Cullen Bay Hotel Lounge in Moray

Travelled up from Invergarry for the day. On the way back from Crovie saw the sign for Cullen Bay Hotel and " World famous Cullen Skink" 😃 Could not pass by without trying. It did not disappoint. Creamy, chunky fish and potato deliciousness with Scottish Oat Cakes. Glad we saw the sign. Staff were all very friendly and welcoming. Fabulous!

Beautiful location and friendly staff.

Essendo per eccellenza la cittadina della Cullen Skink, non potevamo non fermarci a mangiarla! Che dire?! Zuppa davvero OTTIMA, la migliore che abbia mai mangiato. Anche la vista dall’albergo merita. Personale gentile e disponibile

I love this place. It's a little dated but the view is superb.

Lovely location and the view is great

Visited twice in last month, 1st time for lunch, then a Sunday late lunch. The quality of fish is top notch as good as you will have in the area the flavours, cooking, and presentation only add to an excellent meal. Proper home-made chips! As for the slow roast beef, decent cut portion, you will not require a knife for, tastes fabulous. Overall, excellent, well prepared, tastes brilliant. You will not go wrong stopping eating their.

Brilliant location, a view over the Golf Course and onto Moray Firth. Staff were very friendly and helpful, will be back next year.

Good food at short notice would definitely recommend. Called in at short notice and staff were all helpful and friendly.

Spent three nights here. The location is absolutely outstanding. Just watch when turning in or exiting the car park onto the main road. The staff are very friendly and accommodating. They pride themselves in offering good service. We ate here two of the nights and the food is home cooked, unpretentious and delightful. We were in room 6 which has a comfortable atmosphere and bed. The only downside is there are limited plugs for phone charging etc. Overall, a lovely stay and we would return. ThanQ.

Stunning views , staff and service were incredible . They are young but so enthusiastic and obviously happy and well trained. Food is above average and priced accordingly.

Came here recently with family for dinner. The food was easy but a bit overpriced for what you got. The waitress we had was very slow in coming over to take our order. She very rarely came back to check on anything.

Lovely lunch , nicely decorated and stunning views, well worth a stop in past ,even for a bowl of the famous Cullen skink 😋🍲

The welcome was warm and the menu was good. The beef and its trimmings were very good but the salmon dish was not so great. The fish was fine but the potatoes would have been nicer if they’d been freshly cooked - reheated potatoes always have a strange taste. The home made apple crumble was a real disappointment. Lukewarm watery apples with a raw crumble topping - not what I expect. On the whole poor value for money . It’s a real pity considering the beautiful location but my experience today won’t have me rushing back.

Sampled this establishments Cullen Skink I was almost devoid of smoked fish in a thin soup.A travesty of a great Scottish Dish

Worst Cullen Skink I have had in all my years.Iwas presented with a small bowl of white liquid which contained pieces of potato.I searched for pieces of smoked fish and found a few fragments of indeterminate fish.

Nice place. It's located outside the city. We were lucky to see Auroras from our window when we were visiting December.

Went for a Family meal, the food was delicious and staff warm and friendly. Will definitely be going again.

I had the Aberdeen Angus burger with haggis and peppercorn sauce. The bun was dry and the peppercorn sauce, which cost £3, watered down. My wife had quesadilla with five bean chilli, there were only a couple of beans and no chilli taste. Drinks were way overpriced and we wish we had gone elsewhere.

I ordered five bean chilli quesadiila. Well lucky if it contained even five beans! Just a mush of tomatoes, peppers and a bit of onion. No chilli taste at all. Plate was filled with salad which had no dressing on it and none was offered. £50 totally wasted. Go to the Royal Oak. The young waiting staff were good enough, shame about the chef/‘s. Had to come home and have something to eat. Will never go back and don’t recommend it

Poissons revisités à notre goût et vue imprenable. Jeunes serveurs attentionnés ! Prix corrects compte tenu du cadre. Je vous conseille le haddock pour le côté original

Das Restaurant ist berühmt für Cullen Skink - immerhin hat der Küchenchef die World Trophy mehrfach gewonnen. Das Restaurant bietet Bestes und Frischestes aus dem Meer. Auch wenn es sich "nur" um eine Landküche handelt, so ist der Geschmack am Ende entscheidend, dass ich eine 5er Wertung gegeben habe. Der Ausblick auf das Meer tut sein Übrigens

Tried the Cullen Bay Hotel on a recent break to Cullen. We had been to a few local eateries but this was the best. Wonderful views out across the sea.

Ristorante interessante, buona cucina ma non eccezionale. Una buona fermata se siete in zona. La baia vale il viaggio.

Ein sehr gutes Restaurant, freundliches Personal und ein sagenhafter Blick auf‘s Meer. Etwas gehobenere Preikategorie aber auf jeden Fall sein Geld wert.

Booked in here for an early evening meal with our toddler while staying in the area. Staff were all very friendly and hospitable. Food was delicious, especially the Cullen Skink, Fish Pie & Highland Chicken. Clean restaurant with marvellous views. We had 2 starters, 3 mains, dessert & drinks for £80. Would definitely visit again and hope to book in here for a stay sometime in the future. Thanks!

Our lunch was fantastic. We ordered 4 different dishes and we were very happy. Friendly staff and excellent service. Also a great view. Highly recommend!

Das Haus liegt an der Hauptstraße oberhalb der Küste und man hat einen sehr schönen Blick auf Küste und Meer. Die Tische am Fenster sind den Hausgästen vorbehalten, aber man sieht aufgrund der großen Fenster auch aus zweiter Reihe sehr gut. Der Service ist recht nett, aber das Essen hat noch reichlich Spielraum nach oben. Die Cullen Skink bestand überwiegend aus Kartoffeln (die Fischeinlage musst man suchen); Burger sowie fish and chips waren eher durchschnittlich und die dazugehörenden Pommes waren sehr fettig (das Fett war wohl auch nicht wirklich frisch). Insgesamt eine sehr schone Lage, aber Abstriche beim Essen

Lunch was pre-booked for a family gathering. COVID compliant, quickly approached and seated by the main window with a fine view. I ordered fish and chips. I've never seen chips served in a hotel which look as if they came from a bad chip shop! The fish batter was rank and tasteless. Others at our table felt the same. The Monkfish scampi was 5 pieces, for nearly £20! Staff seemed as if they wanted us out of there ASAP, which made sense when we saw a large wedding party arrive. The vanilla ice-cream was good though, even though expensive for what you got. Unfortunately we felt as if things were going downhill. We won't visit for a while now.

Visited to taste some Cullen Skink. The dining room was soul-less, cold and bare. The views are the redeeming feature. The skink was watery contained little or no cream. It was served with one single, cheap, shop bought oatcake. Shameful as an example of famous Scottish cuisine.

Sat outside for a drink after a lovely walk from Cullen to Portknockie. All Covid compliant and prompt service. Asked if we could have a bowl of ice cream each as well as the drink but refused, stating they were fully booked. Not sure why...

Took my mum here for lunch this week. Great food, vegetarian options too. Really enjoyed the views and the staff were brilliant. Lovely to support a local hotel. Will definitely return.

Very disappointing. The „famous“ Cullen skink was absolutely tasteless and contained hardly any fish. (Yes, there’s a reason, why they didn’t get the title again!) Main courses were not more than okay... you’ll find better food in a lot of pubs in moray. Won’t visit...

Went here for a meal on Thursday evening with three other people it was so good the staff are all lovely and they have all the social distancing in place so felt safe. The food was delicious we all enjoyed what we had for staters...

We had a special family occasion lunchtime meal at this restaurant. Ample parking space, with a splendid view of the North Sea and the town of Cullen. A short walk to reception, then shown to our table (with a lovely window view) by friendly, helpful...

Eat out to help out treat! Food was ok, view was amazing, our waitress omitted to tell us the day’s special - mussels, which my husband would have ordered had he known...she then overcharged us on the bill. It wasn’t that busy and the other...

Another Must Do in Cullen. The best view every, lovely staff, great fresh local menu. A very special place.

First time my wife and I had ventured out for months. Not too many places open, but stopped here for lunch. Glad we did. The food and view were great and the staff had made every effort to comply with Covid measures, so we felt...

We popped in for lunch as this is a dog friendly place. The staff couldnt have been more friendly or helpful. I had Skink with a twist and my partner the Haggis Tower, followed by Scampi and Cullen Bay Burger. We could not fault anything...

We drove to Christies of Fochabers for lunch in the New Year (which had said it was open on its web-site, but wasn't). Then to Baxters along the road, which was packed, the queue was massive and we didn't fancy our chances. The Cullen Bay...

Not very festive looking in the restaurant, Two had Cullen skink which was okay . Two off us had the beef , which was awful. It was tough and stringy , it said it came with gravy,but it had very little with it . Two...

We popped in on a stormy day looking forward to a bowl of Cullen Skink to warm us up. The girl at the reception was so welcoming and although is was mid afternoon and the dining room was empty she seated us and said they...

Fantastic setting with wonderful view over the coast Had lovely fish pie - salmon,haddock and prawns followed by a large portion of sticky toffee pudding with the tiniest blob of ice cream possible. Definitely needed more icecream or less sticky toffee pudding!

We called in for lunch, if one is in Cullen then try the Cullen Skink. However this one was les rich then the Cullen Skink at Baxters Highland Village according to the rest of the party. My advise: For Cullen Skink go to Baxters! I...

We'd stayed in the hotel a few years ago and dined there at least twice if not more in a short visit. Pushing the boat out, the Cullen Skink had made a particular impression. Therefore when we needed a meal while staying nearby we were...

Booked in advance and lead to believe the dining room was heavily booked and there weren’t many slots available. This was not the case. Arrived and gave name and time and person, who later discovered was the manageress appeared to look pointedly at the clock. Served by three young members of staff, two male and one female, all friendly and helpful. Enjoyed our meal. However, would not recommend or return due to the manageress’ poor manner and the fact that although an issue with our visit, no attempt at offering a discount to make up for it offered.

Holiday Monday lunch .We both had a small Cullen skink my husband had Cullen skink with a twist which he said was really nice I had monkfish scampi and my husband had fish pie both were delicious Beautiful views from dining room and staff really nice and attentive.

Meal with a view ❤️ meals were lovely & cooked fresh with good amount of wait time between courses & staff were very courteous & professional. Will be back in future for sure!

Went for lunch which was very expensive for a very poor meal. I chose scampi and had to buy chips separately for £3. My wife took tuma sandwich which consisted of two slices of plain bread and tinned tuna, nothing else.

Despite 2 functions at the hotel staff rearranged tables for our walk in party of 11 guests so we were able to enjoy the fabulous Cullen Skink whilst looking over the spectacular views of the bay. Thanks for a wonderful lunch!

Views over the Bay are fantastic but the night we were there, we were very disappointed with our food. The haggis bonbon starters didn't come with beetroot as stated on the menu and the whisky dip just tasted of mayo. The lamb shank was tasty and the meat just fell off the bone. The fish and chips were very greasy and many of the chips didn't even have any potato in them!! The burger was quite plain and dry - no relish to accompany it. The custard that came with the apple crumble was quite thick and lumpy. We have eaten here before (many years ago when we were last on holiday) and we enjoyed our meal then, so maybe the chef was having an off night. Staff are friendly and welcoming.

We have made a pact to visit The Cullen Bay at least once a year and today was the 2019 visit. As always, amazing service, the best Cullen Skink ever and no better views in the world.

If you charge nearly £20 for monkfish scampi then I would expect you to serve more than 5 small pieces. 3 Cullen skinks were tasty but there was seriously only 1 visible piece of fish in all 3. Perhaps we just got there on an off day?

Stopped for lunch there today and got brilliant service. Nothing was too much trouble and they even made a lovely salad for my wife even although it wasn’t on the menu.

We're up in Cullen at least annually, and we almost always pay a visit to the Cullen Bay Hotel. This used to be because it was really the only place around for something to eat without booking, but in the past year a few new places have opened and there is a bit more choice. We still pop in though because the views are absolutely incredible , the staff are really friendly and it's a great place to sit with a cup of tea after a long and windy walk along the beach.

We decided on our final night in Seatown to head up to the Cullen Bay hotel.

We wanted somewhere to have a special family lunch and chose here because of the views over the bay.

As with many other guests, we called here to try the famous Cullen Skink. The staff were very attentive and quick to serve us and the food arrived in good time. The mussels we ordered to accompany our skink were fantastic, a huge serving and great taste. The skink however was a little disappointing, small portions and although the original skink tasted good, the skink with a twist wasn't good at all. Overall a decent stop and worth a look if you're passing, but nothing special.

Decided to try lunch here as most times we pass it's busy which is a good sign.

Lo chiamano haddock, in italiano eglefino, sostanzialmente un merluzzo. Lo usano anche affumicato (ad Arbroath ne lavorano tantissimo). Qui, con la versione affumicata, fanno una zuppa davvero deliziosa. Buono anche il resto. Poi che dire della vista sulla spiaggia, anche dalle camere: incantevole

Ci siamo recati al Cullen Bay in tutta sicurezza per assaggiare il vincitore del premio per il miglior Cullen Skink. Infatti la zuppa era buonissima. Peccato solo l'abbiano servita con del pane che non era Crunchy come scritto sul menu, bensì industriale e spugnoso.

We waited an hour for a food, which was average and small portions. They said they were really busy, despite several tables being free. Definitely not the best Cullen skink I’ve had though. On the positive side - Great view. Lots of Polite staff.

Great food cull and skink soup is the best great staff. The cleanliness of this hotel stands out, lovely setting

Great setting for a restaurant and the food was as it said on the menu. The Cullen skink was delicious, not creamy at all which is how it should be!! Talking of menu, this is my only problem with the restaurant, why hand out dog eared menus? I loath lamination but understand why things are laminated, I would suggest either a laminated menu or print them off on quality paper daily

We went for lunch here. The staff were amazing and attentive. The food was tasty and a treat with a view of the sea to match. Perfect. Plus - the toilets were clean! Always a good sign of hygiene! Great all round!

The banner outside states world famous and award for the best Cullen Skink, pretty much average was as stated on one other review quite watery and not creamy, more a potato soup than fish, I also had the cullen bay fish pie, it was very dry again with a poor base of salmon and mostly potato filling, my wife opted for the chicken masala which was a bowl full of peppers and 10 small cubes of chicken, the kitchen received a nearly full bowl of peppers back minus the chicken she managed to rescue from drowning in a bowl of veg! we reserved the right not to tip which brought on an instant dissing from the waitress with no remorse over the dissapointing lunch at nearly £50, so a very expensive view with very average food, not worth a return visit

This was our first visit to The Cullen Bay Hotel for many years.

We arrived for lunch just after the kitchen closed, but the staff could not have been more helpful. They reopened the restaurant, and served their world championship winning Cullen Skink. Fabulous! Cullen Skink in Cullen is right up there with Singapore Slings in Singapore ( or indeed Arbroath Smokies in Arbroath). Something which just has to be done, and in this case a culinary highlight.

The restaurant has had a facelift over the last few years and is looking lovely. The view as always is unrivalled. The Cullen Skink is indescribably good - both traditional and “with a twist”. Staff were very friendly and helpful. One of my favourite places.

We had a family lunch here on Easter Monday and we were disappointed with the overall experience. Service poor and not well managed. Food was just okay. Request to toast a mozzarella ciabatta not accomodated. Not the lunch we were all looking forward to.

My boyfriend and I decided to go to the Cullen Bay Hotel for some food whilst staying in the town, I'd read it had won the World Championship award for the best Cullen Skink, my favourite soup.

Lovely meal on the last day of our stay in the area. Between the four of us we ordered a range of dishes, all of which were very good. The highlights were the Cullen Skink, the mushrooms with garlic cream (a complete surprise) and the children’s chocolate treasure chest (a lot of fun).

I run Highland Craic and every month I organise a number of informal business networking events over coffee or lunch. We use Cullen Bay several times a year. The staff were friendly, the location was really handy and the bacon rolls were superb.

stayed for 2 nights, room was cosy and excellent view to sea (6).Food was delicious, no one else eating in restaurant so lacking atmosphere, I think some quiet background music would have helped.No qualms about returning in future,friendly staff.

7 of us had a lovely birthday lunch here in early January.

Just returned from Christmas Lunch 2017 The Turkey was very dry .and it was not a fresh turkey! It was Turkey roll ... which really not good enough for the price charge

We were travelling past and dropped in for an unplanned lunch on the way home. Lovely friendly staff and a...

Passed this hotel and saw the sign for their award winning soup. We went in asking if they did lunch...

We visited with a friend for lunch and opted for the soup and sandwich option with which you could upgrade...

We had a lovely evening meal with friends whilst staying in Cullen, The food was very good, service friendly and...

We came here for lunch on our anniversary as we had been before and food was good. However this time, food was very disappointing and when we told the waitress she said she would tell the chef. That was the last we heard of it. The meat was tough and was mostly left on the plate. Very expensive for disappointing food. We won't be back.

My wife and I were staying in the hotel for a couple of nights. It made sense to eat here on the first night. After tasting the food we had to come back on the second night.

Rainy Sunday afternoon in Cullen - what better than the highly recommended hotel Cullen Skink ? View of the seas excellent, no problem with parking or space at a table.....because, like in the old days Lunch was finished and Dinner not served until 5 pm. We'd left a range of places to eat in Cullen town to eat here remembering a visit there with family over 25 years ago...... I doubt they will last another 25 if they don't make the best of their facilities and position. Nice garden - but behind the hotel (no view), Could there be more for families and tourists? Centre of Cullen certainly trying for tourists with antique / vintage shops (and good ice cream and fish & chips too) in lovely buildings But when we got back there the cafe had closed. Between 4 and 5 pm NO Cullen Skink to find in Cullen. Real pity.

Food wise nothing special given the price, fish and chips with a coke 15 box. the view though compensates. i did get to try traditional dishes like haggis, really liked that.

This restaurant is perfectly placed on a hill over looking great views of the sea. The menu is varied but the local fish is the one to go for.

Years and years of holday visits and meals. Very friendly and helpful staff. Incredible location. Food has always been variable but this time a disaster- except for the fish pate, excellent.How is it possible to make Cullen Skunk tasteless? The fish pie was bone dry and without seasoning. The ordered rare/medium rare steak was very well done and although eaten was not enjoyed. It was a significant family event and important that it went well so we didn't make a fuss. However we will not be returning for the family birthday planned. Very, very disappointing because of so many happy memories. Not cheap either.

Food was Ok - attitude of staff diabolical - would not go back again - we were treated with disdain and an unfriendly attitide - puddings were dry and when we complained we were told "well you ate them "!!

Essayer la spécialité de la région, la cullen skin : une soupe de poissons, pommes de terre, crème fraiche .. Ils ont été sacré meilleure cullen skin 2015 et je comprends largement le choix du jury !

Visited twice whilst spending a week in Cullen. On both occasions the welcome was warm and had a relaxed atmosphere. Cullen skink was delicious as was the smoked mackerel pâté, both as starters. The Portsoy salmon, blade of beef and the highland chicken were all superb. The selection of whisky was extensive and the ale was good. The staff were all lovely, friendly and polite. We thoroughly enjoyed both evenings dining with fantastic views of Cullen bay. Will hopefully return.

We had dinner at the Cullen Bay Hotel, enjoying its stunning location overlooking the beach. The Cullen Skink lived up to its award-winning reputation. The soup was just the right consistency, tasty and not too creamy; the potatoes were nicely al dente and the smoked haddock finished off the dish perfectly as you would expect. We also had "Monkfish Tandoori" which was beautifully cooked, moist fish in a lightly curry-flavoured sauce with rice and home-made mini poppadums on the side. The service was excellent and we were seated by the window as we had requested

This was a spur of the moment decision to stop for lunch after a morning's walking. It was a perfect sunny day and the view from the restaurant is just wonderful. Service was friendly / professional / efficient from young staff who had clearly been well coached. Cullen Skink was the obvious starter for us both and hake and monk fish 'scampi' for mains. Not fine dining quality but very good. Despite being August it would have been good to see more than 3/4 other tables occupied - it deserved to be busier.

25/7/17 Had a great meal here, service was good & staff liked a bit of banter! A really enjoyable night & will book again on our next visit up north.

Several times during our stay at Cullen we enjoyed food, service and views, even the dolphines obliged to show themselves. The hotel location is just superb looking over the Cullen bay and only a short walk from the town. Cullen skink is their master piece, but all what we sampled was not to fault. The friendliness of the staff was such that we felt a relationship was formed, oh yes we shal be back!

We had an early dinner here and it was very nice. The decor in some part need updating especially the toilets. The restaurant has a lovely view and this makes up for everything. The service was very good and the food very tasty. I had salad and my husband had the cullen skink which he said was very tasty, then he had the lamb which was cooked properly as sometimes places serve it tough. Our friends had the cullen skink and beef which they said was very well cooked. Everything was presented well. Overall we would go back.

8 for us went for a meal and it was really nice , great attentive service , good food and views to die for

Booked a table so we didn't miss out on Friday night Incase they were super busy! All 3 courses were beautiful.....left feeling completely stuffed. Staff were so friendly and helpful. Restaurant has such beautiful views, we could have sat for hours watching the world go by. Will be back!

Attended Cullen Bay Hotel for a Babyshower a week aho. Lovely enjoyable experience. We had our own private room looking out to the beach with lovely views. Had a buffet lounge which was lovely and Staff were very welcoming

we are a few minutes travel from the Cullen Bay so it is handy for a last minute decision to go out to eat. food is always good and staff always friendly. decided to go out for Christmas Dinner this year for the first time and chose to go here, did not disappoint

A large group of family reserved lunch at this location for a special birthday. We were welcomed and served by friendly staff. We had starters and main meals, which were fine and ample (possibly the chips were over cooked and many options on the menu were not available unfortunately). The Cullen Skink was a treat.Nice view.

Just walked in on Monday evening. Staff very friendly. Showed to a window table, lovely view.Just had a main meal, 2 had fish and chips 2 haggis and chicken. We were told when ordered to would take 20 min as cooked fresh, don't have a problem with that as we were enjoying the conversation and view. Food was well cooked and presented, staff were lovely. Nothing special about it just good honest food.Would go again.

We visited here whilst staying near Elgin. Just headed to Cullen in the hopes of finding somewhere that served Cullen Skink. We were barely in the town limits when we came across this hotel. Very understated from the outside but an amazingly friendly place with a warm welcome and a tremendous view. I had the Cullen Skink "with a twist" and my partner the original version. Both award winning recipes. I'm not surprised they have won awards. They were both amazing. Full of fish and flavour. The twist version having a special warmth to it. Would highly recommend. We only had soup and a desert as was lunch time but did see other main dishes being served all looking and smelling good. So remember. ... drive slow as you approach the town so you don't drive past this amazing hotel.