Thurso at Halkirk, a fishing hotel with a panelled lounge, a bar and a restaurant, a short drive from Thurso and the Orkney ferry.

See the place
Newly discovered5 hours agoCaithnessThe Tomb of the EaglesAttractionCaithnessWick Heritage CentreAttractionCaithnessPuldagon Farm ShopRestaurantCaithnessLybster HarbourAttractionCaithnessBord de l'EauAttractionCaithnessSinclair’s BayAttraction

Some good places to go, newly added to the site.

The newest places on our pages in Caithness.

Browse everywhere to go
From our guide3 hours ago

Bord de l’Eau.

Daniel Chretien hails from the southwest of France but can now be found at the helm of Gallic restaurant Bord de l’Eau, a bread roll’s throw from the River Wick. Traditional French cuisine is the order of the day, so expect everything from terrines, soups and pan-fried frogs’ legs to hand-picked red wines.

See the place
From the magazine1 hour agoThe printed copy of Issue 06Issue 06Spring / Summer 2023

The wood-panelled Lounge Bar of the Ulbster Arms Hotel, at Halkirk in Caithness, has an original carved fireplace that came from a Dutch galleon.

The hotel is a 19th-century bolthole on the banks of the River Thurso, and it is heavy with tradition, with log fires, premium double rooms and its own restaurant. The magazine warns that once you are in, you may find it hard to drag yourself away from the Lounge Bar, fireplace and all. Outside lies Caithness, the far-flung north-eastern corner of the mainland, where the rocks, moors and hills have an elemental rawness and Orkney lies just off the coast. After a day out on that windswept coast, a log fire is a welcome sight.

See Ulbster Arms Hotel · Caithness
SundayJust nowCaithnessNo 1 BistroRestaurantCaithnessOliveCafeCaithnessPuldagon Farm ShopRestaurant

Open on Sunday.

By their own hours, which is the only kind we trust.

See all the places to eat

You are up to date.

That is everything for today. Tomorrow's first posts go up in the morning. Or have the best of it in your inbox each morning in the Daily.