Fig & Thistle in Highland

*2024 update: Food was average this time, and I was disappointed, especially given the above-average prices. Crispy chili chicken salad was nicely seasoned and good, but the salad was prepped so that pieces of veg were considerably longer than mouth (a no-no in fine dining) and served on a slate - I don't know anyone that enjoys the sound or sensation of cutlery on slate... Spoiled the experience. The beef burger with cheese and bacon was small, served in a flimsy brioche bun (what's the obsession with serving burgers on brioche??) and the portion was small, especially stingy on chips (which were good). The burger was on a par with a decent pub meal, no better (slightly dry and overcooked, small-ish). The Biscoff and chocolate cheesecake had no chocolate on or in it, unless a tiny undetectable amount in the base. No chocolate flavour at all. Definitely gone downhill since I last visited a few years ago. Also 5 different people served us, even tho the restaurant wasn't busy - the benches in the window seat have the back at 90° to the seat which is very uncomfortable, and the table was cramped for 4 diners. The overall experience could be improved easily. Food, service and dining environment all have plenty room for improvement. 2018 = 5* (has gone downhill massively) oA restaurant with a warm, welcoming atmosphere and excellent food. The standard menu and the specials all sounded excellent and everyone I was with thoroughly enjoyed their food. A good range of options using local produce creatively. The service was excellent: prompt and friendly. Even the coffee was exceptionally good. I'd have no hesitation in recommending this restaurant to anyone.

The penne was flavorless and served as an afterthought.

We really enjoyed this place. This was our first time in Scotland --in particular Inverness. We are from the U.S. This was one of the best restaurants we've eaten at since being here. The meals we ordered were the: Goat Cheese salad with chicken (that's what I had), the crispy chicken with Korean sauce and noodles, the salmon and the wild linguine and mushrooms with grilled chicken. Everyone in our party of 4 loved their meal. The staff was very friendly. Highly recommend this place.

Nice quiet place just outside the busy city centre with loud bars and restaurants. We felt a bit rushed l but the servers were friendly. The haggis croquettes are definitely the star of the menu, I also had the burger with chorizo as a main but the bun was cold on the outside, a bit burned on the inside and the burger was dry and overcooked. Flavor was ok but overall not one I would come back for.

Went with my wife and daughters (16,7) mid afternoon. A lovely place, really attentive and friendly staff, the food was delicious and there was a good menu, a great range of veggie/meat/different styles, all fresh and offers on 2/3 courses. Best cheesecake I have had for years.

Quaint, friendly and terrific food! We sat upstairs and had a lovely time with friends. The owner and staff were the best! Made the overall experience a really fun evening. Reservations are recommended if possible.

Lovely cosy restaurant with very welcoming atmosphere and staff. Food amazing 🤩 Well presented, had a modern Fish and Chips ❤️

I went there before getting my train back to England and the food and service were outstanding! I’ve ordered the mushroom linguine with green beans, chicken and pancetta and it was incredibly tasty and the portion size was really generous! Very friendly staff, great atmosphere and food. Would definitely recommend.

Very basic.Great view.they made a few mistakes with order which were fixed quickly.

Delightful lunch. Flavors were excellent and portions were perfectly sized.

An excellent experience at Fig & Thistle! Recommended by our Airbnb host, and we were so impressed! The food and service were both outstanding. We’ll definitely be back at our next visit to Inverness!

Lunch time food was pretty good had the tempura prawns and a steak burger which was pretty straightforward and very meaty but a touch dry. Sticky toffee Pudding was very good and the service friendly but a bit too relaxed at times - had to catch their attention even though restaurant very quiet but overall pretty good food and an enjoyable meal .

Nice Location and really good food.

Had an amazing lunch here. My soup was fantastic and I thoroughly enjoyed my shrimp pasta. My wife enjoyed her chicken tortilla wraps, as well.

Great food and excellent service!

Fab lunch here on 13th Feb. Staff were lovely and the food excellent. 🙂

Realy nice place, quick service, delicious food and kind staff

started strong but went downhl after our starters. the tartlet and the soup were so lovely, it gave me high hopes for our main dishes. we are both vegetarain, and both of the vegetarian mains were disappointing: the mushroom linguine should have been bursting with flavor, but i actually had to reach for the salt shaker because it was so pasty and bland. and the roasted cauliflower and rice dish had a disappointing 4 small florets on top…not much of substance for high priced food. hoping for decent sticky toffee pudding, we were given a very dry piece of spice cake with some crumbled candy and ice cream, have had sooo much better virtually everywhere we have gone. more frustrating than the food, however, was the fact that despite having actually made reservations, we were given poor seats right by the door, while folks stumbling in from the rain last minute with no reservation were given seats further back in the restaurant and away from the endless wind and wet raincoats flapping at our table side. still, i want to end on a good note, so i will post a pic of that delicious tartlet and the soup, as they were both pretty special

Amazing spot for lunch! Probably an amazing spot for dinner also, but I went for lunch. The food is delicious. The staff is friendly and efficient. I would go here again if I was in town for more than a couple hours. The Highland Burger is very delicious.

They dished out what I can describe as only the best prawn ls I've had since Lanzarote, and that's a feat. The staff were polite, the food was fantastic, the atmosphere was nice, and I would say for the quality the prices were fair. I would heartily recommend going here if you're looking for good food.

We were fortunate that they were so kindly able to accommodate us without a reservation, we did not expect this at all. The staff were lovely and welcoming. The food was delicious!! We ordered the goat cheese and onion tartlet and the salmon with coconut curry. The atmosphere was the perfect balance of cozy/relaxed and upscale. Our server was probably new but she was attentive and professional.

Had linguine with mushrooms, chicken and pancetta. It was outstanding! The dessert was also very good. The staff was extremely friendly and nice. Highly recommended!

Very friendly staff, excellent food, cosy athmosphere. We had linguine with mushroom and chicken breast, VERY delicious creamy sauce and delicious dessert. The portuguse red wine (reserva) was also a great delight. We thoroughly recommend this restaurant!!!

Nestled in a quiet corner of the neighborhood, this cozy restaurant is a true hidden gem that combines delicious food with extraordinary service. From the moment we arrived, we knew we were in for a special evening. Parking in the area can be a bit tricky, but our experience started on a high note when Philip, one of the staff members, went above and beyond by stepping out of the restaurant to personally guide us to a nearby parking lot. This level of attentiveness set the tone for the evening. The ambiance inside was warm and inviting, with a charming, intimate feel that made us feel right at home. The menu offered a variety of tempting options, but we decided to start with the Grilled Goat’s Cheese, Fig & Onion Tartlet, paired with a spiced pear and balsamic dressed salad. The tartlet was a delightful blend of rich, creamy goat's cheese perfectly balanced with the sweetness of figs and the tang of balsamic. The spiced pear added a refreshing touch, making this appetizer an absolute standout. For our main course, we opted for the locally sourced Pepper-Crusted Isle of Lewis Salmon Fillet, served with a fragrant Malaysian coconut curry, green beans, and basmati rice. The salmon was cooked to perfection, with a crispy pepper crust that complemented the tender, flavorful fish. The coconut curry was rich and aromatic, with just the right amount of spice, making each bite a burst of flavor. The green beans added a fresh crunch, and the basmati rice was the perfect accompaniment to soak up the delicious curry. Throughout the meal, the service remained impeccable. The staff was attentive without being intrusive, ensuring our glasses were never empty and that we had everything we needed to enjoy our meal. The genuine warmth and hospitality from Philip and the team made the evening even more memorable. Overall, this neighborhood restaurant offers a dining experience that is truly a cut above the rest. From the exceptional service to the thoughtfully prepared dishes, every detail is carefully considered, making it a place we will definitely return to. If you’re looking for a cozy spot with outstanding food and service that goes the extra mile, this is the place to be.

A great discovery. The food was very good and with a lot of variety, the staff was super friendly and professional. I recommend it without a doubt.

Very good food, and unbeatable service, especially the waiter. Prices also adjusted to the quality of the product. We ordered a cheese starter, and two main courses, a beef burger and a venison and haggis burger. Both dishes excellent. To add a drawback, it would improve the atmosphere of the place that was somewhat dull and could have a beer tap, only small bottles are served. Overall highly recommended place

Lovely little restaurant. Great staff, delicious food. Can sit outside, you have your own heater overhead.

We had our rehearsal dinner here and had 13 people in total. We were in communication leading up to the dinner with one of the owners, Ian, to make sure that we had everything secured and that the dinner went seamlessly. The dinner was amazing and the staff went above and beyond to ensure we were taken care of - I couldn’t recommend enough!

Quite busy, good service. Menu is a bit limited and steak is on the very well done side despite ordering medium rare, still tasty with good seasoning though.

Wild mushroom was a bit too strong taste but otherwise very nice

I wasn't here. Thanks for replying, but this is not meant to be a negative review, but pointing out a request for a review when I wasn't there. Having enjoyed visiting numerous times l have changed my review. Perhaps there should be a facility to show a mistake in the system. Happy eating all.

In principle seems like a nice place. The vegetarian options for main dishes felt pretty mediocre though. Especially the pasta with mushrooms tasted boring. Desert with vegan ice cream was nice again.

Incredibly slow service. Server never checks on us after bringing bland food. Asked the server to bring the check because we needed to leave, server hangs out at the bar and talks with friends and ignores us

Good food, good service for a fair price

Great wee Bistro, with great food and lovely staff who show the perfect amount of attentiveness.

The host/owner was very nice and there was a good vegan option!

Extremely good food in a quaint and relaxing atmosphere. The haggis bon bons were outstanding, good value.

Great little spot for lunch or evening meal. Good choice of comfort food and familiar favourites, plus a great choice of local beers & whiskies. Friendly & attentive service. We sat in the booths on the window, but you can book out the top floor for a special occasion, or get a cosy table for a date., or even sit outside in their gazebo.

Small restaurant with tasteless cuisine like in the rest of the country but you get used to it after 10 days. Efficient service (perhaps to get us out sooner) Otherwise everything else is ok

Had a great dinner, the staff were really great and we were treated so well. Would definitely go again if we are ever back in Inverness

Very cozy restaurant with an experience factor. What's great is that you get a two-course menu at lunchtime. The service was very good

The waiter didn't have basic knowledge what they serving. They recommend me a food which wasn't as they described. Basically bring me something else what has been ordered. Asked if the kebab was pieces of meat they said yes, but bring me minced meat instead, didn't apologize for they mistake. Wouldn't recommend.

Very nice place, great atmosphere, waiter is very cheerful and the food is great with good price/quality

Excellent place with delicious food. Unfortunately we couldn’t try the desserts as they were all depleted

Amazing cooking with amazing ingredients, we are so glad we stopped here for dinner at Inverness, totally blown away and will def return in the future :) Also love the venison and haggis burger, so good

Good food, friendly staff, well done! thank you🙏

Excellent address that I highly recommend

Food is not just about eating, but it's also about the connections we develop. Fig and Thistle is one of the best places I have eaten at. Abdullah runs a great, gourmet restaurant and is a lovely person to chat with. We enjoyed the Penne Contadina- super fresh flavors, Lamb Kofte- my son thought it was the best lamb skewers he has had, Cauliflower and spicy squash risotto- curried flavor in a risotto was something I had not had before and relished it, Fish and Chips, Mango sorbet- perfectly sweet and creamy- don't ask me how it was creamy being a sorbet 😃 We ended our meal with great Cappuccino and Americano. Service was 5 stars 🌟

The food was bland and not fully cooked. We tried the desserts and those were also barely average.

Lovely food and great service. Staff and proprietor made sure we were comfortable and well tended to. Excellent quality and great banter.

Very centrally located. Portions very small for the money. But tasty!!!

The food here is good and the atmosphere is good. It's kind of a quiet restaurant if you like that feel. I had the grilled goat cheese and fig, venison burger, and cheesecake. Definitely enjoyed all of them. I got one complaint, though. The service here is really slow, I mean noticeably slow. It seemed like the place was understaffed, and the staff was very casual getting the food ready. I didn't mind too much since I was on a trip, but just note that if you plan to eat here, don't expect it to go quickly.

A cute little bistro with very tasty small plates. They also have large plates but we went for a few small ones. The chicken wings had a great homemade tangy sauce, the shrimp tempura was very light with another tasty sweet chili sauce, and the chicken quesadilla had an interesting earthy sauce. Service was great - very attentive. Definitely a great find.

This was one of the most fantastic restaurants we have ever been to. The food was amazing, as was the ambiance, but what really made it stand out was the service. The entire staff, but especially Abdellah, went above and beyond the entire meal. When I accidentally broke a glass Abdellah quickly replaced it, reset out table, and was so kind throughout the entire process. Additionally, he set up an iPad so we could watch the Euro final when we were mentioning wanting to see it. Truly amazing place and the best service we have ever had. If we could give more than 5 stars we would.

On nous en avait parlé comme étant le top mais nous avons été déçu. Certes c'est très bon mais elle se veut une cuisine inventive mais le résultat reste moyen. Le vin est cher et le personnel est froid

We were surprised to see this place being rated 4.7, upon arrival. Not up to standards at all, outdated menu with low quality food. Unfortunately the linguini ended up giving food poising to one of us as well. Very unfortunate all together. Would not recommend.

Arrived without reservation, the boss found us a table for two Very good food and the service was perfect

This is a real neighborhood spot, and I enjoyed the people-watching as much as the food. The menu is varied and interesting, with good vegetarian options, and everything I had was tasty. I arrived after an unexpectedly long and difficulty railway journey, with luggage and without having had time to change into nicer clothes; I appreciated the staff's willingness to accommodate me in these circumstance.

Lovely wee cafe with great breakfast options. All profits reinvested to help young people in the area. Highly recommend.

Very nice restaurant with international cuisine. Service very attentive. The food is more in the middle range. Very central location.

Bizzy - was working on their fire protection and safety requirements

Great vegan and vegetarian options. Food was fresh and full of flavor. The service was also excellent!

Great food, reasonable price, the tempura prawns and fish n chips were delicious 👍

Food was delicious. Service was good. The place is slightly small though but the ambience is good.

Had the steak and cab merlot wine. Very yum and very good service.

The employees spend more time turning away walk-ins lacking reservations than they do taking care of seated customers. The food was not even among the best we had in Scotland. They tried to convince me I ordered fish when I have a fish allergy! Would definitely not return.

Very tasty, excellent service, you must order in advance, it's not cheap, but it's worth it.

Only after 20min ordering our food we were told that one of the mains was not available, we were the first in the restaurant and first table to order, so I guess the chef should already know what he doesn’t have in the kitchen. 30min after waiting we were told “a machine” wasn’t working in the kitchen and food was going to take even longer, I just wonder how long before a chef gets to work and make sure all is working and preps all the options for food they will be serving that day. 45min after that we were served our starters, tempura vegetables was not tempura batter but just rather a heavy oily one. Salad served with it was very soggy and lacking in freshness. For my main I ordered the roasted cauliflower risotto which for nut surprise cauliflower was just steamed (very soft) and risotto was overcooked. Seasoning was good but all the wrong textures. I guess letting guests know as soon as they arrive that the kitchen is having some trouble would save one waiting 1h to have a meal. It used to be a very good restaurant but the quality of the dishes we had today were very disappointing.

Can’t remember a better hamburger!!! Picked this restaurant while walking High St based on google reviews and it’s quaint appearance. As I said, the hamburger with added cheese and bacon was absolutely delicious. Chips were some of the best we’ve had while in Scotland. Wish I could say we will be back soon. The US is home; but, if you’re visiting Inverness like us, I hope you have as good an experience here as we did.

The Fig & Thistle should be 6 stars. What a great night here for dinner. I really can't express what a great experience we had here. Make reservations and enjoy some great food with great service.

Excellent restaurant highly recommended service food amazing staff so friendly and welcoming great atmosphere came through from Glasgow for weekend enjoyed restaurant so much we had lunch Friday and Saturday lesley

Fantastic food. We are so grateful that we were fitted in at the last minute. Book if you can…we saw others turned away.

We dropped in for lunch today and were lucky enough to get a table. The staff were so friendly and accommodating, the food was honestly the best food we've had out in a very very long time, and it was very reasonable for three courses and a drink each. I wish we had somewhere this good down our way!

Lovely staff food was delicious

Very pleasant, nice staff very accommodating... food excellent

they give us (last minute to be fair) a very uncomfortable table. Overall the food was ok but doesn't worth the pounds they ask!

recommend Fig and Thistle!! good malt list, tasty rib eye and Salmon curry dishes! Service is royalty worthy!! Thanks to Fig and Thistle management, a highlight if our stay. John, was our server, he was a polite and attentive.

Food was just ok. Battered fish bit greasy and too much batter. Haggis starter ....what is the go there? That isn't haggis chef ! Give tourists a proper experience of our national dish,instead of those dried up wee balls and chewy stringy neep shavings Outstanding service from Holly however who was a very delightful and charming waitress.

Burger and chips were great but pasta was flavourless (even after a load of salt, pepper and chilli), although credit to them we did receive a refund for it. There was also a weird stale smell in the venue. Overall it was ok but we probably won't rush back.

Lovely atmosphere. Fantastic food. Great service.

Good food, nice setting, solid service. If you're hesitating between closeby restaurants, this is the one to go to.

The food and service (the important part!) were excellent. We visited twice as bookends to our holiday in Scotland (which says a lot), and had fish & chips, a venison/haggis burger, the chilli chicken & noodles, and tempura battered starters, as well as the sticky toffee pudding. All were delicious. Tip - try the Thistly Cross cider (if you like ciders). We were constantly looking out for it, after we tried it once! The upstairs was a little warm for our taste (we both like cooler settings); try downstairs seating or outside if you are like us in this way.

After a long day on a tour bus seeing the beautiful highlands, we were looking forward to this dinner. My wife got the carbonara and I got the venison/haggis burger. My burger was good…another great way I had haggis. Make sure you have reservations!

Tried this place because of the great reviews. We were the only table as the previous diners just finished and left. Server was very pleasant & prompt taking drink order. Starters were great soup and the haggis bon bon. Unfortunately 2 of the 3 main dishes were wrong I think the server had written them down wrong.There was no great apology nor did a manager come over. I did order the burger which was delicious.

Fantastic salmon dinner, one of the best I’ve ever had, thank you!

Very kind and attentive staff. We really appreciated the flexibility in their hours as we were in between the usual lunch and dinner hours so it was nice this was an option. We enjoyed the goat cheese appetizer. The main courses were decent, overall a good value for the price and convenience of time

Extraordinary food and even better service! Recommend it to everyone. We tired haggis Bon bons for the first time as a starter and it was fantastic.

We ate here based off the great reviews. When I was asking the waiter questions about the food she just kept saying she didn’t know, I eventually just had to google what things were. My husband has an egg allergy and somehow they mixed up the allergy and applied it to my dish as well. I ordered the burger and it came out on gluten free bread (which was hard and did not look appetizing) and without the burger condiments. So it was basically a meat patty between two stale pieces of sliced bread. It took forever to get the attention of a waiter. When I finally asked for it to be prepared the way it was supposed to be, the waiter came back and said the chef said no and walked away before I could get a word out. By this point my husband had finished his dinner since it took forever to flag down a waiter in the first place. My husbands dish was good (the Salmon) but unfortunately not good enough to overshadow the slow inattentive service and the chef refusing to fix the dish. I would not come back and can’t honestly recommend this place.

A bit on the pricey side, but the food was really good and the service excellent. They managed to squeeze 4 of us on a very busy night, and were extremely kind thr whole night.

Good atmosphere, excellent, friendly service and delicious dining. Delicious grilled goat cheese as a starter and salmon with delicious sauce as a main course. Really good food, worth the money. Reservations are highly recommended.

Great food, friendly family business vibe. We really enjoyed the salmon skewers and the grilled goat cheese. Prices are also ok, 20 pounds for a 2 course menu. Gluten free options.

Great food! Very friendly staff. And we enjoyed sitting next to a local family. It is a small place that requires a reservation. We had a light dinner of the steak burger. It came with homemade French fries and coleslaw. Excellent!

The setting is pleasant, the cuisine excellent. Very unfortunate that one of the two servers was so cold and awkward.

Great find, lovely venue and atmosphere, the staff were awesome and the food was amazing. Haggis bon bons to start and isle of Lewis salmon fillet with fragrant Malaysian coconut curry to follow. Definitely recommend this place 👌

We had a great lunch at the Fig&Thistle The food is delicious, large choice of meals. The plus: the team is very welcoming and friendly

Absolutely superb little restaurant. Really nice food and extremely accommodating staff managed to squeeze us in which was purely necessary due to our poor planning!

Went during lunch today between our bus from Skye and train to Edinburgh. The food was good, but one of the hosts (the younger, louder one) had a condescending tone the moment we walked in. The service provided was very obviously lacking compared to other patrons that were French and a Malaysian family, or when provided, quite rudely with a snarky tone. We are a young couple in our late 20s, and we might have been "profiled" based on that. It is a shame that the good food had to be tainted by a rude host like that.

Diverse menu from burgers to Tagine. Seemed to be run by one really energetic guy and the bartender. My ribeye steak was tender and juicy with a zingy sauce, beautiful. Soggy, over fried, chips let it down a bit. My wife's lamb Tagine was superb, just the lamb chunks a tad dry. You need to book to guarantee a table. But he was doing his best to accommodate walk ins if they agreed to as little as a 45 minute turn around. Prices very reasonable for good food and drink.

We had dinner and throughly enjoyed the meal. The starter was outstanding. We had seen reviews about the goat cheese salad and it was truly amazing. For mains the venison haggis burger was a unique offering and very tasty if you like both. The cheesecake was of the right texture and flavour and I must say the food stood out for me in terms of taste. The service was very warm and the place has a quiet and welcoming feel. Strongly recommended if you want to try something out of the ordinary.

Friendly staff and fairly priced. Not impressed with the food, though. Lacks of flavour. Not sure if I would go back.