About Castlehill Restaurant
Here at Castlehill Restaurant, two-minutes' walk from Dundee's thriving waterfront and the V&A Design museum, we offer diners a sophisticated Scottish menu using locally sourced produce.
Our friendly front-of-house team will warmly welcome you to our small, elegant restaurant, and our kitchen team will ensure your meal offers a unique taste of Scotland. Our menus are based on the best of the country's natural larder and presented with an innovative and creative approach.
We are all about the food, of course. But we also love great wine. We use specialist Scottish wine merchants to source a fine selection to complement our range of dishes. See the wine list here.
History & Namesake
Ancient Dundee, once encompassing just two main streets, used to be dominated by a dark cliff-faced hill, on top of which was the Castle of Dundee. Sadly, all that remains of the castle today is its name – and ours 'Castlehill', plus a small plaque to mark where it stood in Castle Street.
From 13th-Century references to the castle, we know that it was variously occupied by English invaders and Scottish Governors of the city. But in its distant past it is said to have been occupied by Picts and was a key fort in the stand against the Romans.
But following the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, the castle and much of its written history was destroyed. The remaining plaque declares: site of Castle of Dundee, destroyed cir 1314. Near this spot William Wallace struck the first blow for Scottish Independence cir 1233.
In the 17th Century, a colossal statue of Apollo was built on top of the now empty hill as a shipping landmark – back then the sea harbour lapped the foot of Castle Street. Then in 1795 a street was cut through Castle Hill to improve access to the harbour. Today, behind the restaurant stands St Paul's Cathedral, built on what is left of the castle rock.
On 3rd November 1755, further disaster struck. The aftershock of a massive Lisbon earthquake hit Dundee with a tidal wave of around 50ft, which swept away the harbour and pack houses around it. When rebuilt, the shore level was raised significantly to prevent future damage, meaning the hill was no longer such a dominant feature.
However, our name stands as a memory to what was once the route to the impressive cliff-top Dundee Castle.
McWilliams – Butchers, Aberdeenshire
Ochil Foods – Game & Fine Foods, Hall of Aberuthven Far, Perthshire
Blue Flag Seafoods – Fish & Shellfish, Peterhead, Aberdeenshire
Turriffs – Fruit & Veg, Brought Ferry , Angus
Wild Taste – Truffles and Mushrooms, Fife
Wine – Alliance Wine Co, Beith, North Ayrshire
© Castlehill Restaurant 2019