Merchant Bar in Highland

Rather common selection of whiskey with no real soul. Not pleasant service at all and very high prices per glass for supermarket whiskeys. Next time we'll move on.

Good bar, but drinks are very expensive! Same pint of beer in a bar 200 yards away was £1.50 cheaper

The best of the pubs I have tried in Portree, with a pleasant sedate yet fun atmosphere.

Bartender is very knowledgeable in whiskey, nailed it everytime I explained what I wanted in taste for my whiskey. Expensive selection of whiskeys and gin. Atmosphere is very relaxed , we came each day we spent in the city.

I wanted to have a drink with my family but unfortunately the welcome was cold and unpleasant, I do not recommend...

Convenient location near the centre and the car park, but everything is close by in Portree. Good music, nice selection of craft beers and single malt served with crisps or other snacks. Very friendly staff. Clean toilets. Decent wi-fi. Don't forget to ask for the malt of the month - the one on the day of our visit was worth trying.

I recently visited Merchant Bar, hoping for a nice evening out, but was turned away at the front desk without even being asked if I was a hotel guest. The staff seemed to assume only hotel guests were welcome, without verifying whether I was one myself. This blanket policy felt unwelcoming and made for a disappointing experience, especially considering I was ready to spend the evening there. Would have expected more from a place with this reputation with myself being open to spending my money at a place highly rated..

Nice, frendli Bar for good Drinks.

The bartenders here seemed extremely over the tourists; witnessed them being short with a South Asian woman who asked about the attached restaurant and then exchange exasperated glances. The woman was very friendly but just unfamiliar with the establishment so didn't know where the door to the restaurant was. If you look at the other reviews, other tourists have stated that it seems like they don't really want business from tourists so I would recommend abiding by their projected wishes to stay away. As an East Asian woman I didn't feel comfortable staying so left immediately and let my white friends stay to enjoy themselves. TL:DR the servers act like they do NOT want your business if you're not obviously a local. Therefore, do not go here unless you like to be treated poorly.

While I was ordering, the staff kept pretending not to understand. I saw him talking to other customers first and making small talk, but the Asian customer seemed to want him to quickly pay and get out of the way.

Good ambience. Excellent music. It was a lovely stop for a drink

We were hoping to get dinner at this place, stood in the entrance, which is actually right in front of the bar, for about five minutes and didn't get any greeting, smile or anything from the three clerks who were all passing in front of us numerous times. If they don't want customers, they should place a sign outside.

This is the best pub/bar that we’ve found in Portree for a drink before heading out for dinner. Good atmosphere and decor and not too loud music. And a very hardworking (and very tall) barman who keeps it all going.

We spent 8 days in Portree and 5 evenings in this establishment. As many locals as tourists, legendary playlists in the background, a whiskey menu to die for and excellent gins too. We particularly appreciated the bartender, for his skills and his humor! A must-see address in Portree in our eyes.

I didn't even have the displeasure of entering. I read in other reviews that attention is different between tourists and locals. This photo says it all.

Great selection of drinls with good service

Barman a bit miserable , serves locals before serving waiting non locals , poor selection of cheap rums and only one brandy available . Won’t spend my money in here again !

Gorgeous restaurant, beautiful atmosphere, only drank here but beer was cold and bartender was friendly. Feels authentically Scottish

A great atmosphere and good selection of drinks but very disappointed to see they have a whiskey of the month. Thought I was in Scotland!

Best ale offer in Portree, you'll only get Skye anywhere, but these kept the hand-pulls turning over and beer well kept. Dragon the barman is dead sound, freindly and efficient. The ladies were a laugh too. Didn't eat.

We’ve come all the way from Asia to this amazing remote part of the world. Dragin and the team at the merchant bar welcomed us with open arms. Amazing service and knowledge. Our 3 nights at the isle of sky will never be forgotten. Thanks to dragin and the team.

Great bartender, great drinks, great time. Would get another pint any day.

I've stayed in the Bosville hotel years ago, and on our return to Skye we ventured to the Merchant bar. What a delightful bar it is. It has such lovely decor, a nice vibe and great bar. We watched some football in the bar on our last night in Skye. The only niggle, when using the toilets in the bar which are unisex, I am baffled as to why the toilet seats are like children's ones, they do not cover the whole porcelain of the toilet itself. I went into the toilets after a man had been in there and left the seat up, its then quite off putting as woman to sit on the seat, and feel the porcelain under your thighs as the plastic seat doesn't cover it with whatever spillages are on there as well. It doesn't feel very hygienic. These either need replacing or one cubicle labelled for men and one for women with the ladies seat changed. The cubicle on the left also needs the lock changing. I got locked in the toilet as the lock was so stiff that it would then not unlock and the doors go from ceiling to floor. I had to phone my husband who was sat in there bar and eventually I got the lock to twist, it was very stiff. The man who went in after me was also struggling to open it. Someone is going to get stuck in there so this needs sorting. I would deffo return though, lovely bar and setting.

Had a drink,dog friendly. No food,which was a disappointing 😕

Great place in Portree with excellent service and big selection of beers and whiskeys.Highly recommended

Great Bar! Fab decor, great atmosphere, more drinks than you can throw a stick at, and we like the grumpy bar man referred to in previous reviews (he's not at all grumpy, in fact a great host). Called for a quick pint in the rain and stayed 5 hours. Our favourite bar in portree!

Visited last week, very unfriendly person at the bar.

Perfect small pub to enjoy a beer and watch football game,also great recomandations for Whiskey!Top spot in Portree..

The bar itself is nice however, the barman was terrible. Rude, slow and miserable. Slow to pick up empty glasses and then double charged on the bill. The bar was not even busy. A disgrace, expect better as they charge high prices.

The dog can be in the bar, but they won't serve us food. Such a shame they are so shortsighted.

Small bar connected to the adjacent Dulse&Brose restaurant. Aesthetically elegant both from inside and outside even compared to other more famous venues. Prices significantly lower than average. Available and competent barman, he knows how to advise you carefully.

Great place to have a pint when you're visiting Portree. Cool 60s 70s soul music, warm vibe (there is even a TV showing a log fire burning). It feels like a classy and welcoming bar, but also chilled, you can rock up in your outdoor fleece and enjoy some reasonably-priced quality drinks. Recommended.

Great bar with whisky selection

Nice bar, staff could be more welcoming, but you get solid drinks!

Were only in the bar. Nice whiskey selection and the beers/ciders were good too. Bartender was a bit grim, but otherwise everyone was friendly.

Decent decor. Older crowd. Cold and unprofessional staff — the bartender literally used his hand to put ice in my friend and my drink. Absolutely raw doggin it in there. Go to Isle Inn or literally anywhere else

Because it was far from cozy in our hotel, we were happy that we had found a nice place to have a nice beer and wine in the evening. A really cozy place where the staff is clearly enjoying themselves.

Brilliant staff & venue with excellent witty banter - thank you 🌟

Our visit to The Merchants Bar has made our trip, despite it being exceptionally busy the 2 young bar tenders were amazing. They made my dog, Zeke, the star of the bar and made him feel so welcome which is a treat as I'm aware not all bars accept dogs. They had good chat, kept us informed with the update with a table and couldn't have done more. The food was worthy of a Michelin Star, the portions were generous and very flavoursome (Honey glazed gammon & Smoked Salmon). If you're unable to book a table, I recommend waiting as it's worth it! Then to top our experience off, everyone we met during our time in the bar were so friendly we were taken back by how much love everyone has to give...more so to Zeke (Black Lab)

Nice bar, well located. But cold staff. Head to the Isles Inn.

We stayed two days around and we repeated. Nice pub atmosphere next to the port. Fair prices and good food. Kind staff

Great food, exceptional service. The restaurant was fully booked, but we had food in the bar with some drinks while we waited. A young man named Tony gave the whole bar exceptional service and made sure things ran smoothly.

I confirm the many reviews I have read. We entered and the owner (?) ignored us for a while and then asked us to wait standing at the counter for a table. He served us two beers and asked us to pay for them immediately (we still had to sit down for dinner) but the most unpleasant thing was definitely their manners. Rude and impolite, they slam the glass in your face and in their rush to serve you get knocked over if you don't move. I also had the feeling that the treatment for tourists is different than that reserved for natives. I'm sorry, I never do reviews but in some cases it's fair to say that if we have to spend money it's better to look for kinder people. Definitely not recommended.

Deplorable service, we arrive at 6 p.m. to have a drink for 4 adults and 4 children, we specify that we can group together on 2 tables instead of 3 so as not to take up too much space... 10 minutes after the drinks are served , we are asked to vacate the place if we don't eat! We say we finish our drinks and let go if people show up to eat... the waiter will come back 3 times to ask us to move or leave. We leave 20 minutes after returning without having finished our beers! Don't come in, you risk being kicked out in record time :(

To flee ! The beers had barely been served, the waiter asked us to hurry up and drink them if we didn't stay to eat. After insisting 3 times, we left the bar without even being able to finish our beers. Unacceptable!

Many different type of alcool yes, not so many beer, but a good ones obviously. Good music and also pub mood. We arrive Too late and not need to dinner, so no stars

Lovely meal in the Dulse & Brose restaurant. We were made to feel very welcome on arrival and we were shown to a fabulous two person table that had a high wooden back seating arrangement…it made us both feel that we were in our own section of the restaurant. Our food was gorgeous. We had haddock & chips and the gammon with mustard sauce, poached egg and chips. Great evening.

Lovely location on the Isle of Skye. We enjoyed our stay for 3 nights.

Good beer but we drank standing up even though there were free tables, but they were tables for eating (it was 4:30 p.m. lol), there was no one there but it was a problem for us to sit down a priori. Agree with previous comments the place is cool but the servers are very condescending.

Amazing bar good service and the best fish and chips in Portree.Highly recommended!

The food is good, the menu is the same as the Dulse & Brose restaurant which I imagine must belong to the same owner. On the other hand, the servers are extremely unpleasant and unfriendly, you feel like you are constantly bothering them. We were so well received all over Scotland that it was all the more shocking!

Horrible! At this bar, on July 15th 2023, we had the worst experience during our whole stay in Scotland. The waiters were extremely unfriendly and didn't hesitate to show it. Despite our repeated attempts to get their attention, we were ignored and made to feel very uncomfortable. It's regrettable that we were not even able to place a simple drink order. As a guest, I expect basic courtesy and respectful treatment from the staff. We left after 45 minutes without being able to place an order.

We enjoyed this bar in Portree although we only sat for a beer.

Bar where you get kicked out of the tables when you drink a beer....

Nice bar, food is good, but unfortunately after the meal we were asked if we would like anything else and said no because our glasses were still half full but we would like to have something to drink afterwards (it is advertised as a bar after all). The bill was then brought to us without being asked and 2 minutes later we were standing there with the card reader to collect. We definitely found it cheeky and you want to beat as much out of the tourists as possible.

We didn’t eat here, but came every day during our stay in Portree to have drinks and play card games! Good spot to have a beer or cocktail and hang out!

The worst welcoming in scotland,thanks to the taller barman of the place. No hi,no thank you,almost a good bye but not in the eyes. You can make better gin tonic at home,trust me

We had a wonderful evening at the bar, despite waiting for a table. The island overall is ways incredibly busy and it is normal to have such a wait if you've not already booked something. The bar is setup so that if you don't make it to the restaurant, they can serve you food there. The food is some of the best that we've ever eaten, and everything was so fresh! The fish and chips are incredible as is the salmon. There's also a great selection of beers and whiskeys.

Great food! Nice service. Good vibe

Pub that is part of the adjacent Dulce & Brose restaurant. Has the same (very good) menu as the restaurant. Delicious food. Recommended!

We came for the conviviality of the pub. The atmosphere was nice but the bartender was not at all friendly. He ignored us and we waited until he wanted to serve us. When we asked him for information he was very unpleasant. Avoid this ad on portree. People like this bartender harm the reception of the Isle of Skye. Damage.

I went there yesterday, they served me a room temperature beer (Skye beer) 👎

The food was great we had a good time, but still left with an unpleasant taste in our mouths. Our bill was charged with a 10% service fee, which was not stated on the menu. The division of labor among the staff is interesting; there was one guy who stood at the counter and did everything in the pub; he tapped, brought the cutlery, the food, etc., and he didn't stop for a minute. The others seemed to be just lounging around.

Boss at the end of his rope and deplorable service. To flee.

Had dinner here two nights running and watched the Champions League final. Excellent service from the team and first class food both evenings - lamb burger first night, rib eye the second. Good vibe here - the team are enjoying their work. The Skye beer on draught is smashing.

Such a fun bar! The music was on and was a great time. Great service and staff. Cannot recommend enough.

Great atmosphere and Music. worth a visit

Very nice ! At the end of the day, after a good hike, it feels good!

Great service, and really good food. I had the salmon, which was cooked perfectly and had really tasty seasoning. My wife had the fish and chips which were excellent.

Great little pub with a great atmosphere.

Nice place but unfortunately features rude staff and overpriced drinks. We were made to feel uncomfortable by staff openly rolling their eye and making snide commentary. She at one point even motioned to shoot herself in the head. Inappropriate in most settings but certainly at a front bar that you’re serving at. Left after one drink as a result.

No real ale on offer on the pump when we called in on Saturday afternoon. Had a cider instead. Nice decor

Nice place. We eat here as the restaurant was full (aka we think a group of 6 is too loud..) staff was very friendly. Food was very good and the isle of Harris gin even better!

Thank you so much Kevin you are so cute! Athmosphere friendly!

After a stroll by the sea, a quick stop in this pub with a nice atmosphere. A fabulous whiskey list! Notice to connoisseurs, we're having fun!

Great place, good music. Tables are very sticky.

Very good place to have some beers

Nice food, great atmosphere and friendly people working there. Brilliant choice.

Good gin selection in a cute place. Fave drink I had in my time there was the bartender rec of pink misty isle gin dash of lemonade

Outstanding whisky selection and very knowledgeable service! One of the best in Scotland! Shout-out to Gregor for his friendly, helpful service.

I made a reservation in advance, then called the night of to see if I could actually come early and sit at the bar. They said yes, no problem, and told me I could eat the bar with the same menu, and they cancelled my reservation since I was coming in early. I got there 20 minutes later and was told it was a 1-2 hr wait, and learned that the bar was standing only and drinks only. I asked the bartender for a whiskey recommendation and was handed a book of their whiskeys instead. After waiting an hour and a half, I was given a table, then ten minutes later I was moved to a different table. I ordered one of the less expensive meals (haddock), while pointing to the item on the menu, but was apparently served the cod and charged almost £10 more. I told them I had ordered the haddock and they said no, you ordered cod. I didn’t want to argue so I just paid for it. I really tried to be patient throughout the night but my bill at the end really put a sour taste in my mouth on my first night in Portree.

Very cold welcome from the waiter. Lots of time to take the order, then forgot us, we pointed it out to him and he had forgotten what we had ordered.. disappointing! Ps: Pint served with more foam than beer…

Really friendly staff and atmosphere. Well worth a visit.

Along one of our many pit stops when we happened upon this bar, we were greeted by an imposing looking bartender from Ayrshire with the thickest of Scottish accents who once he got the booze flowing turned out to be nothing but a gentle giant, whom according to the natives and local legend there, everybody else also thought that he had one of the thickest accents as well! lol That aside, I never had a better Old Fashioned prepared whilst my mate enjoyed gin so good he never tasted on this side of the pond. We got so hammered our accents apparently got the best of us the bartender ended up calling us an Uber. That was funny

Amazingly warm and friendly bar, great staff who know their trade well, always full of new people to meet and great

The beer is definitely good, which is most important at bars, but the food doesn't match it. The seafood, e.g. didn't taste as it just came from the sea (in a sea town like Portree). Also the service isn't that great compared to other pubs in Skye.

Great service, friendly staff and dog friendly. The food menu is the same as the Dulse and Brose restaurant next door but in a cozy bar setting. The service was fast and attentive and we felt very welcome - including the dog. Nice wine and ale too!

Kind people behind the bar, exceptional fish and chips (and other dishes of course) and great apple ciders! All around 5*

The staff were rude, un-friendly and disorganised.. We won't be going back!

They are terrible！I ordered food and drinks. I haven't finished my food they already chasing me give the table back twice. There is only after 45 mins since I entry there. I think maybe I am Chinese. When the second time they asked me give them table back，others customers looked at me and the staff…. It is a bar and they never say time limitation when I had my order！ I know they are busy，but never have same experience in other bars！

Nice place to have a drink. They have a wide variety of gins.

Nice pint of skye Black ale, young male bartender very attentive and friendly. Nice atmosphere.

Modern, stylish bar in prominent position overlooking harbour. Smart and fairly spacious. Slow service and, when finally served, gruff publican who gave impression pubs are OK apart from customers. Tried 2 cask ales: Skye Gold and Red. Water was sprayed onto beer as poured, apparently to help froth settle (never seen before). Inevitably, both beers were thin, tasteless and without body - unsurprising if 5% was tap water. Furthermore the gin & tonic was noticeably short of gin and, thinking about it, the barman took the drink away from me and prepared it where it couldn't be seen. Suspect this pub is giving short measures. Mostly visitors in there so they won't be back again regardless. However we were staying for over 2 weeks so voted with my feet.

Good selection of beers and gins on offer

Good food, nice staff, nice drinks! It's worthy to pay a visit!

Great selection of whisky and beer. Very helpfull Staff.

We were made extremely welcomed and looked after by this barman (a Serbian).  He also recognised from where we live. Although being a Saturday evening and booking is required (which we didn't place a reservation) the barman still managed to find us a table. I had pasta with wild mushroom and chestnut cream was absolutely delicious. I would come here to eat when in Portree friendly staff and service with a smile. Highly recommended.

The service in this bar is the worst I have had here in Portree the people skills from the barman were non existent I wouldn't recommend this bar to anyone

Very friendly staff. The barman took the time to explain the different whisky types and made us try the ones we might like.

Food and service was excellent. I'm assuming due to covid restrictions there are limited tables. We booked for a table online, 5pm was the latest we could get, we could only eat in the bar area because we had a dog with us which was not a problem, the bar area is lovely. When a table came free in the bar area, staff would let people in for a drink only and were told how long they could occupy the table for. Tables fully cleaned etc following covid restrictions. Would fully recommend this place. Book in advance. Full covid