Loch Fyne Oyster Bar in Argyll & Bute

Magnificent! Seafood at its best!

We were travelling from Melbourne and just wanted to get some experience of the place. There should have been nothing overly complicated about this visit, but the staff made it hard for us to have a good experience from the get go. Issue #1 - When we arrived, despite the place being half empty, no one made any attempt to greet us. All the staff had their backs turned and were busy with...well not much. When I finally got someone to acknowledge us, and I asked into availability for lunch I was flatly told "we're currently fully booked". The team member was unfriendly and did not attempt to provide us with any further options. We asked what the availability looked like later in the afternoon, and it turned out that there was ample availability to accommodate us 45 minutes later or so. It felt like we had to grovel for this. Once seated, the restaurant remained half empty for the duration of our visit so we were pretty puzzled by the "fully booked" thing. It would have been pretty easy to let us know there was simply a short wait and that would have been fine, but the team member seemed determined to make a big deal out of this. We then thought, okay let's get some oysters to eat outside whilst we wait (despite the restaurant still being half empty), since we were also told we couldn't sit at the counter inside. Again, had to chase down someone to buy Oysters from at the counter, with the staff member on duty clearly busy writing his great novel, or some such other activity unrelated to doing his actual job. Issue #2 - We spent in excess of 200 pounds (you do the currency conversion fellow OZ travellers) for a stingy serve of langoustine, a lobster that appeared to have been bred from a rare tribe of dwarf lobster (it was seriously small) and a paltry serve of chips. The portion sizes, and quality of the lobster were really poor. The Oysters were okay. Summary - Mean spirited staff who wouldn't get a job at my local McDonalds (who do a great double fillet o fish), and high prices for poor food, only redeemed by the awesome location. Avoid at all costs unless desperate.

Great location for some oysters and lovster bisque on the way to Oban!

Cullin Skink soup for lunch. Served with bread and butter. Hot, tasty and filling soup. Well attended by staff however while having coffee at the end of lunch waiter brought us the bill and card machine before we had finished. Why do this ? The place was not busy so why the hurry. Made us feel unwelcome like we should leave. Maybe because we only had the soup for lunch and not some of the more expensive items on the menu. Not in a rush to go back

Fabulous food, as always. Recommend the pineapple dessert!

Amazing place with cool staff in old beautiful buildings.

It is just a pity the food we had was not as good as the view. We all had the Chowder, it looked very appetising, but unfortunately it was luke warm. The Chowder was returned to the kitchen. A few minutes later it was returned to us. Again still luke warm, we then commented to the head waitress, who gave the appearance of not caring whether it was hot or cold. Just like her attitude as we all know it is better to let them know if the food was not to standard and it could have been sorted. But alas it was not. The result of this is, WE WILL NOT BE RETURNING TO LOCH FYNE OYSTER BAR. Not a happy customer. Stuart

Arguably one of the best places for seafood! Unpretentious and welcoming, the food is truly exceptional. Had Oysters, Scallop aranchini, brown crab and kedgeree. Hard to pick a favourite but the kedgeree and aranchini were both superb. We were lucky enough to get a table without booking, but would recommend booking if you're not able to come back later if there are no tables.

Just love this place tasty mussels and oysters

Slow service. Not that busy but the staff didnt appear to be coping or attentive. 2 glsses of wine didnt come until we chased up. No cultery with our mains. Food ok but nothing special given the high prices including a 10% service charge and still seeking tips at the checkout card reader! Either charge for the service or ask for tips. Not both. Noisy and hard to hear the conversations. Atmosphere is not that great. The TreeTops cafe next door is far better value, ambiance and food quality if you need to stop here.

Called up the restaurant the day before to see if any tables were available but there was no reply. Left a voicemail but did not get back to us until the day after in the late afternoon. Must be really busy. Show up for takeaway because we have dogs who are not allowed in the restaurant, which is fine, however the online takeaway menu had lower prices than what was given inside. Spoke to a member of staff on the counter and she was strange and unresponsive and allowed us to talk about wanting a certain food for a couple of minutes, then allowed us to order it and then informing us it was sold out anyway. So she was playing the game perhaps? Looked a bit rotten inside anyway. Just go eat in Inveraray 10 mins away.

Fish is very tasty - unfortunately the prices don't match the atmosphere..

Beautiful salmon starter plate and great kedgeree and salmon. Lovely wine. Great service. The deli is great also and appreciate the electric vehicle charge points

We visited on a beautiful sunny day, after a visit to Loch Lomond, glad I had booked as the restaurant was busy. The staff were very cheerful and friendly. The food itself excellent and the portions huge, we shared the most juicy and plump oysters, followed by starters and mains. The bread was also delicious. The reson for 4 not 5 is the air con was extremely efficient and I was cold, but you can’t please everyone!

It was really quiet. I am presuming they lost our drinks order? The osyrers were great.

Amazing place for fresh Scottish Shellfish Oysters = fabulous Mussels = gorgeous Lobster and crab looked great Make this a stop off on your route North!

It's an old fishing shed I think, done up austerely as a restaurant. Simple but tasteful. This was the 17th anniversary of our first date at a Loch Fyne restaurant in Essex, that's England. What a romantic? We were not disappointed and enjoyed a fyne lunch.

Excellent food and service. Staff are all friendly and helpful. Definitely recommend fir breakfast and lunch. Deli also excellent.

It was closed Tuesday Wednesday due to staff shortage. We were there Wednesday!

I love Scotland so much and usually the service in local bars and restaurants is excellent. This is first time I face such rude behavior from a lady who was a host in Loch Fyne Restaurant. It is unbelievable that you can be treated in such horrible way. Avoid this place as there are more beautiful food places nearby and definitely you will be treated in better way.

Had a lovely experience for my Mums 80th on way to Portavadie, amazing oysters and champagne, complimented by Pablo who made our day even better ❤️

We went here for our anniversary. I had lobster felt it was a little small, but all the other food was great. Oysters were delicious. I went there many years ago and had a fantastic time, but things change. The prices are very expensive.

Had a fantastic family lunch. Staff were really attentive and food was absolutely brilliant. Always great to come back and we weren’t disappointed.

Nice restaurant which offers take-away sandwiches and other stuff. Unfortunately the restaurant was fully booked when we arrived - making a reservation is recommended. Sandwiches were great :)

Amazing seafood in the middle of nowhere. If you're driving by you NEED to stop in and try all the oysters, the daily specials, and anything recommended by the staff!

Had an excellent meal. Well worth a visit if seafood is your thing.

Arrived on Sunday around 3 pm, had to wait a while for a table. Ate several oysters and really enjoyed them. Very friendly service. We recommend it.

Might be the best mussels I've ever had

We bought food from the deli which has a great selection of delicious food and alcohol. We picked up some venison, mussels and oysters. The oysters were incredibly creamy… one box was 1 day away from expiry which were dry and not the best but one box was super fresh and delicious.

A lovely relaxed lunch enjoying sone delicious seafood.

Had been out for a drive with my Dad and ended up here. Lovely wee cafe with friendly staff and amazing tea. Service was quick and food was delicious. Not too expensive for being a wee tourist trap. Will definitely be back 👍

Could do with a bit of air conditioning

Beautiful hot day on the terrace with double gin and lemonade

The fish dishes are very good. However, the gluten-free pasta was undercooked and hard. The chef tried to tell us it was supposed to be hard..... 😞 .

Amazing place. It's part of the reason I come and stay on Loch Fyne every couple of years. Food-amazing and fresh. Staff-so friendly and very accommodating. Lovely and clean and modern inside with art from the sea and relaxing music. I highly recommend.

Had lunch at the restaurant. First course arrived after 45 minutes, another 30 min in line to pay as people ordering take out and the ones ready to pay for the restaurant are in the same line...

Went to have a coffee, we were told we couldn't, could only have a takeaway one, which wasn't what we wanted, a smile would have been good instead of a grimace

Went there about 4 years ago with family whole I was holidaying. Ambiance and service was great. Looking forward to go back there when I’m next in kinghorn 😜🤩👍🏿

Pit stop from a long road trip and very pleased with it! As soon as you walk in, fresh seafood smell, clean place and spacious. We ate from the take away counter, seated outside with the views of the lake/mountain. Hot Salmom roll and the sausage roll with black pudding were simply amazing, so delicious. The staff were helpfull and kind.

Found by accident! Great quality food. Didn't eat in as a bit early but would like to go back. Take away grub was excellent. 👍👍👍

A lovely restaurant in a stunning location.

Have visited here a few times on previous occasions, went yesterday which was the first time this year. Sorry to say, it has gone a bit downhill since last visit. Food was incredibly pricey (£6.50 for a side of fries, which were standard chips you can get out a supermarket), and the portions were incredibly small. I got the chowder, it was watery and the potatoes were hard. Other family members got the salmon selection, it was nice but hardly any of it! Ordered the bread basket to try and fill us up a bit more, which was fine but definitely needed more butter, a tiny wee amount for all of us to scrape. All in all, a disappointment but i hope to return and perhaps see some improvement again.

Enjoyed it and Oyster's were lovely. Took a while to come as there was a mistake in the kitchen.

Been here for years and sadly the food is no longer as good as it used to be.

Stopped off for a late lunch after walking , looking forward to a fish and chips as I’ve had it before and it was decent , place has went right down hill fish batter was absolutely greasy and they are serving it with frozen chips. Cheap skates, won’t be going back again

Picked up hot smoked salmon as usual always great 5**"**

Lovely food- terrible service. No explanation, no check in, no offer of other drinks. The food was excellent and this helped to make up for it. Why are so many good resturants now offering mediocre or below par service?

Place is spacious and welcoming. We visited here on our way home after staying up at Loch Fyne for the weekend. We got 6 oysters with 3 sauces and a portion of Deep fryed oysters to try too. They were lovely served on a big dollop of garlic Aioli. My scallops were huge and meaty cooked to perfection. Served with bacon mash. Really nice combination. Husband Langoustines were perfect he enjoyed along with his 6 fresh oysters, fremch friends and he ordered Mozzarella sticks with a fresh Tomatoe Dip. . The soup that day was Tomatoes & Roast pepper it was beautiful served with amazing fresh baked bread. £120 was our bill. I'm not a fan shell fish but still was available to order a starter and Main course which I enjoyed. My husband would have ordered the seafood platter along with his cooked Main If I was eating it. It will try that next time.

First of all, if you want lunch you should reserve a table. Ate very tasty seafood. Local lobster, crab and oysters. But the fish and chips also looked very good. Prices are not exactly cheap but reasonable. Rich selection of wines, many of which are also available by the glass. Ambience in the former sheepfold has a maritime, modern furnishings. The attached shop offers a wide range of take away dishes and other specialties. Any time.

The restaurant was closed on Wednesday when we visited so wasn’t able to sample anything as route to Holy Loch Food set in display cabinets looked very nice but also very expensive Toilets were also clean

Very fresh and well cooked products. The service is perfect, the servers are very friendly.

A great spot for oysters and other seafood. You can dine in or get takeaway. The store also sells artisan products and gourmet treats to go. We wanted to return but it closes on Wednesdays. We hear it’s hard for staffing. Oysters were lovely!

Absolutely brilliant food and scenery to die for.

Lovely place great staff and good food. What not could we ask for???

Opening times are advertised as open until 5pm so drove from Oban and arrived at 4.05pm to be told they were no longer serving after 4pm...ridiculous!!!

Deli rolls and bagels were nice, but hot food very limited for visitors with dogs. Only 4/5 items on the menu for outside seating. We purchased langoustines and smoked mussels from the deli to eat at home in a paella and these were delicious.

Myself and my partner came upto the restaurant on Sunday 14th July 2024 as it was recommended to us by family. We had such a lovely experience, with amazing food and top class service. We ordered the scallop aranchini balls and mussels for starts which were insane, please try if you go!! We then have the lobster and smoked salmon inguine for mains which we also could not fault. The staff were lovely and attentive. We will be back.

Has gone downhill massively. Pricy fish cake was like leather. Obviously not fresh. Miniscule side of veg. Very helpful staff but clearly rushed off their feet. Seems to be living off past reputation and could do a lot better.

Once again a shame that on an island it is almost impossible to find a whole fish. Only filleted fish. As for shellfish, you also have to go to very large cities to find them.

Awesome meal and great service. The Scallops are wonderful!

Initially told no tables were available as we had not booked. Walked over to bar area to look at take out options and waiter came over and said if we waited five minutes he could fit us in which was nice.

Nice place for sea food, good service too

Over priced for main meals,so had a cuppa but hard to hear my wife as music was too loud. It would be better if it was music appropriate to the location e.g Scottish rather than what was played. Give the foreigners a cultural Scottish experience, rather than a night club

Very rude staff. No intention of accommodation. Quite disappointing given how far people travel to attend.

We were the first to be served at 9am, and no corners were cut - the best breakfast I have ever had at an establishment! Amazing staff too, thank you for the amazing visit.

Had a gorgeous lunch. Mussels were delicious washed down with lovely local Loch Fynne beers. Staff were friendly and attentive. Fabulous deli style shop selling everything from local produce to touristy items. A must stop off on the A83

I love this place but unfortunately we didn't book and after travelling with my sister from Essex all the way from Glasgow they were unable to accommodate us even although there seemed to be a few empty tables

Lots of high quality foods available and the service was excellent as well.

Stopped here for lunch, haddock and smoked bacon chowder was freshly made and delicious. My partner’s chunky vegetable soup was fine but over salted. Fairly expensive but then again, the food served is top quality.

Oysters are tae die for, HUUUGE beasts. Canny beat it ken

Loved it. Friendly staff and atmosphere was nice . Squat lobsters 🦞 and chips washed down with 3 peronis . Enough said . Go see for yourself. Scotland at its best.

Had a lovely lunch, the staff were very friendly and helpful, despite being busy they were attentive and we didn’t feel rushed. Food was fantastic, fish and chips and the lobster to be strongly recommend. A lovely place to have lunch!

Hands down THE best oysters I've ever had! So glad we stopped!

Despite opening until 5 p.m., you cannot order food for consumption on site after 4 p.m. The offer in the display case of take-away goods is “clear” (at least at 4 p.m.). There were no more oysters. In our case, for 5 different types of salmon, the service person had to run back 5 times to ask what the differences were - she had no idea what she was actually selling. The smoked salmon was good and relatively cheap.

Warm, smiling faces and an excellent lunch of lobster, mussels, and oysters rockefeller. I highly recommend all 3 dishes and appreciate their hospitality!

Terrible experience. The staff asked us to leave and come back at 5 when they’re not busy. The place closes at 5!! When we called her out, she said we could wait if we wanted to. The food was good but the staff and service were bad and unwelcoming.

Bought some good bits and pieces for our picnic.

Unbelievably rude guy on the desk for the restaurant. Extremely lazy, dismissive and unapproachable, not sure he should be working in customer service! Other customers made comments on his interactions making the atmosphere unenjoyable for them also.

Ordered the langoustines... very disappointed. Overcooked, very dry ,hardly any eating in them. For £32 I expected more. Will not be back

I bought a bottle of wine. The cheapest they had was around £12. A white wine. Chardonnay. I was astounded at how ordinary it was. I purchased a bottle the next day in Inveraray for half that amount and was equally astounded at how much better it was. Do not be fooled by fancy labels and so on. Avoid the alcohol. The food was similarly expensive and, probably, just as disappointing.

Well worth a visit. Dogs are not allowed inside, but they have outside seating (some of which are undercover). If you eat outside, you can only order from a limited takeaway menu, but £12 for six massive oyster is more than a good compromise.

Amazing locally sourced food and drinks. The best fish and chips in the UK no competition gets close. Oysters and mussels are beautiful. Cannot recommend this place highly enough. Worth a detour!

Whilst in the area, we decided to pop into LFO for a quick snack lunch. Arriving at 11.50 to a deserted restaurant, advertising lunch from 12noon, we were told (not particularly politely) we could not be served without a reservation. We were directed to a takeaway menu, and told we could sit outside on a bench. The fish and chips were just about ok, the haddock being very thin (which seem pretty typical hereabouts), and the chips ok, tho not hot enough. We were not allowed cutlery, only a small wooden fork. The langoustine bisque, in a polythene cup, was delicious, but again only offered a wooden teaspoon, and the piece of bread was minute. We left at 12.45, and the restaurant by then was only half full, so we came to the conclusion that saying they wouldn't serve us without a reservation was just a way of keeping the restaurant 'exclusive' and keeping random passing trade away. The attached deli shop was really nice, good quality produce, but frighteningly expensive. I bought a takeaway kipper for £2.60, which turned out to be very good.

Great takeout seafood salads and rolls

Truly delicious fish meal of the finest quality. I highly recommend the trio of salmon selection as a starter and either the haddock and chips or salmon linguine as a main course. The restaurant itself, on the shores of Loch Fyne with views of the hills, enhances the flavours too, and service is excellent all round.

Lovely shop, very friendly staff, knowledgeable about their products

I could not get a seat as I had not made a reservation. Ok maybe my fault but did not expect it to be that busy in May. So got told it would be a long wait or we could order of a very limited takeaway menu. Managed to get the oysters I want but my partner had to settle for fish and chips. The oyster where nice as I eat them but a couple of hours later I was STUCK TO TOILET. Let's just say rear entrance would not stop. Had been before but I WILL NOT be back.

They've pretty much stopped serving their delicious warm pies! I asked why....they didn't really know. Huge disappointment. It's just this type of indifference that's stopping me from ever eating in the restaurant.

They had no seats available when we arrived so offered the take out menu to us. We ordered 6 oysters which were excellent. The smoked salmon came in a take away container with oat cakes and the salmon. The taste was good. We also ordered the fish chowder soup which was very tasty but came in a small take away container with bread. Lastly we ordered the fish and chips (haddock and skinny fries). The batter was light and the fish was fresh. It was not as comfortable sitting outside on a picnic bench to eat but the food was good.

One of my favourite places for seafood. Great atmosphere and fabulous food.

Arrived at an empty room around 1:00 PM. At first we were waiting to be helped. No response after 10 minutes. But when we sat down we were helped with the announcement that we were fully booked in an arrogant manner. Get 1 star for the grave atmosphere and preferably 0 stars for the service. Don't come here to eat spontaneously.

Most beautiful lobster and langoustines in the most delicious garlic butter. Lovely setting and lovely staff. Would recommend highly.

Not what it used to be, in fact it was very poor, the garden centre next door is the better choice.

The best seafood I have ever eaten. So fresh and such high quality. The crab and lobster was amazing.

Just visited the shop earlier today. Beautiful produce, served by a charming American lady. Can't wait for dinner tonight.

Great oysters first class quality large fresh excellent if you like it. There are also other seafood dishes. The people in the store are really nice and helpful. The service in the restaurant is musty and lazy. It's a shame for this hotspot.

Great wee find if you don't want the restaurant experience, great knowledge of allergies, super selection of yummy foods and great surroundings

Great seafood - best to reserve a table in advance

The food is incredible! The fish and chips were delish and the oysters were fresh and tasty. We had to sit outside because of our furry friend but that wasn't a problem, it was dry for a change! 😂 It's not exactly at the beating heart of the country but it's well worth a visit.

Decided to treat selves to some lunch, very yummy in our tummies lol