Best Pubs in Scotland
Published 24 November 2025

The Applecross Inn is legendary for its food, craic and location. At the end of the nail-bitingly vertiginous Bealach Na Bà Pass, it’s the highest and one of the hairiest passes in Britain – and a highlight of the famous North Coast 500 road trip. A sign at the bottom reads ‘normally impassable in wintery conditions.’ The less intrepid can curve around the coast from Sheildaig.

Run by Judith Fish MBE since 1989, this whitewashed pub with rooms attracts a steady stream of bikers and campervan holidaymakers ready for a nerve-calming dram (there are over 50 malt whiskies on offer) or a pint of ale from the locally owned Applecross Brewery. Outside, a smattering of picnic tables huddle above a rocky beach with dreamy wide-angle views over to the Isle of Skye and Raasay, while a converted silver airstream caravan (the Inn-Side Out) offers fish and chips, ice cream and coffee to go.

Inside, it’s properly old-school, shabby but not chic: red carpets, orange pine panelling, the bar strung with fairy lights, a large wood-burner. The menu naturally showcases local seafood: Applecross Bay prawns or langoustines swimming in hot, garlicky butter; plump hand-dived scallops; local oysters; smoked salmon and crab. In terms of portion size, read: huge. Haggis flambéed in Drambuie is a plate-scraping show-stealer, while a luxurious special of seafood linguine in Champagne butter sauce is worth the hefty price tag. The menu also includes excellent fish and chunky chips (haddock, of course, as this is Scotland) alongside steaks, burgers, Thai curry and vegetarian chilli. Desserts are in the same vein, huge portions of pub classics ranging from fruit crumble to cranachan, a muddle of fresh raspberries, cream, whisky, oats and meringue. 

Located alongside the Galloway Forest Park, the family-run Clachan has everything you could wish for – a traditional, cosy vibe, slate floors, fireside chairs, a ‘fabulous choice of real ales’ and a ‘seriously terrific restaurant’, plus quiz nights and music sessions.  And everyone has a good word for the friendly, engaging staff and their caring attitude to young and old alike. Expect superbly cooked local ingredients and smartly presented dishes, whether you’re opting for a ‘light bites’ lunch or the full works in the evening. Meat and game are well represented with the likes of wood pigeon with potato gnocchi, sweetcorn and ‘nduja or Scotch ox cheek with potato terrine, while fish fans could home in on North Sea turbot with Galloway girolles, peas and baby gem. To conclude, you might find a choux bun with raspberry, white chocolate and lavender or a Scottish cheese plate with house oatcakes and chutney. Aside from the line-up of draught beers, drinkers can dip into a short, accessible wine list with seven by the glass.

The sign outside this whitewashed 17th-century inn – and its logo – reference the local custom of curling on the frozen waters of nearby Loch Kilconquhar, although most attention focuses on the output of the pub's kitchen these days. This part of Fife feels fairly remote, but chef/co-owner James Ferguson is plugged into local supply lines – not least from the Balcaskie Estate, which oversees 2,000 acres of mainly coastal farmland hereabouts.

Menus change daily, depending on what produce arrives at the kitchen door, so expect anything from refined seafood dishes such as steamed razor clams in oloroso to a starter of Shetland lamb offal, fired with pickled chilli and served with yoghurt flatbread. Line-caught mackerel might take its place among mains, grilled and served with horseradish-infused baby beetroot, while russet Tamworths provide the pork chops that are cooked with fennel, onions and sage.

When it comes to finishers, homemade ice creams with oaty shortbread are hard to beat, or look further afield for a sorbet of Amalfi lemons soused in Polish vodka. Drinks include craft beers and cider, plus a short but enterprising wine selection.

There are tables outside for the balmy seasons, and an air of simple rusticity within (complete with candlelight in the evenings) – thanks to co-owner Alethea Palmer, who runs the place with appreciable cheer and a breadth of welcome that extends to pre-advised dogs in the bar area.

Dunkeld is something of a foodie hot spot, and if you want a pub – particularly on a sunny day – then The Taybank is a must. In summer, the outdoor space feels like a festival, with fairy lights strung through the trees and terracing leading down to the river Tay. Big open marquees offer protection from both sun and rain – sometimes at the same time. The outdoor bar and kitchen dispense local beers and spirits, along with freshly prepared wood-fired pizzas and street-food snacks. Once summer has ended, the venue itself is an equally tempting proposition. Lunches are served in the rustic, cosy downstairs bar with seasonally changing dishes defined by produce from the owners' nearby four-acre, ‘no-dig’ walled garden – perhaps tempura cauliflower and courgette flower with crowdie or pickled radishes with cod’s roe. Larger dishes offer Scottish classics with a twist – say Cullen skink in a brandade or cured sea trout with whisky ponzu. Dinners are served in the elegant upstairs restaurant and could offer whole grilled brill with sriracha butter to share. Sunday lunches are popular and hearty.