Birch

Niall Munro founded Birch on Bayfield Road in Portree in 2020, having been drawn to speciality coffee on trips to Melbourne. Munro, son of the singer Donnie Munro of Runrig, roasts beans in small batches and traces each lot back to the grower rather than buying blends off the shelf. The cafe later grew a bakery and roastery at Broom Place on the edge of town, turning out French-style pastries alongside the coffee. A mural by Donnie Munro, who trained at Gray's School of Art in Dundee before teaching and later making music, hangs by the window seats. Birch serves takeaway coffee and bakes fresh each morning, drawing both islanders and passing visitors into its small Portree premises.