Dundee is pretty well known in Scotland for its maritime and industrial legacy, but that alone is not where the city shines. The city’s rise as a cultural hotspot is matched almost on par by the liveliness of its dining scene. Once seen mainly as a gateway to the Highlands, Dundee, also known as the City of Discovery, is now a true culinary destination. The city’s food scene serves everything from home-made Scottish seafood to international dishes like the Spanish tapas, West African, and Caribbean flavours.
Restaurants in Dundee
1. Sol y Sombra Tapas
2. Tahini Restaurant
3. Don Padrino Restaurant
4. The Selkie Restaurant
5. Gidi Grill
Top 5 Restaurants in Dundee
If you are in the city and want to eat like the locals do, here are some of the best restaurants to visit for the best.
1.Sol y Sombra Tapas
Since its official opening back in 2011, Sol y Sombra Tapas has taken Dundee by storm. Located in the seaside village of Broughty Ferry, Sol y Sombra is a hearty Spanish tapas bar on Dundee’s coast. The restaurant is known for its social, sharing-style dining, which it does wonderfully with a wide range of authentic small plates, from sizzling Gambas Pil Pil and Iberian ham to tender meat skewers and halloumi kebabs.
The restaurant is also very big on making use of fresh and high-quality ingredients for its meals. This means that their menu is very heavily inclined towards seasonal and fixed dishes. The lunch menu is set to four cold and five hot dishes, while the dinner menu is fixed at five cold and six hot dishes based on the day’s ingredients. This is excluding dessert options, though. The menu is filled with dishes like ensalada, gambas pil pil, cuscus, tortilla de patatas, and iberico, to mention a few. There is also a decent menu of drinks filled with cocktails, wines (white and red), draught lagers, ciders, and beers.
The highlight of eating at Sol y Sombra is the “blind” set menu, where guests list their dislikes and the kitchen curates a surprise multi-course feast from fresh, seasonal ingredients. The result is a dining journey that changes daily and keeps regulars coming back.
Sol y Sombra feels like a little seashore casa de pescadores with its white-washed walls and rustic décor. The restaurant was built in 1842, and somehow it reflects its age while also being timeless. Everything within the restaurant is minimal and simplistic, although there is an indoor and outdoor eating area.
Location: 27 Gray Street, Broughty Ferry, Dundee, United Kingdom
Price Range: £25 – £40
2. Tahini Restaurant
For something more Mediterranean or Lebanese in taste, a visit to Tahini is in order. The restaurant mainly celebrates traditional Lebanese cooking with a touch of modern recreation and ingredients. The menu features the usual classics like hummus, baklava, falafel, baba ghanoush, and shawarma.
Alongside these classics are signature dishes such as lamb made into different kinds of cuisines; lamb shish kebabs, chops, and laffa, veggie samosas, balma, halloumi, and aromatic rice. Vegans and vegetarians also particularly love Tahini, as the menu is rich in veggie options. Olives, lentils, tabouleh, hummus, fatoush, baklava, and many more. Since Dundee’s vegan scene is not as advanced as travelers might desire, Tahini comes in handy.
You can pair your meal with a glass of Lebanese wine, a cappuccino, ciders, and beers. Options of fried ice cream, fruits, and hot chocolate can serve as desserts, and you’ll quickly understand why Tahini has earned a reputation as one of Dundee’s most distinctive dining spots.
Tahini’s stylish, contemporary interior, rustic but simple decor, and light tones make it a popular choice for both casual dinners and special occasions.
Location:11 Bank Street, Dundee, United Kingdom
Price Range: £20 – £35
3. Don Padrino
New restaurant Don Padrino has quickly risen over the last couple of months through Dundee’s restaurant ranks. The restaurant, which is located in the heart of the city, is a steak, seafood, and cocktail restaurant with a distinctive fresh food standard. The interior is just as exotic and uniquely themed as the name sounds. The mafia-inspired theme combines monochromatic textures and decor, low lighting, and a little dramatic flair to create an atmosphere that feels both intimate and theatrical at the same time.
The menu is as bold too, with primarily steak and seafood offerings in stock. While the restaurant has the odd vegetarian options to keep things inclusive, dry-aged prime steaks and fresh Scottish seafood are at its core. Dishes include the ribeye, fillet and sirloin, different kinds of pastas, ravioli and luigini and the seafood salad.
The true highlights of Don Padrino’s menu though includes the colossal “Big Don” Tomahawk steak, designed for sharing or for those feeling adventurous and with a big appetite. There is also the seafood bowl option with an assortment of prawns, mussels, lobsters and oysters and creative dining experiences such as the “Omertà Evening” , a full on eight-course tasting inspired by Sicilian tradition.
Its combination of luxury, originality, and culinary precision makes it one of the go-tos for a celebratory dinner or night out.
Location: 11 Tay Square, Dundee, Scotland, United Kingdom
Price Range: £40 – £120
4. The Selkie Restaurant
The Selkie is a small family bistro that blends Scottish comfort food with Spanish tapas, cakes, scones, and dinner specials. Its name, drawn from Scottish legendary folklore of faeries and sprites, reflects the restaurant’s playful mix of cultures and flavors.
The menu primarily focuses on serving small plates built on fresh, local ingredients spun to make a masterpiece. The dishes on the menu are largely Scottish seafood and produce reimagined in tapas form. Smoked bacon and pork sausage rolls, spiced hummus, chimichurri chicken, and smoked chorizo. Alongside inventive sharing dishes, Selkie also offers hearty brunches, casual lunches, and comforting classics like burgers and vegetarian specials. Vegan hash, toast bread, and scrambled eggs paired with hot chocolate, coffee, or fruit juice.
Cosy, intimate, and family-run, Selkie has become a favorite for a relaxed weekend brunch or an evening of tapas and cocktails. It is so popular that it has even grown to accommodate a glamorous younger sister, the Ferry Selkie.
Location: 27 Exchange Street, Dundee, Scotland, United Kingdom
Price Range: £20 – £35
5. Gidi Grill
Gidi Grill is a West African and Caribbean fusion restaurant located on City Square. The restaurant brings the bold spicy flavors of West Africa_most especially Nigeria and the Caribbean, to the heart of Dundee. Known for its boisterous menu and lively atmosphere, it has quickly become a standout dining destination. People go to Gidi Grill to try a bit of something different but still delicious.
The menu specialties include charcoal-grilled meats marinated in house spices, smoky tasty jollof rice, tender jerk pork belly, and a spiced mac and cheese that’s a local favorite. You can start your meal with a pot of hot pepper soup or suya Caribbean rasta pasta, boneless stew, or island stew peas. If you are not feeling too adventurous, opt for the burgers, sirloin stick, grilled chicken or hotdogs. The energy of the place matches the food, hot with warmth, welcoming, and full of community.
With its combination of smoky, flavor-packed dishes and upbeat, friendly service, Gidi Grill offers one of Dundee’s most distinctive and memorable dining experiences.
Location: 6 – 7, City Square, Dundee, Scotland, United Kingdom
Price Range: £20 – £35
Conclusion
Dundee’s restaurant scene reflects the city’s cultural diversity and creativity. A rich, diverse culture from all over the world, but with a deep-rooted heritage. Over the years, the city’s restaurant scene has only gotten better, and it doesn’t matter if you are a local foodie or a visitor exploring Scotland’s east coast; these restaurants prove that Dundee has firmly earned its place on the culinary map.
