An evening in Inverness is not complete without music and whisky. (Unless you don't like one of…read morethose things, in which case one or the other will do...for us, it was both!) We spent one of our 4 nights in town at Hootananny...It's a lively spot with a full restaurant and bar and good whiskey recommendations from the bartender. On this night, it was a jam, as opposed to a frontal performance...these jams you'll find throughout Scotland are really not performances, but musicians who gather together in the front of the venue, sitting in a circle, typically with a group of them with their backs to the audience, who play for each other, for the sheer and obvious love of the collaborative music. They ran through all kinds of traditional Scottish tunes, occasionally with instruments put aside to let a couple of them sing a cappella. It was a beautiful experience to watch "performers" immersing themselves in each other's music, with us, the audience, grateful, if not incidental, receivers of it. They've got a decent whisky selection too, and, as I found throughout Scotland, every bartender seemed knowledgeable in what was offered and willing to have a conversation to help guide you to what you might want to drink that night. (I had a Bunnahabain dram.) If you've got a few nights in town, this is one of the main 3 venues you should check out...the other two we experienced were more direct performances, also good, but to experience a musician's jam circle like this, is truly a wonderful and unique experience to have when in town.

Make a reservation ahead of time! They do require a credit card guarantee for your booking, but…read moreabsolutely worth it to enjoy dinner and a show. We sat in the upper level over looking the live music. The drinks came quickly and were cold & tasty. The food was standard fare, but they took great care to make accommodations for gluten free needs. After dinner we moved down to the benches by the stage for another drink and to enjoy the next musician that came out. The vibes in Hootanany's were top notch, just come with the understanding that they are busy and patience while you're on vacation is key!

This is a MUST VISIT if you're in Inverness. I was lucky enough to get to chat with Bruce…read moreMacGregor, one of the owners, and listen to him play. His passion, talent, and story telling is unmatched! The roast dinner was delicious and the cocktails were so fun! They take great care with the details around the pub, giving nods to history while pushing forward progress within the re-adoption of traditional Scottish music. Come for a drink or a meal, and stay for the vibes, history, and immense talent on stage.

Re: Delicious Sticky Toffee Pudding…read more To the Greek couple we met in Inverness, with great apologies, we suffered confusion of which delicious desserts we had at various restaurants around the city, inadvertently directing you towards a place that did not serve sticky toffee pudding. We should have pointed you towards MacGregor's as having the most delicious sticky toffee pudding, now verified after having several others that did not perfectly balance sweet with salt as that of the sticky toffee pudding at MacGregor's. If the pub is full, please find your way to the end of the bar and the small door to the left that takes you to the cosy table service room where Jess and other wait staff, including little Nala, will take the best care of you. We also highly recommend the steak & ale pie and fish & chips, should you require something a bit more than the sticky toffee pudding. Again, apologies, and we are certain you will have a fantastic experience at MacGregor's!

We heard music playing and decided to stop. The front area where the bar and stage are is small…read morebut we were lucky to snag a small table to sit and enjoy the music. I got the vibe it was more tourists than locals but there definitely was a mix of both. We had a drink and then headed on to our next music venue.

We arrived in Inverness and went straight to the oldest bar in the city. This place is funky and…read morebright, decked out with neon lights and lots of open space. The bar tender was able to recommend a local gin for me to try and I had it with tonic. My husband got a pint of Tennent's and while it was early afternoon on a Monday the place still had great energy. Keep in mind they don't serve food at this location, but the drink service is still great.

Good service at this pub! Fish and chips were good. The ham pie was good too. Good pub at the train…read morestation.

Amazing spot! We were in from the US and we wanted to find a local spot for dinner and this was it!…read moreLiterally best food we have had on our trip and it was SO affordable! We wish we could go back tomorrow! Richard and his wife are so kind and nice and the food and hospitality was amazing! The spot was clean and easy to park too, 5+ stars!

I wanted to like this place, cute atmosphere, smelled good, nice music, but from the second we…read morewaked in, the seemingly annoyed long haired red head 'greeted' us. Our service was horrible, we waited over 40 mins for our food, it took us forever to get our order taken, and we were being completely ignored. Anytime we ask her for something she seems completely put off. What was worse as there was hardly anybody in the place. Pretty pissed by the time we got our food and completely over it. Our waitress and an older gentleman who what I think was an owner were completely oblivious. I watched other people come in and order and then leave because they waited so long. i"it was ridiculous

Food was fair but service was poor. Ordered an Old Fashioned that was so small.. only a little over…read morea finger and cost 11£. No wonder the place was empty

So much fun. The band was popping and danceable, I'd give the experience a 10. For a gal from the…read morestates I felt at home, welcomed and had a ball. I got a cold Guinness or 2 and danced with the local gang. Much fun was had by all.

This is a wee pub that often has karaoke on a saturday night. The bar is small but the drinks are…read moregood and the staff are friendly. Its good to go for one drink but can be crowded.

Look you are either going to absolutely love this place, or completely hate it. There is no middle…read moreground. Go there at 10pm one night, buy a beer and stand by the bar for 15 minutes. You'll see. Downstairs: Never been in, seems a bit 'Local' In the sense of 'Royston Vasey' rather than ' Rovers Return' though. But upstairs: A total gem. A 100% Music dive of the best sort. Bar is tiny, but still hosts some of the best LIVE music to be had in Inverness and beyond. True sometimes its comedically awful. But sometimes its totally amazing. You never know what you're gonna get, and that's part of the fun, More hits than misses in my experience. Place can be quiet (but is never empty), or it can be completely packed out. It has a totally amazing friendly buzz either way. One day you'll get a 6 piece Death Metal band, next it could be some grey haired R&B growler, or a Cornish folk duo. At the weekends, don't be surprised to see 18 year old Goths drinking snakebite next to bearded kilties with Guiness who - but for the smoking ban - would doubtless be chuffing away on pipes. Mucially its mainly quieter Folky type stuff during week nights, and touring wannabes and up and coming bands playing the weekends. The size of the place means that the acts are mixed in with everyone else. Friendly, scruffy, and very chilled out, this is the bar where the Proclaimers hung out before they made it big. I almost always pass through when I'm out on the town planning to head to Hootenanny or wherever, and quite often, end up staying put.

The upstairs pub has all you want if you like to hang out with a few pals over a pint or four…read more there is live music over the weekends thae staff are great and the atmosphere is warm great place for students.

I love Belladrum festival.. Main reason being it takes place in the Highlands of Scotland about 20…read moremins drive from where I grew up. Bella is a fun, friendly, family festival. there is so much to see and do. There's lots of activities for the kids, theatre, comedy, art instalations, weddings, flashmobs, bike tricks, booze, music, good food and fun. There are 4 or 5 stages full of local bands, ceilidh bands and some big names.. But we always say we don't always go for the music we go for the laugh with friends. Bella has had some up and coming bands play including Ed Sheeran, The 1975 and catfish and the bottlemen who have gone on to become pretty big names. Bella is a lovely size, big enough to have a good wander around but small enough to get to the bar, toilet and stages easily.. Bar queues aren't too bad and toilets are maintained well. The food is also really good. You get your usual burger and chip vans but they also have the nicer versions.. My fav is always the stovies, good hearty food to keep your energy levels up. This year they had a new section where you could go and get locally sourced 3 course meal for around £35 each.. A few of my friends went and said the food was amazing.. All in all, my heart belongs to belladrum.. If you fancy a little chilled out happy festival vibe then I would highly recommend giving it a go.

Went to this bar while visiting from the states! Grabbed a few cocktails-- they were absolutely…read moredelicious. The tempura prawns and bao buns were amazing as well. A lovely ambiance for an evening out, friendly, attentive staff, and a lovely kind owner!

This is the ultimate place to savor and learn about whiskies! They have over 250 malt whiskies at…read morea variety of prices. Friday and Saturday offers live piano music, but if you want to get cozy, just grab one of the hidden buttery soft leather couches & gaze over the River Ness..