Skye has a food reputation out of all proportion to its size. The island is surrounded by cold, clean water, so langoustines, scallops, mussels, crab, lobster and oysters are landed close to the kitchens that cook them, and hill lamb, venison and Highland beef come from the crofts and estates inland. The catch is that restaurants are few, small and spread out, and many keep short hours or close for part of the winter. Plan dinner like you plan your walks, by area and in advance.
Book ahead, always
This is the single most useful piece of advice for eating on Skye. In summer the well-known restaurants fill weeks or months in advance, and even the simpler places in Portree turn people away on busy evenings. Out of season fewer kitchens are open, so a table is still worth reserving. If you are staying somewhere remote, ask your hotel whether it serves dinner to residents, because the nearest alternative may be a long drive on a dark single-track road.
The destination restaurants
The Three Chimneys at Colbost, near Dunvegan, has been the island's best-known restaurant since the mid-1980s. It occupies a whitewashed crofter's cottage on the shore of Loch Dunvegan, serves tasting menus built on Skye seafood and local meat, and has rooms next door for those who would rather not drive afterwards. Loch Bay at Stein, on the Waternish peninsula, is a tiny seafood-led restaurant opened in 2017 by chef Michael Smith, who previously cooked at the Three Chimneys, and it has held a Michelin star. Both are worth building a day around, and both need booking well ahead. Edinbane Lodge, a restored lodge in the centre of the island, and Kinloch Lodge in Sleat are the other names that come up most often for a special dinner.
Portree
The island's main town has the widest choice and is the easiest place to eat if you are based there. Scorrybreac is a small fine-dining room with only a handful of tables in a former house above the harbour, offering a modern Scottish menu with a seafood option. Sea Breezes on the quay is a mid-range seafood restaurant known for generous plates of langoustines, mussels and oysters. Around the harbour and Somerled Square you will also find pubs, fish and chips, cafés and the island's largest supermarket for picnic supplies.
Casual seafood and cafés
Some of the best eating on Skye is the simplest. Near Carbost, close to Talisker Distillery, the Oyster Shed sells local oysters and seafood to eat outside or take away, which makes a good lunch on a Fairy Pools day. Cafés in Broadford, Portree, Dunvegan and Uig serve soup, sandwiches and home baking, and hotel bars across the island serve pub meals. Opening hours are seasonal, so check before you rely on a particular stop for lunch.
What to try
Look for hand-dived scallops, Skye langoustines, Loch Harport oysters, mussels and crab, plus smoked salmon, venison and Highland lamb. Cranachan, a dessert of cream, raspberries, toasted oats and whisky, appears on many menus, and a Scottish breakfast with black pudding is the standard start in hotels and guest houses.
Whisky, gin and beer
Talisker at Carbost is the island's oldest working distillery and offers tours and tastings that should be booked ahead; tasting while driving is not an option on these roads, so bring a designated driver or ask about take-away drams. Torabhaig Distillery in Sleat is a newer whisky distillery, and the Isle of Raasay distillery is a short ferry ride from Sconser. Skye also has its own gins and the Isle of Skye Brewing Company in Uig, whose beers appear in pubs across the island.
Practical tips
Carry some cash for small cafés and honesty boxes, plan picnics on walking days, and remember that kitchens often stop taking orders earlier than you would expect in a city. If you want one memorable meal, choose lunch rather than dinner where a restaurant offers it, so you can drive in daylight. Our three-day itinerary shows how to fit dinner around the walks, and our where-to-stay guide notes which hotels have their own restaurants.
Where to eat by area
If you are touring the north, Portree is the natural lunch and dinner stop, with Uig and Staffin offering cafés on the Trotternish loop. In the west, the restaurants of Dunvegan, Colbost and Stein suit a Neist Point or castle day, so book them for the evening you will be out that way. In the south-west, Carbost has the distillery and simple seafood stops, and Sligachan has a hotel restaurant and bar that suits walkers coming off the hills. Sleat in the south has country-house dining and a distillery café, and Broadford, on the main road from the bridge, has the island's other large supermarket and a choice of casual places to eat.
