River House Restaurant in Highland

The food was excellent!!! Alfie, Nicole, and Jack made us feel right at home. Their interaction with us, while serving us promptly, was perfect. We all felt like we would love to dine there again and highly recommend it.

Great food is expensive but worth it. Service was next level. Highly recommended but you need to book many months in advance

Absolutely amazing meal. We went for an early Mother’s Day/birthday dinner with my husband and son and we enjoyed every bit of it. Thank you so much.

Probably the best restaurant we visited in Scotland. In a nice location and with cozy (albeit a bit tightly packed) interior. The dishes were absolutely amazing, prepared based on great recipes with truly high quality ingredients. We enjoyed everything, from the starters through the main course and especially the Sticky Toffee desert. The service was great, with attentive and thoughtful waiters, as well as the owner taking care that everything runs perfectly for the guests. The prices reflect the quality of food and service, however you do get your moneys worth. If we are ever in the area again we will definitely visit one more time to try some other dishes we missed this time.

An absolutely fantastic meal. Amazing service from the staff and the food was perfect. We are traveling and I made a booking online months in advance. Rarely does my expectation live up to the result. But just a really great meal with our family. We didn’t eat a bad thing and it was a beauty to watch the kitchen crew and team move about the kitchen keeping everything moving.

An unforgettable evening - everything is just right here! The atmosphere, the incredibly warm people and the food are amazing! It's a matter of taste of course - but the Scottish oysters beat the French ones (clearly) - they are "meatier" and more powerful! Thanks to Alfie and his team!

Ein unvergesslicher Abend - hier stimmt einfach alles! Die Atmosphäre, die unglaublich herzlichen Menschen und das Essen ist der Hammer! Es ist natürlich Geschmacksache - aber die schottischen Austern schlagen die französischen (deutlich) - sie sind „fleischiger“ und kraftvoller! Danke an Alfie und sein Team!

Este fue el mejor restaurante en el que comimos en Escocia, el marisco era simplemente increíble. El mejillón mariniere, el bacalao asado en sartén del Mar del Norte, la piel de cullen y las vieiras de Shetland estaban deliciosos. Pensamos que la comida aquí estaba kilómetros por delante del popular restaurante Rocpool en la calle y más barato también. Pero no nos malinterpretes: River House fue igualmente popular. Estaba lleno la noche de la semana que estuvimos allí, así que es recomendable hacer una reserva con antelación. El propietario era tan amable que sentimos que lo conocíamos desde hacía años. Recomendamos encarecidamente que pruebe la comida aquí.

One of the best places ever for seafood. I had great oysters, scallops and mussels. There are some dozen+ different preparations of oysters, so take your time. The place is small, busy and popular. When I visited, the door showed a sign saying 'we are full tonight'. I pre-booked. Be aware that some of the seafood preparations contain meat: read the menu carefully before you order. Apart from that, great experience. Staff is warm and friendly.

The best meal we had in Scotland! The mussels mariniere, pan roasted North Sea cod, cullen skink and Shetlad scallops were all delicious. It certainly beat the food at the popular RocPool Restaurant down the street hands down and at a lower price point too! We would have eaten at River House again if we had another day in Inverness! The boss was so welcoming and friendly that we felt we were at a friend's house. We highly recommend you make a reservation and try the food here when you are in Inverness.

Nice place and very good seafood. We had the trio of oysters and mussels. It was delicious !

Restaurant en bord de rivière près de la passerelle qui relie les deux rives. Très facile d’accès. Accueil chaleureux du patron et de tout le personnel qui prennent le temps de discuter avec les clients. Spécialités d’huîtres fraîches et chaudes servies avec des sauces délicieuses et originales. Pâtes aux fruits de mer admirablement cuisinées et à tomber par terre. Crème brûlée aux framboises onctueuse. Excellent choix de whisky et de vins.

Lovely intimate busy restaurant. Great menu with lots of lovely seafood options. There is also an extensive wine and drinks list to accompany the food. Service was excellent and the next time we are in Inverness we will be eating here. But book in advance so as not to be disappointed. This restaurant is very popular.

If I could pack one thing in my suitcase and bring it back to Germany, it would be River House in Inverness. The fish dishes here are to die for—I honestly don’t have the words to fully capture just how outrageously delicious everything was. Every bite was fresh, flavorful, and cooked to absolute perfection. The ambiance is just as memorable—like stepping into a beautifully lit scene from an old movie. There’s elegance, warmth, and charm in every detail of the décor, making it a perfect setting for an unforgettable meal. What truly elevates the experience, though, is the service. The head chef and owner is a force of nature: incredibly attentive and friendly to each guest and clearly running the restaurant like a finely tuned orchestra. His presence and leadership are inspiring—you feel genuinely cared for from start to finish. And the Sticky Toffee Apple Pudding? Absolutely divine. I loved it so much, I’m already trying to recreate it at home.

The service and the atmosphere were very nice. But with the food we were disappointed. It is a sea food restaurant but as Mediterraneans we weren't happy. The sea food stew that I had was ok but I couldn't feel the sea. The seafood pasta was soggy and tasteless. A good try but not what it promises and definitely doesn't worth the visit and the extra cost.

Small venue with a huge impact and friendly staff. The seafood menu is great, the cocktail menu impressive, but the sticky toffee pudding is top notch and should not be missed. Best sticky in Scotland.

Fantastic service and fantastic food. A must if you are in the area !

Delicious seafood, friendly staff, and a cozy atmosphere. I highly recommend coming and enjoying it.

Simply Spendid! Wonderfully sweet and tender fresh mussels, excellent sea bass, both prepared to perfection. Beautiful breads. Efficient staff. Well appointed tables. A delight! Booked this thru the Internet from USA and they emailed the confirmation within a partial day. Best seafood we have has on our trip in Scotland!

Lovely location with delicious local oysters. Stopped in for appies and drinks.

Absolutely sensational food and service! From start to finish my husband and myself couldn’t get enough of the food and the atmosphere! Staff are absolutely fantastic and the food is literally to die for! Will definitely be going back! Would eat here every night if we could! 10 stars all round!!!

Amazing food and service. Alfie took great care of us. Highly encourage a visit!

Incredible from the moment you walk through the door. The quality of food means the value is fantastic. A gem 💎 of Inverness.

Honestly one of the best restaurants I've been too in a long time. The soul was in the foot service and atmosphere. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

We were lucky enough to get a table at short notice. The service, food and cocktails were exceptional. Enjoyed oyster hour

Food and service didn't justify the prices

Incredibly good! The food was sensational and the service was very accommodating.

Ausgezeichnetes Essen. Sehr netter Service, gemütliches Ambiente. Ich würde sofort wieder kommen - absolute Empfehlung.

Absolutely delightful food, service and setting!

Excellent dining experience so nice to finally find a restauranteur that values quality ingredients and simple preparation to over-thought, overly complex “inventiveness”. The Orkney scallops are a shining example of Alfie’s approach -perfectly cooked with a touch of lemon, garlic butter and a nice blend of parsley and coriander, simple and delicious! The fried oyster was a crispy cloud of sheer delight! For mains we had halibut and the seafood linguini both lush the only knock I would say was the pasta was light on the seafood ingredients. Lovely, cosy dining room with a nice vibe and banter urged on by Alfie’s table side manner. Now for the negative part, I was pleased to see a proper martini in the “drink bible” (2 parts to 1 of course!) there’s no bar so the waiter makes the drinks (never a good sign in my experience) and in our case she added olive brine to my drink! I’ve been drinking martinis for 40 years now and I loathe “dirty” which unfortunately is what you often get when you order martinis these days. When I tasted the drink it tasted salty and when I asked her she denied it (my wife saw her add it from the jar) frankly I was so taken aback I didn’t quite know how to respond so, in the interest of preserving our experience I decided to just drink it anyway (she did offer to remake it). Very odd and my reason for the lower service rating but I wouldn’t let it deter me from another visit.

We booked dinner at short notice, cannot fault anything, amazing food, wonderful service, great location, would love to return. Highly recommended.

Small place, but the service is absolutely amazing! The food is very nice but expensive.

if your in Inverness and love good food give this restaurant a try the food was absolutely amazing the service was fantastic the staff so friendly reasonably priced small and quirky restaurant

We were visiting Inverness from Edinburgh. This s the best seafood restaurant we have been to in Scotland. The fish stew was incredible and well paired with the white northern Italian wine. Thank you for a wonderful evening.

Wow what a place. Food was amazing. Couldn't fault anything other than a annoying customer. Crab to start, Oysters and Mussells for main. Yum. Staff very attentive chatty and service with a smile. Do not miss

We had dinner last night 15th Feb everything from when we walked ththrough the door was exceptional the warm friendly staff, the intimate feeling in a small but great venue and then the outstanding food . We had travelled up to Inverness for the night from Edinburgh and I won't eat anywhere else on my future visits best Thai Mussels and Best Seabass that we have had anywhere . AMAZING

By far our favourite restaurant we have been to this was our second visit small yet cosy the food is absolutely exquisite beautiful fresh ingredients with a great team would highly recommend visiting this restaurant

Fantastic food. So fresh and delicious. Only reason for four stars is it was nearly £9 for an amaretto. Turns out I was given a double without realising which was a bit annoying. Apart from that, all was good and will be back.

An amazing meal on the beautiful river side in Inverness. I was met by exceptional staff, who quickly explained the menu and the "bar bible," containing an exquisite selection of cocktails and drinks. Jack made me feel like a VIP throughout. I enjoyed the oyster trio - I definitely recommend this! Then I had the Octopus starter and Halibut main. All washed down with a finely toned champagne. To finish, I had the awesome rice pudding creme brulee, which might be my favourite ever dessert and balanced with a smooth tawny port. This restaurant is exceptional from start to finish and a must if you visit Inverness.

Some of the best fish I've had! Lovely staff, superb experience all round.

Absolutely stunning food served in a very comfortable, sophisticated environment. The staff, including the owner, were friendly and professional and obviously love what they do. The best dining experience I have had in Inverness, and I have had a few. Great non alcoholic drink selection also, which is rare. Book ahead, you will not regret it.

Everything was outstanding, from the warm welcome from owner Alfie and his wonderful team, to the relaxed atmosphere and of course, the food! Freshest oysters I’ve ever had, the mussels were delicious and super fresh. Look forward to our next visit soon!

WOW - Amazingly good! First class service and atmosphere in a warmly lit restaurant, where the staff are exceptional at making you feel welcome. The highlight of our trip!!! Lovely location by the riverside, the Winter frost on the trees made a romantic setting that could be compared to any European city for its romantic atmosphere. Food here was fabulous to look at, tasted fantastic and was an absolute joy to eat - ‘early bird special price’ on the oysters was a real treat, they were so delicious and everything was so beautifully presented. If you’ve not tried oysters before I’d encourage you to give them a try here - so many options. Our Cod & Hake dishes were perfectly cooked, photos show how beautiful the plates looked - We’ll definitely return. NB. Tips for the staff aren’t automatically added to the bill, but can only be left in cash - take cash! They deserve a tip, as the service is really exceptional!

A must go to restaurant when visiting Inverness. Chef and owner, Allan "Alfie" Little is a wonderful and personable host making the experience a highlight of our trip. He made excellent recommendations for food, that was DELICIOUS and MEMORABLE, and he was so fun and light hearted to be around. This is a small and cozy place, right off the river on a cute corner lit up with lights. Luckily we made reservations ahead of time, because Alfie said its booked solid every night of the week. I highly recommend the Seafood Stew, but everything is fantastic!

We had a fantastic meal at the River House on Saturday. The welcome was warm, the atmosphere was relaxed and friendly and the food was absolutely amazing

Great spot, friendly welcome, warm atmosphere and amazing food - we had a really lovely evening. Didn't feel rushed, the service was very good. Would definitely return for more...

Another great visit to this gem. If in Inverness- you should book and enjoy. It’s gets sold up fast and is testament to the quality of the fair. On this visit I took the plunge to eat fillet of beef - in a seafood restaurant - a brave thing to have on the menu but it was succulent and perfectly prepared by the skilled team of craftsman in the kitchen. Beautiful. There is a great selection of seafood and ample puddings but I could not resist the meal to be rounded off with Cullen Skink - well it is cream based like many deserts so why not? Alfie and his professional front team encouraged me to eat whatever I wanted in whatever order - the food speaks for itself so listen to your taste buds and simply sit back and take it all in. Whatever you eat, whenever, however - just be sure to go.

My family and I had the pleasure of dining here, and it was so incredible that we ate here two nights in a row! From the moment we left, my family immediately asked, 'What reservations do you have for tomorrow?' All I can say is wow—this place is a must-visit. Definitely get the scallops—they are to die for. Honestly, there wasn’t a single thing wrong with anything on the menu. We tried at least six dishes, including oysters, and paired them with both red and white wine. Everything was perfection. The owner was so sweet and attentive. He truly cares about his restaurant, and it shows. We would catch him fluffing all the pillows multiple times throughout the evening! He listened carefully to our questions and knew exactly what we wanted even though we could not always explain. He made me a custom pasta with steak and I also had this incredible fish wrapped in ham—both dishes were indescribably good. Don’t skip the dessert liquor drinks; they are out of this world! Everything about this experience was insanely good, and I can’t recommend it enough. If you’re in town, make sure you eat here—you won’t regret it!

This place deserves a Michelin Star. The seafood, the drinks, wine selection, and atmosphere are absolutely incredible. We went two nights in a row on our vacation and enjoyed every minute we were there. This was the best meal we ate on our two week vacation through Ireland and Scotland and this was hands down the best. The owner also was so cool and made the best drinks.

Very nice small and cozy restaurant. Excellent seafood selection , fresh and reasonably priced. Well worth a visit for any kind of occasion.

I had a wonderful dinner. there are a lot of nice sea food dishes. restaurant has nice vibes and deco.

Great meal. Fresh oysters, delicious sirloin steak and the seafood pasta was so fresh, and so flavorful. My husband had a good cheese board and the ice cream (available if you ask) was delicious. They pamper you, very friendly and very cheerful. Recommended. Make a reservation.

Simply superb. Restaurants where the owner is deeply involved in hands on activities usually are.

Absolutely worth the $.. fantastic meal and the best lemon curd cheesecake I've ever had!

Gran lugar y buena comida servida por gente encantadora! Tuvimos buenas ostras grandes, la pasta de marisco que era muy bueno y mejillones para compartir, me encantó.

We had an excellent meal 4 of us mussels were amazing as were whitebait main course fab too definitely recommend

Small but cosy seafood restaurant- great communications (emails answered promptly). I had the best seafood stew ever and the scallops weren't bad either. Relatively expensive but you can taste the quality.

River House restaurant never disappoints. The atmosphere is cozy and food is always delicious. Make your reservation early. It's hard to get in at the last minute.

River House y su equipo siempre ofrecen una gran experiencia. La comida está muy bien cocinada con un equipo atento en la estufa. Es educada y profesionalmente servida por un equipo de jugadores de calidad que coinciden con lo que hay en el plato. El ambiente siempre está zumbando. Eléctrico. Adictivo. Realmente no hay mejor razón para elegir River House.

He cenado aquí varias veces con grandes expectativas, y ni una sola vez han fallado. El pescado fresco se cocina constantemente a la perfección, y el ambiente acogedor e íntimo hace una experiencia cálida y acogedora. Cada comida aquí se siente como una ocasión especial, trato de darme un capricho con una visita mensual.

Tuve el placer de cenar aquí recientemente. Fue fabuloso de principio a fin. El personal era muy amable y atento. La comida era increíble. Anteriormente pensaba que solo me gustaban las ostras a la parrilla o con pan rallado pero no crudo - mal. Sólo tienes que comer los mejores. Definitivamente volveré

We loved our first visit. The food was excellent, the ingredients very fresh, and deliciously prepared and presented. The whole experience was really unforgettable. The staff is very attentive and efficient. We will surely be back.

Very nice service. Good food. I recommend.

Really lovely and personal service, excellent food, and fun atmosphere. Very small, so reserve well in advance

10 de 10 . Gran comida, gran ambiente y gran servicio. Merece la pena ir a Escocia beacuase de este restaurante. Podría comer allí todos los días

Delicious food and lovely staff. Highly recommended 👌

This place was by far the highlight of our trip to Inverness. The chef and the staff are so congenial. His food is wonderfully prepared and very flavorful utilizing a lot of local ingredients. Everyone in town told us to go to the mustard seed, but this place is the actual place of the town. I talked with the chef after our meal and he self-trained, and runs the restaurant with an aire of almost childish friendliness that just went straight to our hearts. Love it.

Quite expensive restaurant (especially the oysters) but high quality and fresh products. I particularly recommend the mussels which were delicious.

A must visit spot when in Inverness! Make sure to book your reservations early. Every dish was spectacular and the service was amazing. Wonderful atmosphere. Thank you!

Seriously good food and tasted fresh 🦪

Fabulous seafood, oysters delicious and so fresh, service brilliant. Book ahead as very popular.

Amazing food and relaxed yet cosy atmosphere. Fresh seafood and fast efficient and friendly service. Always a must visit in Invernesd!

Perfect place for our splurge dinner. Serene setting, wonderful service, the tastiest cod and halibut, extensive wine list. Highly recommend

Ate omelette, the fish stew and the apple pudding. We got a bit of a bad service when paying the bill, but that shouldn't subtract from the food being pretty good. However it was also a very noisy place, that might just be bad table placement, as we got the noise from the kitchen plus some loud guests. A really ill tempered person would be giving 1 star here, but I feel 3 or 4 is deserved.

There’s a reason River House is the number one rated restaurant in Inverness on BOTH Yelp and TripAdvisor: It really is that good. Advance reservations are a must but you will not be disappointed. The owner/chef is charming and seemingly everywhere at once and the service and staff are top notch. Everyone agrees that the mussels are a must. We also had the seafood stew and the sole, both of which were excellent. Definitely our best meal in Scotland.

Tables very close to each other, not comfortable. Food is good.

A wonderful meal! It's a tiny place, so definitely book ahead, but we felt welcomed and the food was delicious. The wallpaper in the ladies was a delight as well!

One of our best dining experiences in Scotland. Food was top-notch. Intimate atmosphere and great service. Don't miss it if you're in Inverness.

We were really excited about this restaurant after reading previous reviews. We loved the service and atmosphere, but disappointed in the flavors of the food. We started with the trio of oysters. The natural one was our favorite and we should have ordered more! The crispy battered oyster tasted great, but the grilled one was overpowered by the amount, texture, and taste of the cheese sauce. I had the pan roasted North Sea cod with crispy gnocchi and broccoli. The fish was cooked very well and was delicious, but the gnocchi and broccoli were in a romesco purée that had a chipotle and “off” flavor that did not pair well with either vegetable. My husband had the fish stew and the mussels and clams were quite fishy tasting. We did enjoy the strawberries and cream dessert!

The seafood was incredible, with superb Oyster menu, and really extensive drinks menu too, really glad we booked here as our choice before going to to Blas Festival. Lovely location on the river and although really high food standard it’s an informal and relaxed vibe which I really liked. Will definitely return! Busy spot so make sure to book in advance. Allow time to park too as not much around it mainly permit holders.

Increíble food, incredible chef and service. Best food we had in scotland by far!!!

Foi uma grata surpresa o jantar no River House Restaurant! Nossa reserva estava certa e fomos atendido no horário. O restaurante é muito bem decorado, com poucas mesas, o que obriga a reserva! Mas façam pq vale cada centavo e a visita! A comida estava muito saborosa. Eu pedi um linguine com frutos do mar, que estava super levinho e delicioso! O staff merece nota 1.000! Suuuuper simpáticos, e nos deixaram super confortáveis! O preço não é barato, mas tudo valeu qto pesou! Ahh, o restaurante é super bem localizado no centro de Inverness! Super recomendo

Delicious food! Everything was soooo good. We even had to order some of the dishes twice because we were craving for more! Congratulations!

Oh my! Our meals were so awesome at River House. The service was superb as well. I only wish that I lived close enough to visit them again soon!

Food here is great and service is perfect. Lovely atmosphere and amazing birthday treatment too!! Would definitely recommend to anyone visiting Inverness.

By far, the best meal we’ve had In Scotland!

This is a great restaurant! The service is spot on and the food is outstanding. The real show stopper for me was the Pan Seared Shetland Scallops. The preparation made already good scallops even better. It is a starter and a must try. Everything else was great also.

Best seafood ever. Delicious! Friendly staff, wonderful people. Reserve a table!

Phenomenal food. Exceptional service. This meal was a highlight of our 16 days in Scotland. The staff (and owner) are so friendly and the atmosphere is cozy.

*Make a reservation!* I wanted to start with that because so many of the restaurants in Inverness need reservations. If you're interested in this place, you'll want to reserve ahead of time. The staff? Incredible. Kind, helpful, attentive. The food? Delectable. I don't think there are any misses. We ordered oysters that were enormous and so tasty as was the rest of our meal. The price point is higher, just a consideration. But I do believe it's worth it. Small restaurant but because of that the atmosphere is so good! Highly recommend!

Quaint seafood restaurant in the river walk in Inverness. You have to make a reservation... We got in luckily for my wife's birthday, having made the reservation a week before. Food and service were top notch! All the food was excellent, we loved the oysters and mussels.

We were told this is the best restaurant in Inverness and it really was! The fish was local and wonderfully prepared. The wines were reasonably priced. Rarely does our group have three courses, but the first two were so good that we had to try dessert. Our only regret was that the River House is closed on Sunday and Monday so we couldn't visit here again before leaving Inverness. Our server Jack had a delightful sense of humor (as did his cohort Tyler) that made the evening even more pleasant. The restaurant is small so you definitely need a reservation.

I had targeted this outstanding small restaurant based on the reviews, and am so glad we were able to get in, as dinner there was a highlight of our Scottish vacation. Please contact them in advance of your arrival as they book up quickly, we saw many having to be turned away - their loss! They feature seafood, all deliciously prepared. We started off with anchovies - not at all the dark salty ones you find on U.S. pizzas - but rather delicately flavored ones that were done in a ceviche style, simply marinated in olive oil and white wine vinegar. The perfect snack with our vodka martini and Bouvardier. And the taste of our mains - the outstanding fish stew and sea bass and the sticky toffee pudding were as brilliant as the presentation in the photos. All this was combined with friendly conversation with the owner and his staff. Please don't miss this charming restaurant when you're in Inverness!

Small amazing place. The service was spot on - very helpful and friendly. Our fish was fabulous, but the Cullen skink was our favorite. My wife does not usually get soup but she joined me and we both loved it. Highly recommend. Only negative, and a wee minor one at that, is that the restaurant is small so it seems a bit crowded

It is not difficult to understand that it is difficult to book a table at this great little restaurant right on the river. We ate oyster platter, where the grilled oyster was "to die for" and cod for main course. Incredible food! But skip the cheese/tomato dip for the oyster, tasted like ketchup. Otherwise the oysters were fantastic. Book in time. No point in trying a "spontaneous" one as it is very popular.

Our family concluded their two-week vacation in Scotland with dinner at Alfi's River House Restaurant. The food, service, and atmosphere were all exceptional. Our waiter was witty, which we all appreciated, and knowledgeable regarding gluten allergies. I will definitely stop in again the next time I'm in inverness.

We had an early dinner at The River House. Sign said booked for dins, but poked our heads in around 3pm. Lovely gent said, well, we open at 4pm so we can seat you then. Came back at 4pm and lovely gent turned out to be proprieter Alfie. We had a WONDERFUL meal, great wine, delish oysters, fantastic halibut (which I normally do not care for but Alfie convinced to great success!) and abso adored Alfie - he makes this place. We will go back to Inverness just to eat here again.

Had a lovely meal here during our stay in Inverness. Small restaurant, with very attentive staff, and food food was excellent work absolutely no complaints. Will defo return.

The food at the River House was delicious. I had the mussels as my main course and the portion was huge and absolutely delicious. The fries that came with it were also very good. For dessert, the Scottish strawberries were the perfect finishing touch. The staff was also extremely nice, we had a really nice evening.

We had a really lovely dinner. The atmosphere is cozy and relaxing, the staff is very friendly and professional, and the food was amazing. The scallops blew me away, the mussels were of really high quality (and prepared in a delicious sauce), and the sticky toffee apple pudding was a great dessert. I‘d return to this restaurant at any time, it was really a great experience.