6 Best Restaurants in Aberdeen and the Northeast, Scotland

The Old Royal Station, built for Queen Victoria and restored after a disastrous fire in 2015, now houses Rothesay Rooms (formerly the Carriage). The upscale restaurant serves a carefully curated menu with an emphasis on locally sourced game, meat, seafood, and vegetables.

With light streaming through the large windows onto the wooden tables and rattan chairs, there is an airiness and freshness to this eatery. Fish landed just a few miles away on the Moray coast is a good bet, as are the long-aged steaks. Either way, be sure to finish with a seasonal fruit panna cotta: there's elderflower in June and raspberry and strawberry in July and August, all from the estate's walled gardens, which you can visit.

This elegant yet relaxed seafood restaurant can be found along a medieval lane next to St. Nicholas Kirk. Mains may include freshly caught sea trout, halibut, or hake served with imaginative accompaniments such as celeriac with seaweed. The sophisticated atmosphere of the dining room is enhanced with striking landscape photography and somber lighting. A gin bar serves craft distillations and cocktails.

Ask anyone about this long-established place and the response will probably be overwhelmingly positive. Fish-and-chips is the specialty, and the secret-recipe batter is now the stuff of legend. Finish the Whale—a gigantic fillet of battered haddock with fries —and you'll be rewarded with a second one free. The decor is basic; think wooden chairs and tables. Ashvale also has siblings in Elgin, Ellon, Banchory, and elsewhere in the northeast.