Places to eat in Inverness

For a full round-up of our favourite eateries in town, spanning everything from Indian to Italian cuisines, head to our dedicated Inverness restaurants guide.

One of the highest-ranked cafés in Inverness on TripAdvisor, Velocity Café & Bicycle Workshop, as the name implies, is a coffee shop equally at home with flat whites as it is with flat tyres. Known for its coffee, cakes, sandwiches and salads – as well as plenty of veggie options, including veggie haggis – the café is also a cool hangout for any bike nerds or is ideal if you need to bring your bike in for a tune-up. The not-for-profit social enterprise cafe will be happy to suggest bike rounds in and around the city and they also run a weekly Sunday social bike ride, which leaves from the Crown Avenue café on a two-hour round trip from 10.15am.

If your caffeine fix is as vital a consideration for you as breathing, then the fresh scent of the Inverness Coffee Roasting Company will have you exhaling in delight. A small, compact café near The Ironworks, it’s packed with coffee beans, coffee lovers and coffee gifts. Plus, they roast their own beans daily. This guarantees you a super fresh cup of Joe, which they’ll make however you like it, whether that’s an espresso, cold brew or foamy latte.

A bright and airy space on Church Street – a short walk from our Inverness Centre (River Ness) hotel, Coffee Affair is a friendly, relaxed place that offers good food (the freshly made daily soup is a winner) and an excellent range of coffees. If you’re after something a little more exotic, So Coco is nearby on the High Street, where their signature coffee goes excellently with one of their home-friend churros, piled high with sugar and chocolate dipping sauce. Decadent and highly recommended!

Coffee shops don’t need to be all about the mighty bean though, as Blend rightly proves, mixing up their hot drinks with an impressive range of teas from across the world. Offering over 20 hand-blended loose-leaf teas, including black, white, oolong, green and fruit tea, they also dish up breakfast, lunch and cakes with a wide range of vegan and gluten-free options. Plus, you can sit back, relax and take in their mini art exhibition showcasing works from local artists.

Finally, Artysans Café is a quality bistro/café on Strothers Lane near the Old High Church, which is open for breakfast, lunch, coffee and cakes. The food is simple but excellent, and the coffee is all roasted on-site, giving you one of the best cups of coffee in the city.

Running on the first Saturday of the month from February till December, the Inverness Farmers’ Market has been a staple in the city since launching in 2000. Situated on the Eastgate end of the High Street in the centre of the city, the market brings together an impressive range of traders selling everything from local bread, seafood and meat to beauty products, handmade jewellery and arts and crafts. The market runs from 9am-4pm and is a great way to support local businesses, while also picking up some tasty treats in return.