Choose the seven night St Andrews and Gleneagles golfing break and you certainly won’t be short of options to eat well when you venture over to Gleneagles. The 5 star Gleneagles Hotel itself is home to eight exquisite, highly-polished eating and drinking experiences, which gives you plenty to pack your 3 days there before journeying further afield to see what else the area has to offer.
Restaurants at Gleneagles Hotel
The only restaurant in Scotland to hold two Michelin stars, the Andrew Fairlie at the Gleneagles Hotel provides sumptuous dishes inspired by both French and Scottish styles of cooking. The menu changes with the season as the chefs source ingredients from the local area, providing authentic Scottish fair with French flair. Sadly, celebrated founding chef Andrew Fairlie passed away in January 2019, but the team behind him are passionate about letting his food legacy live on.
Set to open anew in spring 2019, The Strathearn at Gleneagles offers silver service dining. The restyled restaurant is inspired by the golden age of railway travel and ‘The Gleneagles 300’, a socialite set from the 1920s who travelled between hotels with enviable style. The Strathearn offers a formal setting to enjoy Franco-Scottish cuisine fresh from the hills, glens and lochs of Perthshire.
For a more casual dining experience – at no expense to the quality of the food – the Birnam Brasserie is open all day for bistro style meals including steak frites, bouillabaisse and scallops. The mosaic flooring is inspired by the grand cafes of Paris, transporting you from the greens and bunkers of the fairways you’ll have spent your day on. If you’re lucky enough to book into the Birnam for brunch on the first Sunday of the month, you can enjoy live music, a cocktail station and a range of brunch classics, charcuterie, cheeses and seafood. The Birnam calls this ‘the most indulgent brunch in Scotland’, and rightly so.
The Century Bar and Auchterarder 70 (named after the Gleneagles Hotel’s original phone number) aim to provide a relaxing atmosphere in which to eat and drink with friends. The Century Bar can serve you up an impressive Aberdeen Angus burger with a cheese rarebit, which you can enjoy whilst browsing and sampling their menu of 120 single malt whiskies. Oak-panelled Auchterarder 70, the newest addition to the ever-evolving Gleneagles Hotel, is the place to go for more internationally inspired small plates to share, such as tacos and pad thai fries. Auchterarder 70 has a growing reputation as being the place to go to get the best of local craft beers, so it’s a must-visit for hops fans.
Alcohol certainly isn’t in short supply at Gleneagles, as the Hotel is home to two high-concept bars. The American Bar oozes the roaring glamour of 1920s America, showcasing exquisite cocktails and champagne by the magnum, complemented by a range of caviar. Situated on the 18th hole of The King’s and Queen’s Courses, the al fresco Blue Bar, furnished with leather sofas, throws and a firepit to stave off the Scottish chill gives patrons the chance to sample a Cuban cigar alongside their whisky.
Other restaurants in Gleneagles
Venture beyond the grounds of the Gleneagles Hotel and you’ll find even more excellent Scottish restaurants ready to fuel you up for another day on the links.
Barley Bree at Muthill was built in the nineteenth century, providing rooms and stables for people passing through Perthshire. It operated under various guises until its current owners, the Bouteloups, bought it and reintroduced it to the world as the Barley Bree in 2007. They both bring passion and expertise to the table, Fabrice as a French-trained chef and Alison as accompanying wine expert. Visit Barley Bree to enjoy award-winning dishes, from salted arbroath smokie to saddle of Perthshire venison.
For a freshly-made, relaxed dinner, head down the road to Max & Ben’s Bistro. The burgers are the big-hitters here, described as ‘a thing of beauty’. Their steaks come from Tweed Valley grass-fed cows, but if you want a real sample of Scotland, then Max & Ben’s can dish you up Haggis and Stornoway.
Local delicatessen and wine café restaurant Delvinio can be found both in Crieff and Auchterarder. The team at Delvinio put their passion behind the food philosophy of Spain, Italy and Southern France: good ingredients, simply cooked to showcase them at their best. They offer small plates, pasta dishes, fresh pizzas and Mediterranean-style platters. A lot of thought and research goes into their wine selections, which are provided by their own specially chosen importers. You can drop into Delvinio for breakfast, lunch, dinner or just to enjoy a glass of wine.