Loch Fyne Oyster Bar in Argyll & Bute

We used to absolutely love this place & were regular visitors, making the trip up from Glasgow to celebrate special occasions or drop in on our way up to family holidays. I don't know what has happened over the last couple of years but it seems to have hit a steep decline & unfortunately this will have been our last visit. They no longer offer the great service & beautiful food they once did. Our visit started badly when, as we were being greeted, we were informed with a shrug that this famous shellfish restaurant had, in fact, no shellfish on the menu. A failure with a delivery & no contingency meant there was no fresh shellfish available (oysters apart). OK, we can deal with that but a phone call to let us know would have been appreciated. Once you're at Loch Fyne you don't have many options to drop-in elsewhere, although the manager made it very clear we were welcome to leave before we sat down. Food was ok but 2 chowders arrived quite cold & appeared to have been poorly reheated. A member of our parties main dish arrived along with the starters whilst the waiting staff seemed unable to hold information or write down orders, making me repeat myself several times. I opted for a burger (I wanted mussels), it was distinctly average. My 6yo daughter was very happy they did have macaroni cheese & she enjoyed that. As we finished dessert (again some things not available) we started to hear some shouting, then louder swearing & banging as our poor amnesiac waiter scurried out of the kitchen being berated by (I assume) the chef behind him. It was quite funny until I remembered I did in fact have a 6yo in our company & the swearing was pretty inappropriate. Cue the kitchen porter wheeling out the bins past our table in his hi-viz vest & I'm starting to question if this is a set-up and Ant & Dec are about to jump out on me. We complained to our manager friend who seemed to get a bit huffy & argumentative although we did get a discount eventually, we still paid for the full meal just minus the price of some wine. We were the last people to leave (closes at 4.30pm!) & had to exit through the staff meeting as the manager berated her staff for having to give us a discount. I was waiting for the slow hand clap as they gave us a guard of honour on the way out, they even quickly locked the door behind us. So yeah, if you're looking for a Fawlty Towers experience or some macaroni cheese, I guess you might visit, we probably won't be back.

We had a really wonderful meal here. I’d had been before many years ago, and was so excited and pleased to go back. Food is top quality, very fresh seafood, simply but effectively prepared. Good wine list. And considered the quality of say very good value for money. There were a few tiny things about service that stopped me putting a 5 star review, but it is a great restaurant, most of the staff were lovely, and I would deffinately go back again if in the area.

So good to have seafood so fresh you can still smell the sea

Arrived here at 11:15 to be greeted by pretty gormless staff. I asked if we could have a table and they just all looked at each other “it’s just breakfast, lunch is at 12” with no further conversation offered.. When we got into the car park we called to make a reservation and were told we couldn’t by a woman called Renata who had an awful attitude, I asked to speak to a manager and she told me she was a manager and that we could now not make a reservation …. Genuinely dumbfounded, could this be do to with our sexuality? Now having a lovely lunch in The George Hotel, five minutes up the road. Martyn & Chris

Always enjoy our visit here. Lovely team to care for you. Fabulous meal once again.

Great experience lovely staff and tasty food

Very disappointing. They have a seating area outside with picnic benches over looking the loch. I would say perfect location with gorgeous views - especially for those like ourselves who have a dog. The picnic benches are just outside the restaurant door… hardly a ‘hike’ from the kitchen yet you aren’t allowed to order off the main menu, only the poor selection from the take away menu - a choice of 3 things. If you don’t fancy a heavy meal you’re pretty screwed. All we wanted was 3 starters, a portion of chips and a glass of wine each. The deli next door hardly had a great choice either - 1 tuna sandwich that looked like a 6 year old had made it and two other sandwiches for just short of £4. Hardly appetising. We’ve ended up leaving in hope to find a friendlier spot, with a better selection and more accommodating staff. We won’t be rushing back nor recommending it to anyone. Shame.

Not cheap but all the food we tried was excellent. Great shop for local produce, smoked salmon and venison sausages were fantastic.

Delicious, fresh food served straight from the loch. Staff were friendly, the drive up and views are amazing. Make a day out of it and give this a try you won't be disappointed.

My wife declared this her favorite meal of our two week trip. The seafood was fresh and amazingly delicous. Much of it comes directly from Loch Fyne, right on the doorstep. The staff were extremely joyful and friendly. There were 8 of us for lunch and we did make reservations. I highly recommend a visit. Quick tip... try the oysters!

A great place to stop and enjoy the view, enjoy fresh seafood 🦞🍢🦦🎣🐟🐠🎏 so for tray for to take away and do for wee gifts to take home

Really enjoyed the seafood lunch. Food is very yummy and service is good.

From Oban, on our way to Glasgow we stopped at this restaurant for lunch. We ordered Scallops and Mussels accompanied by a glass of rosé wine. The food was very good and served in a pleasant setting.

Came here for husbands 50th birthday lunch. As we brought the pooch we were happy to sit outside and get the take away menu. Birthday boy enjoyed his 6 enormous oysters , which he said were delicious and I had the fish and chips. The GF batter was so light and crisp and the skin on fries plentiful. I also bought langoustines from the deli to have but we were so full we had them as a starter with champagne this evening . They did not disappoint. Thoroughly enjoyed our lunch and the service we received was great.

I used to go more when I lived closer. This is a very pleasant place with very fresh and tasty seafood. Worth the journey.

Very nice lunch oyster and salmon were amazing. Langoustines and scallops well prepared and tasteful.

Always used to love this place, but the service is terrible, called past, and just wanted oysters, as they no longer do the squat lobsters, and after waiting ten minutes at the takeaway counter to be told that she would take our order when she had finished making coffees, and then to watch her make at least four different table's orders of coffees, over ten minutes, we decided not to stay, as who knows when she would have bothered to take our order, or how much longer the food would have taken.

Restaurant was fully booked since got a takeaway. Service was a little slow but it was busy. Oysters, fish and chips were all great.

Welcoming experience with views to enjoy as you tuck into delicious food. For starters, we enjoyed a mix of cooked Oysters (Anchovy and parmesan was awesome), and two fresh Oysters. Our parents had the chowder. For the main meals we had Loch Fyne sharing platter, and Loch Fyne Mussels. Recommend calling them to do a booking, don't rely on the website. They have an outdoor under shelter area where you can sit and enjoy food n drink with your dog. They have a seating around a bar that looks very comfortable for those wanting a smaller bite and a drink. There is a great little gift shop that also sells fresh fish and catch of the day.

Rebooted restaurant has friendly staff with a little more limited menu

Arrived here for lunch with only 3 tables with sit down diners , the place was deserted. Met by a pasty faced Lady who asked if we had a reservation , I jokingly stated she must be kidding as the place was empty, her reply was , if you have no booking then sorry , we are fully booked ! Please remember this place is in the middle of nowhere really so there would not be 40 people turn up in the next 30 minutes for god sake. Disappointed went into the garden centre for a look about and a coffee .. after 30 minutes went back to the car to continue our journey , out of interest I popped back into the restaurant for a look and still pretty empty , maybe another 2 additional tables taken. In short I felt the hospitality offered was zero , there didn`t need to be the attitude of " no booking , no entry " . Even though I love seafood and know their reputation for quality , there was no need for the attitude and rudeness. Hence the poor review

Fresh oysters and produce. Service was attentive. Nice views over the loch

Lovely products in shop. Staff were friendly

Wonderful location and seriously excellent staff who were funny, friendly and great for advice. Great for a day trip from the big smoke. Free Tesla (or polestar) charging was a lifesaver The bouillabaisse I made from their seafood selection was unsurpassable 🥰

Very tasty kedgeree, crab bisque and smoked salmon selection, all quite plentiful and good. Restaurant was quite chilly.

Absolutely amazing food and nice atmosphere. Need to book in advance because it is popular. We loved everything we ate and would definitely come back

Very pleased. Lovely food and the service was very good.

Cute place, lovely grocers attached to it and what a location!

In general the food is good but nothing compared to my last visit few years back…. The seafood is good , fish and chips are nice. Only the burger is not very pleasant( according to my kids feedback)

Really bad experience here. Stopped for lunch after driving three hours and the place was half empty. Regardless, when we asked for a table for two, the member of staff pretty much scoffed at us and gave us a flat “no”. Waving her hands around and saying they were far too short staffed and not accepting any more people. It would have been much more professional and polite to let us know it could be a bit of a wait for a table rather than laugh at us and make us feel silly for even asking. How were we to know an empty restaurant was understaffed? We felt really unwelcome and we won’t be back.

Great mussels take away. Fresh! Tasty.

Food always excellent. Remember to book a table!

What an absolute shambles this place has turned into, 10 years ago would have definitely ranked this place as a place to visit, now i think id recommend mcdonalds over this place. Service terrible, restaurant noisy with staff smashing tables chairs and cutlery around constantly, price ridiculous, then there is the food, scallops disgusting and small, oysters? where exactly do you get these from they are tiny and barely the size off a ten pence coin? The langoustines quite clearly are not fresh and barely worth the effort, small and turned to mush during the cooking phase, a real shame for what used to be a great stopping point, i guess its true about success its generally downhill from there

Excellent place for lunch, not cheap but very well worth it. We will be back

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!

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.

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

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.

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!

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 ❤️

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

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.

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 :)

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

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!

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. 👍👍👍

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

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.

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

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?

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

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