Ben Nevis Bar and Restaurant in Highland

Go to Wetherspoon's instead... Popped in here for lunch, but really wish we had gone elsewhere. We had a chicken burger, and a pulled pork and BBQ beef burger, and both of them weren't great. The chicken burger tasted cheap and heavily processed, and the beef burger was the same. It was also pretty dry and tough, and was missing the BBQ sauce. Both of us actually left a good chunk of our burgers and just ate the chips instead. We spent £56 pound, and the bill came with a service charge included, which felt like a bit of a slap in the face considering the food was bad and the service was non-existent apart from "here's your table, here's your food, here's your bill". I'd honestly recommend going to Wetherspoon's instead of this place if you want food. The food is about the same quality, but half the price. And the service was actually better in Wetherspoon's as well!

The staff are friendly and helpful. The food is nice and the atmosphere nice. I just felt a uncomfortable when the 'tip/service charge' was already added on. I was happy to tip, but didn't like being 'told' how much.

Worse burger I've had in a long time. It was so dry and was missing the BBQ sauce. My partner's steak and fries was good though, cooked as he wished and his sauce was tasty. Staff are lovely and very professional!

Lovely place to visit, with absolutely wonderful scenery.

Nice, busy place. Good staff. Food bland, small portions and expensive for what you get. BEWARE they add 10% on to your bill for tips and don't point it out verbally although it does show on your bill. Check your bill before paying as I watched people paying and then leaving cash tips as well.

Great wee pub for a stop over to have something to eat. Good pub grub.

Very welcoming pub, staff very friendly, led by an absolutely fantastic landlady. Food was delicious. They had an issue in the kitchen and the food was taking a while, land lady came over and apologised and gave us a free drink. Food followed not too long afterwards (worth waiting for). Went to pay the bill and due to having a little bit of a wait for food, landlady had deducted the cost of the food off the bill which was not necessary but much appreciated. Will definitely return next time we're up in the area. Also the carrots were amazing, not sure how they'd been cooked but they were delicious!

Friendly service and nice atmosphere but the fish and chips was missing some taste.

Pub grub aimed at tourists, sadly reheated in the microwave pasta dishes, the venison lasagna was absolutely dreadful, no sauce (genuienly none, no tomato no bechemel, could only be described as dry meat paste in pasta sheets. The manager kindly removed it from our bill and advised its batch cooked in big trays so some might not get sauce. The macaroni was passable, again clearly microwaved as the centre was like a nuclear reactor. Redeeming factors were they are dog friendly, but high prices for what's offered, and definitely geared at one time tourist visitors. Staff were friendly and the manager was nice, but not really saving what was a terrible experience.

Wonderful 80/- from Hanging Tree brewery And if you like single malt whisky there is a huge selection I will have to return for a session (God willing)!!!

Yeah its a nice pub nice food big portions but oh my lord you sit down and the waiters are just ON you like a pack of hungry dogs "are you ready to order would you like to order a drink can I take your order yet" my guy I just sat I need to pretend to browse the menu and contemplate my options before I order the fish and chips like always its theatre dude it's a dance you cannae rush me. Anyway good pub would recommend!

Excellent food, great service, reasonably priced. Highly recommend.

Had a late lunch here while staying in Fort William. Conveniently located on the High Street, this pub has a cosy and traditionally furnished interior with wooden beams and tartan upholstery on the seating. It was very busy when I arrived, the young bar staff looked a bit rushed as they were attending to a large party of tourists, but they were polite and friendly. Well stocked bar with a wide selection of whiskies. Enjoyed a refreshing pint of Aspall cider with my lunch. The menu was extensive and varied, and they were also doing a lunch deal of a panini with either soup or chips. Opted instead for the seafood chowder with a roll and butter. It was piping hot, could have done with a bit more shellfish and less potato, but it was flavoursome and filling. The roll was very fresh. Prices were about average. Would come here again and perhaps try one of their paninis if I return to Fort William!

Excellent restaurant. The restaurant was full when we arrived. The waiter suggested that we sit in their bar while waiting for a table to become available. The food was excellent. I recommend!

Good place, service as expected, as for the food, I imagined a little more flavor

What a great bar/restaurant. Staff are so friendly and helpful. Food was fantastic, large portions with great choices on the menu.

Nice restaurant with a good selection of food.

Fantastic food great staff good atmosphere

Wonderful staff nothing to much trouble, menu has alot of choices, not bad prices, Dogs made to feel welcome, Highly recommended this place.

I had soup from the house that tasted amazing, homemade food and a 10 deal, they do put the tip in the bill, it was the only time that happened to us in Scotland, I don't know if it's normal but it surprised me.

Stopped by lunch, the food was delicious and hot served in a cozy atmosphere. The menu and experience was so good we went back for dinner. Service, food and atmosphere top notch!

This bar should be visited if you are thirsty, hungry, or both! Kudos to the young bartender and friendly staff, well done! If we ever come back to Fort William, and we'd like to, we'll be coming back to Ben Nevis Bar!

Cosy traditional bar with wood burner. Very atmospheric. Restaurant part very busy Mussels were good but Sole wasn't Sole. Food more like pub grub. Staff friendly.

Went here with 3 of us. Food was cold. Chips came out cold. Chicken burger came out cold. Returned them to then come out warm. Staff did not know how to deal with the complaint. Took the drinks off the menu . I just wanted hot food. The fish was fine but again don’t go well with cold chips. I very much doubt I’d return here. Definitely Better options.

A nice pub with a good selection on offer to eat. Friendly atmosphere. Busy even at 5 o’clock. If it’s warm enough, there’s a terrace upstairs that overlooks the loch.

Lovely and cosy. Friendly staff. Good choice of drinks. Good location. Good choice on menu. Food is delicious. We ate there 4 out of 5 nights, could not do 5 nights as it was busy. Mid range pricing. We will be back!

Called in yesterday for the first time, the food was amazing, staff friendly brilliant atmosphere. I would recommend people to go here for a meal. We will definitely be back.

I went here with my flatmate because we couldnt be bothered to cook and it was once again a spectacular evening. We have been here a few times before and every time the experience is top notch.

Fantastic place to eat, we went on Sunday. The food was very delicious and abundant and very good prices. I recommend the place.

Busy pub, the staff need better training. We came in about 5.30pm and asked if we could book a table for 6.30pm, the waitress said no we would have to come back. That's fine. What she didn't tell us was that she needs to put our name on a waitlist? If she'd said that, we'd have done it there and then. Finally got seated but ended up in front of the door. It's cold in Scotland and people kept coming in and holding the door open. Rather than asking people to close the door she told me to wait?! I asked to be moved and was bluntly told no. We got our food which was Luke warm. I told her my chips were cold, she smiled at me AND WALKED AWAY. I asked to see a dessert menu. She brought me the bill. I tried to remove the service charge because the service was actually shocking, and she wouldn't. It's a tourist trap with average food, cold restaurant and rubbish staff. Go across the road to the geographer, you'll get way better value

Decent meal! Only place that was serving food after 7:30pm. Line was long but still got in. Steak and frites was what it was. Nothing special but did the job.

Very authentic, homely Scottish atmosphere. Good food, freshly cooked. Price/performance is completely okay.

Excellent service in a very charming pub

Food was absolutely fantastic. The drinks were excellent as well. I highly recommend this pub.

Friendly service, but slow. Soup of the day - 3* Steak & ale pie - 5* Chicken, pulled ham & leek pie - 3* Cherry cheesecake - 2* Chocolate truffle brownie torte - 3* Waffles - 1*

Lovely place very busy great choice of drinks and a lovely outside seating area to take in the view's. Worth a visit if in Fort William.

Pasta with “haggis” (tasted like cheap Bolognese) was completely overcooked. Both sauce and pasta. This was charged £16. Fish and chips without any taste, the fries soggy. Beware of the tourist trap!! Service was nice and quick.

£19.77 For 2 bowls of Seafood Chowder including service charge might be acceptable if the quality of the food was exceptional. It was not. Would I visit again? No I would not. Beware, its a long winter before the gullible tourists return.

Long wait to be seated. Once ordered, what we didn't ask for is brought to us. The waitress tells us that for our request we have to wait 45 minutes and we agree to eat fish and chips, after 30 minutes of waiting and our complaint, the food finally arrives. Heavy compared to what I ate in Edinburgh. In short, I really don't recommend it.

A little late in posting, was here on Sept 5th, all 17 of us and three dogs. What a wonderful location for a meal. Table booked two days before with the manager and she also made sure everything was perfect. The meals came as ready, in 3's or 4's so we're hot and fresh, every plate was cleared for mains, but highlight to me, ice cream desert. I do love good ice cream and this certainly was very good. I highly recommend the Ben Nevis Bar, the staff were amazing, food perfect and great atmosphere. Look forward to my next visit 🙂🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Very charming place with cozy interior. We had to wait for a table but it wasn’t a big problem as they have a dedicated space by the bar to sit down and start with a drink. The staff was very polite. The food could have been a bit more flavoured ( for my taste) but the portions were big and of good quality.

Been here about six times over three vacations, every time for cider and the vegan burgers and the occasional chocolate Tarte and it was an absolute delight every time. Our dog was welcome too. It's not cheap but also not pricey, the ambience is great, and wandering through Fort Williams inner city you can see it's probably the most visited place all around. If you come for food during the busy hours (lunch or dinner) you likely have to wait for a table but you can spend the waiting time at the bar. Whenever I'm in Fort William, I'll likely make a stop here. It has never failed us.

Amazing waiting staff couldn't do enough for you. Sunday roast was tasty, hot and well presented. The lady on the door was on the ball and knew whom needed to be seen and instructed staff members in a polite and professional manner. The chap taking the order came back on two occasions to see if we were OK. The young lady bringing the food was polite and courteous. A nice well earned hot meal after completing the NC500 in the back of our ford kuga 😊

Came in on a Saturday night without a reservation and was told that the waiting time for a table was around 45 minutes. It was very busy and other restaurants also had queues. The friendly hostess suggested having a drink in the bar and told us that she would call us when our table was ready. We sat down and had a pint. After a while the hostess checked in and asked if we wanted to eat in the bar as well. We didn't mind and a professional waiter (Henrik, apologies if the spelling in incorrect) brought us the menus. Mij travel companion ordered soup and stew an I haggis and mussels. The starters came very quickly and then there was a little glitch. A large group entered and their food was brought to their table before our mains were delivered. We informed Henrik and came back to our table with apologies and informed us that our food would be about ten to fifteen minutes. Other guest caming in after us got their food as well, so clearly they had forgotten our mains and Henrik had reminded them of our orders. No big problem. The restaurant and bar were packed and we had already finished our starters, so we weren't starving. And both the hostess and the waiter seemed to be in control on a very busy night. And more importantly, the mains were worth waiting for while we were in no rush. When settling the bill, we wanted to leave a tip, only to be told by Henrik that a 10% service charge was already added to the bill. So, very honest members of staff as well. So, the food was good, apart fromna small error, the service was immaculate and the bill (tip) included was less than £70 for a dinner of two, drinks included. So, we were satisfied and would highly recommend this restaurant. But maybe make a reservation first, especially in the weekend.

Delicious! Great value for money

Went here twice during a weekend in FW. Nice place but got busy quite quickly so tables were hard to come by. Might have been that the weather was very good when I was there so people were all after outside tables. In fairness to the staff they helped alot with helping to seat people and organise a waiting list. Outside bar area has a great view. Long Highland Iced Tea worth a try (iron bru instead of lemonade) although can't see it catching on with the cocktail connoisseurs out there!

Late lunch great atmosphere, top service, good food.

Helpful friendly staff. Good food and small bites

Excellent food and atmosphere. Food took a little longer than “normal” but was very hot and tasted great. Drinks and service was excellent.

If you’re looking for a place that feels very Scottish with good drinks and food, then this is the place for you. Had a lovely evening here after flying into Glasgow on our way to the Isle of Skye.

Always the place to go after finishing the WHW. The haggis cheese nachos were really nice. With well kept real ale and a fire place, a balcony for the better weather.

Very busy on a Saturday night, but service was friendly and attentive. Great dinner!

Possibility of eating on the terrace facing the loch or inside. Good value for money. Difficult parking.

We stopped by for a quick drink before heading to our nearby campsite, and our experience turned out to be unexpectedly delightful. Shortly after we sat down with our lager and gin, a staff member, who was busy sorting out some incorrect food orders, kindly offered us a complimentary serving of ‘Tattie Scone Nachos’ since the original customer couldn't be found. What a pleasant surprise! I had never tried haggis before, and this dish was an absolute revelation—it was fantastic and completely changed our dinner plans. The dish, priced at £5.95, was substantial and delicious. It impressed us so much that we decided to order more Bar snacks. We ordered the ‘Spicy Halloumi Fries’ and ‘Salt and Crispy Chilli Shrimp,’ along with another round of drinks. My wife remarked that the shrimp was the best she’s ever had, and we were more than satisfied with our impromptu meal. If you’re in the area, I highly recommend trying the food here. You’ll be glad you did!

Had dinner , had the dog with us . Excellent food and friendly staff

Fantastic venue - all round. Good beers, great whiskys and awesome food. Cozy place on a cold night. It is very popular for dinner and had a great system for handling the wait time - their own bar next door to the restaurant. The staff are very efficient at managing the waiting clients and keeping the people moving. The food is excellent including several vegetarian options that are highly rated. There is also an outdoor area on warm days with a view over the water.

Food was beautiful. Thought the drinks were very pricey though 🤔

Brilliant bar. Prices are fantastic. Lovely staff, sport on TV. Restaurant in one side, bar in the other. Popular place. Decent toilets. Food looks good too

Visited with a large group from work, who were attempting the Three Peaks Challenge the following day. We had to wait a few minutes for tables to become available (visited Sunday evening with no booking), once seated orders were taken and bought out quite speedily. The food was delicious and plentiful. I couldn't finish my Mac and cheese 😭. Would definitely visit again.

Excellent food and service! Had the seafood chowder and the steak pie.

The place's vibes are amazing, staff are so friendly and helped us find a proper seat after we arrived by just 2 minutes. Food is tasty and the portions there are splendid, one small dish is truly good for one that we had to cancel the burger. Muscles were so fresh and we loved the garlicky butter sauce. Prices are so okey compared to their portions. There is a parking nearby the place which was so convenient to us. A highly recommended place where you can really enjoy your dinner and drinks.

First of all, the food was good. Muscle appetizer was amazing. A cozy bar with lots of energy. We placed drink and appetizer order quickly and soon followed with food order. Appetizer came out in 10 minutes. Then we waited and waited. Nobody checked on us, nobody asked if we need more drinks... We still waited. After 35 minutes we flagged someone down and got another drink order in. Then our we flagged our server and asked about the food, she came back in 1 minutes and said 4 more minutes... We waited again. After another 20 minutes we got up and asked someone if we could speak with the owner. At this point we had been waiting for food for 55 minutes. Then the food showed up. The owner approached and said he would talk after we finished eating. After the meal the owner apologized and said they were busy and the kitchen was backed up. He was very sorry. They were busy when we arrived but several tables had cleared and reseated and served so I know it wasn't the kitchen. I'm glad the owner didn't throw is inattentive server under the bus, but it was obvious it was her fault. The whole night she was more interested in joking with her coworkers, especially putting her hands on one who looked like a manager, than helping our table. Even when it was time to pay she had a poor attitude. If I go back I will not sit in her section, ever. Would have been more stars but one bad employee killed the review. (Cleaning spray on the bar where drinks we picked up was not a great look either)

Nice place, exactly what we needed! Beer choices a bit limited but they have the standards you'd expect. Caught the afternoon soon in the beer terrace at the back, it was full and a good atmosphere.

Convention center equipped for academic events.

Was told that it would be an hours wait for a table. Had to wait an hour and 45 minutes, which is very poor. This was at 6pm on a weekday. Food turned up and it was cold, very disappointed, would not recommend.

Lovely place, fantastic service, delicious food. We enjoyed the holiday wonderfully with our family

Lots of guests not so much staff so it may take a while but they do their best. Worth coming in when you are in town. Not had any food so cannot say.

Great Mac & Cheese w garlic bread!

Great steak and ale pie. Great Staff Worth the wait

Very considering staff and great food

Had a very tasty lunch. Staff super friendly and quick, even though the restaurant was full.

A bar to remember very well. The attention was wonderful. The food is very good. Highly recommended!

Popped in today for lunch, they were very busy, but the friendly host found us a nice table by the window after a short wait. Food was good, would have preferred my burger to have been cooked slightly longer, but that's just my personal preference. All staff friendly and helpful, and the pub is dog friendly, which although we sadly no longer have one, we always prefer dog friendly pubs!

We stopped by for lunch and were met with a very warm welcome by the lovely staff. We were seated in a separate, quiet booth, which we thought was very considerate, unfortunately it got a little cold in there after a while. For starters we ordered the local mussels which were absolutely delicious with the chowder they came in! Then we had the salmon fillet with creamy haggis mash and asparagus and a buttermilk battered chicken burger. The salmon dish was great, very well seasoned and the combination of the mash with the haggis was delightful. However, the burger lacked in seasoning and the fries that came with it weren’t crispy (though I feel like that’s a general phenomenon in the UK and Scotland). Therefore I recommend choosing something off the menu that is specific to the region (which I foolishly did not do). All in all a very pleasant visit! Thank you. :)

Great food and generous portions

Sadly, no photos were taken as we were stuffing our faces! Can recommend anything on the menu, in particular Ham & Haddie, mmm 😋 Twice we were welcomed at table 18 by the Hostess with the Mostess, wonderful atmosphere and great service! Thank you 🙏

Amazing gluten free fish and chips!!

Ham and haddie outstanding 👏 Fish and chips excellent Merry dancer beer bloody lovely. Tried 4 pub/restaurants before (glencoe inn (waited 25 mins not even a drink offered) ( Ballachulish hotel, no one came to see us) onich hotel, closed for lunch and cannog restaurant moved location)) Ben Nevis pub definitely worth your visit, very busy but it’s a good sign. Definitely would recommend.

Nice pub, great service and good food! Smoking permitted on the deck, not so good 😞. It was the most beautiful day, so sitting outside was our first choice, but the smoke was terrible! Too many smokers in Scotland 🧐

We went to the restaurant for dinner, they didn't have room and we only had to wait 15-20 minutes, but in their pub with a good pint. The atmosphere is very good, like an authentic pub. Dinner was served super quickly and was very delicious. The staff very nice and friendly.

Restaurant with a mountain atmosphere with very good food. We tried the mussels that had a spectacular sauce, the steak pie and the huggies with a kind of nachos that were delicious. 100% recommended The only downside is that they don't reserve and it's very full. So they take you to the whiskey bar to have a drink, it was a 25 minute wait.

The food was absolutely fantastic. I will be back when in the area again. I will definitely call again also a lovely view

Called in for a lunch time pint with a couple of friends while touring (I didn't drive) Nice outdoor area with views to the loch, relaxing. Just a pint but arguably the best of the tour

Wonderful service and food...and a stunning view from the window!

Great pub, lovely food, top view and 10/10 service. A must on a weekend in Fort Williams.

Great restaurant in the center of Fort William! The service is impeccable and the establishment is clean. Special mention for the soup, very comforting. We just find it a little expensive for the service.

Long waiting time. Our queue time is 55min for a 3ppl table on a not busy weekday at around 6pm. The food took another 45 minutes to arrive after ordering. Funny enough everyone around is staring at our food when it arrived, probably they have also waited for long. Low quality food. We were further disappointed by the food served. The manager told us that an unseasoned steak is a BRITISH STANDARD. The seafood platter tastes basically a combination of ready meals you can find at Lidl (this is not a unique finding as you can also see in other reviews for this restaurant). Their fried Brie was not melted inside so it was probably just taken out from freezer. The bread served with lentil soup might come from a cold bloomer. I doubt if the food served here is produced locally, although certainly was processed locally in their kitchen. The service is also bad and of course we refused to include any service charge: it is very rude and unprofessional to throw your customers receipt on the ground. Surprisingly, the manager, after hearing our feedback, recommended us a different restaurant ‘Sonas’ in the town. And said ‘you get what you pay for here’. We have tried a different pub in the town and that was definitely better. The only good part is the atmosphere, very nice view through the window and from seats outside, but they could have done a much better job at this popular tourist attraction.

Good restaurant to eat in Fort William,

It’s a nice old pub and was an excellent place to have a toast at the end of the Highland Way. We tried the deck but it was not super hospitable. We tried a window table upstairs but there was a bunch of yellow-jackets (bees) swarming at the window and table. We ended up back downstairs. It was friendly and open to us with our rucksacks. Sadly, food was not available as we were quite hungry, but the options looked good and we arrived at 4pm.

Typical, well decorated Scottish pub in the town of Fort William. Good choice of beer and ciders. As for the cuisine, we chose the “famous” fish & chips, it was good, but certainly not the best in Scotland. On the other hand, the cheese cake of the day is worth the detour! 😋 A little extra for the service, we had just one dessert for two, and they brought back 2 spoons because “we never know” 😏

Very tasty, great dishes, freshly prepared, healthy, regional and seasonal ingredients, friendly service - highly recommended. If we stayed longer, we would come back

Superb service the lady acting as Maitre D' deserves a pay rise, doing her job under pressure, with a smile and good humour.

Great experience having dinner at Ben Nevis Bar. I enjoyed a generous & delicious meal alongside a nice cocktail!

Food is delicious The bar is right next door. If you have to wait, you can wait there and the waiter will pick you up. Fast service and everyone was nice

Fussy about drinkers in restaurant area.

The restaurant is very nice and the portions are generous. We had a fantastic lunch, sampling delicious Scottish fish and chips. Suitable for celiacs.

A local pub Traditional atmosphere

Outstanding cuisine and local musicians. The hosts were extremely nice. Adequate beer selection. Only recommended!

Firstly Lesley, front of house was amazing! They were extremely busy yet she handled it with extreme professionalism! About a 30/50 min wait depending on the time you arrive and size of party. We as a family had stayed in Fort William for 5 evenings, this was our favourite place. Service excellent (from Victoria). Food amazing! A proper pie…….not a flimsy puff pastry top in a pie dish. Venison lasagna sooooo tasty. Oh I forgot about the Brie starter, in my opinion better with raspberry jam but onion chutney okay. My only complaint and not in a bad way. Would definitely revisit.

Very nice service and delicious food. Many vegetarian/vegan dishes. Waiters totally lovely and helpful! You feel totally welcome! It feels exactly like our imagination of scotish hospitality ❤️