Busters Diner in Orkney Islands

Got the Orkney burger and a chicken balti Chicken balti was a pale brown curry with no taste shocking , the burger was disgusting was supposed to come with cheese and salad but it came plain the burger itself was solid as if it came from farmfoods I would not recommend this place one bit I’m absolutely disgusted in the quality of food served .

Wir hätten nicht gedacht, dass das Familienessen hier so gut rauskommt. Die Kids haben es geliebt. Die Burger waren gut, das Bier auch. Das Restaurant ist sehr klein und der Besitzer will glaube ich demnächst in Rente gehen. Er war sehr freundlich und ist vor allem den Kids bei wünschen entgegengekommen. Wir sind positive überrascht und würden hier ein einfaches Familienessen vorschlagen.

Cool little diner served by cool dude called Evan. Very professional and polite. Food all freshly cooked and tasty. Reasonable price. Not on the main thoroughfare but worth checking out if u want something fast hot and tasty.

Busters diner must be called “ buster diner “ as surely it’s a 3 course chefs special away from going bust. Our experience of buster diner consisted of ordering a round of drinks which took around 50 mins to arrive. This was down to the fact that the waiter was needing a good nights sleep as he was barley conscious. The food was edible but nothing special. They must have had an artic lorry running in daily with cheese because the pizza was 99% cheese 1 percent pizza. All in all the only thing that would have cheered this place up is a pepperoni pizza right up the wall. Cheers

I have just picked up a takeaway from here, Oh dear!!! The pizzas and chips were barely hot, and the worst pizza I have ever eaten. The pizza was very dry with very little topping, unsure of what kind of cheese was used as barely any there! So so disappointing, I definitely will not be back! Just awful!!!!!!!

Sind dorthin, weil alles andere keinen Platz hatte. Bedienung nett, Speisebereich übelriechend, Essen nicht wirklich lecker und kein Alkohol (Schanklizenz abgelaufen) . Hätten letztlich besser einen Kebab gegessen.

As I was born and raised in New York City and have spent the past 24 years in New Jersey I have seen my share of diners. I didn't know what to expect from a self-proclaimed "diner" in Orkney but it was a few steps from my hotel so I gave it a try. Diner it is. I had fried chicken and it was done to perfection, crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside (sounds like a TV ad, doesn't it?). Nice people running the place, it's small but interesting with all the memorabilia on the walls. Well worth a try if you're in Kirkwall.

The diner is a nice small cosy diner with interesting American decor with a little of Orkney throughout. The service was fast and the food was good. It is a very small space which can feel a little cramped and would advise maybe booking in advance if can.

First time - served promptly and great food. Salad & sweet potato fries 🍟. Pizza & popcorn chicken for the children was perfect.

Staff and friendly service saved the visit.... As stated, great friendly service from arrival and throughout. Food was ok, I can accept pre made frozen starters thats to be expected but the mains where not great to boot, we had steak and a burger - not the best I'm afraid. That said it's a popular wee place with quirky old style TGIs style decor.

My partner and I ordered food as a takeaway delivery, and live locally, so we were aware that generally there's around an hour delivery for busters and were prepared to wait. The young girl who took the order over the phone was pleasant and mannerly and did her job well. After 2 hours, I called and politely asked what was happening with our order, spoke to a young boy this time, who really didn't seem to know what was going on. They had absolutely no idea whether our order had been made, sent out or what, and the address had to be repeated 3 times. He came back, apologised profusely, which I appreciated and he said someone would call me back. I refused the offer and asked to speak to someone then and there, so I was passed on to an older sounding woman, who tried her best to rip into me down the phone, presumably i was an inconvenienceto her at that time. - thats how i was made to feel anyway. I wasnt rude and simply asked if i could please have a partial refund, as we had spent over £50 on food that has taken over 2 hours to arrive. She was extremely rude, raising her voice, talking over me, speaking as if I was stupid, telling me she didn't know the address which I had now repeated 4 times after telling her. She refused any help at all or compensation for the situation and continued to try and intimidate me over the phone that they dont give delivery times and i would have been told this on the phone along with how busy they were. -This was never mentioned once until she let rip at me. I was told to call back at 9pm to talk with her husband because she wouldn't be doing anything about it and they were very busy. I asked what will be done at 9pm when I call back, and just got more unnecessary attitude and told her husband would deal with it. I still got no indication as to whether or not our food had left the business or even been cooked yet. I have never in my life been made to feel as insignificant and disregarded for handing money over to a business. The level of customer service here is absolutely disgusting. I have never been so horrified over the way someone speaks to a customer. I have been in customer service myself for 14 years, and if I had once spoken to a customer in that manner in any of my jobs I would have been in VERY serious trouble, or sacked. I fully understand things get busy, and stressfull. I have been there and i have cracked myself before under pressure, but you do not ever talk to your customers in this manner no matter what's going on. Its extremely unprofessional. What makes it worse is that this was the business owner. I feel terribly sorry for the young staff, they will not set themselves up for a decent career being taught by people with morals like these who treat customers like idiots. Food arrived eventually. After a 2 hour and 45 minute wait. It was hot and crispy, which tells me that it was freshly cooked and not sat out for 3 hours. Whether that was down to them just not bothering to cook it at the time I dont know Also find it funny how she told me to call back at 9 pm when they close at 8.30pm. I would not waste your money here. Unfortunately we very much did. Food was bog standard, pizzas like cardboard etc. There is far better local establishments to eat here who use local produce and take much less time to cook fresh food and deliver, and do not speak to you like you are the floor sweepings they clear up at the end of the night. **Update** I called back and spoke to the business owner, just to have the entire thing blamed on taxis and how late and incompetent they were. As far as the way I was spoken to by the wife, 'he wasn't there' was the response. I'll look forward to hearing back after they read my review :) If I could review 0 Stars I would.

Arrived, seated promptly with no booking, exceptionally pleasant staff. Food freshly prepared, very reasonably priced, busy little place, no wonder!! We Will definitely be back - Thank you for a nice experience

Very friendly, found us a table despite being very busy. good service. Fish and Chips and a Lasgne. good value.

Really good pizza. Great atmosphere. Friendly efficient service. No idea why this place had such awful reviews.

Poor quality food, delivered by an over-worked waiter, made by women chewing gum in the kitchen. Food was clearly frozen and cheap. We had chicken goujons and Southern fried chicken. Both of us experienced stomach pains not long after leaving. Avoid!

Not a typical friendly American greeting by the assumed owner. Waitress although obviously new was cheerful and polite . Background music definitely not your typical American diner music. Despite all this , have to say food was pretty good

Simple American style diner, with good food at reasonable prices. Portions are exactly right for Europeans, no US “mega plates” so feel free to order the starters. The nachos were really nice with plenty of jalapeños! Burgers were good as well. We shall return.

We thought the menu looked goog so decided to give it again but it didn't live upto expectations. The food was nice enough but certainly nothing amazing and certainly not worth the prices being charged. Inside the decor is quite quirky but it is very small with only around 8 tables, the service was a little odd, they kept watching us eat which I didn't like, the main server was delivering and serving at the same time. The dessert menu looked very nice but we were disappointed when they arrived, the sundaes were only 2 scoops of orkney ice cream and covered in fresh cream with a strawberry on top, definitely not worth £5 each and the sundae glasses were far too small meaning that it was melting all over the place. We wouldn't rush back!

Went for a meal whilst waiting for the Aberdeen ferry. There were 3 in our party. The starters were ok at best. The main meal left a lot to be desired... Orkney Burger Dream, sounds great doesn't it? It was an Orkney Burger Nightmare, a...

We booked for a nice meal on holiday. Waiter only took drink order from 4 of our party of 5. Ordered food to meet specific dietary requirements but when food arrived over an hour later the order was wrong so couldn't be eaten. Ordered more...

We had a takeaway last weekend, having not been to busters for quite sometime. We has pizzas along with some sides. The pizzas were like cardboard and basically inedible, there was no tomato sauce at all and they were extremely dry. Expensive and could get...

Prompt and friendly service in a family run restaurant. Great pizza, chips and salad in one of the few places open on a Sunday evening in Kirkwall at this time of year. Takeaway service as well. Current hours 4:30 to 8:30 every day

Great concept and brilliant decor with friendly staff. Menu is a bit odd, it's not really American Diner fayre but does have a good variety- burgers, pizza, curry, fish and chips etc I had a pizza and garlic bread, the garlic bread was stodgy, undercooked...

Nous nous sommes arrêtés au hasard dans cet établissement et nous avons été très contents. Bière locale et un steak...

Visited our first night in Orkney, good selection on the menu. We ordered 2 burgers and one hot dog with chips and garlic bread with 2 rounds of drinks which came to around £55. Overall good experience lovely pulled pork bbq burger. Good selection for...

Firstly, we have been visiting Busters for years and always highly recommend it. Absolutely disgusted when on arrival the manageress/chef was annoyed that we had arrived for our table which had been booked. Waited 90 minutes for our main course. Food does not match menu...

Filled us up but wouldn’t recommend. The young waitress who greeted and served us was brilliant, she was kind, friendly and attentive. Unfortunately the burger was expensive for what it was, a condensed circle of meat, sandwiched within a Lidl bun. The pizza tasted cheap...

Visited this diner on a Friday evening and was pleasantly surprised. The waitress was friendly and welcoming and the interior was really cool - they have a front hood of an American car embedded in their wall! The food was plentiful and presented well but...

If you're looking for a nice dinner out in Orkney, I wouldn't recommend here. It's perfectly fine for a quick dinner or dinner with fussy kids, but not particularly nice food. We had burgers - the chips were ok, salad ok but the burger itself...

Phoned through for take away - covid restrictions clearly followed. Waited outside for 15mins after stated pick up time for pizza, however, man did apologise for delay Order 2 deep crust from the speciality choice - hot & tasty, with lots of topping

Came here on holiday and ordered a meal for 4 over the phone, waited 75mins, when the food arrived it was reheated rubbish,pizzas hard as a floor board,deep friend junk was fat ridden, never again

This restaurant is themed on an American Diner and is very much aimed at the burger and pizza crowd. They do this reasonably well and the service was good - all be it I was the only customer at the time. They also do take...

Stopped in for a meal after a day of sightseeing around the island and town. Very friendly staff, good food, and reasonable prices.

American diner with a friendly atmosphere I'd recommend. My wife chose a prawn salad which she reckons was probably the best salad she has ever had. I had chicken fajitas which were very tasty. Service was good and the food freshly prepared and arrived quickly in large portions. We will be back before we leave.

Had a pizza loaded with meat that was pretty good except the sausage tasted like a hot dog. Nice enough place for a very casual meal, reasonable prices. House wines were average.

Thank you to the Busters team for taking such great care of my party of 25 for several hours and on very short notice recently. We ate well, and felt really welcome in your restaurant. Food wise, I picked up on the two words: “home made” and was very pleased with my steak and ale pie! I will come back next time I am in Kirkwall!

Zeer goed eten, gezellig klein restaurantje.We hebben de afgelopen week twee keer hier gegeten en beide keren was het erg lekker.

Some limited dining opportunities in Kirkwall in an evening so we're pleased to eat here twice. A good range of food from Pizza, Wraps, Burgers, and pub favourites in an American theme.

Cant described how the food smelled touched it only ,did not eat any took half hour to wash the smell off hands

Many of the dining options in Kirkwall will not allow anyone under 18 to enter. Those that do require reservations. Busters is the best options for those who need food options with kids under 18 with out reservations and who want to eat easy meals. We loved our hostess. They were so very nice to us.

Visited tonight, my friends ordered the 8oz steaks and I ordered a 12" meat feast pizza. After waiting for 40 minutes for the food (while not being busy), it eventually arrived. Disappointing would be an understatement! I've had better pizzas from co-op! It tasted very pre made and not good at that. Bland and very pre packaged food taste definately wouldn't recommend. My friends steak on the other hand (if you could call it a steak), was really bland and tasteless, and that came from both of my friends. The service was OK, but the food seriously needs improving, as taking 40 minutes to cook leather soles and a 99p pizza then charging the prices that they do is disgraceful. Save your money and use the Chinese, Indian or Italian highly recommend them.

Been here on many occasions and everytime you are made to feel welcome. The food is always good and very good value.

Literally bobbed in for a burger and chips and wasn’t disappointed. Was quite busy and waiting time was quick before being served. Always have a soft spot for places like this as I lived in USA for a year. Plenty on the plate a no completes from me.

main meal - steak was rather dry and confused over their interpretation of peppercorn sauce. no bite and too creamy

was there twice over the weekend of 22nd to 25th march.lovely little restaurant with great choice of menu the staff were polite and pleasant would highly recommend.

It's a small place with a take away service so it seemed as if there were not enough staff for the take away and the seated customers. The portions were not large, but how much do we really need to eat at a meal anyway. Most places serve enough for two in one meal. Often we share a meal. It was a pleasant place and in a easy to find spot. It was cozy, not intimate, friendly, but fairly busy.

Reading the recent reviews here, I’m glad I never got a table here. I was hoping for a table but hadn’t booked. I was addressed by what turned out to be the delivery driver, though he might’ve been the manager lol. I thought he was jo punter in for a takeaway pizza.

Got a delivery which cost a fortune, food was missing from our order and the pizza was greasy and tasteless! Waste of money!!

Small place where the Food is ok, ambiance ok, price ok, Turning music off @ 8pm to hurry paying customers out earlier not ok.

Ordered a delivery and waited over an hour and a half for it, when we phoned to enquire there was a lot of "I've not seen it" obviously referring to the order.

This was the first visit by our party of three to Busters. The restaurant has a great interior, very much American themed and 60's music in the background.

Never eaten here before but always wondered what it was like. Food was good, nice portion sizes and not overly priced. The waitress, a young red haired girl, was really friendly, knowing the menu well and making suggestions, a real credit to the team.

Poor service, food is a mess. Pizza was cheese on cardboard. Cajun spiced fajitas? Menu is a mess. Every ingredient they can think of they throw onto a dish.

A great little American themed restaurant that seats about 30 people. A very nice meal and excellent value for money. The chilli was awesome! Staff were attentive and efficient. Couldn't ask for more. They even had a good selection of veggie options specifically sectioned on the menu.

We phoned for a takeaway recently - 3 pizzas and 3 sides. I listened as my husband repeated the order over and over again on the phone. The order was read back and verified. Went to collect 30 minutes later as advised to find out that a side of fries had been missed. He then had to wait until they were made all the while pizzas were getting cold. Once home the food was ok. The pizza bases are clearly bulk bought though and not freshly made. Kids love it though!

Great choice. Good value. Super service! Visited twice this week and always greated with a smile and a fab menu.

No merece la pena. Pedimos una ensalada para compartir, que no estuvo mal. Pero de segundo pedimos una hamburguesa, terrible, seca y dura, y un haddock (merluza), que era pescado rebozado congelado, propio de un comedor de colegio. La calidad de la comida escocesa en general ha mejorado muchísimo, pero en este lugar no. La decoración newyorkina te saca de contexto. Cualquier otro sitio de kirkwall será mejor que este

Went here last night as a family booking. 4 kids and 3 adults. Meals were lovely and good servings. Kids loved the novelty ice cream!! Bit of a wait for food which was ok for adults but kids were bored. They had colouring at this diner previously but not tonight. All in all a good experience!!

My wife and I had dinner here. We were looking for a change from the local pub fare. Busters is a really quaint American style diner and the food was great.

Hadn't planned to come here, however I had a great time and will be back when next in Orkney. The food is diner / takeaway style food and is just right. Portions are generous, food is tasty, price is reasonable. But I overheard the member of staff engaging with every group in the restaurant. This was the best customer service in any restaurant in Orkney. She showed genuine care to really understand the customers needs and meet then exceed their expectations. She really put everyone at ease and made them feel welcome. I will come back to this restaurant every time I visit Orkney thanks to this member of staff and their perfect customer service skills

This is an unpretentious small diner serving good basic food e.g. pizza, pulled pork wraps, etc. The food was very good, the service friendly and there was a good selection of local ales.

Opens from 4.30 each day. Moderate menu with plenty of pizza size/topping options. Pleasant staff; not overly-attentive, but generally efficient. Inexpensive dining option, particularly suited for families.

We stopped into Busters Diner for dinner and felt at home with all of the American decor. Very cute decorations and good variety of food items to choose from. Our server was very kind and helpful and we enjoyed a delicious meal accompanied by great music.

We walked bast this restaurant on a number of occasions and it didn't really attract as I don't really like the American Diner theme. However we were struggling to find somewhere to eat so thought we would give it a go and was pleasantly surprised.

Not the greatest takeaway I've been to. Great for Pizza but other foods were poor or small portions.

We stumbled across this place when we couldn't get reservations anywhere else in town. It offered pseudo-american fare like pizza and burgers, as well as a few local dishes. We ordered lasagna, fish and chips, cheese pizza for my 3 year-old, and I had steak and ale pie. The only thing that was inedible was the lasagna. It was all pretty good, but the standout was their beer selection. Delicious! Everything in Orkney is a bit pricey, but the prices were reasonable for the location. The staff was exceptionally friendly and courteous.

Pizza and a burger - it's not the greatest we've ever had, but perfectly good. Cheery and helpful staff.

We were having difficulty finding somewhere for dinner when we came across Busters. The atmosphere is distinctive and we enjoyed it. The pizzas were great, the ale good, and the service friendly and personable. A very good choice for us.

Nos encontramos con este pequeño lugar después activa en algún tiempo Kirkwall no pudimos encontrar más restaurantes.

Chilli with a side of sweet potato fries. The chilli was a bit on the mild side, but tasty none the less. Wifey was happy with her pizza.

Had a nice meal with my wife. A good atmosphere and and a nice meal. Very good music and service. And the ale too was good.

Ate at Busters diner 20 yrs ago and really enjoyed the food and the atmosphere. Back again and still pleasant polite friendly staff and good food. Will try and make next visit quicker than another 20 yrs

Steak pie was good but the other main course, pulled pork, was inedible. I think restaurant should forget producing pseudo American food and stick to what they are good at.

As the restaurant title suggests an American style diner serving pizza etc. Service was prompt and friendly. Tables clean. Food arrived piping hot. I would revisit if up in Kirkwall again.

We would definitely recommend this little restaurant in Kirkwall . Great service and a great meal . .

Food very good and reasonably priced, staff efficient and friendly. A comfortable atmosphere. Overall a pleasant experience. We would eat here again.

We had heard some rather mediocre comments about Busters, but when in on evening to test it out. We were very pleasantly surprised to find that we not only got great food at very reasonable prices, but the staff was very pleasant and friendly. We went back twice more during our two week visit and found it to be one of our favorite places to dine in Kirkwall!

This is a great little diner in Kirkwall with helpful, friendly staff present in the restaurant. The food is very good and is very quickly. There are a good selection of beers, wines and other drinks available.

Ordered in a takeaway chicken burger dream which said on the menu would come with fries. Drove all the way home only to find that my burger had no salad or fries with it and my partners jumbo hot dogs were not jumbo at all. Chicken burger was very dry and over cooked. Very dissapointed overall!

You can almost walk past this eatery and miss it - but you'd regret it. The food was what you'd expect but it was very nicely done amidst an interesting and entertaining decor. Wonderfully friendly service.

Having eaten here years ago it was ok back then, now well what a disaster. We ate here as friends and found the service sullen. Smile we are paying customers, clearly bad management and training. Our pizzas were almost inedible with a base which was solid. Desert was good and location is fine, but we won't be going back.

Stopped in for an early dinner with visiting family. Great local spot with plenty to offer kids and adults. Shared a few starters, great waffle fries. Split some pizzas for a main and enjoyed great chocolately desserts. Fun themed restaurant. Appeals to families, even small kids which are hard to accommodate sometimes! Easy to walk to in Kirkwall. Friendly, quick service.

We have visited Busters twice before and really enjoyed it, which is why we chose it for our last evening meal on this trip to Orkney. What an utter disappointment! Our sirloin (£16) was small, dry and over cooked. Kids meals not much better - no cheese or ketchup on the burger and a dry chicken wrap. Some kids actually enjoy fresh food and salad too. You'll pay extra for mustard too and have to tear umpteen ketchup sachets with your teeth. Saturday evening and there was only one other table occupied. I think we'll need to find somewhere else next time.

Utterly average diner. Laconic staff. Worst pizza I have eaten in a long time. Better with a frozen job from a supermarket. Avoid at all costs.

Back to Orkney after a 10 year break and Busters is still serving great takeaway food. Pizza, milkshakes and chicken goujons all very tasty. Staff very helpful and friendly. Hopefully be back soon.

Ordered for takeaway 2 x 9 inch and 1 x 12 inch pizza here last week, they were laden with cheese and altogether nothing special, I think it was £28. Diner is American themed.

Small place, quirky. Very impressed with the food.Drinks selection ok, but limited wine choices.Happily eat here agin.

It's very much an American diner, and the food is exactly what I expect in a really great diner. The decor is appropriately tacky and American touristy, but that's all part of the charm. I visited in August, and town was busy, I'm amazed that the weren't busier!!I had my evening meal here, I had a Peperoni pizza with cross cut fries. Both were really nicely prepared, and the portions very generous. So much so that I had to ask for a take say box for half of the pizza!The service was prompt and friendly, with the manager very attentive and astute. I highly recommend this restaurant, if you fancy a great 'fast food, done well' meal.

Fine for teenagers and those who are American or fast food orientate,There was ot a lot on the menu for me!

Trovare un pub american stile nel mezzo delle isole orcadi.....ma si , ogni tanto è carino anche cambiare dai soliti menù. Amburger buoni , piatti corposi , ambiente da pub ma locale piccolo che diventa molto accogliente a conduzione familiare. Abbiamo visto anche la pizza servita ad altri tavoli....una focaccia ma sembrava buona....

Clean restaurant with a good menu. Fantastic size of portions, we both really enjoyed the food. Love this place.

Had a good meal, very tasty, excellent staff, very warm welcome. Good variety of food.very child friendly.. Thoroughly enjoyed our meal.

we were lucky two times to get a table for the two of us. The place is small, very cozy, nicely decorated. We liked the food very much - so, no wonder why its always full.

After a fruitless search for a suitable restaurant, and with time getting on, we walked past Buster's and guessed correctly that this was what we'd been looking for. We dined there on two consecutive nights,It seemed that many locals patronise this diner; families, couples and groups of girls on their way home from work were enjoying the wide range of food offered and two young children were having their birthday parties, complete with balloons. The restaurant does a brisk trade in take-away orders (mostly pizzas). We enjoyed large serves on both nights: burgers, that came with everything we’re used to in Australia (except the beetroot), and filled potatoes that came with extra salad on the side. Certainly no complaints there. A gentleman dining near us recommended the cheesecake, but we couldn't fit it in.We liked the decor - eclectic American. Service was cheerful and as prompt as could be in a busy restaurant and there was a good vibe! At busy times, I suggest you either make a booking or be prepared to wait for a table. Buster’s is popular… and rightly so!

Bestilte hvidløgsbrød og kyllingruller. Det blev til langt mere end vi kunne spise. Hertil en god rødvin, som dog nok var lidt af et tilfælde, da de ikke har så meget styr på vinkortet. Rigtig venlig betjening, og priserne er OK.

We ate as a couple in July 2016. The restaurant is styled as an authentic American style diner. It has a wide menu and it was easy to find something we liked. It offers, Pizza, pasta, steaks, fish etc. The food and service were both very good and great value. This restaurant is a good option and beats some of the more 'conventional' restaurants on all counts - quality of food, service and value.

Quite a small place. A little cramped! Great portion sizes and good prices. Busters could do with offering a better range of wine. Food cooked to perfection. Service was good!

Had quick bite to eat here before heading to the Reel. Great menu choice. Very reasonable prices. Quick and friendly service. Excellent food.

Stayed in Orkney for 3 days and the fudge cheesecake here was the best thing about the whole 3 days !!! omg delicious ... I also had pizza and it was gorgeous, quite small place but certainly big on flavor and service, highly recommend !!!

Friday night and the water side more expensive restaurants were booked and over crowded. Walked around the corner and found Buster's pleasantly busy with almost all locals. There were only two tables open, a two and a six. My wife and I told Mike the owner I believe that we expected three more people. He had no problem giving us the larger table. After a long wait we decided to order and were not sure if the rest of our party was coming. We apologized for taking the larger table. The staff had no problem. Thankfully the others arrived and we had a lovely dinner. The staff was friendly and very helpful. We had a variety of meals from the excellent steak and ale pie to the pizza. The American theme was definitely a surprise. I most certainly would go again for the small relaxed restaurant atmosphere.