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Visiting a new country and culture isn’t complete without trying the local delicacies and joining in on traditions the locals take part in. It’s even better when you can have food that’s banned in certain countries or drinks that are only made in the area! After two years in Scotland, we’ve gathered our ultimate list of food to try in Scotland based on not just our favorites, but traditional food across the country too.
You’ll find killer desserts, food banned from America, Australia and more, and two drinks you’ve got to try as well. We just got back from our first return trip to Scotland, and had to squeeze in all this goodness in just one week! They’re drool-worthy and delicious, and just absolute musts when visiting Scotland!
Top Foods To Try In Scotland
Scottish Breakfast
It may be a heart attack on a plate, but it’s something you’ve got to have! A traditional Scottish breakfast consists of baked beans (yes, you read that right, for breakfast!), sausage (“bangers” in Scotland), a rasher of bacon (like a thin slice of ham), one fried egg, half a roasted tomato, mushrooms, black pudding (don’t ask what it is, just eat it!!), and a potato scone (a flatbread type thing made from potatoes).
And as if all that wasn’t enough, most places also offer a side of bread either toasted with butter or fried!
Where to have a Scottish Breakfast: The PitStop (a converted bus in a layby on the way out of Aberdeen on A96), Toby’s (a chain restaurant around Scotland with unlimited Scottish breakfast for under £4 per person, though they don’t always offer everything within the tradition Scottish breakfasts), or Wetherspoons (the best UK chain around… breakfast for under £5 and all you can drink coffee for £1.30).
Black Pudding
Banned in the United States and other places across the globe, black pudding is a real Scottish delicacy that you’ve got to try! We won’t be the ones responsible for you knowing what’s in it, because we think you should try it before you dis it for the ingredients, but if you’re dying to know, check out this article here.
Where to Get Black Pudding: You can buy black pudding at butchers and local grocery stores, however, be sure to get the Macleod and Macleod Stornoway Black Pudding. Make sure it’s got two Macleod’s on it not just one! If you want to actually go where they make it, you’ll have to take a trip up to the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides.
Fish and Chips
Scotland has absolutely brilliant fish and chip shops, but the key to the good ones is getting them from an actual chippy shop. Most restaurants and hotels serve fish and chips, but trust us here, the best ones are from the takeaway shops, or “local chippy”.. Even better if you can visit a shop that uses rapeseed oil to fry the fish, it’s seriously so good!
Where to Get Fish and Chips: Oban Fish and Chips in Oban (there are a few fish and chip shops in Oban, make sure you go to the “Oban Fish and Chips” not the others) They use rapeseed oil to fry their fish and chips and have an extensive menu of other seafood as well!.
Traveler’s Tip… Often times, eating in at a chippy shop costs £1-2 more per item than if you do take away, and while Oban Fish and Chips accepts cards, lots of fish and chip shops do not, so have cash on you!
READ MORE | 10 First Time Fish and Chip Mistakes
READ MORE |Top Three Fish and Chips Shops in Scotland
Haggis, Neeps, And Tatties
If you knew what haggis was made of, you may not like this dish, so let’s go ahead and not tell you what haggis is… but the neeps are like mashed turnips, and the tatties are mashed potatoes, and the three of them combined is delicious!
Where to Get Haggis, Neeps, and Tatties: A hotel pub will do. It’s literally on any pub menu and is great accompanied by a beer. 😉
Cullen Skink
The clam chowder of Scotland. Though Cullen Skink can be found in many variations, traditionally it’s in a creamy sauce with fish, potatoes, and onions… and man, is it delicious!
Where to Get Cullen Skink: Cullen Skink was created in the town of Cullen, just up the coast from Portsoy. So while you’re in the area for some Portsoy Ice Cream, you may as well get some skink from Cullen too!
Scottish Lasagna
Okay, this may seem strange, but trust us here, Scottish lasagna is so different than any other lasagna we’ve had. The Scots make it with a creamy white sauce and topped with cheddar cheese, giving it a bit of a different twist than traditional Italian lasagna. At first, we thought the sauce was a gravy, but turns out it just a white pasta sauce that you can find in most grocery stores.
Where to Get Lasagna: Any hotel restaurant will serve up a good lasagna. We’ve had one from a chippy shop, though that one wasn’t with the white creamy sauce, so we’d say stick to hotels for this dish!
Mussels
Being surrounded by the sea means you’re going to find some really good seafood in Scotland. And let us tell ya, the Scots do their mussels right! Most places have a few different flavored sauces to try, and we’ve yet to try one we didn’t like! The pots can be absolutely massive so this may be a good dish to share, or just order the starter size!
Where to Get Mussels: Most hotel restaurant/pub will serve mussels, we really fancied the ones at the KyleSku Hotel up on the NC500!
Scotch Pie From A Butcher
A warm filling with a flaky crust? Yes, please! Scotch Pie come with all different types of fillings. From lamb or chicken curry to steak and a traditional oat and onion blend, there are loads of flavors to try! And if you don’t eat meat, don’t worry, there’s even some filled with mac and cheese! These are go-to lunches for many and are so lovely straight from the butcher’s.
Where to Get Scotch Pie: Nearly all butcheries sell fresh scotch pie daily, which is where we definitely recommend you get them from. However, most bakeries/delis in the larger grocery stores also sell them.
Mushy Peas
Peas, in general, aren’t really our favorite food, so we stayed away from ordering mushy peas for a while. However, we soon realized they are served as a side to so many dishes and can be found at nearly all restaurants and food shops in Scotland, so we had to give them a try. Our only regret is not trying them sooner! Sometimes they’re served with a mint flavor, and while those are good too, we recommend just the plain mushy peas!
Where to Get Mushy Peas: Most chippy shops serve mushy peas, but it’s honestly hit or miss with how good they are. The Royal Café in Annan serves up the best mushy peas we had all over Scotland.
Afternoon Tea With Scones And Clotted Cream
We jumped on this bandwagon far too late to really get to enjoy as many afternoon tea times as we should have, but the whole atmosphere surrounding an afternoon tea is just brilliant. It’s relaxed, full of laughter and chit-chat, and just a beautiful setup. Think, just three tiers of food, sandwiches, scones, and tray bakes with a big pot of tea to enjoy for hours with friends! It’s a lovely British tradition that you need to take part in!
Where to Have Afternoon Tea: Most hotels will offer afternoon tea, and to be honest, those are the places where it’s typically the best. You can have a look at Groupon to try and find a nice discount on afternoon tea, and regardless, be sure to read the reviews wherever you decide to go. Make sure they offer proper clotted cream with their scones, as it’s not proper British scones without clotted cream!
Dessert Foods To Try In Scotland
Sticky Toffee Pudding
Pudding in the UK means nothing more than dessert really. Coming from the states, we’re used to pudding being like a thick, sweet, creamy yogurt, but this is far from that. It’s a super moist cake with an amazing sauce, and is often served up with ice cream or custard as well. We would have date nights just going out to get this dessert, it’s really that good!
Where to Get Sticky Toffee Pudding: This is one that you’ll need to get from an actual restaurant! Most restaurants and pubs have it on the menu, just be sure to ask how fresh it is, as we’ve had a couple that were really dry. If it’s dry, send it back, and ask for a fresher piece! You may get a weird look, but trust us, it’s worth that stranger looking at you odd for asking for a more moist piece!
Tunnock’s Tea Cakes
Tunnock’s tea cakes are the closest thing we’ve ever had to a s’more outside the states, and if you don’t know what a s’more is, you aren’t really living! 😉 Back to the teacakes… it’s a biscuit (cookie) with a marshmallow type thing on top, then all dipped in chocolate! It’s super rich, but absolutely delicious!
Where to Get Tunnock’s Tea Cakes: You can find them at nearly all grocery stores in either the sweeties or biscuits section in a yellow box!
Portsoy Ice Cream
Hands down, without a shadow of a doubt, the best ice cream we’ve had across the globe… and we’ve had lots of ice cream! The team at Portsoy Ice Cream come up with the craziest of flavors, some ice cream infused with whisky (only for 18+), others made for just the kiddos like minion and unicorn ones, and all the creamiest and tastiest ice cream around. We’ve gone out of our way multiple times to get Portsoy Ice Cream, it really is that good!
Where to Get Portsoy Ice Cream: Portsoy Ice Cream is located in the town of Portsoy outside of Aberdeen. Trust us on this one, even if you’re not near, you’ve got to try this ice cream!
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Deep Fried Mars Bar
Our second day in Scotland, we were told we had to try a deep fried Mars bar and when ordering, order three per person. “One to just try it, one because you can’t believe it’s that dang good so you need to try again, and one because it was so good you need another.” And man, was that man right! They are absolutely delicious, though very, very sweet!
Where to Get a Deep Fried Mars Bar: The Carron Fish Bar in Stonehaven. This is where the deep fried Mars bar was invented, so there’s really no better place to try it than there!
Shortbread Cookies
Okay, a trip to the United Kingdom wouldn’t be complete without some Scottish shortbread cookies! We’ve had way more than we should have had during our time in Scotland, and Jay even ate them for dinner from time to time. They’re a light, melt in your mouth cookie you’ve got to have!
Where to Get Shortbread Cookies: It may sound dumb, but no joke, our favorite shortbread cookies are from Aldi (a discount store). They’re absolutely fab and easy on the budget too!
Drinks To Try In Scotland
Irn Bru
It’s said that Irn Bru was created to help with the alcohol problem in Scotland, giving people something to drink other than beer and whisky. It’s extremely sweet and tastes just like cotton candy, yet has a bright orange color! Though it was created to help the alcohol problem, it’s now known as the best thing to drink after a late night out. Ask any Scot what’s the best hangover cure, and they’ll surely say an Irn Bru.
Where to Get Irn Bru: Any grocery store or small shop will sell a cold Irn Bru!
Scottish Whisky
Whisky is the national drink of Scotland, and is one you’ve got to try! If you like a more smoky flavor, ask for one that’s peated, though this is not typically enjoyed by first time whisky drinkers. If you’re new to whisky, maybe try Dalwhinnie or Jura, both are smooth and sweet!
Where to Get Whisky: If you have the time, doing a whisky tour is a great way to learn about whisky and try a couple – the tours are great indoor activities for a rainy day! Otherwise, any pub will sell drams of whisky, or you could always go to a proper whisky shop.
READ MORE | How to Do Whisky Tours for Free
Food To Try In Scotland In A Nutshell
If your mouths not watering already just thinking about all this food, you should go see a doctor. 😉 Our mouths are watering and tummies growling after just writing this post! Be sure to tag us in your photos if you make a trip to Scotland and try any of these local Scottish delicacies, and pop back on here to leave us a comment with what you think!
Enjoy your trip to Scotland. It’s an absolutely brilliant country and one we’ve come to truly love. Take a look at these other posts from our time living in Scotland to get more of an idea of what Scotland offers.
More On Traveling In Scotland
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