Aberdeenshire Restaurant Guide

This “small restaurant with lovely fresh fish” has clocked up 21 years in Aberdeen’s medieval Merchants’ Quarter, opposite the Kirk of St Nicholas. Chef and co-owner Brian Mcleish has been at the helm for more than a decade, delivering “beautifully served” dishes (including a decent range of meat-based options). There’s a focus on organic and biodynamic wines, plus a good selection of gins at the bar (and yes, we’re in Scotland).

“A stunning setting on top of the old customs house” on Pocra Quay makes this restaurant the “perfect place to sample the local fish and shellfish” while “watching boats come into the harbour as the sun sets” – “all the food is very fresh and there are some excellent vegetarian options; they also have a creative list of cocktails and a lovely wine selection”. ‘Silver darling’ is an old nickname for the herring that used to be such an important catch for the fishermen of ‘Fittie’ (officially Footdee), the historic fishing village you can see from this perch.

Well-known local chef Kevin Dalgleish launched this “sleek, sophisticated yet relaxed” basement restaurant in 2022, in a “lovely” townhouse not far from the city centre; by most (if not quite all) accounts, there is “very little to fault” with the high-class cooking (“using the very best of ingredients” from Scotland and elevating them with French techniques). As we went to press, Dalgleish had announced plans to extend into the basement next door, with outdoor seating also on the horizon in the future.