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Interior - Cafe 1, Inverness, Highland

Cafe 1

4.8 (2743)
£26 to £40
Scottish
75 Castle Street, Inverness, Highland IV2 3EA

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A photo of Cafe 1 restaurant

Cafe 1

4.8
£26 to £40
Scottish
Inverness

Make a booking

2 people
19:00
Booked 30 times today

About this restaurant

  • Good for special occasions
  • Good for groups
  • Neighbourhood gem
Welcome to Cafe 1
I have pleasure in offering you a unique, fine dining experience here in The Highlands at Cafe1, Inverness.

We take great pride in sourcing local ingredients - some produced by ourselves from our own Croft!

Our open plan kitchen turns quality Scottish produce into appealing modern dishes.

We are a restaurant that moves with the times.

All tables are re-booked 2 hours later.

Cancellation policy.
No shows will be charged at £40 per person.
Cancellations within 5 hrs of dining will be charged £15 per person with the restaurants discretion.

Norman MacDonald MBE
Glenfiddich Spirit of Scotland
Proprietor

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Price
    £26 to £40
  • Cuisines
    Scottish, Contemporary European, Steak
  • Hours of Operation
    Dinner Mon, Tue 12:00 pm–9:00 pm
  • Phone number
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Diners Club, JCB, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress Code
    Smart Casual
  • Executive Chef
    David Coubrough

Concierge
AI Beta

Our AI assistant, Concierge, is here to answer your questions about this restaurant.

Reviews

OpenTable reviews from verified diners

Reviews from people who have dined at Cafe 1.

4.8

4.8
(2743)
  • 4.8Food
  • 4.8Service
  • 4.7Ambience
  • 4.7Value

Noise • Energetic

Diners' Choice Awards

  • Inverness / Scottish Highlands

    Best Overall

  • Inverness / Scottish Highlands

    Best Food

  • Inverness / Scottish Highlands

    Best Service

  • Inverness / Scottish Highlands

    Best Ambience

  • Inverness / Scottish Highlands

    Best Value

  • Inverness / Scottish Highlands

    Great for brunch

  • Inverness / Scottish Highlands

    Good for business meals

  • Inverness / Scottish Highlands

    Good for groups

  • Inverness / Scottish Highlands

    Great for creative cocktails

  • Inverness / Scottish Highlands

    Hot spot

  • Inverness / Scottish Highlands

    Great for fine wines

  • Inverness / Scottish Highlands

    Romantic

  • Inverness / Scottish Highlands

    Good for special occasions

  • Inverness / Scottish Highlands

    Vegetarian-friendly

  • Inverness / Scottish Highlands

    Lively

  • Inverness / Scottish Highlands

    Scottish

  • Inverness

    Best Overall

  • Inverness

    Best Food

  • Inverness

    Best Service

  • Inverness

    Best Ambience

  • Inverness

    Best Value

  • Inverness

    Good for business meals

  • Inverness

    Good for groups

  • Inverness

    Great for creative cocktails

  • Inverness

    Healthy

  • Inverness

    Hot spot

  • Inverness

    Neighbourhood gem

  • Inverness

    Great for fine wines

  • Inverness

    Romantic

  • Inverness

    Good for special occasions

  • Inverness

    Vegetarian-friendly

  • Inverness

    Lively

  • Inverness

    Scottish

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Cafe 1 in Inverness is a culinary delight, offering "fantastic food" and "excellent service" that patrons rave about. The menu features high-quality ingredients, expertly prepared dishes such as steak, monkfish rendang, and mussels. The atmosphere is lively yet intimate, and the staff are "friendly and welcoming." Highly recommended for a memorable dining experience.
2,743 Reviews
  1. Drew

    Inverness / Scottish Highlands6 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Amazing night out in cafe1 as always Food, cocktails & service all outstanding

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  2. Nicola

    Perthshire/Stirlingshire14 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Lovely food , service and refreshments would definitely recommend and return

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  3. Carolyn

    Inverness / Scottish Highlands6 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Had a fantastic experience at Cafe 1! The room is absolutely stunning, and the service was excellent from start to finish. Norman was lovely and made us feel so welcome. The partridge was delicious, and the pork was equally lovely, with generous portion sizes. There was also a great selection of wines and some superb cocktails to finish off a wonderful meal. A beautiful setting, fantastic food and outstanding service — we couldn’t have asked for more. Highly recommend Cafe 1! 🍷🍸

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  4. Diane

    Inverness / Scottish Highlands1 review

    5.0

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We were a party of four and all of us thoroughly enjoyed our meals . Just amazing 😻. Service was fantastic also .

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  5. Jane

    Inverness / Scottish Highlands1 review

    5.0

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great night. This venue is run like a tight ship everting was perfect.

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  6. Jason

    Inverness / Scottish Highlands1 review

    5.0

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The food fantastic and the table Service was great.

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  7. Brian

    Inverness / Scottish Highlands1 review

    5.0

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    4 of went for lunch for my wife’s birthday and it was really good experience with great service and food.

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  8. Jemma

    Inverness / Scottish Highlands1 review

    5.0

    Dined 6 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    The food was delicious but a bit disappointed that a side of fresh vegetables was not an option.

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  9. lorraine Gold

    Edinburgh/Midlothian14 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 6 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We had the early evening menu which was excellent value for money, staff were very friendly would definitely recommend

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  10. Mike Gold

    Miami - Dade28 reviews

    3.0

    Dined on 19 October 2026

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 3
    I wasn’t blown away by this place. The food was average at best. I don’t think I would come back for the food. The staff was nice and friendly, and the kitchen staff seemed nice and friendly. But to me, it’s all about the food and I’m just not rushing to return.

    Is this helpful?

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Price
    £26 to £40
  • Cuisines
    Scottish, Contemporary European, Steak
  • Hours of Operation
    Dinner Mon, Tue 12:00 pm–9:00 pm
  • Phone number
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Diners Club, JCB, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress Code
    Smart Casual
  • Executive Chef
    David Coubrough

FAQs

Cafe 1 feels cosy and inviting with an open‑plan kitchen turning local Highland produce into its dishes; reviewers frequently note a lively, buzzy dining room, with quieter lunchtimes on occasion.

Cafe 1 often feels busy and buzzy, so it’s wise to book ahead; reviewers describe mid‑week evenings as especially busy, while lunchtimes can be fairly quiet.

Smart casual is the guide at Cafe 1, polished but relaxed, and many guests treat it as a spot for anniversaries and special evenings, so a slightly dressed‑up look fits well.

Cafe 1 is at its calmest around lunchtime and during the early‑bird/early‑dinner period, guests describe lunchtime as fairly quiet and praise the value of the early‑bird menu.

Yes, Cafe 1 is family‑friendly: there’s a children’s menu with more grown‑up options, families regularly dine there and guests say children enjoyed their meals.

Yes, Cafe 1 is frequently chosen for anniversaries and special evenings, with several guests praising its intimate, celebratory atmosphere and attentive service.

Guests commonly report that portions are just the right size, several reviews call the servings a “perfect” or “right” size for a satisfying meal.

Tuesdays are a great choice, several guests praise the flat‑iron steak special that the restaurant offers on Tuesdays.

How FAQ content is generated

  1. Home
  2. United Kingdom
  3. Inverness / Scottish Highlands
  4. Inverness
  5. Inverness

Make a booking

A photo of Cafe 1 restaurant

Cafe 1

4.8
£26 to £40
Scottish
Inverness

Make a booking

2 people
19:00
Booked 30 times today
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