Hello,
Everything I've read has said that reservations are necessary for restaurants in Scotland, especially when traveling in May. I am not a "foodie" so just good old fish & chips, sandwiches and pub grub is fine with me. Does one have to have reservations if eating in a pub? If so, how far in advance does one need to make a reservation? I hate the thought of being tied down to a specific time and place for my supper!
Thanks,
Helen
if party of two, pub grub can found without reservations. larger parties can be more difficult. Very popular spots, that we avoid, might suggest otherwise.
In Portree, for example some places are reservation only while others are "stand in line".
As a party of four we stood in line for an hour.
It does ruin the spontaneity.
Scotland is a big place. Where is Scotland specifically?
It very much depends on whether you are in a town/city or somewhere with fewer eating options. For example, when on holiday in North Uist (Outer Hebrides) we knew that we would have to make a reservation to eat in the local pub as it's the only restaurant for miles around. Even standing in line as a party of 2 would not have helped! In Portree here in Skye you would be able to get something casual, but even then you'd need to know which places take walk ins and you'd need to be prepared to queue for quite some time. Somewhere like Portree you might need to reserve a week in advance for somewhere like a pub, whereas for a restaurant, especially a good one, you might need to book a month in advance. However, in a city you'll always find something.
As stated, it depends on where you’re at. In Edinburgh reservations are recommended. We couldn’t get a table at a couple places in a couple cities because we didn’t have a reservation. In some of the smaller towns it wasn’t an issue.
