Bothy Restaurant & Bar in Highland

The sirloin, with more nerves than meat. A regrettable service, only the young waitress is saved. The oldest, I'm afraid the owner's wife, couldn't be more rude. Expensive and bad.

For £16, I'd say a piece of unsalted and unseasoned salmon with a side of fries and a salad is expensive. Also ordered a Cheesy Pasta which was tasty. Lovely staff, the bar was cosy and warm.

When in Rome(Scotland) a nice refreshing local pint is a must!

Great atmosphere and great food.

The worst experience in all Scotland, the owner just don't wanted to help people to pay their food and excuse that he cannot split bills saying that the commission is too high, that for a good located restaurant in a turistic place are just pennies (he just don't wanted do it). In summay rude services shitty food

Great little local pub in Fort Augustus. Food excellent, the barman full of knowledge on whiskeys and friendly. Would highly recommend

Terrible service. We were treated like trash. At first we asked for a table in another place (more comfortable), we were given one but with a terrible expression on their face. We called to take our orders, in the end we were ignored and told to wait. We waited for about 10 minutes, although the restaurant was not busy. I can't rate the food, because I didn't even try it. We just left.

Very friendly service, very tasty food

Not Michelin Star food, but exactly what I wanted. The place seemed busy but we were seated immediately, our order taken and the food arrived quickly. Some people have complained about the staff not smiling: I thought they were great! Efficient and helpful. For example, when the kitchen was about to close, the waitress came to check whether we'd be wanting anything else. I would definitely visit again.

The Bothy Restaurant and Bar is just next to the canal and is friendly and welcoming place. The staff are great and very helpful. There is nice big fire and bar area and seating area for meals. Just the place to go to after walk around the canal.

Love this pub. We specifically make a detour to come here. The food is amazing.

Racist!!! the waiters served other tables, but they did not serve us. We waited for a long time!! Totally racist

The two of us ate here on Friday. The service was first class, the food (haggis and mac and cheese or vegetable lasagna) was very tasty. Absolutely okay in terms of price.

Very nice place to eat. Quick food service. We think is the best option to eat a warm meal in this area because it full of fish and chips or sandwich or cafe places

We were greeted by a sour disposition at the door. It got better from there as we were ordered haggis and a few drams with our meal. We asked if we could have the haggis appetizer first with the drams. She immediately snapped back and said “ we don’t serve the food with the drinks. You’ll have to wait on that from the bar.” Very curt and condescending. We tried to offer a taste to our companions in our tour who were seated just a few feet away at the bar. As tourists, we just wanted to taste the haggis as a cultural experience and wanted to share a taste with them as well. Literally as we passed the plate to them for a quick taste, the server came swooping in and very aggressively and shrilly shouted “. NO FOOD AT THE BAR!” Yikes. Not super tourist friendly. I’ve worked as a server and in the tourism industry for many years, and this was a shock to me. Not hospitable and extremely unwelcoming. The food was fine, but if you’re looking for the standard Scottish hospitality and charm, you won’t find it here.

Highly recommended site in Fort Augustus. The food is very good. We ate the soup of the day, fish and chips and cheesecake (different concept from cheesecake and very good). Very good value for money

Made to feel awful, rushed out the door and the food was poor quality, chips weren't cooked fully and they didn't offer me an alternative or money off, really dire stuff, I won't be back.

What is it with Scottish people and finding it hard to crack a smile. Seems to be the theme with this place after reading other reviews. Tried haggis for the first time ever not sure now if I will ever try it again as that was just slop on a plate. 🤮🤢

Food was amazing however like others have mentioned would it hurt for the staff to smile. Three of them standing there as if they would rather be somewhere else. I feel sorry for the lady with glasses and blonde hair tied back as she was the only one actually making an effort. What I find ashame if when you give feedback here you seem to get more attitude not really what you expect

Quite possibly one of the worst restaurant experiences of my life! The food was disgusting!! The only thing that was good was the roll and butter. Gordon Ramsey probably wouldn’t even waste his time with this place! One of the ladies working there kept staring at us the whole time we ate and it was awkward and uncomfortable. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME COMING HERE! Not to mention we all felt sick for hours after eating there!! Go somewhere else or take your chances at the gas station!

At 8:45 p.m. they didn't serve us, because there were no more customers, when their hours are until 11 p.m. Don't waste your time

The food from the microwave. The vegetables weren't fresh at all and didn't taste like anything. The food also came far too quickly for it to have been freshly prepared. Service was quick but not really friendly. From the outside it looked very elegant. But inside it looked like cheap kitsch. No recommendation!

Low mark for a place that eats well, they are friendly, the £22 sirloin is good, a shame the paratas are not better,

I had the haggis as I normally do if I see it on the menu somewhere. I can honestly say it was the poorest I have ever had. Just some brown slop on the plate, tasted and looked awful. Won’t be going back! Not sure staff should be vaping while serving drinks either.

Came here for traditional dinner - Haggis & Neebs! It was really delicious. The service and staff were also great and very friendly but we had to wait a bit because the restaurant was crowded. Important: No entry under 25 years of age.

We stopped while on a tour of the Highlands. The place is nice and characteristic and we ate well: excellent haggis, excellent beer, very good soup of the day. If we return to this area, we will eat there again....

Nice pub, lovely food and friendly atmosphere. Glad to see our dog in the bar too. He got a biscuit too.

I don't agree with the 3.8 because the reality is that the food is good. I don't give it 5 stars because that's not what it's for, but the site is very correct. They serve you super fast and are friendly. We loved the soup, because something warm always tastes great. We didn't like the haggis but not because they were bad, but because we don't like organ meats, but we still wanted to try it. The salad was well served and had good flavor. I do recommend it because it seems to me to be one of the most complete in the area.

Ordered three veggie lasagnas which arrived lukewarm. The waitress appeared to be in a very bad mood and was rude and short with us when we asked her anything. Even rolling her eyes while we spoke to her.

Ambience great. Service was friendly. We both had the rump steak, which was unfortunately a bit tough and mixed. The soup of the day, however, was very tasty. Whiskey was also available after a little advice.

Lentil soup is gross. Didn't see a single smile from not 1 of the staff members the entire time I was there.

Excellent food, atmosphere and service. The smoked salmon is particularly delicious. Would return every day.

The most delicious salmon I ever eat, the service AMAZING and the place is just lovely

Good food freshly cooked . Decent choice of menu for pub grub. Bar well stocked. Good availability of beer light and dark beer . Staff run off their feet so attitude dropped a bit . Especially when you can hear then bitching about the tourist's to a local sat at the bar.

The food was disgusting. I got Mac and cheese. Can't go wrong with that. Apparently not. Gross. The American ladies next to me had the same experience. One even got forgotten. She got scampi another meal impossible to get wrong. Nope the Bothy managed.The owners were as miserable as sin. I would advise you to go to the chippy. Shame because everywhere on the Great Glen Way was great 😵‍💫😵‍💫

We went for drinks looking for somewhere for dinner, we walked in and instantly felt like we were unwelcome the lady behind the bar was grumpy and unpleasant, we went back to try again and the man who’d taken over from her was just as rude, it was excruciating to here how he spoke to a group of 4 older American ladies who wanted to split their bill, “We don’t split bills, we get charged every time we use the machine, one of you needs to pay for it and sort it out between yourselves” I was gobsmacked!! Felt like they just didn’t care. Rude.

The waitstaff was terrible. Snarly. Lasagna marginal. Salamon was boring. Shall I go one.

The food was okay but the people were rude and unfriendly.

Very efficient service, however a wee smile could of helped a lot from the waiting staff!!. Not a good example for Scottish hospitality. Food was ok but the haggis personally, and I have eaten a lot of haggis, was very disappointing far too moist and not a great deal of taste. I did mention it to the waitress but was told “they had been told people said it was the best they had ever had” The bar staff were friendly however.

Lovely meal with family, food amazing

Would have given a higher rating if the staff had been more friendly. No smiles or welcome. The food was good though.

Dissappointed, made to feel very unwelcome (verging on abusive) by locals when stopped by fot a pint...for a place solely reliant on tourism, they created an awful atmosphere. 1 star, because zero was not an option...

Thank you very much for welcoming a family with 3 children even though there were a lot of people. And we had a good dinner and had a nice time. Delicious haggis!

Been coming here for 20 + years excellent food normally great service but felt we were rushed out and no coffee as like last two visits machine not working , lights put out at 8pm not that good.

Attached to Loch Inish watersports centre. Great views over the Loch. Amazing choc cake, decent cup of tea and also a bar if you need.

Incredible location in the beautiful Fort Augustus. The Bothy was easy to get to as right in the centre of the town, where we ate unfortunately had no views of this. There appeared to be a broken light when going to the toilet cubicle, no light switch visible. Menu was fairly limited and they were going out of stock of certain items even as we were there, also it became apparent that the kitchens closed at 1930 which seems very early for a Friday night. The staff were friendly and service very quick. Food was good quality, what you would expect for the price, however nothing particularly special, Biscoff cheesecake however was a great choice for a dessert. Ultimately happy with overall experience for price.

Very quaint bar with a nice atmosphere and staff.

Cozy, nice service, good food. Haggis for the first time...I thought it was delicious!

Okay food reasonably priced. But the waitress verges on being rude

Service is not unfriendly but bored and far from warm or accommodating, the atmosphere is cheap dingy and uncaring, the food is just bad, how can you be a chef and leave something like that out of the kitchen and serve it to a guest??? Where is the honor of cooking??? Warm up a salmon for so long that the plate can no longer be touched because it is so hot. The protein came out and was dry. My tip is please don't eat haggis here because this dish can be so good that if you try it here you won't try it again if it was your first Msl. Thanks to the many tourists you can perhaps afford this, but it's a shame and unfortunately not recommended

Food was good and service was fast.

Nicest old pub around with quite recommendable kitchen. Staff was busy but swift and kind. Lemon Cheese Cake with ice cream as dessert was delicious 😋. I would come back any time.

Staff not very welcoming or smiling, it spoils the pleasure of going to the restaurant a little

Food was okay. Ordered the veggie lasagne and it wasn’t the hottest. Salad needs some dressing. Staff are friendly enough and the service was good.

Good food, soup was delicious! Friendly little pub:)

Service was great, our food arrived quickly. Food was delicious and reasonably priced.

very good address despite the fear of falling into a tourist trap. Very good food. They accept dogs!

We went to The Bothy for drinks only. Decent selection of beers and a decent selection of locals as well! The main building is a great bothy space. However, the industrial linoleum flooring, convention-centre stacking chairs, and intense lighting are strange choices which keep it from being properly cosy.

Don't go, my fiancee and I have left and suffered soon after!. The food was revolting. The "smokey" chicken was horrible, chicken was bland with no taste, bacon wad undercooked, the smokey cheese was mediocre at best, chips tasted as though they were cooked and reheated and the veg was undercooked and tasted of water! The macaroni and cheese my fiancee had was not much better. The soft drinks from tap were so watered down it would make John Pemberton roll in his grave! The staff while pleasant just stood around staring with one who had clearly not washed her arms in days picking her nails!

Had a terrible experience calling the waitresses. Called twice to place an order, and both waitresses did not want to take the order. It ended up with no one caring about us. Had to literally step out of the premises before someone came to my wife to get the order. I would not suggest the place to anyone unless you are ready to meet the rude services and pay money to be ignored by them.

As a tourist and outsider treated very well friendly staff fantastic food ...haggis lovely good views from window tables ...thank for a lovely experience ..

Food here isn't great for the price. Atmosphere is a bit flat especially when you consider it is a tourist area. Beer not great but the again it never is in Scotland. Not many options in the area so probably best to travel further afield to eat if you can.

Half way stop around the Loch Ness, extremely affordable, amazing service and the food and was perfect. We stopped by as a family of 2 children, 2 adults and 2 dogs, the dogs got treats and we were seated instantly. Service was fast and before we realised it our food was out to us. Freshly cooked and piping hot. Please make a stop if you are passing by you Will not be disappointed. Oh and as a bonus the surrounding area is so beautiful!

The food was terrible, no effort put in or quality. The portions were large but we were very disappointed with the taste and quality. The service wasn't good either, the staff weren't friendly, we wouldn't go back for food. The bar area looked nice for a pint.

Tourist factory! Execrable boss, unfriendly and not commercial at all! Tourist factory, the sooner you finish eating the better (for the boss!), one on top of the other, guaranteed canteen atmosphere, good dish but nothing more, really a shame given the situation and the building (restaurant in a very nice veranda!), service, not a smile, not a word, it's just amazing for Scotland, it's the polar opposite of the mentality of the rest of the country! The big downside is the friendliness of the boss (at least I think it was the boss!) and the service!

Had a vegan burger here. Just came with patty between the buns and salad on the side. No dressing or toppings on the patty

The food was very good & reasonably priced , And I would like to thank the very hard working staff who were ran of their feet . Much appreciated

Lovely pub and food, kitchen closed on Thursdays

Decent but not great food. Our waitress visibly hated her job.

Probably the best pub to eat in Fort Augustus. Good value and nice local atmosphere while we were there. Steak pie was a bit too salty but it can be forgiven as everything else was great.

Mediocre food, which would be fair if it had cost half as much. Servers were not very kind at all, and made you seem like an inconvenience at best. Service was quick at least, but when the cost of that is servers stressing you and not being serviceminded, probably from being stressed themselves, it's hardly a positive thing. Had to pay in bar after getting receipt despite them having a portable card reader? Again, just seems like an inconvenience for the customer. Honestly seems like the waiters are affected by bad work culture or something.

We got a table with no problem. Service and food were at a gentle pace. We felt no pressure to eat and go, so when we left, we felt totally chilled.

Very average. Food was okay, chips could have been cooked more. Price didn't match the food value.

Insider tip - food is really delicious 😋

The Bothy is in an excellent location alongside the flight of locks so we thought we’d give it a try. That was a mistake. The welcome was cool and it didn’t get any better. At no point did any of the serving staff ask us how our meals were, probably because it was very poor. We’re in the middle of a 3 week tour of Scotland and this has to have been our worst experience by far!

Avoid frozen meals, not good and extra expensive

Brilliant atmosphere, bar tender and staff very friendly, food is extremely good... would definitely recommend 👌

Great atmosphere and good crack with the locals. Didn't see any long/short legged haggis though 😞.

Had a very enjoyable dinner and drinks here after walking all day. Staff working very hard to get everyone served, it's a busy place! Thanks team 👍

The haggis was delicious and the staff was friendly. Lovely little restaurant/pub next to the canal.

Very quick service and nice food and people.

I cannot give this place enough stars. This is our second year here. Our first year was a pass through trip, this year a full week because we loved the area so dearly. Our trip this year we became friends with locals and the barkeep, Finley (aka “Ned” by the locals), who quickly accepted us as regulars and knew our drink orders as soon as we came in. If you’re not used to dry humor he may seem off-putting but if you get to know him he is warm and welcoming and just a great person to get to know. The food is great, but honestly the biggest draw is gathering around the bar in the evening to mingle with the wonderful locals of Fort Augustus. We were incredibly sad to leave and have considered changing future travel plans for the sole reason to return to the wonderful, family-feel of the Bothy.

Rather unfriendly staff. Nice meal good large portion. Close very early.

The food was very good - compliments to the kitchen! The service wasn't it - too hasty, too impersonal. This is still understandable so far. But instead of asking us to go to the bar (since the dining area closed early), the lights were turned off during dessert. I've wanted to try eating in the dark for a long time - a childhood dream was fulfilled here.

A very good place to eat. Excellent attention

It was an interesting lunchtime experience at the Bothy. The Haggis was spot on, the decor was very fitting and the location of course is superb. The food was good, I wasn't blown away by the choice/variety however the Haggis and cheese toastie I had hit the spot. Now onto the staff, for the location I was surprised that the staff didn't seem particularly happy!! We got sent the wrong table's food, then when the waitress came with our proper food we could barely hear them to the point I had to ask for them to speak up. I witnessed the bartender being very short with patrons when they had questions about their food. And when I went to write this review my suspicions were solidified by the manner other negative reviews have been answered. I would recommend this restaurant if you are ever in Fort Augustus however I would encourage the restaurant to provide their wait staff more training in how to give their customers a better experience. I would also encourage whoever writes the responses to these reviews to consider the image they give the restaurant. The feedback we give is meant to help improve - not to offend.

Unmemorable. (Review fixed, I definitely don’t recommend the fix and chips)

We didn't eat but had a decent pint. Atmosphere was good

Don't dare ask to sit next to the fire, joining tables together is beyond the staff. Rude, abrupt and a serious lack of hospitality to passing trade. Simple requests were only an inconvenience to staff. Avoid and plenty of other options in Fort Augustus!

Awful experience of the Bothy. After having travelled for nearly 4 hours, we stopped at Fort Augustus for a quick overnight and hoped to get some dinner. We went to the Bothy as it looked quite cozy and inviting from the outside. How wrong we were! My wife and 10 year old daughter and I headed in only to be met by a puckered up old barmaid with short hair who instantly barked “in for drinks?!..” we replied “no for food” where she then nipped back ‘“you’ll need to be quick as the kitchen is closing”. Bearing in mind it was only 7:30pm and we thought considering it was supposed to be a “restaurant”, it would be open a little later than that!? She then nipped “and ‘it’s’ no allowed in” hinting at our dog. Not a problem we thought, there are still places that don’t allow dogs, fair enough, we can put him back in the motorhome. She then replied with her usual tone, “you’ll need to be quick though and you’ll need to sit through there cause she’s under 18” (hinting at my daughter). It was at this point a polite, nice young guy at the bar said there was another place that we could go that allows kids and dogs and has a later closing time. We decided to leave and go elsewhere and will not be returning or recommending the Bothy to anyone. Worst customer service and rudest wee woman I’ve experienced in a long while. Considering your catering for a lot of tourists, you do a pretty poor job of making them feel welcome. I also see from the other 1 star comments that this short haired old waitress is mentioned a few times! Common denominator it seems!?

I ordered the haggis and my partner ordered the steak. We both enjoyed the food! The haggis reminded me of when my Tad first made haggis, neeps and tatties for me (his nans recipe!) so thank you for bringing back a lovely memory for me with your food. The staff were friendly, but seemed tired, bless them - I hope they know we appreciate them. Lovely little pub as well. Thank you

Small restaurant, fast service. If you don't have much time, perhaps on a bus tour, it's a good place to grab something to eat.

Excellent food & service. They get swamped with tourists and handle it all quickly. The Mac & cheese was delicious and the Haggis, Neeps, & Tatties fantastic with whiskey sauce. Great place to have a nice sit down meal.

Friendly and super fast service!! Ribeye steak was delicious!

didn't expect the food would be this good

Very typical place, traditional food next to Loch Ness, highly recommended.

Look no further for Nessie! The monster is in the restaurant! Terrible welcome, the two waitresses had no one to serve but we immediately felt that our presence annoyed them: Not a hello. They wouldn't let us sit where we wanted. We are quickly given the cards without presenting anything to us. Never responded to our signs/smiles (3 times) to ask her for more sauce for our fries (while she was looking at us) forced to get up to do it herself. Brief ! I won't judge the food because we only had frozen fries (we only had 30 minutes so that was the only option apparently) We never leave reviews, but future customers deserve to know where they are going!

We had a great lunch here, before a boat tour. Service was quick, food was delicious.

I went here in December and found this place rather dissatisfying. At 13h30 as soon as I sat down I was already told that I should choose because the kitchen is closing. I ordered a steak pie and within 3 min of ordering the food came ( a good indicator that it's probably been standing in the kitchen for a while just being kept warm) The pie was good, but the peas weren't cooked at all. While I was still eating the waitress just put ofd the lights and started cleaning. All while in the background the TV is blaring the news.... It almost feels like they don't want customers at all

I was here yesterday from a bus tour. First time in Loch Ness. We had the worst customer service here with my friends. We had a table of four. We asked to sit by the fire place and we were told no, and seated elsewhere. The waitresses didn’t smile when we entered. When one came to take our order…. She said we had to order quickly because the kitchen was closing. The time was between 1:30PM and 1:45PM. We quickly ordered soup of the day. When it came time to pay the man at the bar, he explained that he wouldn’t split the bill for cards because there is a charge for each card transaction. Which is understandable so we offered to pay him separately in cash and he also refused. He wanted one of us to pay and we would sort it out between us. He also didn’t smile. We felt like we were not welcomed or appreciated. I would never return here. It’s so disappointing because I was hoping Loch Ness would be a positive experience. Just left a bad impression. We felt rushed, unwelcome, and also uncomfortable.