Doune Braes Hotel in Eilean Siar

A lovely place, excellent service. Staff are lovely and very welcoming. The food is a little over priced but very nice. Would recommend

Excellent three night experience at this property. Wonderful welcome, spacious room with attached bathroom, abundant full Scottish breakfast. Possibility to have dinner in the structure. Perfect location for visiting Callanish and in fact the whole island being in the center of it. Thanks for your hospitality.

A timeless hotel where I found my grandmother's towel rack, a bathtub with a shower curtain, comfortable beds and two armchairs placed in front of the TV. An old but well-kept decor, a trip into the past with very kind staff.

Really first class service! The hotel was able to accommodate me despite only phoning them up at 9pm on the night due to my camping trip being disrupted by stormy weather. Amazingly helpful and attentive staff, a lovely room, and an excellent cooked breakfast - absolute life savers!

Stayed overnight in our road trip of the Outer Hebrides. Hotel was so dated and clearly hadn’t been updated in the last 40 years. Not enough staff.. same person booking in on reception, running the bar and serving food. I’ve not heard a member of staff saying sorry as much as the Welsh girl said on this particular evening. Our food was dreadful and like a bad school dinner. Pale, tasteless and not well presented. My sticky toffee pudding arrived freezing cold with cold sauce poured over it. Couldn’t complain initially as no staff to complain to. Just dreadful really and so overpriced. The breakfast was rubbish too. I had porridge and they couldn’t even get that right. It was tasteless and looked grey and gelatinous.. which it was. Our bedroom was like something my grandma had in the 70’s and the bathroom fan was like an angle grinder in noise. The toilet seat moved and the bath mat was a piece of paper. Little bath towels not sheets and hanging out to dry in the grim backyard when we left. The ironing board was up in k e dining room. Just dreadful. Saving grace was that it was at least clean. Drive straight past people!

Only briefly popped in but what a fantastic welcome. Staff were lovely and taught me a little Gaelic. Nice to receive such a welcome.

Super friendly, kind and helpful staff, decent food and a beer. Grateful for the carbs after a long cycle

If you are visiting the Callanish Stones this summer (2024) (-& possibly next summer too...) , this is the nearest place for a proper sit-down-inside , out of the rain, eating opportunity. The Callanish Stones visitor centre is closed for refurbishment, and only has a trailer serving instant tea & coffee. This place is just abiut 5miles / 10 minutes drive North of the stones, Limited lunchtime menu , soup, toasties, baked potatoes, sandwiches, sticky toffee pudding, but all quite nice. They could do worse than up-their-game with lunchtime menu just a touch, whilst the Callanish visitor centre is getting refurbished, and become a Must-Visit rather than a Nice-To-Visit. They should ask the Visitor Centre Tea-Trailer to have a wee poster or business cards, cos it's a shame to go to the Stones on a wet rainy day and not realise there's somewhere near-ish to go for a sit down & light meal. Lovely Staff, lovely decor in restaurant, nice wee local bar 🍺 in same building. If you're doing the West-Side-Circular (Stones, Broch, Garenin etc), this is a good place to refresh.

Great service, great food, great location. Some of the rooms are a little dated and they are working on upgrades. The hotel has a beautiful setting and right off the main hwy. The food is great, the service is fantastic, and everyone is super-friendly and super-helpful.

Lovely, helpful staff. Awful, awful food which was serioysly overpriced. Having had a lovely lunch in the Harris hotel the day before, we expected better. A huge disappointment. I don't think that I have had a worse lunch.

Lower your expectations for dinner at this restaurant so you won’t be disappointed. Food was just passable, but we were warned when we booked earlier in the day. They told us they weren’t sure if they could take our booking as they didn’t want to over load the kitchen. Wish we had noted their hesitation!

Food excellent for our holiday. Travelling with in-laws who appreciated traditional home cooking and standard cooked breakfast

We were happy to find a place to eat when touring around the island. We had a toastie and chips with a drink which recharged the battery😀. Nice staff, food was fine and the setting is nice. There is some outside seating as well which is nice on a sunny day

We had two nights here, and it is a rather dated hotel in a lovely setting. Ideal for walking and biking around the area. The food is very ordinary but the place is spacious and the staff delightful.

Popped in here for a drink a few times on our week in Carloway. We always received a lovely warm welcome with good cheer. On one occasion we decided to have lunch and even though we arrived quite late, they were very happy to rustle up some nice cheeses toasties and fantastic chips.

We stopped for lunch on a drive around the island. All food was home made but unfortunately the menu was quite restricted and didn’t offer great value. £10.50 for a small quiche with chips felt a bit excessive. Highlight were the staff who were very friendly.

We had never had cullen skink before. My daughter and I had ordered a bowl to share, but when it arrived we immediately ordered a second bowl. Six months later I still regard this soup as a highlight of our trip.

Really nice venue and environment. We stopped for drinks at lunchtime and enjoyed the views of the countryside outside the conservatory in good weather. The ladies serving and at the bar were professional and attentive as usual. A splendid place to visit in a perfect location. Just needs a bit more electric lighting in the main bar area. Ps the manager and her staff work very well and always give a warm welcome.

A surprise last minute visit to this unassuming restaurant/bar. The food was excellent, AND a New Zealand Pinot Noir on the wine list! Not gourmet, but certainly above average and worth visiting. The fish and chips were fresh, with crisp batter and crunchy chips. And the Cullen Skink was also very good.

When you eat at Doune Braes Hotel you have to understand that the cuisine is not meant to be gourmet. It's good, basic food, prepared efficiently and served by a friendly (and willing to answer questions or ask the chef about your questions) staff person. We enjoyed several meals at Doune Braes because we were staying at Callanish for five nights. I especially enjoyed our first meal there -- it was lunch -- because the server was the most cheerful person I'd run into so far on our three-week trip. And, if my wife and I get to make another trip out to the Isle of Lewis we know where to eat dinner... The Doune Braes Hotel. Thanks, folks!!!

Visited with a large group of friends after the Carloway show when the restaurant was particularly busy. Given they had a power cut for 30 mins early on lan the late afternoon they coped incredibly well. My wife and i both had local crab and mango salad to start with which was very good followed by deep fried haddock, peas and chips with lovely home made tartar sauce. Others in our group had the onion bhajis and duo of Stornoway Smokehouse salmon to start and the chicken and tarragon pie or chicken enchiladas to follow. All went down well and was followed by live music until late.

A very busy night after the Carloway Show was handled wonderfully by the staff. 8 of us had booked for 6.00 pm and with chicken pie, battered fish, salmon, and fish pie main courses we were presented with well cooked excellent ingredients and supporting vegetables. (Real chips were super.) Starters ranged from onion baggi, smoke salmon, crab & mango, and home made soup and were very well received in our varied group. You don’t have much choice in this area but with this menu and quality you don’t have to make the long journey to Stornaway. This will be one of their busiest days of the year but with service as cheerful, helpful and prompt as this it was a great end to a rainy day.

An einem kleine Loch gelegen, feines Essen und der beste Apple Crumble, den ich hatte während unserer zwei Wochen Hebrides Reise. Netter Service.

We were touring the area and hungry. Stopped for lunch and were served by a pleasant waitress. The food was acceptable and better than other options near by.

Had a really lovely meal here with our 2 kids and our dog was welcomed too which was fantastic and sadly unusual in this part of the world! My son had the curry which we all had a dip of! It was so flavoursome! Hubby had fish and chips which was lovely, I had the lamb hotpot which again was great but if anything just needed more lamb. My daughter is a fusspot so had chips and garlic bread which were nice. We were made to feel very welcome, service was great and prices were reasonable. We will be back!

Traditional style hotel with restaurant, lounge and public bar with outlook over their car park and a small lochan. It's not far from Dun Carloway and the Callanish Standing Stones however there are very few options for evening meals in this area.The restaurant was quite busy (seats around 40) however we were able to get a table for two without a reservation - I'm not sure this would always be the case. There was a pleasant relaxed atmosphere (although the lounge bar was empty).The menu had a reasonable selection of popular dishes. We both opted for Sirolin Steaks for mains which were served with chips, onion rings and a salad garnish for me and mash and vegetables as an alternative at my wife's request. For dessert my wife had Sticky Toffee Pudding with ice cream & caramel sauce and I had a Pear Sponge with sauce and ice cream. All the food was good and when we added a small 187ml bottle of wine each to wash it down our bill came to just under £67 which we thought was acceptable.Service was pleasant and courteous.

One of the worst meals I have had. I ordered a cheese and ham ciabatta with salad. It came as a bun & was not toasted. The salad was a derisory small amount of coleslaw which could not even be called coleslaw due to lack of mayonaise

Restaurant was closed (inexplicably) but lounge bar was really the absolute worst. Dreadful smell and not particularly nice staff. Waste of a good location. Some brilliant Carloway entrepreneur should buy it and make it worthy of that lovely part of the island, grim at the moment.

We did not stay at the hotel but visited for a meal on a very wild and wet Sunday night whilst we were staying at a B and B in Callanish. (About 7 miles away). The restaurant looked very full and there was obviously at least one large group of people seated together. The lady who welcomed us was very friendly and helpful. Initially she expressed concern that we might have a lengthy wait, however, they managed to sort things out so that the food came fairly quickly. It is not high end cuisine but certainly tasty and enjoyable and we would pay a return visit. Agree with other reviewers that the place is in a need of a refurb. We would have preferred a rating somewhere between average and good.

We dined at Doune Braes Hotel twice. On our first visit we were met by a very abrupt and clearly inconvenienced waitress, who we thought was trying everything in her power to scare patrons away. We learnt she was a seasonal worker... that showed.

The only place open for food at 7pm but looked closed from the outside and not welcoming at all. If I hadn't seen a woman sitting at a table by the window I don't think I'd have gone in.

Large roadside hotel & restaurant. We called here on a grey and drizzly afternoon for a cup of coffee and a bun as there is nothing else available nearby. Coffee was not of brilliant quality but at least it was drinkable and limited choice of cake available. It was nearly empty at the time of our visit so service was OK.

So I was on a bike struggling and this little gem on the outer hebridean way is a saviour. It was quite a busy lunch for a Tuesday and the lovely overworked waitress deserves a medal for her service. Served coffee in a cafeterie and the home made victoria sandwich was one of the best I have tasted, I almost felt the baker was lost here!

I’m not one for writing reviews and never complain in restaurants but felt I needed to on this occasion awful food reminded me of school dinners! Starter was spinach tart but a shriviled up tiny piece of salmon tart was put in front of me with a bit of side salad. Although I complained and did not eat it except the bit side salad the size of a spoon I got no feed back on this and it was put on my bill at the end and to add insult to injury said spinach tart! My husband said he would not pay for this as inedible and not what we asked for, the waitress haggled and said it was eaten? Did she even wonder if I was vegetarian? My main was after all vegetable lasagna. It was intact except for a tiny piece off the end the size of a small finger nail. she said she would go halfers with us. We paid just to get away! I should also just mention don’t go here if you would like coffee as asked as we arrived and was told we don’t serve coffee any more only instant ! This should have been a warning sign, very outdated hotel glad I didn’t stay here, looks a bit like it’s about to close down. Shall not be returning.

Comfy rooms and very friendly service in remote location between the Callanish Stones and the Gerannin Blackhouses in Lewis. Food was pretty good.

There is a new chef (Kareen) and menus at Doune Braes. We had High Tea which was fabulous. I had battered haddock, chips and salad and my son had the chicken enchilada, chips and salad. Plenty food, proper homemade chips and lovely fresh salad. Then we were presented with a lovely selection of scones, pancakes with butter, jam and cream, 2 types of homemade sponge cake and if that wasn't enough 2 huge cream meringues. Tea and coffee served in china cups and saucers and cakes presented on a cake stand, all for £12.50 each ........... brought back happy childhood memories of Sunday afternoon trips with my parents and stopping for High Tea on the way home. Highly recommended and we will definitely be back. Keep up the good work Kareen.

There wasn't much open on the island in March, but we happened upon this hotel and stopped for lunch. Food was great, service was great.

Came here tonight with friends for dinner... excellent service and hospitality and outstanding food. Highly recommend this lovely place.

I almost stayed here for a couple of nights, glad I didn't. Very outdated inside both in decour and cuisine. Service was just okay, they were quite busy so I wouldn't complain too much about that.

Vinimos aquí para una cena, mientras se aloja en una casa cercana. El menú era un poco aburrida (sólo comida de un típico pub), pero la comida estaba bien hecha y agradable. Había una camarera que era una señora encantadora y muy amable, pero ella estaba agobiada, ya había bastante gente, lo que resultó en un error con el pedido, lo que significa que me casi terminando mi plato en el momento de mi esposa llegó.

No organizados para conseguir comida mientras se aloje en el Hostal village gearrannan, fui al Doune Braes Hotel para la cena. Ambiente agradable y el personal es muy agradable. Había un poco de confusión sobre mi pedido, pero no importa porque la camarera era muy agradable. La comida era buena y las vistas sobre el lago en el sol era genial.

Sólo se puede comentar sobre la calidad de la comida del bar ya que comimos allí debido a nuestro perro que nos acompañaban.

Visitado por su anual Agrícola Carloway (primer miércoles de agosto año) y había una cena especial/merienda para todos y luego al bar para disfrutar de la música en vivo. Incluso organizaron un minibús al modo de baile/en el Ceilidh Carloway centro comunitario.

Dog friendly hotel with helpful staff. I did not stay overnight but visited three times for an evening meal. Decor comfortable and menu reasonably varied. Scallops and steaks wonderful but dessert menu was a little under whelming..

Nos alojamos en Alemany Doun Braes por 2 noches como parte de un tour de las Islas Occidentales. El entorno es magnífico, al lado de un pequeño lago, y cerca del magnífico paisaje de Harris y Lewis. El restaurante parece ser usada por clientes y...

El personal es amable y servicial, pero tienes que ir en búsqueda de ellos si quieres añadir algo, diciendo que no son demasiado difíciles de encontrar. La comida es deliciosa, pero bastante simple. Es útil que están abiertos los domingos cuando no mucho más abierto.

Comimos en el Doune Braes al principio de la semana. Cuando llegamos a las 7:00 p.m. había una mesa de otros comensales. Pedimos a mirar el menú y se decide sobre el pescado y patatas fritas y pan frito bacalao. Esperamos un tiempo para la comida para llegar. Mi pescado estaba medio socios del tamaño de una media porción. Decepcionante, dado el precio en comparación con lo que ofrecen en el ferry local calmac. Mi compañero fue suerte. Mi comida consistía en la parte final de un filete de bacalao preparado decir 5 pulgadas de largo. Complementado con una cuchara de postre de zanahoria purés, uno floret tibia cada una de brócoli y coliflor. cansado Dos patatas pequeñita redujo a la mitad. Precio £14.00. Hambre que tuve que comprar una parte de patatas fritas. Haber terminado nuestro principal campo de la camarera propina en mis cubiertos sucios olímpica dos veces.

While staying in Carloway my wife and I decided to dine in the nearby Doune Braes Hotel. The decor is pretty old fashioned (80's style pine furniture), while the waitress was very nice and polit, the food seemed to take ages to arrive, despite the restaurant being pretty quite. I hate to think how long it would have taken had they been busy. When it did arrive the food was not terrible but not exactly worth the wait either. So quite overpriced as a result.

Dog Friendly. excellent management and staff team, good food convenient for Stones, Broch and Beaches

We stayed here for one night as part of a trip around the Outer Isles. The hotel is a wee bit tired in its decor, but is very convenient for anyone planning to visit Dun Carloway and Callanish. On the night we stayed, there were 12 guests for dinner, which you wouldn't expect to be overwhelming. Our relatively simple starters took about 15 minutes to be served but we then waited over another hour for our mains. The nearby table of six had half their party served with main courses but then it took about 15 minutes for the remainder to come! To be fair, one of the waitresses was very apologetic and agreed to save our desserts for us to allow us to photograph Callanish at sunset.Breakfast was very good and the lovely lady who served us was delightful.

We stopped here at 4.30p.m. hoping for a bar snack or early evening meal. We were informed by a helpful member of staff that service started at 6.00p.m and offered to reserve us a table. As we were planning to visit nearby Dalmore and Dalbeg beaches we decided to visit these first and return to eat. We also fitted in a quick walk around the reconstructed Blackhouse village as it was closing. On returning to the Doune Braes, we experienced friendly helpful service and each enjoyed a tasty serving of mac cheese with chips / salad. When we left, I left my coat over the back of my chair but did not realise until the following day. On contacting the hotel they were very helpful in ensuring I could get it back before catching the ferry.

We lived close by for six months and found it a very friendly and helpful atmosphere with equally helpful WiFi and laptop charging (give a small charity donation in return). We only ever stopped for lunch a few times and one dinner and found the food perfectly fine for the price. The lochan outside is pretty too. We had the odd game of pool in the bar and the odd drink too.

Despite a slightly inauspicious start to my stay here when I entered the bar and the first two types of local draught beer I asked for were unavailable, I then proceeded to have an excellent dinner – with bottled beer – followed by a wonderfully quiet and relaxing night in one of the comfortable upstairs ensuite bedrooms. Breakfast in the morning was good and just what I needed for a day to be spent in the great blustery outdoors. The hotel doesn’t have especially scenic views out of the windows but it is ideally situated for visits to Callanish in the south and Carloway and the Blackhouse Village in the north.

We regularly go for drinks when we're over on the island. We've eaten there, and never been disappointed although we didn't this year and they have a new chef everyone in our family who lives on the island told us he is very good. We've stayed there on a number of occasions and once when our tent blew away and was shredded by the wind, Eileen allowed us to stay with a very reasonable price. We love this place!!

Five star food, five star service, three star decor, very reasonably priced for such excellent food. I the potato crusted Cod over braised leeks. Delicious! The Pub is strictly for the local clientele.

We kwamen vrij laat aan, maar werden heel snel bediend en aten er zeer lekkere sint-jakobsschelpen met een perfect bijpassende wijn.

We were staying locally to this hotel and popped in on two occasions for food. If we were to gauge our review on the first visit we wouldn't have rated it at all as my partner went into the lounge bar one day and pressed the bell at the reception as we were enquiring as to whether they allowed dogs. He stood for quite a few minutes and could see the staff member chatting to kitchen staff and still they did not return to the reception. He left after a lengthy wait and no response.The following day we attended again around lunchtime and the lounge door was closed. We went into the bar area and another customer advised the lounge should be open. He came out and pushed the closed door which opened .. it did appear locked shut.We went in and there were two other customers in at that time. We clarified with the one staff member if the dogs were welcome, confirmed yes and ordered lunch. During our lunch we overheard a rather loud discussion bordering on argument coming from the kitchen area and a couple of expletives too .. not what you would expect to hear.The female serving was pleasant enough but not that warm or welcoming. She did shut the door to the kitchen area possibly realising customers could overhear what was being said.The food that day was reasonable. I had soup and a roll and my partner had battered fish and chips which he felt was mediocre.We further planned to stop off for breakfast a couple of days later confirming the times was between 0800 and 0900 as we were continuing our journey through the Western Isles.We duly arrived after 0800 and to our surprise this welcome was totally different to our first two visits. The staff were so welcoming, friendly and helpful and went out their way to accommodate us along with the dogs. We both had a full Scottish breakfast which was delicious. We had ample toast, extra coffee and they couldn't have been more helpful.On the whole, although we cannot comment on the rooms as we only used the restaurant, the hotel does appear a tad tired. It was the only eating place close to the area we were staying.We would never have returned gauging on our first two visits but third time lucky the staff excelled themselves and changed our view totally. Come on Doune Braes .. knuckle down and read the above ..

Ein Familienhotel mit sehr freundlichem Personal und guter Küche. Ein guter Ausgangspunkt um die Insel kennenzulernen. Am Wochenende hatten wir Livemusik, besser gehts nicht.

We've eaten here twice before, 2 years ago for a nice meal and last year for a snack in the pub. Unconfirmed reports are that they have a new chef and we were very pleased with our meal. Our server was delightful; he apparently loves Victoria BC, a place we have a fondness for. As we'd had a long day of travel we skipped having a starter and went straight for the steak and ale pie, our comfort food in Scotland. The meat in the pie was perfectly seasoned, although we would have preferred that the meat be cut in bite-size pieces. It had an amazing gravy with various veg which added greatly to the flavour. What we really appreciated is that the puff pastry was cooked with the pie rather than plunked on top after the fact (we find it's too dry if it's not cooked with the pie). Hubby was very pleased with their excellent selection of Dalmore whisky and happy to see that they even have a Dalmore burger. We also skipped dessert (again, too tired). The only slight hesitation is that we had to go up to the bar to get our bill. We would definitely eat here again. Thanks!

Kleines Restaurant, familiär und in einer tollen Umgebung gelegen. Das Essen ist super (Poppadum ist meine Empfehlung!) und man fühlt sich wie zu Hause.

The choice of items was not very interesting. The dish I chose was surprisingly tasty though badly presented. My companion's was also not well put together.

Situated on the edge of the loch the views are great. The food was good, nice fresh sea food and cooked well. Service friendly and efficient. Would definitelygo back.

Situated close to the tourist attractions in Lewis we stopped in for a drink in the evening on our way back to our accommodation, partly as a look see for a future visit. There are few good hotels in Lewis and whilst weren't staying there the hotel seemed very nice with a friendly team working the bars. There is a public bar and a lounge bar and the menu seemed varied and reasonably priced although not as good as the Borve Country Hotel a little further north and probably worth the extra drive.

We enjoyed an excellent meal here. Rung up to book and was advised of the best time available. The staff were very attentive and friendly. The specials board showed some very imaginative dishes - the duo of salmon was beautifully cooked and the haddock in a potato crust was tasty. The dining room overlooks a small loch with plenty of entertainment from the resident ducks too!

The new head chef has made a real difference here - go for the specials board and hope the ones you want aren't sold out! I had dinner here on two consecutive evenings and both were really good meals - an excellent hake dish the first night and a superb pan-seared turbot with crab claws in tomato compote the second night. Good starters with very tasty home made soup; desserts are more limited, but the cheese board is well worth trying. Highly recommended and friendly service too.

We have never eaten here but the place is an oasis in the desert that is the West of Lewis. We've heard good reports about the food and it's open on a Sunday unlike virtually everywhere else. The new drink drive limits in Scotland make anywhere a one pint/one glass of wine place. Beware it IS enforced even in a barren place like the West of Lewis - locals have been pulled over by the police so tourists run an even bigger risk!

This Hotel has publicised that it has a new head chef and intimates at a higher level of cuisine.On a Monday night, meal for three fancied the lamb shank but was told it was finished. Soup slightly average vegetable but peppery. In the specials was a layered potato and lamb pie was the best description our waitress could give? When it arrived it looked as if it had just been segmented and put in the oven, it looked like it was the remnants of Lamb Shanks and was very unappetising. Service was slow with one waitress serving the whole area until mid - meal when a second arrived.Not quite the accolade I would expect with the build up advertised.

We visited on a bleak May evening. It didn't look hopeful & it took us a while to find a way in. When we did, we found friendly staff and a delicious meal from the 'Specials board' The place was very quiet, some background music would help!

After driving around all morning we were more than ready for lunch. "Food served all day, everyday" the website said. Perfect we thought.How disappointed we were to learn that they actually stop serving food at 2pm.Lucky really as the hotel was deserted and rather run down, with a derelict building attached. We did however enjoy a very lovely lunch at the Callanish Standing Stones Visitor Centre not too far away.Tip for Doune Braes Hotel...get some paint and update your website!

We ate here one evening while in the area. The food was okay, nothing startling and with a limited menu. The restaurant was quiet when we went, and it lacked atmosphere. This wasn't helped by the dark furnishings. However, it is clean and the staff were friendly and helpful, running several times into the kitchen to check on food content to help me with a food allergy.

Hotel is a little run down, in need of some refurbishment. The eating area was comfortable with a good view. There was a reasonable menu choice but would have been limited if we had made more than one visit. Food was pub grub standard and reasonably priced. Probably the best eating place in this West Coast area but not as good as Stornoway.

No other places to eat for miles so you are not spoiled for choice but this hotel met all requirements. Entrance doors looked storm closed and we followed an older couple into the bar, which was the wrong place with only a few hardy locals propping up the early evening bar, and the barmaid lifted the hatch and let us through the bar into the rear of the restaurant entrance so first impressions were not the best. However the food was good, above average for pub grub, service friendly and acceptable for the few busy staff and the prices reasonable. The hotel is a little tired and outside could do with an upgrade but being out of the way with limited throughput would be stretched to accomplish. If visiting this area, it is very acceptable and the guests staying there seemed pleased with their services. So don't let the looks put you off.

Nous y sommes allés pour le restaurant ("si vous le manquez, le suivant est dans les îles Feroe"). Service très aimable, cuisine typiquement écossaise (et goûteuse), tout comme la décoration (moquette en tartan bleu et vert) et l'atmosphère. Et nous y sommes revenus.

We had a nice meal in the restaurant. There weren't many other diners and our server was very kind and attentive without being intrusive. We started with the breaded mushrooms, which were tasty. Doug had the beef and ale stew (with a Bellhaven's Best) and I had the chicken medallions with coucous and veg, Both were good, but not spectacular. If we eat there this summer when we're over we'll try the pub. The view was beautiful; can't get enough of the Scottish landscapes. On our way to the car after our meal met some very friendly folk out having a fag (cigarette for my fellow North Americans) with a lovely dog. Can't say enough about the friendly people of Scotland; they speak Gaelic to their dog as it was their first language. We're still working on our Gaelic but aren't much past Good Morning and How Are You. We'll keep at it.

We were staying nearby at a B&B and grateful to find somewhere out of season serving evening meals. The place was absolutely empty when we were there but the waiter managed to strike a balance between attentive enough without being intrusive very well. Food was nothing amazing but was tasty enough. The hotel itself seemed tired and dated, but being so quiet probably didn't help and we didn't really see much of it.

We enjoyed eating at the hotel twice during our stay on Lewis. It was very convenient to our guest house and it had been recommended by our host. The food is good and the staff friendly. We chose to eat there a second time but didn't make a booking. However, the restaurant was very busy that night but we were lucky to get a table in the bar which was fine with us. My sister and husband had the haggis the first night and raved over it. Said it was the best they had tried. I had a beef casserole which was also very good.

Admittedly, once you get out of Stornoway, there aren't many places for Bar Lunches and Bar Suppers, but I'm glad I found this place. The menu was not hugely extensive, but that often means that the food is properly prepared from local ingredients, and certainly the cod n chips I had was local. (Cod definitely, chips- unlikely.) Cod was excellent, and done in a lovely light batter. Starter was also home made, and good. (Chicken and Almond Liver Pate. I never realised that almonds had livers !)Would be happy to return - in fact, I did return next evening. :-)

We found this restaurant during our family holiday in Callanish, at least 30-minute drive from Stornoway, recommended by the owner of our B & B. It is in a very quite area, most of the tables are in front of large windows. They served us good fish dishes (cod and other types of fish), tasty dessert and quality beer, all for a correct price. All staff was nice and welcoming. A good remembering of our holiday.

Two years ago we had one of the worst meals we have ever been served at Doune Braes and although we complained at the time the owner wasn't interested. On that same evening we heard numerous other diners complaining but no one seemed interested and we felt quite sorry for the young waitresses. We vowed never to return but this year some friends took us out for a meal and chose the Doune Braes. They had never been there before and we didn't like to tell them of our previous experience as they had already booked and there was always the chance that things might have improved. They hadn't! The meal was even worse ... if that's possible. The chef seems unable to cook sauces and our meals didn't even arrive at the same time. Surely when a table is booked for four people there's a bit of a clue ... they would like to eat together! There are many lovely places to eat on the island but this is definitely not one of them.