Tarmachan Cafe — Restaurant in Scotland

Tarmachan Cafe, located at Quarry Studios, Crathie, between Ballater and Braemar in Royal Deeside, Aberdeenshire, is a lovely place to relax and enjoy speciality coffee and local produce in the heart of the Cairngorms. Set within its own grounds with off-road parking, this stunning modern building provides quality food and good service, with indoor and outdoor seating. They are open Wednesday - Sunday 9.30am to 4pm and have just started serving breakfast as well as a lunch menu. The food is locally sourced from quality providers and includes freshly foraged mushrooms if they have time. The sourdough bread is freshly baked daily for the wonderful loaded toast breakfasts and grilled cheese sandwiches, available with venison salami and kimchi, which was delightful. There is a very tempting selection of fresh cakes in the cabinets and the menu includes gluten free (Coeliac-friendly) and dairy free options. The cafe was immaculately clean and the staff were welcoming and friendly. Well worth visiting if you are in Royal Deeside on the A93 by...

It might be odd in a review of a café to comment on screws. But sitting outside under their porch, I was able to take in the very stylish and robust cladding of the building, held in place by screws with star heads. Unusual but very neat. Just like the café itself. It oozes style - and a design ethic rare in Scotland, but common in countries like Belgium. The food was superlative. Just a simple pie - elevated to something special. And an amaretti biscuit that had a wonderful chewy base almost like coconut, and a lemony taste that lifted it to another level. The tea and coffee also exemplary, and the service friendly and efficient, given that the place was rammed.

We've driven past it before and always vowed to return. Well, now we have and it will not be our last visit. Scotland desperately needs more places of this quality and to find one opposite one of the biggest tourist attractions outside Edinburgh is miraculous. So avoid Braemar and Ballater - head to...

I would give Tarmachan Cafe 10 stars if I could. We have been here on 3 occasions in 5 days, and have thoroughly enjoyed everything here.

Dog-friendly Great artisanal coffee - using beans by Williams Johnson, and made so well. The food is simple, yet AMAZINGLY SATISFYING DELICIOUS. Soups and salads are specials which change daily, but cheese toasties, Wark Farm Pies and Venison & Apple Sausage rolls are on the menu. Our favs: Cheese toastie with kimchi or chilli jam Sour Dough bread Carrot/lentil/ginger/coconut soup Cauliflower/ginger/lentil soup Roast Potato salad with Anchovy, Parmesan and Kale dressing Chocolate torte Brownie with salted caramel Service is friendly and helpful. This is the quality we’ve experienced in some of the best places in NYC and London - so glad to find it here. Keep up the high standards! Decor is stylish, and modern.

Highly recommend the...