The Times has released its first-ever list of Scotland's 75 best restaurants, with Inver in Strathlachlan, Argyll and Bute, claiming the top spot. The list, compiled by journalist and restaurant critic Chitra Ramaswamy, celebrates the breadth and diversity of the nation's food and drink scene.
The selection has been published alongside Alba, The Times' lifestyle guide and supplement. Rather than offering an objective ranking, the list reflects Ramaswamy's personal choices of the restaurants that impressed her most during more than six and a half years of reviewing Scotland's food and drink.
Top Three Restaurants
Inver, co-owned by chef Pam Brunton and her husband Rob Latimer, took first place. Ramaswamy described the restaurant as a "radical redefining of modern Scottish cuisine in a historic crofter's cottage". The venue is located in a 300-year-old crofter's cottage.
Second place went to The Glenturret Lalique Restaurant in Crieff. The two-Michelin-starred restaurant offers a culinary journey led by executive chef Mark Donald, with a 15-course tasting menu featuring ingredients such as Highland wagyu, langoustine and scallops.
Gloriosa in Finnieston, Glasgow, completed the top three. The Mediterranean-inspired restaurant is led by chef Rosie Healey, who is due to step down from her role at the end of the year. Ramaswamy wrote: "The focaccia is legendary, the fresh pasta superlative, but Healey and her team are incapable of putting up a plate that is anything less than perfect." She added: "Glasgow simply does not get better, brighter or - yes - more glorious than Gloriosa."
Fourth and Fifth Places
Edinburgh's Timberyard took fourth place, with the Old Town restaurant praised for its innovative approach to food and sustainability. It first opened in 2013 and was awarded a Michelin star in 2023. The restaurant announced in 2025 that it would no longer serve farmed meat and instead focus on wild animals.
Ramaswamy described it as "one of Scotland's best, most revolutionary, undoubtedly beautiful restaurants", highlighting its sustainable New Nordic cuisine and striking interior.
Rounding out the top five is Kinneuchar Inn in Kilconquhar, Fife, a restored 17th century inn run by chef James Ferguson and his partner Alethea Palmer. The restaurant, which opened in 2019, focuses on seasonal local produce, with a menu that changes daily. Dishes include East Neuk lobster, Shetland cod and madeleines baked to order.
Rest of the Top 10
The remaining places in the top 10 showcase restaurants from across Scotland, including Michelin-starred destinations and independent restaurants celebrated for their approach to Scottish produce and contemporary cooking.
The full list of Scotland's 75 best restaurants for 2026 is available online through The Times website.
Scotland's 10 best restaurants for 2026 are: Inver (Strathlachlan, Argyll and Bute), The Glenturret Lalique Restaurant (Crieff, Perth and Kinross), Gloriosa (Finnieston, Glasgow), Timberyard (Old Town, Edinburgh), Kinneuchar Inn (Kilconquhar, Fife), Lyla (Royal Terrace, Edinburgh), Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles (Gleneagles, Perth and Kinross), Fallachan Kitchen (Finnieston, Glasgow), The Palmerston (West End, Edinburgh), and The Free Company (Balerno, Midlothian).
