Charcoal Aviemore in Highland

Love the lamb shish and mixed grilled

Service was excellent and the restaurant was lovely. It's part of the station, which is itself quaintly themed. The food was reasonable.

My family had a fantastic meal, 2 adults 11yr & 3yr old very accommodating, the food was outstanding, generous portions and excellent value definitely recommend and the staff were extremely helpful.

Arriving into Aviemore for a break to then be lucky enough to get a table. The food and service was absolutely impeccable. A table was booked immediately for the Friday at the end of our stay. However, we decided that after trying another venue which was disappointing, we will have dined here 5 times out of the six day visit. We have all had a different choice each evening and the varied menu has made each meal different. As a lover of very spicy food I requested a very hot Madras chicken tikka and the chef (I’m told named Abu) met my request with a perfect dish which I now have to only ask for when I return. All waiting staff were so attentive and welcoming and went out of their way to help with the placement for a mobility scooter without a second thought. Well done Charcoal you restored my faith in the food industry in Aviemore

The food was really not good, nothing was handmade. I got the worst chicken wings in my life, they looked bad, came clearly out of the microwave and were completely dry. The patty of my burger was a convenience product and tasted like that, even McDonalds does much better burger. The fries and the salad were ok.

Das war nix ! Chickenwings nicht empfehlenswert. trocken und aufgewärmt. Die Burger lieblos serviert, ohne Salat, Gurke, Zwiebeln ect. Ketchup, Sauce und Majo jeweils aus der Packung. Pommes geschmacklos und man musste kräftig nachsalzen. Dafür war der Preis recht ordentlich. Nie wieder !!!!

I had seen Charcoal advertised for months on Facebook and could wait for my next trip to Aviemore to give it a try! There was plenty to choose from on the menu! My food was full of flavour and cooked to perfection! All of my family really enjoyed their dish too! The staff were lovely with great service! Thank you and can’t wait to return!

We stopped off on our way home after a long day. Service was lovely, and we enjoyed our food. The place was fairly quiet but it is still very much off season

Absolutely lovely meal at Charcoal tonight, food was amazing and the service was fantastic, staff so friendly and attentive. Will definitely be back!

The best Tikka Masala I’ve ever had. Had it 2 nights in a row last year and again this year. Service is great as well. Well done guys.

Very enjoyable well presented meal. Menu is a real twist on the expected but food was delicious.

Halal meal . Yummy food . 5 mins walking distance from McDonald Aviemore resorts and other hotels and resorts are also near by . Reservation is required very busy busy place . They have kids menu . First we went for our lunch and in the same day my husband went and get take away meal for our dinner . My husband said one of the best lamb chops. My son was happy too . I had ordered Chicken casarol but they didn’t make it the way it supposed to be . But English people will like it as curry and rice

First time eating here last night we enjoyed it so much we are going back tonight. X x x

Wow Fast Amazing Indian food Staff great

Loved chicken biryani and chicken wings

Almost ate here in Nov 2024 the day we went they closed for holiday so back Feb 2025, had to try and weren’t disappointed 😁 shared the Mezze and then lamb chops from the grill- delicious! Will definitely be back on our next visit 😀😀

Food has not been good at all for me. Ordered 3 starters and the humos came very old and we had food poisoning thanks to it. Mixed grill was well over seasoned and wine very expensive. Never again for me sorry. Stafff was excellent btw.

Average mixed grill. Definitely over priced! We stayed and ate out over a few nights in Aviemore and this was my most disappointing and over hyped dinner. Wouldn’t go again.

Hala food is available, Very tasty food.. polite stuff, highly recommended

Lovely inside, train station vibes. Clean and welcoming. Something on the menu for everyone. Garlic mushrooms to start, although delicious there were very few mushrooms in a lot of sauce. Garlic bread was good. Nice fresh herbs. Garlic chicken tikka curry and lamb shish. Nice whole chilli’s in the curry, fresh salad. Really good. No room for dessert. £70 with a round of drinks (for 2) and a 10% tip. Worth the money.

Card was charged 20% more than printed bill.

Meal was luke warm suposed to be Sunday roast pork... pork chops. Desert sticky toffey puding was burnt at bottom.

Charcoal is the kind of restaurant I would travel miles to enjoy, we visit Aviemore two/three times a year and always fit a Charcoal into the mix. It was my other half's birthday and Azim went above and beyond to make her night one to remember. Charcoal is the perfect restaurant for all the family, they have a wide variety of Turkish, Indian and British meals all in one but I would recommend the chicken/lamb shish... you won't regret it. The portions are really generous and filling which is perfect after a day of adventuring around the Cairngorms, the staff are always so friendly and service is always so quick. I cant say a bad word about Charcoal Aviemore, it really is one of those places you leave and feel like you are in need of a good nap. It definitely is value for money! Thank you again to Azim & the team for going above and beyond, we will see you soon.

Charcoal is the kind of restaurant I would travel miles to enjoy, we visit Aviemore two/three times a year and always fit a Charcoal into the mix. It was my other half's birthday and Azim went above and beyond to make her night one to remember. Charcoal is the perfect restaurant for all the family, they have a wide variety of Turkish, Indian and British meals all in one but I would recommend the chicken/lamb shish... you won't regret it. The portions are really generous and filling which is perfect after a day of adventuring around the Cairngorms, the staff are always so friendly and service is always so quick. I cant say a bad word about Charcoal Aviemore, it really is one of those places you leave and feel like you are in need of a good nap. It definitely is value for money! Thank you again to Azim & the team for going above and beyond, we will see you soon.

Me,my partner and son had a meal here last night, very disappointed in the meal. Halloumi starter was okay, partners chicken soup wa like a cup of soup very bland and powdery. Mains were chicken korma which was very watery and tasted like it was out of a tin, same with the Chicken bhuna very bland and watery too. Son had chicken wings and chips, smallest chicken wing I've seen. Meals came out fast but lukewarm. Wouldn't recommend this place

Very expensive, very bland and now me and the wife are ill 🤣

We are couple from Iceland and we loved the food and everything ❤️

We visit Aviemore twice a year and have been to Charcoal previously. We decided to try their Currys on this occasion. It was the nicest curry I’ve had for a while anywhere.the peswhari nan was crisp. Staff were friendly and attentive. I don’t normally write reviews, however I feel this was warranted on the occasion.

Dining on my own I entered asking for a table for one and was directed to a table in a corner right of the entrance which looks like a coat room or a place to park prams. I initially sat at a table facing a wall like I was in timeout! Eventually I moved to the adjacent table 1 with a view out the front and ordered a king prawn shish. Charcoal certainly puts the char into the food’s flavours and though the skewer wasn’t burnt it still tasted like it, not overpowering, but dominating. The prawns were cooked perfectly so I surmise that the grill had other things that contributed to the strong taste. Vegetables were cooked al dante with a sort of sweet curry sauce not offensive just odd. All in all average experience with slightly above average food just under £40 for the shish, glass of wine and a starter.

Popped in for a Tea Time meal on our drive south, pleasantly impressed with the tasty food we received, good service from very attentive staff. There is a great selection of different meals on the menu, and the views straight on to the Platforms mean you can see the trains

Gave me food poisoning! I had the chicken shish and within a few hours my stomach was churning. Service was terrible on top of that. Bit overpriced. Avoid.

We enjoyed a lovely meal at Charcoal last year so decided to go back. Sadly, our return visit was very disappointing. Daughter was going to order a korma but asked for plain chicken instead of the chicken tikka listed as a meat option. Despite other dishes appearing to offer chicken (with absolutely no mention of it being chicken tikka), we were advised “no, can’t do that”. Instead she ordered penne masala as she enjoyed that dish last year. Husband and I ordered curries - both of which were just okay but nothing special at all (and not cheap either). When the food arrived, we had no cutlery to eat with so asked staff for knives and forks. Instead of returning with cutlery for our meal, they disappeared to go and set up other tables, meanwhile we sat waiting for some cutlery! As there was an empty but set up table close by, my daughter got up and took cutlery and napkins from there, then when staff member saw that, they came over and claimed they had run out of fresh cutlery - ridiculous statement when they were setting up other tables as we were just sat there waiting for cutlery to be able to start eating our meal! Daughter’s penne masala was very oily and swimming in grease - awful. Chicken in that dish (which was not chicken tikka) was stringy and very unappetising. Needless to say she left majority of her meal and simply ate some plain Nan bread instead. The unappealing taste and texture of that dish was brought to the attention of one staff member who did knock £15 off the bill but all in all the meal was extremely disappointing compared to last year and we won’t return or wouldn’t recommend.

After being treated poorly by The Winking Owl pub in Aviemore, who refused to serve us dinner at 7:30, they were so rude, we made our way to Charcoal Aviemore where they treated us like royalty. The service was excellent and they're open late. The food and wine was just what we needed to warm our tummies after a long day of travel!

Lovely Indian restaurant, it includes less Indian dishes such as Greek, burgers, lasagne, etc I asked the waiter (EXTREMELY COURTEOUS gent) to recommend but he wasn't able to. Perfect food.

We are visiting the Highlands and found this place. The food was delicious and the service was awesome! We enjoyed it so much we visited again before we left. Highly recommend!

My absolute favorite!! Go and taste‼️

Very friendly staff, great atmosphere. Good menu. Fabulous food. Would recommend without hesitation.

First of; They don’t allow dogs. That was a first for us in Scotland. Very rude and unfriendly

Came here 3 times during our holiday in Aviemore as the food was so tasty.

Lovely place, food was amazing, lovely friendly staff, couldn't do enough for us, really nice, highly recommend 😉

The staff are polite. Had a burger which tasted just like a burger from the store with buns from the store. Not worth the price (15 £)

Went as a big group and wanted seperate bills but the staff did not allow this?? I have never experienced this or heard of this at any other restaurant- i think they were just too lazy to split up the bill and wanted us to pay together. The staff member was rude and definitely needs to attend a hospitality/customer service course. The food was not worth the prices. The portions and taste was not up to the price expectations. Each dish is around £20 per person (?!?!) Calamari was very nice but you only get 3. Overall, very poor and I would not recommend.

We cane as a family friend group but they didn't let us sit next to each other and food was just not it. DONT COME HERE!!!

Amazing food and very quick service. very friendly staff and would definitely recommend this restaurant.

Went in tonight and has no booking, was shown to a table. Excellent service, food and quick and efficient Definitely worth a try

Watery burger, curry didn’t taste genuine Indian: cost a small fortune on drinks and food poor!

Took family for a birthaday meal, food was amazing 👏 🤩 😋 staff were great ,service was second to none great work Charcoal ,see you all again soon,very soon

Do not miss Charcoal in Aviemore. Food was excellent from the appetizers to the entrees. We had tzatziki, hummus, aubergine with pita for starters. The salmon, grilled chicken and burgers were all delicious. That would be my go to restaurant if I lived there.

The food was mostly great. The rice on both the curries was not great as some of the rice was stuck together and was hard at certain points, which was disturbing while eating. The whole meal for the family was not brought out at the same time, and I had to remind the server that another meal was supposed to come. The staff seemed not very well trained but they were really nice. Also it seemed like they haven't cleaned the taps very recently as the Guinness didn't taste right. Overall I would recommend once but not much more.

The best food in the town . The atmosphere was amazing , and food delicious 😋

Nice food, well presented. Fresh.

Excellent experience . Friendly and efficient service. The charcoal grill dishes were excellent. The lamb chops 4 in total were a generous portion. Star dish was the King Prawn Shish ( highly recommended.) A korma curry lived up to expectations and the chicken fillet burger was scoffed by the none year old,

Busy restaurant offering a range of eastern dishes (some European options as well) . Very tasty offerings with special mention for the Nan Breads. Swift service, worth a visit

Dined here. Very nice restaurant. Staff were very pleasant and attentive. Food was very good! We ordered halloumi shish and a chicken burger respectively and it was cooked perfectly, also ordered chocolate cake which was beautiful😍. Wine very good too!

Fantastic food and friendly service. Highly recommend the king prawn bhuna. Great to have so much choice of cuisine in one place. Took my husband ages to choose from the menu. You won’t be disappointed what ever your favourite food is.

Went hear for dinner tonight and it was awesome I only had the cheese burger with a side of wings which was great cooked well nice soft bap but my missus had the garlic chicken and I immediately regretted not getting a curry hers was banging all the staff were very friendly and polite can't sing this establishments praises higher we will definitely be back on our next visit up here

We requested different curries and all came with same ingredients just with different curry colour Total disappointment 😔

Lovely food, great service. Enjoyed the mixed grill.

Outstanding meal, great portions, lovely staff. We had a lovely family meal on Friday night and it was so good we decided to go back the following night. Unfortunately I'm a very fussy eater and asked if it was possible to make some that wasn't on the menu. It wasn't a problem and it was fantastic so I would definitely recommend getting the chicken tikka chasni. The staff were so genuinely lovely and made everyone feel very welcome. If you can try get a seat at the window beside the train tracks. My son absolutely loved looking for the trains coming and going especially the steam train. All in all we will be coming back and definitely recommending this place to family and friends to go to.

Worst meal I've ever had, terrible!!!

Served by Mohamed Ali he was very polite , knowledgeable about the food and a great appreciation of our requirements

I would have to say that this is the worst meal I’ve ever had. We were served what tasted like cup a soup chicken soup as a starter, nasty and powdered. Followed by the most disgusting cheeseburger. I would advise to stay away.

I would have to say that this is the worst meal I’ve ever had. Served a powder cup a soup as a starter followed the most disgusting burger. I’d advise to give this place a wide berth and save your money

We visited here on a Friday night during our weekend stay in Aviemore. We ordered mixed grills and a bottle of white wine. Wine and food both came in good time, and service was nice and friendly. The mixed grills were excellent. Good quality meat, cooked to perfection. Wine was also nice. I would say slightly overpriced for the area, but other than that we had no complaints. Would recommend.

Very charming and all the staff very friendly. Was some of the best food on my vacation throughout England and Scotland!! Food was hot and flavorful. I ordered the tzatziki w flatbread, chicken strips, and chips, with a side of curry sauce. Also apple crumble for dessert.

Young girl took our order. Poor soul obviously in first job and no training. Waiter then took it as there was confusion and then waited ages for our food. Jug of water requested twice. I’d ordered the mixed grill and personally I had mixed results. Chicken nice, lamb a bit over. Pilau rice dry but my friends all enjoyed their choices so try for yourself.

The wait staff and atmosphere was very good however my partner ( have order the vegetarian burger) has been throwing up for the past hour and only after they were able to get most of it out of his stomach has it subsided. It was a shame as we had enjoyed our meal however this was a very upsetting experience.

The food was very good but the prices are a bit high.

Worst meal of our vacation so far. Greek salad was drenched in watery dressing. Jalfrezi curry was overwhelmingly spicy, without being tasty enough to make it worth sitting through. I like hot food, it seemed to be hot for the sake of being hot rather than working with the dish. Calamari was absurdly prepared, like huge onion rings. It seems like indifference to a built-in clientele, they aren't coming back anyway, why try. The location is incredible, they could easily have it be the most accessible and visible location in Aviemore but it's wasted. Huge bummer.

Its not satisfactory experience. The service, food, atmosphere especially the smell on inside. We tried the home made biriyani, madras chicken curry, fish and chips. Total waste of money.

Very extensive menu with something for everyone. Picked the Bhuna curry which was divine and so filling! Food came out quick and they refilled our water regularly which was needed as the curries had some real kick to it (which is exactly what we wanted! :) ) Will definitely need to visit again. 10/10

Cannot fault it, didn’t prebook, place was mobbed they had no tables so have us a table with high stools, food was good, had Tzatziki starter with warm naan, mixed grill main should've taken pic but was too hungry, mum had Halloumi starter & lamb tikka masala main plus we had side of chips. Staff extremely friendly & accommodating gave us an upgraded table when we requested an upgrade due to my sore arm & mums short legs 😂 Overall highly recommend was busiest restaurant in Aviemore, can see why…!

It is a Nice restaurant with kind staff. We had Fish and chips which was satisfactory but the display of the food felt like it was just thrown on there But other than that nice atmosphere nice food!

Food was decent but the thing that was outstanding was the service from Makenzie (sorry if that’s misspelt!). She was at the bar when we arrived and was an absolute machine. Very friendly and able to do about 10 jobs all at the same time! Thank you

We ate barbecue and lamb. It was very good, a success, although we were surprised when we entered, we didn't know it was an Indian.

Great food in a really friendly restaurant. We had 2 children with us and the staff were great. Reasonable prices, would go again.

Came here for a meal with my wife and my mum. I have to say this is one of the best meals out I have ever had. Service was absolutely fantastic, the food was amazing, I had the lamb chops, they were so tasty, and cooked to perfection . I definitely would highly recommend the place.

We had the prawn kebabs, amazing...fresh and tasty and great presentation. Our family had been in earlier in the week and had great meals then too! The lovely waiter remembered my cousins from their earlier visit! The restaurant is decorated along the lines of an old railway carriage, very attractive

Beautiful meal. Service excellent. Waiters attentive and well mannered. Will certainly return .

Halal meat served here. Good classic burger.

We loved the location in the railway station with (very occasional) passing trains. We were not so keen on the food. We had been tempted by the waiter to add a Peshwari Naan to our order. The naan was good, but together with large portions of rice and salad and a substantial main dish of chicken jalfrezi it meant that I had far more food than I could eat. Then the chicken was a bit rubbery, and the sauce rather nondescript, lacking the chilli bite that I expected. I felt that quality had been sacrificed to quantity. Quick and pleasant service

Food arrived really quickly and good service but the daughter's chicken wasn't cooked properly. I had a curry which was lovely but they need to make sure the food is cooked properly. Also found out afterwards that they over charged us for the kids meals.

This was an amazing find. I had the prawn shish with peshwari naan. It was absolutely beautiful. The service was great with lovely friendly staff. A must if you’re visiting Aviemore in my opinion.

Really enjoyed the food, best meal ever!

Disappointed as it all started off well! Prices were reasonable and at first, the staff were on it and attentive. Food initially came quick and was all tasty. Our server followed up with us and refreshed our drinks and cleared plates from appies before mains came. However, as we were about 1/2 through our meal, our server left. He came back a bit later with a bunch of his mates who he set up at a table at the back which is where all of the attention of all staff went. More of their friends came in and hung at the bar going back and forth between their table and bar. They all received drinks and food in record time while we sat waiting for plates to be cleared and desserts to be ordered. At this point there was only our table (family of 5) and one other table of another family of 5 who was being “served” by someone else. So it wasn’t busy. We thought they might be closing but it was not yet 8pm and they don’t close until 9pm on Mondays. We had a kid with us so we certainly weren’t there for a lengthy meal ourselves as it was getting late for us after a long day out exploring. We did get some eventual service from one of the staff who’s eye we caught while he was chatting at the bar but he only cleared our plates and told us the desserts were on the back on the menu before rushing off. We already knew what we wanted to order since we had been waiting over 15 minutes at this point for some acknowledgment that we were still there. If they wanted to socialize you’d think they’d want to hurry us out so they can focus on their friends 🤷‍♀️ Another 10 min before we had to ask to order desserts. Then we had to go up to ask for the bill after we were left alone again once finished. Though prices were reasonable and the food was tasty and very generously portioned, the terrible experience was not worth it.

We come to Aviemore a couple of times a year, first time visited this restaurant, its a new refreshing place that serves a variety of food, ended up eating here 3 times this week the food is lovely tried the chicken slish, chicken buna and sea bass all were very tasty and plenty to eat, the staff were polite, friendly, and very helpful. We will be returning on our next holiday.

Our meal was lovely and the service was great. Best meal we had in Aviemore the whole weekend! Would definitely recommend.

It's like an old 19 century resteraunt. The staff are amazing and always seek for their flaws. I'd love to come back and eat more.

Staff are very friendly and service is excellent. Lovely place but the food needs to improve. It was ok but the chicken was obviously processed kebab type. The madras sauce seemed like it may have come out of a packet. Presentation of the food was excellent. The naan bread, rice and salad were good.

We stayed over in Aviemore as part of a tour around Scotland. Found this lovely restaurant which is based in the gorgeous old Aviemore Railway Station. We grabbed a seat overlooking the platform and watched the arrivals and departures. The service was great and the food fabulous. We had the Chick Pea Casserole and the grilled Seabass, big portions and delicious. The wine was reasonably priced too for a restaurant. Definitely recommend a visit if you're visiting Aviemore.

Excellent food and really friendly staff, could not make you feel more welcome. Very busy, all age groups, tables from 2 to 8 all catered for very efficiently.

We had such a great meal here today, the service was fantastic, quick, attentive and very friendly, we loved it. The food was amazing, 2 of us had lamb chops the portion was so generous, they were exceptional. My wife asked for a vegetable Bhuna instead of the meat options that were on the menu and she was very very happy with what they provided, loads of lovely vegetables in a fantastic Bhuna sauce with amazingly fluffy rice. We cannot wait to eat here again. Thank you

The food here is delicious and the service was very friendly & welcoming. We arrived to a full restaurant without a booking but the staff were happy to move some tables around to accommodate us. We had the calamari, halloumi, and lentil soup to start, followed by the vegetable casserole, chicken & rice, and one of the curries and all were delicious and plentiful. Highly recommended!

The food was so good, we went the following night! Great options, faultless food, what's not to like?!

Could not go past this place! The food portions are massive and the menu is extensive. Food is cooked to perfection and the service is fast, professional and extremely friendly! Cannot wait to return! Highly recommend to anyone!

I cannot rate this place at all, my partner found a large piece of plastic in her lamb koftie which is awful. Then 24hrs afterwards I had D&V , whatever is going on in that kitchen is not good, avoid if you can.

Family-friendly restaurant. The service was slow, but they were a little busy. Food was surprisingly good and affordable for the location. One good thing is that no reservations are needed to go and eat

Service and food excellent. We visited twice on a four night trip and will visit again today before we head home tomorrow.

A very welcome addition to the Aviemore dining scene. We ate her twice just after New Year. The service was second to none. So refreshing to have excellent, attentive and proactive waiting staff. Everything we tried was delicious and generous in portion size. Thoroughly recommend the Shish Lamb Chops which were cooked to perfection and very tasty. Whilst the focus is on quality Indian dining the inclusion of some varied western dishes was perfect for the less adventurous in our party and was equally tasty. The restaurant was busy on a Friday night, but there was no wait for food, and service remained exemplary. Not often I’ll come home and think to write a review straight away, so take that as a big thumbs up from us. Thanks Charcoal!

Absolutely amazing!!! I would move to Scotland just because of this place ! Really nice service and people that are working there and delicious food! It’s definitely a must to visit ! We been twice and I would gladly come back . Large selection of different types of food in menu , big portions! Really really yummy 👌👌👌