Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.
Food and Drink

The food and drink to try if you’re spending the day in Stonehaven

Here are some of my top food and drink suggestions for Stonehaven locals and tourists.
Karla Sinclair
The Tolbooth Seafood Restaurant is a popular foodie destination in Stonehaven. Image: Kath Flannery/DC Thomson
The Tolbooth Seafood Restaurant is a popular foodie destination in Stonehaven. Image: Kath Flannery/DC Thomson

The number of independent food and drink businesses in Stonehaven has impressed me ever since I did some research on the town.

Serving everything from coffee, homemade pancakes, traybakes and ice cream to fresh pies, seafood and beer, I can’t help but wish I wasn’t based so far away from the area. I would be stopping by every other weekend.

For that reason, I have listed my top suggestions for anyone after food and drink in Stonehaven. And be sure to visit the businesses hungry…

Breakfast

8am to 11am

Molly’s Café Bar is arguably one of the town’s most popular hospitality venues.

While I’ve mentioned the business as my ‘breakfast’ recommendation, I’d urge you to visit at any point throughout the day — whether it be for lunch, dinner or some booze.

The pancakes will go down a treat at Molly’s Café Bar. Image: Supplied by Jacqueline Wake

However, the breakfast offering does look particularly inviting, to say the least.

Choose from a full Scottish, vegetarian or gluten-free breakfast, as well as filled rolls, pancakes, smoked salmon and more.

Coffee and cake

11am to 12pm

Moving swiftly on to coffee and cake, The Old Pier Coffee House is a must.

Here, not only can you enjoy fabulous coffee and patisserie such as croissants, puff pastries and bakes, but also views over Stonehaven Harbour.

Enjoy a delicious coffee at The Old Pier Coffee House. Image: Supplied by The Old Pier Coffee House

The venue is open from 9am to 5pm daily, so there is a big window of opportunity to head inside, meet the team, and relax.

Lunch/brunch

12pm to 3pm

When it comes to lunch or brunch, your options go on, and on, and on.

I struggled to whittle down my top picks. However, the first had to be Seafood Bothy — and anyone that has tried a dish from the stall will understand why.

Crab wraps from Seafood Bothy. Image: Chris Sumner/DC Thomson

While the menu differs depending on what stock is available, you may see lobster and prawn rolls, langoustine tails and Cullen skink being served out of the retro horse trailer.

But if you’d rather sit in for a meal, then The Captain’s Table (based in The Ship Inn) should be considered.

Tofu Thai green curry with veg and seafood risotto with samphire. Image: Kenny Elrick/DC Thomson

The family-run restaurant ensures there is food to cater for all tastes on the menu, and you’re guaranteed superb quality.

Speaking of superb quality, it doesn’t get much better than the produce sold at The Bay Fish and Chips.

A standard haddock and chips. Image: Scott Baxter/DC Thomson

I’m embarrassed to admit that I’m yet to place an order with the business yet. It’s on my must-visit list, trust me.

However, having heard so many fantastic things about the team’s food from colleagues and friends, I had to add it to this list.

Snack

3pm to 6pm

After you’ve had a wander round the streets and harbour and worked off your lunch, you may be feeling rather peckish.

To that I’d say pay a visit to Charles McHardy Butchers on Market Square. Well, if you’re a fan of pies and sausage rolls, that is.

Pie lovers are in for a treat at Charles McHardy. Image: Wullie Marr/DC Thomson

Elsewhere, there’s Replenish, which offers a selection of refill and zero waste produce and products.

You’ll find bread, kombucha, cheese, fruit, veg and honey, to name a few items.

Replenish is based on Allardice Street. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson

Be sure to ask the team if there are any freshly-made treats on offer the day you stop by. Fudge and tray bakes are available on occasion.

Dinner

6pm to 8pm

Dinner, again, is a tricky one. Why’s that? Because there are so many places to choose from.

First up, I’d encourage anyone after a meal that’s more on the ‘fancier’ side to head over to Tolbooth Seafood Restaurant.

Rock turbot. Image: Kath Flannery/DC Thomson

There are countless mouth-watering starters, mains and desserts on the menu. However, please be aware that the business is closed on Sundays and Mondays.

I understand that fish and chips are the way to a number of people’s hearts. If you fall into that category, then the Redcloak Fish Bar is sure to satisfy your cravings.

A kid’s sausage supper from Redcloak Fish Bar. Image: Darrell Benns/DC Thomson

Other than a haddock supper, there’s also a wealth of other chippy/chipper favourites such as burgers, chicken fillets, battered sausage, pies, and so on.

Over at Tandoori Haven, this is the place to be for lovers of Indian cuisine.

Mixed kebab, chicken tikka sagwala, lamb hasna hena balti, pilau rice and garlic naan. Image: Kenny Elrick/DC Thomson

The award-winning restaurant, which opened its doors in 1992, serves both traditional classics and signature dishes that apply Eastern flavours with a Western twist.

Drinks

8pm to late

Given that the day will likely have been hectic, you may want to sit back and relax with a cold beer.

If that’s the case, then pop in past The Marine Hotel — part of the Six Degrees North family.

Bombini beer by Six Degrees North. Image: Scott Baxter/DC Thomson

If you’re after somewhere with more wines, gins and cocktails, then consider ordering a few drams at Number 44 Hotel & Bar.

It is open from 8am to 11pm Sunday to Thursday, and 8am to 1am on Fridays and Saturdays.

The bar area of Number 44 Hotel and Bar. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson

Conversation