Dinner in Helensburgh, Scotland

Mar. 1

Written By Cate

Dinner in Helensburgh

During our brief stay in the small town, we tried two really fantastic places to eat dinner in Helensburgh. Both restaurants were recommended to us by our host at No. 20 B&B: The Cattle & Creel and the Riverhill Courtyard.

UPDATE: We headed back to Helensburgh in 2018, after two years, and visited the Cattle & Creel again, and tried one new restaurant. This post includes all the old photos, as well as the new ones!

The Cattle & Creel

The Cattle & Creel was our first stop. The restaurant single-handedly proved that Scotland’s beef rivals our Alberta beef back home. Derek and I had the most delicious Surf & Turf dinner there, which is a great choice of fare, as Scotland is both a cattle-raising and fish-catching nation. As a lover of rare meat, I can say without a doubt that the Scottish cook their steaks to perfection (well-done lovers beware).

Dinner in Helensburgh, Scotland. The Cattle & Creel.

After having loved our experience at the Cattle & Creel in 2016, we headed back for dinner there in 2018. Talk about an extended craving. This time, we tried a couple different dishes, that were all insanely good. Turns out, the surf and turf platter of last time had been a seasonal special.

Scottish surf & turf at the Cattle & Creel for dinner in Helensburgh, Scotland.

Fries and bread with a bit of hot sauce.

The Riverhill Courtyard

The following night, Derek and I headed to the Riverhill Courtyard for dinner, a delightfully renovated barn turned restaurant. Though the portions were a bit smaller, we left satisfied after a tasty three course meal ending with dessert of brownies and ice cream. How could you go wrong?

Dinner in Helensburgh, Scotland. A beautiful brick church turned into a restaurant.

Beautiful whisky bar at a upscale restaurant in Helensburgh, Scotland.

An old church transformed into a loft style restaurant.

Dinner in Helensburgh, Scotland. Cullen Skink - a Scottish specialty.

The Sugar Boat

Our host at No. 20 B&B (whom we stayed with again on our second trip) recommended us to this new restaurant in town, The Sugar Boat. The restaurant is actually named after a boat carrying sugar as its cargo that capsized on a sandbar in the harbour near Helensburgh, quite a number of years ago. From what I understand, the head chef is an upscale London restauranteur who wanted to settle down somewhere quiet. The food reflected his skills amazingly.