An Aberdeen restaurant boss says the key to its success is staff doing their work “with love” as they were named in the top 100 in the UK.
Cafe Boheme, on the city’s Windmill Brae, has been named by restaurant reservation service OpenTable in the list, which is “for diners, by diners” and to helps Brits “decide what hotspot to discover next”.
Opened in 2003, the bistro specialises in French and Scottish dining, and is the only one across the north and north-east to have made it onto OpenTable’s Top 100 Restaurants in the UK list.
It was also only one of five named in Scotland, with three being located in Glasgow and one in Edinburgh.
The list was compiled by analysing more than 900,000 diner reviews, along with diner ratings, reservation demand and percentage of five-star reviews.
This is the latest commendation for the Aberdeen restuarant, as just last month it was named as being one of the best 50 restaurants in the UK as a “perfect spot” for solo diners.
Last year, Cafe Boheme, which is owned by Paul Mair, was included in the coveted Michelin Guide for Great Britain and Ireland.
Mr Mair also owns two restaurants in Stonehaven, the Old Pier and the Tolbooth.
He took over the latter last year, with it being refurbished and reopened to the public in April 2023.
Speaking to The Press and Journal about their latest success, Cafe Boheme manager Ellie Donald described it as “amazing”.
She added: “It’s fantastic news to be recognised in the top 100, especially when there’s a lot of lot of good restaurants. It does mean a lot.”
‘We all have a lot of passion for our work’
And what makes it standout and effectively be in the top five across Scotland?
Miss Donald says it is thanks to hard work and efforts of the staff.
“Our chef, our front of house staff, everyone does their work with love and care. It’s not just a job for any of us, we all have a lot of passion for our work.”
Vice president of international growth at OpenTable, Laure Bornet said: “Our Top 100 Restaurant list highlights a breadth of diner favourites in the UK – from neighbourhood gems like Ciullosteria in London to award-winning spots like Opheem in Birmingham.
“Whether Brits are looking for a spontaneous midweek meal or festive feast, we hope diners use the list as a source of inspiration for local spots and their UK travels this year and next.”
Conversation