The best restaurants in Aberdeenshire North East Scotland

Absolutely fabulous, presentation and quality of food excellent. Cakes looked great but we were full after toastie , sandwich and soup. Staff very homely and couldn't do enough for you.

Great welcome and wonderful hospitality from David and Sophie who constantly go the extra mile to make your stay memorable. Highly recommended.

Excellent freshly cooked food , small menu but was more than adequate for people’s tastes , staff are lovely . Food excellent as well . Good choice of drinks .

We had the best meal for a birthday! Everything ran smoothly, staff couldnt have been more helpful prior to the meal and also efficient and approachable! It was the most enjoyable experience! Many thanks Team Drouthy for making this birthday so special! Highly recommend x

The five star reviews are right. A super stop after a walk to the rocks of solitude. Lovely village and a quaint cafe. Excellent nachos and various sandwiches. Great cakes too. No complaints at all

The visit we had to here was lovely! Atmosphere was amazing. The servers and locals were very nice. The food and drink you could not fault. Definitely making this a fav spot

Lovely friendly coffee shop with excellent food. Quality teas also available. Superb atmosphere. Right next to the small harbour with good parking

We are frequently tempted to try other Indian restaurants in the area however any time we've done it, inc Aberdeen, we always regret it. Spice of Life has been the best restaurant in the area for some time now and judging by our most recent visit will hold the title for a while yet. Our meal last night was perfect in every respect. We were a 4some and seated in a booth, had a degree of privacy. Starters of a chicken tandoori, a mixed platter and chicken panoramic arrived quickly and beautifully presented as we've become accustomed to, it all tasted just as good as it looked, fantastic. Mains were chicken Chettinade, Dahnsak, Jalfrezi and Bhoona were all stunning, a pilau rice, coconut rice, peshwari and Masala Naan completed the feast. Empty dishes and plates told the story... Great value, efficient and friendly staff, on site car parking make a fantastic experience. We might continue to try other restaurants, we will always return here.

Thank you for catering so well for gluten free. Gluten free cones and a lot of effort to avoid cross contamination. Done with a smile and no problem. Tubs don't cut it really (usual option for us gluten free folks) so to leave with a cone and a smile, just like other people, is fabulous.

We loved our experience at the Fish Shop and were glad we drove over from Braemar in the dark. The stylish white dining room had a nice atmosphere and one could think to be in London. Staff was very friendly , food delicious and pricing fair. Highly recommendable

Had lunch here on a cold wet day. There are a couple of pavement tables but it was not a day for sitting outside. The soup was ideal and very tasty. It was noticeable that the staff were exceptionally helpful towards customers with mobility problems, going outside to help one person out of a car and through the door. Very heart warming.

I had heard great things about this place. Unfortunately it did not deliver, staff not very attentive, could not pre order online (tried phoning and messaging to pre order) to no avail. Only got asked if we wanted a drink after 15minutes of being sat down (wasn't busy at this time either) food arrived I had the brisket meal (chips,A&H coleslaw & jalapeño crisies were very nice thank you, but the brisket not so much was very dry I put the bbq sauce and coleslaw on to make it palatable. Would not recommend!

Always brilliant cakes and hot food home made by Eli - now made extra fine with coffee from thenew much-improved machine!

Popped in for a takeaway coffee. Wished I’d had time to stop and eat. This is a very funky place. Coffee was great and the staff friendly. Liked like great cakes.

We have come to Ballater for years .. this is a new kid on the block . Small menu but that makes this all the better .. Had a delicious Cajun chicken burger on a toasted brioche bun .. delicious ! Lovely staff , modern cosy eatery . Couldn't fault it ... Love it .