Helgi's in Orkney Islands

Great atmosphere in this cosy wee pub/restaurant. Really good service, decent food and excellent drinks. Scala and Highland Park whisky, Orkney Brewery and the excellent Swannay Brewery beers. Lovely local gins too.

Friendly staff and pleasant atmosphere but disappointing tiny portion of fish and chips. Have had good meals in the past

Fantastic dinner on our stay in Kirkwall we both had entrees French onion soup and steak tartar , mains were delicious,steak and fish and chips and desert was equally delicious cheesecakes,we were seated in the upstairs with lovely views over the harbour , highly recommend

Lovely spot for lunch overlooking Kirkwall harbour. Great burgers, good service even though there were only 2 tables in use upstairs and downstairs was busy

Sitting opposite the harbour in Kirkwall, Helgi's is a great spot to head for lunch. The menu is good, the food is good and the prices are also good! Cheery and attentive service without being intrusive

Arrived a few minutes early for table and waited at bar. Totally ignored for over five minutes. So in the end said hello and got hello back. Waited. In the end greeted and we had to ask if we could get a drink. Drink poured and told our table was ready. We asked for our drink that sat there behind the bar. Not shown to table. Not told what was and wasn’t available. After 20 minutes we were asked if we would like anything. We said we’d like to order. When we ordered the waitress said she wasn’t sure if the fish dish was available and went to the kitchen to check. Came back and said it wasn’t. Gave up at this point. Paid for drinks and left. Had a lovely lovely meal elsewhere and excellent service. Such a shame as we were so looking forward to eating at Helgis. That said we’d spoken to others earlier who’d had a similar experience to us.

We tried to eat here on Saturday evening but they had no free tables. A good sign to be busy. We booked Sunday's lunch online and enjoyed nicely prepared tasty food in the upstairs room. Friendly, efficient, helpful waitress served us in clean nicely decorated premises. We remember when this was a shipping office and a good friend worked here back in the 60s!!!!

We had an excellent supper here before getting the ferry to Shetland.The service was friendly and efficient and we particularly liked the St Magnus local beer.

good range of moderm cuisine. Service was prompt and polite and the food was delicious. Not expensive.

We booked here for our final night on Orkney having checked out the menu of here and a few other places. My monkfish (special) was tasty but a tiny portion, whereas my husband’s “Old Man of Hoy” burger was huge. Puddings were the stars of the night. Pleasant and efficient service ensured a good meal!

This was a much anticipated visit. The bar was busy and we experienced a pleasant welcome. We ordered a bottle of Chilean Sauvignon Blanc but got a French vin de Pays. Not the same quality. My wife asked me not to say anything not wanting our meal to get of to a bad start by complaining. The vegetarian fajita was very disappointing. The tortillas were cold and not been warmed, the vegetables consisted peppers and onions and were in a sauce that was very runny. The only other things on the plate was cold salsa and sour cream and a tiny amount of cheese. No Guacamole, refried beans or Jalapeno peppers. The garlic bread served with the pasta was deep fried was not pleasant to eat. The seafood platter was very disappointed too. Not a lot of variety of fish offered at all. The overall feeling was disappointing considering the rating the on tripadvisor. Our bill came to £160 for 3 and one of our party had two starters. This represented a real lack of value for money in my view. The preparation and presentation of the food had the hallmarks of a team who do not have the passion and love of cooking and suggested perhaps a shortage of staff too. I have been teaching cookery for over 20 years and so whilst I can sympathise business be short staffed, I the customer experience fell short of expectations by a long way.

I am absolutely gutted that the food was in my mind well below par…always a popular place to eat I made sure I booked well in advance so I could get a table as they turned several solo travellers away last time & tonight. Last year I had the most amazing seafood chowder but this didn’t make it into the new menu..so tonight I ordered Sweet Potato, Coconut, Lime & Chilli Soup which sounded lovely …in reality it was absolutely awful all I could taste was salt it was as if someone had just tipped a whole salt cellar into this soup I had several mouthfuls then returned it as inedible …and made do with a portion of loaded Mac & cheese chips …the staff were friendly & apologetic …the atomesphere very welcoming …just something went horribly wrong tonight with the soup. However I know the food is usually top notch so I would encourage people to try this place out but book in advance. I am deeply disappointed that this year was so poor compared to last year …but I accept everyone is allowed an off day …easy on the salt chef & pop some chilli in perhaps ..hopefully altho this is a poor rating people will read my previous review dated 31 Jul 22 & know this clearly was just a bad day & will give Helgi’s a go.

Splendid fish and chips with homemade tartare sauce almost as good as mine. Pleasant helpful staff; decent wine; nice upstairs dining room.

Good food and alternatives for people with food intolerances were offered. A bit pricey, though, as portion size was small. Very clean and welcoming establishment.

We were excited about coming here having read various reviews but were disappointed with the food which just tasted pre- frozen. The sea food platter which sounded exciting was nothing more than a bit of smoked salmon, a small amount of fresh crab and some pre frozen tasteless prawns.

Reservering hadden ze niet binnen gekregen, terwijl het 2x bij Visa vermeld stond (reservering via creditcard zodat je moet betalen...

Il locale in cui ci siamo trovati peggio di tutti quelli provati in 10 giorni alle Orcadi. Prezzi assolutamente esagerati...

Ordered lamb shank as a main. Suppose to be served with carrots , kale and mash potatoes. No kale on plate, mash lumpy, lamb very tough. No flavour. Couldn't eat. Did inform waitress,. A very disappointing meal. Wouldn't eat here again. We were recommended to...

Nice view of the harbour. Waitress was helpful, we found the food to be BORING, burgers with a tiny salad.lamb shank more gravy and dry. No allergie information on the menu and had to send one disk back it had onion in pea mint risotto...

Nice place for very tasty pub food. We had the lamb shank and fajitas, both were great. They also have a very extensive cocktail menu. Service may be somewhat slow sometimes, but the staff are friendly. Nice view of the harbour. It gets very busy,...

A very lively place. As someone with hearing aids I had to take them out. The staff were so busy chatting to customers at the bar they didn't notice us come in which is why its only a 4 star. The food was excellent. Once...

After being shown to our table 2 nights ago we were ignored by all staff. After 20 mins sitting waiting for service , and watching incomers sitting at the bar being served we ordered drinks at the bar. Eventually we realised that there was no...

busy and hard to get a table. Unpretentious eatery with well priced menu. #Pub food style but well done.

Good food, flavoursome, helpful staff. Quick service. Seating not so comfortable church pew upstairs.

Zondag om 12.30 uur gingen ze open, wij hadden niet gereserveerd en stonden 10 minuten eerder voor de deur. Dat...

Myself and my friend visited Helgi's twice in the last week while on holiday on Orkney. Both visits were great, the beer and the food were very good and the staff were very friendly. A special thanks goes to Jenna for looking after us very...

We’ve been to Helgi’s several times over last 15 years or so while holidaying in Orkney and have always looked forward to eating here and having couple drinks. Unfortunately things have gone very downhill.. Food average, choices limited compared to previous times. And considering that...

Great place sat on the harbour front serving good food and drinks, nearby parking, great hosts and a friendly atmosphere. Definitely need to book as its very popular.

Disappointing dinner. Helgi’s was recommended to me by two people so we had to try as we were in Kirkwall. Menu was pretty boring but ordered starters and main. The baked cheese was due to come with cranberries but ended up being a shop bought...

Watch out for the prices on the menu, they add VAT 20% at the till. Pretty expensive for what you get !

Average at best. Menu is a surprising mix of British, Indian and Mexican. Why not include more seafood, being a few meters from the sea?? I ordered a lentil soup and ended up with a carrot soup. This is just a bad serving some ok...

Absolutely lovely place to eat ! Friendly service - very attentive and efficient. Food was home made , fresh, hot and delish!! Sat upstairs overlooking harbour, an altogether brilliant experience - would highly recommend .

Been to Helgi’s several times in the past 4 years when we’ve ventured north to Orkney from Cornwall. This visit we found that the food was disappointing when it came. Burgers used to be a thing to inspire, now just a disappointment. Had the surf...

After 10 minutes in the restaurant, we were asked to leave as my daughter was und 18! This was supposed to be a restaurant! She was not consuming alcohol, and was accompanied by he parents. We’ve now found out from local’s that they have a...

We booked a table online as no one would answer the phone all in all we tired to called over 12 times, and the website is down. Our booking was for 6 adults plus a high chair. On my booking I gave my mobile and...

Unfortunately, I have to give this establishment the thumbs down. On Sat 26th I visited to book a table for the Sunday evening. On the Sunday morning as requested by text, I confirmed the booking. On arrival the greeting was friendly, however our first 3...

I'm sorry to have to write this and after reading other reviews the owner seems to have a cheeky response to most however I honestly can say that this restaurant was so unwelcoming...the bar staff were too busy chatting to each other than tend to...

Great little pub with lovely food and friendly staff. Enjoyed the seafood chowder when I was there and the Swannay Brewery beer was top notch!

Two very efficient ladies served us, very busy, food was fine, pleasant esrvice and nice recommendation for where to buy a decent Orkney whisky!

Lovely atmosphere and location on the harbour. Food was good. Especially the chocolate and fudge brownie! Enjoyed the tales on the walls!

Booked a table in advance by email which was fortunate as several groups without bookings were turned away whilst we were there. Food was fine but felt it was a small portion for the fajitas with only 3 small tortillas. Good selection of local Swanney...

Good food in an informal environment. We made reservations well in advance and were glad that we did so because they were turning potential customers away. Fish was fresh and delicious; I had a salmon dish that was very well-seasoned. Desserts were vey good.

A brilliant pub if you can get a seat as it is very popular for food. We didn't eat but the food looked good. We popped in several times in our week based in Kirkwall. Several real ales and I did sample the local gin...

Stopped in for a late lunch, seated upstairs great view from the window. Food and cocktails were great and lovely staff.

If you want cheap drinks and ridiculously overpriced food, this is the place for you. If that wasn’t bad enough, despite our questioning, the waitress made a mistake with the order and then we were accused of changing our mind!

Great location opposite the harbour. Booking essential if you want to eat. But drinks can be had at the bar. Downstairs there are booths for eating - upstairs seats. It's a quieter atmosphere upstairs. Staff friendly & efficient. Good choice of local food on menu...

We booked Helgi's well in advance and just as well, as it was busy. Service from the young team was excellent, nothing was too much trouble. We ordered a series of entree (starter) dishes, asking them to come out one at a time, which they...

Friendly staff, excellent cocktails very good variety, highlight was the excellent seafood chowder which I took as a main followed by an Orcadian Moon Sundae. This place is a must, make sure you book as it’s really busy & in demand & people have to...

Bra bar med ok utvalg av håndtverksøl på tap, både lokale og nasjonale. Noe av det beste utvalget vi fant...

Absolutely excellent establishment run by very hard working friendly staff. To avoid disappointment try to book in advance. Good varied menu. Well presented delicious fayre. Great selection of drinks at the bar. Seating upstairs as well as street level.

Have just been made to feel totally unwelcome in the unfriendliest of establishments!!! The pub was full granted, so I sat on an available seating area in between two occupied tables to await a free table so I could order food - a bolshy waitress...

Visited on a Sunday evening and had great food and wine. Premises was busy and booking is recommended. We will certainly return next time we are in Kirkwall

We were very much looking forward to eating at this restaurant having read the reviews and booked well in advance but were left very disappointed. The overall ambiance was lacking. We selected from the menu. Our first choice was unavailable, our second choice was also...

I visited Helgi's twice, once just for drinks and once for food. A busy place, I saw plenty of people without bookings being turned away for food as they were fully booked. Great service from the bar team, and the food was pretty decent too....

A great place to eat with really tasty food, nice ambience and good service. We would definitely go back again.

Well worth a visit if you’re in Kirkwall. A cosy, lively bar/restaurant with friendly staff. Reasonably priced for quality food.

Visited with my husband on the last evening of our trip to Orkney. It's definitely worth booking in advance as the place was full. Fortunately we got our reservation in early enough to secure a table next to the window upstairs and we enjoyed looking...

A really nice restaurant on Kirkwall Harbour front. Fantastic service, an extensive menu, great bar selection and wonderful food. I went for the Ham Hock- something you don't often find on menus- and it was divine; it was a very large portion, well glazed and...

Fish and chips were delicious and my cocktails were lovely (Not watered down)! We also had garlic bread which tasted so good and fresh. Helgi's has casual bar vibes and was warm on a windy evening.

Emailed to book a table in advance, would highly recommend doing this as they get fully booked. We arrived a bit early so ended up having a drink at the bar, that wasn't an issue and they added it to our final bill. I tried...

Excellent starters which we shared, and both the haggis burger and the veggie burger were very tasty. Excellent cocktails - even the mocktails!

Nice bar/restaurant with friendly staff. Food arrived quickly. The menu had a few items I hadn't seen before including a delicious peanut based curry (vegetarian or meat options)

Visited this pub a number of times for great beer and atmosphere whilst staying in Kirkwall. Some good local beer on tap as well as the usual others. A good selection of whisky too. Chose to have dinner there one night and was very impressed...

Spent a long weekend in Kirkwall and our taxi driver recommended Helgi's they serve local gin beautifully presented with a range of aromatics . Nice menu and reasonably priced but very busy, booking ahead essential . cocktails are delicious and fairly priced . Staff were...

This is not haute cusine - it's nice pub food with the odd classy ingredient thrown in. My only gastronomic criticism was that my crab salad, strangely for Orkney in September, featured rather tasteless crab. (No I haven't got Covid.) But it's a popular place...

Had a table upstairs for 4 which had an outlook over the harbour. There was an empty table at the window which would have been better. Own fault for not asking! Decent food but a bit slow. Not that it mattered 'cos it gave us...

Felt really let down by this place. Ordered a main which included soured cream as the main was a touch spicy. When the main arrived the soured cream had been replaced with red onions and avocados. They also tried to suggest this was guacamole but...

For various reasons we have never got to eat here in our previous trips to Kirkwall. But we finally got to eat here. It was worth the wait. The food was delicious. I'm not one to rave over a hamburger but my partner had this...

Very nice tasty food, reasonably priced. Friendly and efficient staff. Our table was in the bar area which I found quite dark, next time I would ask for a table on the first floor as it looked nice and bright.

Nothing really wrong with our food or the service, but this place is very lacking in atmosphere, and not a great deal of choice on the menu.

Ordered a salad that arrived in an enamel pie dish covered in an inch of Marie Rose sauce. Disappointing.

Family of 3 adults, good choice of food. Service was great. The food was very good and reasonably priced. Local beer on tap.

Not much more to say really. Food was Ok but this was not a relaxing experience thanks to two girls who were busy screeching at each other.

Lovely tasty pub grub with some nice different choices on the menu. Best to book as on the evening we ate there was a steady stream of people unable to get a table.

Food took 45 minutes to arrive even though pre booked, bar staff had poured a second glass of red before I ordered it, bit of a game delaying food so visitors drink more? Had to ask twice what had happened to food and mine was...

Dinner out with friends. Great selection of food and cocktails. Had a really good burger. Only improvements could be the atmosphere - quite small seating area and a bit dark inside

Good food in pleasant atmosphere. Staff friendly and helpful. Good value for money. Great views over harbour.

Small bistro type eating place on the harbour. Ok food but va bit heavy with lots of fried food. Very popular and gets very crowded.

Great cosy atmosphere. Ordered a starter and a main. Limited vegetarian choices but were tasty! Very reasonable prices. Would definitely recommend. Id definitely advise booking to avoid disappointment!

Helpful and efficient staff, tried to book a Friday night by email, and got a swift message back apologising not available,but equally quick positive reply for the Saturday night. Great table upstairs in the window, tables socially distanced, staff helpful in providing extra cutlery for...

This was a recommendation from a friend and I have to say the menu had a varied selection. The food was well presented and was very tasty. For starters the squid has lots of flavours and the chicken fajitas for mains was delicious. Desserts if...

Love the location - right opposite the harbour. Lovely bar atmosphere & nice menu choice using local ingredients. Staff following covid restrictions. Revuwe score dropped as allocated table upstairs which has no atmosphere in the room & can hear the kitchen sounds. Also, ordered a...

Heard a lot about this restaurant however was not blown away by experience. Firstly the staff greeting on arrival was lukewarm at best. Given the location the almost complete lack of seafood on the menu was disappointing. Not sure why everything these days has to...

Had dinner here. The service was very good and so was the food. The portions are very big. It was also very reasonable. Would return as there was good choice for gluten free.

I had booked in advance of our visit but still couldn't get my 1st choice of days. After having eaten here I can understand why. We visited on a Sunday evening and it was busy from when we arrived to when we left. The menu...

My husband and I visited Helgis Restaurant twice whilst we spent a week in Orkney. I had prebooked this as i had been advised to this by a friend who frequently visits Orkney. The restaurant had a lovely ambiance and was already busy when we...

Bit of a hidden gem really..we all had the Crab Chowder and probably the best food we had over during our visit to Orkney!

Good food strange service too he honest but think the covid19 is making people strange just kept telling us the table was need back when we asked for more drinks odd to be honest but like I said food was good

Went for a late lunch with a few cocktails, everything was lovely. Staff were friendly too. Will be back on our next visit.

Went to our favourite pub to celebrate my daughter graduating university, I’m glad to say after 6 months it’s still as good as it always has been. Food, drink and atmosphere all fantastic. Must admit we worked our way through the cocktail list celebrating the...

Booked to visit on a Friday afternoon for lunch. Food was delicious and portions very generous. Sweet potato fries and fish and chips were highlights. Would definitely recommend if you’re in the area!

Food and service both worthy of 5 stars BUT we have to mark the overall experience. To be fair it only warrants one star but I am giving you the benefit of the doubt that perhaps you have had to make some alterations to become Covid compliant.We booked a table for dinner - could not get in at our preferred time but happily took an earlier slot and agreed that we could be away within an hour and a half. When we arrived we were sent upstairs to the first floor and seated in a booth. Not a huge room and there was only one other table occupied but unfortunately for us it was right next to us. The acoustics in the room are pretty terrible due to the lack of soft furnishings but I guess this is to be Covid compliant. Unfortunately the other party in the room had booked a double slot at their table and seemed intent on working their way through the cocktail menu. They were clearly quite far through the list by the time we arrived judging by the complete lack of the use of inside voices. I can tell you that they hail originally from the central belt, somewhere in the greater Glasgow area but have been resident in Orkney for a few years. The mother carries a thermometer in her car and one of the girls normally resides in Aberdeenshire. Such was the level of their conversation that we found it very difficult to be heard by each other. They were fully aware just how loud they were as when they were discussing something they felt to be a little bit sensitive they reduced the volume to a normal level. We could actually still hear their conversation but took full advantage of the peace to talk to each other.I have no problem with people drinking or even to people drinking to excess BUT when we have to have dinner at 5.30pm we don’t expect to have our eardrums perforated. The other group should have been seated somewhere on their own where they could drink and shout to their hearts content. We have to review our entire experience and it was quite frankly ruined by this party. There was absolutely no ambience and as much as we loved the food I am not sure we would return when next in Kirkwall. The worst experience we had during our weeks holiday ☹️☹️

Friendly staff and a lovely view of Kirkwall Harbour. Food was excellent, tasty and fresh. Highly recommend the fajitas with a lovely spice, and the veggie burger was delicious. Recommend making a reservation if you’re planning dinner.

Great menu with lots of dishes for special diets. Quirky furniture in Viking style and nice Harbour view from upstairs wndow

been here few times now over the years food very nice love that homemade food. And view very nice when sitting upstairs

Only operating for a few years, Helgi's has become very popular for food and drink. You can also look over the harbour from their upstairs diningroom. Locals and visitors alike love it. Food and service pretty good!

The food was fine - nothing outstanding but fine pub food. The service was good absolutely no complaints there. That’s about all I can say about it really. Very under enthused considering the other reviews on here.

Never been to Orkney before. I’m literally here for a few hours on business. Came here by pure chance and my god do I want to come back. Great staff, great atmosphere, great beers and great food.

Vi besøkte først en nabo pub, og fant ut etter første ølla at vi finner en annen pub.Helgi’s passet oss bedre.Kjapp servering god stemning. Øl og drinker falt i god smak.Eneste negative var at baren stengte til riktig tid

Cracking little pub/restaurant, right on the harbour front, good atmosphere, nice staff, food is good, not expensive, once you get settled you just want to stay and not bother with other pubs next door, worth a visit