If like us you love a good cup of coffee and a chance to sit down, do a spot of people watching or just have a good natter, then you are in for a real treat in Inverness!
Now, when it comes to going out for coffee, we treat it the same as going out for dinner, we like to make an occasion of it (not always of course, sometimes you just need a quick espresso at the train station and that’s fine). I’d already done some google research on where to go, so we started off with a few places I thought we might like to visit. We didn’t actually get round all of the coffee shops, perhaps on our next visit I’ll pop even more on!
So here are our top 4 coffee stops in Inverness
Art Gallery Café at The Royal Highland Hotel
18 Station Square, Academy Street, Inverness IV1 1LG
This is hands down, our favourite location wise. It’s within the lovely Royal Highland Hotel. You pull up a gorgeous wing backed chair in the area at the foot of the grand staircase, settle in and enjoy your tea, coffee or hot chocolate. We saw lots of groups of ladies out for afternoon tea and also those waiting to check in, or out, of the hotel and people waiting to get their train at the station just steps away.
We found it was nice and quiet around the 11.30am mark most mornings, but loved a Sunday, especially in winter when it’s cold outside and you can come in and be all cosy with the gorgeous Christmas Tree!
The coffee itself is really good, we always had the Americano, which set us back £2.80 per person, not the cheapest, but for the location and the coffee taste, it’s worth it.
Palace Brasserie
8 Ness Walk, Inverness IV3 5NG
We had walked by the Palace Brasserie for weeks before realising we could go in for a coffee, we thought it was perhaps reserved for those looking for something to eat. It’s part of the Best Western Hotel and is a gorgeous place with views out over the River Ness and, if you get the right seat, a view of the castle.
The Palace has the BEST coffee in our humble opinion, it’s the perfect size cup and the strength just right. It comes with a little block of Scottish Tablet (we had to pass as not suitable for us wee vegans), but I thought this was a lovely little touch. An americano here costs £2.30 which I thought was very reasonable. Plus they have a loyalty card, although not entirely sure how it is supposed to work as the first time I bought 2 coffees I got 2 stamps, the second time I went I got 4 coffees and only 1 stamp…
The brasserie itself is very modern and super chic, very instagramable! It does get busy though, lots of people clearly love it for lunch, afternoon teas, coffee and cake, dinner etc, so we’d do a walk by to see if there were seats available before venturing in.
We took my parents here when they came to visit and my dad had a fabulous looking hot chocolate!
Eden Court Café
Bishop’s Road, Inverness IV3 5SA
While you are in Inverness, you might want to head to Eden Court so you can enjoy the latest cinema release or catch whichever theatre production they have on.
They have a lovely relaxed vibe and the cafe is quite the local hub. It can get very busy, especially when a show is about to start/interval/end! Lots of families enjoying a quick bite to eat, or just regulars coming for some coffee and cake.
We opted for double espresso in Eden Court, the coffee is pretty good and you get free water at the end of the bar which is a bonus. They also had some great vegan treats, including fruit croissants and cinnamon buns. If I remember correctly, a double espresso cost us £2.50.
Inverness Cathedral Café
Just off Ness Walk – behind Inverness Cathedral, IV3 5NN
Just behind the Cathedral you will find this lovely cafe & shop, which was originally an old Boys School built well over a 100 years ago.
They had lots of delicious cakes with a couple of vegan and gluten free options every day if that’s what you’re looking for, along with soups, sandwiches, filled rolls etc. The coffee is tasty and there is a shop packed with arts and crafts and Scottish themed goodies at the back.
They are one of the few places we visited that has a drinks loyalty card. They also offer a ‘Suspended Coffee” programme where you can buy and gift a hot drink for the homeless, an idea I absolutely love.
So that’s our top 4 coffee stops in Inverness. But I would like to make a shout out to Coyote Coffee Shop who had the most delicious biscoff cake (V), worth the visit just for that!
There is also a lovely little cafe in the Inverness Museum and Art Gallery and also Cobbs at the Botanic Gardens who have the best hot chocolate.
One place I had on my list but we didn’t get around to is By The River Cafe at the Highland Hospice (just past Eden Court) it looks like a lovely spot and we’ll definitely go on our next visit!
I hope if you’re in Inverness you might visit some of these great places and enjoy the coffee as much as we did!
