These are the best cafes for breakfast and lunch in Inverness, including legacy spots and contemporary favourites
The food and drink scene in Inverness is thriving – especially when it comes to building breakfast menus that are packed with locally sourced ingredients and plenty of heart. From elegant brunch patisseries at the Hillhead Café in Tornagrain to hearty bacon and black pudding stacks at Sùgh Ùr Cafe on Southside road, you will be spoiled for choice the next time you’re dining out for breakfast in Inverness.
Start every day right with our list of the top five best breakfast and brunch spots in the capital of the Highlands.
Hillhead Café, Tornagrain
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Deliciously crafted brunch dishes are created by award-winning chefs and served by the friendliest front of house team at this elegant coffee shop and eatery in Tornagrain, about seven miles outside Inverness.
The menu includes homemade (yet refined) soups, sandwiches, salads and bakes like Biscoff cheesecake, rose macaroons, Scottish scones and indulgent cookies that Edinburgh’s Chulo’s should envy.
But the real stars of the show lie in their breakfast menu, which is celebrated by locals and travellers alike.
Take, for instance, the Hillhead Café Rabbie Burns lunch; a hearty breakfast staple featuring haggis, avocado, cherry tomatoes and poached egg, dressed with basil oil and a sprinkling of fresh coriander leaves.
Our personal favourite is a new addition to the menu: poached eggs on sourdough toast with asparagus, torched feta and beetroot hummus. Refreshing and hearty, it provides an energy boost that will last all day.
Looking for a lighter portion? Try the Knockraich Farm live natural yoghurt bowl with Hillhead-made granola and lemon curd, topped with vanilla syrup and blueberries.
Hillhead Cafe
3 School Rd
Tornagrain
Inverness
IV2 8AY
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Sùgh Ùr Café, Southside Road
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Let us introduce you to Sùgh Ùr – pronounced ‘soo-oor’ – a cosy independent juice bar and café nestled in the Crown area of Inverness. Harking to their Scottish roots, the team at Sùgh Ùr use fresh, local ingredients to create nutritious dishes that don’t just look good, but taste delicious too.
Sùgh Ùr is Gaelic for ‘fresh’ or ‘new juice’ and the visual play on the word ‘sugar’ adds playfulness to a brand that is known for being relaxed and welcoming.
Part of the Wee Juicy family, Sùgh Ùr specialises in sweet treats, freshly pressed juices, smoothies and homemade breakfasts. They’re known by locals for their waffle selection, which includes toppings of Biscoff, fruit or bacon and Skye Black Pudding.
Founder Ali MacKintosh says, “We’re the kind of place you can come if your feeling healthy, or treat-y, or a bit of both… We’re all about that good food balance. Oh! And we cater for all with meaty, vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options galore.”
Sùgh Ùr Café
4 Southside Rd
Inverness
IV2 3AU
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XOKO Bakehouse & Coffee Bar, Bridge Street
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XOKO Bakehouse & Coffee Bar is well-loved by Inverness residents but is especially celebrated by NC500 adventurers. Perfectly placed in the heart of the small city, this cosy hole in the wall draws travellers away from the winding roads of the NC500 and into the Highlands’ capital to enjoy some light-hearted local cuisine – and enjoy some Scottish culture while they’re there.
XOKO stands out in our minds because of their melt-in-the-mouth cinnamon buns, made freshly every morning and doused in a heavenly sugar icing that we reckon is laced with cinnamon, sugar and the tears of angels. Arrive as close to opening time as possible for your chance to nab one fresh out of the oven.
A savoury staple is their chipotle sausage roll with salsa and their entirely unique Dauphinoise Danish, which was a July favourite for visitors. Ask at the counter to see if you can get your hands on one this season.
New winter additions to the menu are rich, gourmet macaroni pies. At the time of writing, XOKO had just posted on Instagram announcing the new arrival, so make your way to Bridge Street tout suite!
XOKO Bakehouse & Coffee Bar
13 Bridge St
Inverness
IV1 1HG
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Utopia Cafe, Tomatin Road
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Utopia Café is described by its owners as a “laid-back brunch and lunch spot”, but we beg to differ. Take a scroll through their Instagram and you’ll see that Utopia is better described as a refined local café with rustic interiors and an eclectic menu inspired by the natural world that surrounds it.
At Utopia Café, you can expect modern takes on breakfast classics – think poached eggs and smoke salmon, but elevated to nduja ham hock benedict with roasted tomatoes; or Turkish eggs with rich homemade hummus and a crispy sourdough toast for dipping.
Be sure to ask what specials are on offer. A year or so ago, we tried the butternut squash with black pudding and bacon hash, served with a potato rosti, garlic yoghurt, zhoug and a poached egg – and we’re still thinking about it.
Utopia
27 Tomatin Road
Inverness
IV2 4UA
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Culture Café & Deli, Chapel Street
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This is green eating at its finest – and a beautiful option for a vegan or vegetarian breakfast in Inverness. The rich breakfast and lunch menus are built on fresh ingredients, sourced locally and seasoned beautifully, showing that you don’t need to sacrifice flavour to eat clean.
In March of this year, the team launched their sweetcorn and spring onion fritter stack, a towering tribute to what was one of their biggest deli items. The founder paints the picture, “A few layers of our delicious stacked veggie fritters, kissed with our house garlic mayo, a mildly spicy chutney and topped with a dollop of our refreshing cucumber-mint coconut yogurt raita! But wait, there’s more! Marinated carrot ribbons, zesty red onion, lime and fresh rocket join the party – and it’s all drizzled with our mouth-watering house gremolata sauce and sprinkled with hazelnut dukkha for that extra layer of flavour (and a wee crunch)!”
A new addition to the autumn menu is the Culture Harvest bowl, which offers a hearty and comforting alternative to their lighter dishes, featuring roasted sweet potatoes, quinoa, fresh spinach, carrot and cucumber, dried cranberries, and crushed pecans. Topped off with the Culture Café & Deli special seared pumpkin and sunflower seeds, microgreens and a creamy tahini-maple-lemon-garlic Goddess dressing.
All we can say, is get yourself over to Culture Café & Deli to try the bright and zesty menu for yourself. You won’t be disappointed.
Culture Café & Deli
11 Chapel St
Inverness
IV1 1NA
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