Rothesay Rooms

Lovely cafe in Ballater, the place was beautiful and suited the vintage/antique style whilst still being modern and sleek. Hot chocolate was tasty as was the pesto and Parmesan scone with some lovely chunky chips (not pictured). Food selection look diverse and interesting, alcoholic drinks available as well as mocktails. If you’re in the area definitely go here for lunch with a lovely historical vibe.

An old Railway Station turned into an contemporary cafe and souvenir shop.

This is honestly an absolute gem in Ballater and one of the nicest tearooms we’ve ever visited. If you’re in the area it’s absolutely worth a visit. Built on the restored Victorian railway station you are seated in oodles of history and charm. It’s beautiful inside with plenty of seating both inside and out. On the right as you enter is booth seating that replicates a corridor train layout and on the left an open plan area with a replica of the royal family’s railway carriage. Beside the main door turn to your left and you’ll find a replica of the royal waiting room which was beautifully presented. We loved the attention to detail throughout and how spotless the whole place was. They have a nice selection of hot and cold food and drink and loved that the menu showed where each of the locally sourced ingredients came from. The menu isn’t huge but this shows they specialise in quality rather than quantity. Their cake and home bake selection is amazing and each looked as nice as the last. We went for some hot drinks, breakfast roll and a cake each. Everything we ate and drank was delicious and you can tell the ingredients were quality and worth every penny. Two younger male staff served and both delivered excellent customer service. We head out Deeside a lot and can’t wait to go back.

Lovely place to stop for a bite. Pleasant, calm atmosphere. Fascinating to eat next to Queen Victoria’s train carriage, & to go inside her (authentically rebuilt) Waiting Room.

We wanted a special afternoon tea for our American friends to experience. Jo was wonderful helping with this! You will not be disappointed going here! Everything was AMAZING. The tea was beautifully presented! Favourite sandwich was the coronation chicken-the BEST we’ve ever had! The savouries were lovely tasters. Scones and cream superb. The small cakes were divine! Then you finish the whole thing off with an amazing choice of teas!!

Lovely “HighTea” - reserved ahead requested vegetarian/vegan option in addition to ‘regular’ . Had the private tea room to ourselves which was wonderful with our toddler.

Best food we’ve had in years and incredible hospitality to match. The food is imaginative, unpretentious and delicious. Ross, Carolina and the team are terrific and so welcoming. The venue is excellent too. Will definitely revisit when we are in the area and truly appreciate the great experience we had for both meals.

Loved everything about this place! Our meal was outstanding, our waiter hailed from Texas, which made for great conversation, and the atmosphere was simply charming. When my daughter requested a non-alcoholic Shirley Temple and the restaurant was out of grenadine, our waiter proceeded to craft her another special beverage that she loved! The Michelin recommendation rating was certainly spot on here!