6 of Our Favourite Places to Eat Around Aviemore

Where to eat around Aviemore is one of those questions we're asked a lot, and it's surprisingly difficult to answer with a simple list.

Sometimes you want a great pub lunch and a pint in a beer garden. Sometimes it's pizza outside after a day in the hills. And sometimes you want to get dressed up, order a bottle of wine and make dinner the main event.

So rather than trying to rank them, we've chosen six of our favourite places to eat around Aviemore, each for slightly different reasons.

Old Bridge Inn, Aviemore

If we had to choose a favourite for a pub scran, this would probably be it.

Tucked down beside the River Spey, the Old Bridge Inn manages to be both a really good place to eat and a proper pub. Food is taken seriously, with a seasonal menu that goes well beyond standard pub fare, but the atmosphere remains wonderfully relaxed.

The drinks are worth mentioning too. They take those seriously as well, with good beers, an excellent whisky selection and properly made cocktails. On a sunny day, the beer garden beside the river is hard to beat.

If you happen to be around for one of their regular folk sessions, even better. Fiddles, pipes, guitars and a busy Highland pub make a pretty good combination.

Come for lunch, stay for a cocktail and don't blame us if you're still there several hours later.

*Dogs welcome in the bar lounge

*Children’s menu available until 6.15pm

Visit the Old Bridge Inn

The Old Post Office Café & Gallery, Kincraig

For something a little quieter, head a few miles south of Aviemore to Kincraig.

The Old Post Office is a lovely family run café and gallery with a relaxed setting away from the bustle of Aviemore. Toni takes care of the food while Ann is a local landscape artist, and together they've created somewhere that combines really good food, art and a genuinely warm welcome.

There's a Mediterranean influence to the menu, with fresh lunches, daily specials, focaccia, soups and plenty of homemade baking. If there's a quiche on when you visit, that's always a favourite of ours.

The gallery is part of the experience too, showcasing Ann's work alongside other local artists and makers.

Combine lunch with a wander around Kincraig, a visit to Loch Insh or quad biking at Dalraddy and you have the makings of a very lovely afternoon.

Visit the Old Post Office Café & Gallery

The Winking Owl, Aviemore

Sometimes you don't want dinner to be complicated. You want a tasty pizza, a drink and somewhere outside to sit in the sunshine.

For that, we'd head to the Winking Owl.

Right in the centre of Aviemore, it has a large outdoor beer garden and freshly made pizzas are available from the pizza cabin outside. They're tasty, quick and particularly good when the weather is behaving itself and you fancy eating outdoors.

It's also a useful option for families and groups when everyone wants something relaxed rather than a more formal meal.

Grab a pizza, find a table in the beer garden and enjoy the novelty of a Highland evening warm enough to eat outside.

*Dogs welcome in the bar lounge

*Children’s menu available

Visit the Winking Owl

Rowan Tree Country Hotel, Loch Alvie

At the other end of the scale, the Rowan Tree is our choice when dinner is the occasion.

Set just south of Aviemore overlooking Loch Alvie, the hotel has a much more intimate feel than many of the larger restaurants in the area. You don't need to be staying at the hotel to eat here, and it's somewhere we'd choose for a birthday, anniversary or simply a night when we fancied making a little more of dinner.

The menu combines Scottish ingredients and familiar favourites with more adventurous dishes, all prepared by their small kitchen team.

The setting helps too. You're tucked away from the centre of Aviemore with Loch Alvie just below you, so it feels like you've gone somewhere for the evening rather than simply popped out for something to eat.

We'd recommend booking ahead.

*Dogs welcome in the bar lounge

Visit the Rowan Tree Country Hotel

The Cairn, Carrbridge

If what you're looking for is a proper Highland village pub, go to the Cairn.

The bar sits right in the heart of Carrbridge and has that lovely mix of locals and visitors that makes a good village pub what it is. There's an open fire, a pool table and darts, along with a bar well stocked with Scottish whisky, gin and beer.

The food is hearty, freshly cooked and exactly the sort of thing you want after a day outdoors.

Our recommendation is the Cajun chicken burger. Preferably followed by a game of pool that you were absolutely certain you were going to win.

It's relaxed, friendly and unpretentious, and a great choice when you're looking for good pub food and a bit of atmosphere rather than a formal dinner.

*Dogs welcome in the bar lounge

*Children’s menu available

Visit the Cairn Hotel

High Street Merchants, Grantown on Spey

High Street Merchants is somewhere we'd make part of a whole day in Grantown.

There's plenty to keep you occupied here before dinner, from independent shops and galleries to local makers markets. Then in the evening, head to High Street Merchants for Square One Dining, run by husband and wife team Al and Ellie.

The dining room is small and intimate, with a frequently changing menu, and the whole place has a wonderfully personal feel. In winter there's a wood burning stove, while warmer evenings can be spent in the little garden.

Before or after dinner, have a look around the Full Circle Gallery and shop too. You'll find paintings alongside work by other artists and makers, including ceramics and jewellery.

For us, that's the appeal. Spend the day exploring Grantown, then settle in for dinner somewhere small and intimate before heading home.

A rather lovely way to end the day.

Visit High Street Merchants

Which one should you choose?

For a great pub lunch and a cracking beer garden, Old Bridge Inn. For Mediterranean inspired food somewhere quieter, The Old Post Office. For an easy pizza and a drink outside, The Winking Owl.

If you're planning a special dinner, we'd choose Rowan Tree. For a proper Highland pub night, head to The Cairn. And for an intimate dinner after a day exploring Grantown, High Street Merchants is hard to beat.

Last updated September 2026