The vibe:
A boutique riverside hotel on the banks of the Tay, where wood-fired pizzas, Scottish-Scandi rooms and Wednesday-night bluegrass make for Perthshire’s coolest place to eat, drink and stay.
Book The Taybank
While Perthshire has long been famed for its big trees and stunning autumn colours, it’s the village of Dunkeld that is now giving this most genteel of Scotland’s regions a rather large dose of cool.
On the banks of the River Tay in the heart of Dunkeld sits The Taybank, a serious contender for your new favourite hotel, bar and restaurant in Scotland.
The Taybank Hotel at a glance
- Where: Tay Terrace, Dunkeld, Perthshire (right on the River Tay)
- Rooms: 5 individually designed bedrooms + 2 self-catering apartments
- Best for: boutique stays, food lovers, music fans, dog owners, couples
- Starting price: from around £150 B&B (check current rates)
- Walking distance to: Dunkeld Cathedral (5 mins), Aran Bakery (3 mins), Birnam Oak (10 mins), Dunkeld & Birnam station (15 mins)
- Pet policy: all rooms are dog-friendly
- Parking: on-site parking available
Welcome to Dunkeld and The Taybank
There has always been a sleepy historic charm to the Perthshire village of Dunkeld, with its 17th-century cottages restored by the National Trust and its magnificent cathedral all sitting on the River Tay.
These days, the village is also home to a thriving young artist community and a bustling high street full of independent shops, cafés, smart hotels and great pubs.
Some put the catalyst for Dunkeld’s recent revival down to the arrival of Great British Bake Off finalist Flora Shedden’s Aran Bakery. But down on the banks of the river, the refurbishment and relaunch of The Taybank as a hotel, restaurant and bar has every claim to driving the village’s new-found fame too.
We were invited for a weekend on the River Tay and discovered our new favourite place to stay in Scotland. Let’s check in.
A stay at The Taybank Hotel
Alongside its popular bar and huge beer garden, The Taybank is a super-cool, stylish boutique hotel.
Upstairs from the bar and restaurant are five individually designed bedrooms. Our room – Room 1 – had a super-comfy king bed and leafy garden views. Room 4 has a smart slipper tub, and if you have kids in tow, Room 5 is a suite with an extra sleeping nook and a spectacular bath. If you need more space, The Taybank also has two self-catering apartments, perfect for families or longer stays.
Every room (and indeed every corner of the hotel) is dog-friendly. Our super-king room had plenty of space, and overlooking the garden meant peaceful evenings for us and our two pups. We all slept very well under crisp Egyptian cotton linen.
Breakfast at The Taybank
Breakfast at The Taybank is one of the best parts of the stay. Rather than a buffet, a luxurious continental breakfast is delivered to your room in a pretty wicker hampe, there are trays outside your door for breakfast in bed, or you can take it to the breakfast room across the hall. We were lucky enough to take ours outside to eat by the river in the morning sunshine.
Inside our hamper we found huge buttery, flaky croissants from Aran Bakery, I split mine with Galloway Lodge jam and then indulged in Inverloch goats milk cheddar and Great Glen Charcuterie salami. There was Katy Rodgers yoghurt (which I mixed with the Taybank’s own fruit, nut and seed granola), a big dollop of seasonal fruit compote from their walled garden (ours was a tangy apple), and a flask of filter coffee from Perth’s Bean Shop.
We carried our coffee, in beautiful mugs hand-thrown by local potter Ellen at Kiln Creative in neighbouring Birnam — down to the river, where we sat in the morning sun and felt deeply smug.
The best bit about staying at The Taybank? Check-out is a wonderfully accommodating 12pm, so there’s no need to rush away. A perfect night’s stay.
Food at The Taybank
Dining at The Taybank is available in two distinct spaces – the riverside Garden Kitchen and the upstairs restaurant.
The Garden Kitchen
As the sun was splitting the sky (and we had the pups in tow) we opted for the Garden Kitchen – The Taybank’s wood-fired riverside pizza joint with a proper Mediterranean feel.
The garden serves up seasonal pizzas and picky bits like spring pea, lemon and mozzarella arancini, and chickpea panisse with tomato and feta salad. The pizzas are wood-fired and excellent – we tried the Great Glen salami pizza with pickles, chilli and honey, but I also had my eye on the truffle pig with parmesan and mushrooms, and the smoky haggis with brown sauce and crispy onions.
The garden is one of the largest beer gardens in Scotland, with stretch tents, fire pits, long communal tables and an outdoor bar and it’s properly dog-friendly.
The upstairs restaurant
Inside, the Taybank’s restaurant serves a more refined, daily-changing seasonal menu in a high-ceilinged, sheepskin-strewn dining room with sash-and-case windows overlooking the river.
Choose from starters like scallops with prosciutto, blood orange, green mustard and scallop roe bisque, and mains such as beef short rib with salt-baked celeriac, green mustards and salsa verde, or goat’s curd agnolotti with asparagus, chard, brown butter, parmesan and walnut. Ooft, so good. Vegetarian and vegan menus aren’t afterthoughts here; they’re proper full alternatives.
In 2022, The Taybank took over a four-acre walled garden with the goal of growing as much produce for the restaurant themselves including rocket for the pizzas, salad mix and every variety of veg you can think of.
The restaurant is closed Mondays, the menu changes daily, and weekend dinners book out well in advance.
Events, live music and the wood-fired sauna
The Taybank has a long history of supporting live music, and the bar hosts an assortment of musicians on Wednesdays (bluegrass and Americana with the Boat Road Sessions) and Thursdays (Scottish trad sessions). Come early and be prepared to squeeze in, the sessions are hugely popular. We grabbed a seat by the bar and the window to enjoy three hours of brilliant Scottish music in a friendly atmosphere, packed with locals and visitors alike.
In summer, the garden also hosts ‘long table’ dinners, locally-sourced produce and veg from The Taybank’s own walled garden, cooked over an open fire alongside fire pits and outdoor live music. There’s also a monthly pub quiz in the bar, and a riverside open-air cinema that runs through the warmer months, a properly unique Taybank touch.
In winter (November to the end of March), The Taybank’s wood-fired sauna and plunge pool sits on the banks of the River Tay -bookable for hotel guests and walk-ins alike. There’s nothing quite like a hot sauna, a freezing dip in the Tay, and then back up the bank for a whisky.
What’s next: The Birnam Hotel reopening 2026
For 2026, there’s a genuinely exciting development worth knowing about. Fraser Potter (and his partner Kim Grant of Rural Studio, who’s behind The Taybank’s Scandi-Scottish interiors) has taken over The Birnam Hotel just across the river. The hotel is undergoing a major 18-month refurbishment and is due to reopen in spring 2026 with a new restaurant called Rohallion, focused on heritage Scottish ingredients and dishes.
In the meantime, The Birnam Inn – a pop-up pub in the hotel’s former coaching stables – is already open Friday to Sunday, with an open fire, Scottish craft beers, seasonal pies and a garden under Birnam Hill. Every drink supports the hotel restoration.
It means that if you’re a Taybank fan, there’s now a sister venue across the bridge – and a second outpost of Fraser and Kim’s hospitality magic to look forward to in 2026.
Is The Taybank Hotel worth it?
Honestly? Yes. With genuinely fabulous food, beautifully designed rooms, that brilliant beer garden, the live music bar, the wood-fired sauna and all the brilliance of Dunkeld on your doorstep – why would you go anywhere else?
It’s also exceptional value compared to similarly stylish boutique hotels elsewhere in Scotland. Add in the warmth of the team, the dog-friendly approach throughout, and the late 12pm checkout, and it’s hard to find a better hotel for a long weekend in Highland Perthshire.
The Taybank Hotel: frequently asked questions
Is The Taybank dog friendly?
Yes — every room and every public space at The Taybank is dog-friendly, including the restaurant, bar and garden. There’s no extra charge for dogs and the team genuinely welcomes them. One of the most dog-friendly hotels in Scotland.
Does The Taybank serve breakfast?
Yes — a luxurious continental breakfast is included with every stay, delivered to your room in a wicker hamper. Expect Aran Bakery croissants, Katy Rodgers yoghurt, Taybank granola, seasonal fruit compote from the walled garden, local jams, charcuterie and cheeses, plus filter coffee from Perth’s Bean Shop.
How far is The Taybank from Dunkeld station?
About a 15-minute walk — straight across the Telford Bridge and along the riverside. Direct trains run from Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness, so it’s easy to visit without a car.
Does The Taybank have parking?
Yes, there’s on-site parking for hotel guests.
Can non-residents eat at The Taybank?
Yes — the restaurant, Garden Kitchen and bar are open to non-residents. Booking is strongly advised, particularly for the upstairs restaurant on weekends. The restaurant is closed on Mondays.
Is The Taybank good for families?
Yes — Room 5 is a family suite with an extra sleeping nook, and the two self-catering apartments are well suited to families wanting more space. The garden is family-friendly during the day, and the team is welcoming to children of all ages.
When is the wood-fired sauna open at The Taybank?
The wood-fired sauna and plunge pool runs from November to the end of March, on the banks of the River Tay. It’s bookable for hotel guests and walk-ins alike.
Love from Scotland x
Thanks to The Taybank for having us to stay. Our stay at the hotel was complimentary — the gushing is all my own. This post contains affiliate links which we may earn commission from.
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