The Best Restaurants In Dundee, Scotland

Dundees traditions of science, discovery and the arts make it a great place to visit
Dundee's traditions of science, discovery and the arts make it a great place to visit | © nagelestock.com / Alamy Stock Photo
Matthew Keyte

Although not as well-known as the restaurant scene in Edinburgh or Glasgow, Dundee’s foodie focus is strong and creative. There is an emphasis on modern Scottish cooking using seasonal ingredients and local produce in the city’s kitchens; we pick ten of the best restaurants to check out here.

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Bruach Bar and Restaurant

The Bruach Bar and Restaurant stands on Brook Street in the Broughty Ferry area of Dundee. Established in 2007, the restaurant takes its name from the Gaelic name for the area, Bruach Tatha, and is renowned as a lively and vibrant place to dine with innovative cocktails. The cuisine merges traditional Scottish ingredients and seasonal produce with contemporary cooking methods. Diners can choose from dishes such as classic cock-a-leekie soup, mussels from the West Coast in white wine and garlic, and loin of Inverurie pork with dauphinoise and thyme jus. The bar also serves up excellent cocktails including the Tequila Mockingbird, a mixture of tequila, fresh rhubarb, grenadine, lemon, egg white, thyme and elderflower cordial.

The View Restaurant

The View Restaurant lies on the southern banks of the River Tay and offers diners magnificent views over the river towards the city of Dundee. The restaurant is run by Steve and Karen Robertson and the cuisine is focused on modern Scottish food made using top-notch seasonal produce from local artisanal suppliers. Previously the couple behind the restaurant ran the Glass House on Speyside, a nominee for Best New Scottish Restaurant. Dishes include venison from the Cairngorms with local chantrel mushrooms and dauphinoise potatoes, chicken breasts from Aberdeenshire with chick peas and curry sauce and Angus beef fillets with asparagus spears, hollandaise sauce and hand-cut chips.

Collinsons

Collinsons is based in the Broughty Ferry area of Dundee, east of the centre of the city along the northern bank of the Tay. Not far down the road from Collinsons is the 15th century Broughty Castle, a classic piece of military architecture. Collinsons was established in October 2012 as a place for fine dining with a menu based on the very best seasonal produce from local suppliers and producers. On the dinner menu are dishes including baked finnan haddock with Welsh rarebit and pan-roasted loin of red deer with fondant potato, braised red cabbage and port wine sauce.

The Gulistan House

The Gulistan House is the longest established Indian restaurant on Tayside, having been opened back in 1979 in the Broughty Ferry area in a 19th century Gothic Revival building. The interior is full of pieces of contemporary art and antiques from the Indian subcontinent. The food is well-known for being top quality; the menu is full of traditional curries from the sweet and sour pathia up to the vindaloo, dishes prepared in the clay tandoor oven and house specialties including tikka masala, tikka masala bhuna, tikka biryani and the Gulistan special biryani.

The Milton Inn

The Milton Inn in Monifieth, just up the Firth of Tay from Broughty Ferry, is in an area that was recently revealed to lie upon an ancient lava stream. The historic inn features several crow-step gables that are one of the most famous features of Scottish vernacular architecture. The Milton Inn is known for offering hearty food with a particularly rich selection of ales and whiskies. The cask beers on offer include ales from English and Scottish breweries such as Adnams, Eden Brewing in St Andrews and Stewart Brewing in Edinburgh. The whisky menu features both blends and single malts from all of the Scottish regions including Bowmore and Laphroiag from Islay, Old Pulteney and Dalwhinnie from the Highlands, Glen Scotia in Campbeltown, and Aberlour and Mortlach from Speyside.

The Tapas Bar

The Tapas Bar in Broughty Ferry has seen phenomenal success since opening and yet remains something of an enigma. The restaurant has no website, and spends nothing on advertising. Yet, in order to book a table it’s rumored that patrons have to ring at least three weeks in advance. There is also no menu; diners are presented with a selection of Spanish tapas which they can explore and sample. The food has been praised for its authenticity, even though the head chef is Polish.

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