Merry Kettle in Aberdeenshire

This place is enticing, good for brunch and with nice ambiance inside but they accept only cash. It’s just a walking distance from the town center. They accommodated us even if they’re about to close. They close at 4:30 pm.

Food was prompt and good. The staff were amazing and incredibly accommodating. It is cash only so be prepared.

After a busy day in delightful Huntly, I was so ready for food and my first two choices ruled themselves out for perfectly valid reasons. I’m going to be back in the town a lot, so they won’t lose out on my opinion in future as I‘ve enjoyed meals there in the past. As I wandered sadly round the bonny Square, a helpful local ( who’d noted my search) pointed down a side street at a little statue of a chef, outside what turned out to be the most warm, welcoming and tasty experience for a hungry, by now ravenous, traveller. It was quiet, but from the chat between the young staff members and locals, I gathered that it had been very busy earlier… and I soon found out why. Being time-limited, I chose the fastest thing I could think of…a cheese dog. Knowing the normal size of such things, I ordered a side portion of chips. Didn’t need them as the dog turned out to be of Great Dane proportions. Oh thank you. And I managed the chips, of course. Delicious, filling and reasonably priced. Super-helpful staff, including the young man who rescued me when I couldn’t find the light-switch for the ladies’. This was a definite “find” and will draw me back with friends and family. One thing that really impresses was that each of the swiftly-cleared tables had a clear notice that it was ready for customers. Clever and considerate as I know of several times in other places when I’ve thought a table was clear, and ended up with my elbows in someone else’s tea spillings or crumbs. Great, attractive menu with a good range of food. Look for the wee chef.

Great friendly place. Good food and lots of choice. Very welcoming. We all enjoyed our visit. Definitely go back.

We popped in late on in the day. We were told the kitchen had closed but we just wanted drinks and cakes so we were happy. The surrounding were a bit tired but nice friendly server - and the quality of the baked were great and the price was very good value. Just a bit stuck in the 1970’s and cash only…..

Beautiful egg mayo and prawn mayo takeaway from the merry kettle today. Bread was so soft and fresh. Walnut and coffee cake fantastic lovely big slice and so moist. Thanks Trish, Debbie and Co.,....yummy All gone !!!🤣

We found this little gem down a side street and So glad that we did.We had lovely homemade food, tasty Chicken and Broccoli bake then coffee and fabulous cakes, bakewell slice was the best I have ever had . Great service all served with a Smile, lovely Quines and great advice from the talented cook.

Dropped in for a 'fly cup' this cold afternoon. The food was very good and the staff welcoming and friendly. Well worth another visit.

Popped in and was met by helpful staff and a totally yummy homemade steak pie of generous portion . Too full for cake although it looked promising too!

Very busy today as the Bank restaurant was closed with no opening times displayed for customers.Had soup and sweet along with drinks

Poped in for a coffee and bacon roll and opted for the full breakfast - fabulous value and cooked fresh Very impressed Great service, great cup of tea Veggie options available for those who need Have been back a few times last few weeks

Great coffee and cakes. Good price. Very busy early morning which is always a good sign. Only accept cash.

Macaroni was excellent but work needed on the coronation chicken. Maybe try more curry powder. Coffee nice and resisted temptation on the cheese scones which looked lovely.

Working away and found this great wee shop for breakfast and a nice place to relax totally recommend 5*****

This is a busy little tea shop and is this way for a reason - the food is good and the staff are excellent. We had the soup and pudding - soup was homemade and was excellent. The pudding was good also. Staff are very friendly and attentive... well done, keep up the great work. Compared to the other options in Huntly, this is certainly the best value in my opinion

I visited this establishment on a weekday lunchtime, it was not busy but looked inviting from the outside. The staff were pleasant and the tables looked modern enough but unfortunately that's pretty much where the good points ended unfortunately.I visited with my father and on arrival we both noticed how dog eared and tired looking the menus were, the prices haphazardly taped over where they had been updated over what I can only imagine to be years. Nethertheless, we decided to order. I decided to skip the food and opt for a hot chocolate, my father took the plunge and ordered a latte and a soup of the day which was cream of mushroom and an egg sandwich.The food arrived promptly along with the drinks. My hot chocolate was nice, nothing I couldnt have made at home but still. My dads latte was not too dissimilar to hot milk with half a shot of coffee however he was thirsty and just able to drink it. The soup was from a packet (there was a lump of undissolved powder at the bottom of the bowl) and the bread of the sandwich was stale. The egg filling was fairly standard, not dissimilar to a supermarket sandwich quality.All in all, I was underwhelmed. If a place doesn't buy fresh bread or even bother to cheat properly with their "Soup of the Day" then I will not go back. Dissapointed.

My friend and I visited this café for afternoon coffee and cake. From the outside it looked very inviting; a traditional tea shop. However, we were very disappointed. My friend had a tea cake, which was tiny, and I had a piece of coffee and walnut cake, which was very big but a touch on the sickly side. The biggest disappointment though, was the coffee. We ordered flat whites, which were nothing more than completely tasteless cups of warm milk. Will not be going back. The service was OK and the environment is clean and traditional; hence I have given 3 stars.

Nice polite and attentive staff. I don't usually find that in a tearoom. Quirky little place. Tasty treats at reasonable prices. Free wifi. Will go back.

Old style cafe. Lots on menu and very reasonable. Staff very friendly. and it is what it is. Want a sandwich or toastie at not to inflated prices it’s the place. You might come out smelling of a fried chip only downfall. Will return again as it’s good honest food at good honest prices.

Three of us stopped for coffee on Saturday, Feb 10 for coffees, tea and sandwiches. Carafe of coffee wasn't nice and latte was tasteless. Same goes for the sandwiches. Pot of tea was ok. Won't visit again.

Stopped for a quick bite while travelling to Aberdeen. We have visited several times before and never been disappointed. There is a good range of food on the menu and it appears all freshly prepared.

On the way to Inverness stopped here for a bite to eat. Ate a potion of chips and little bit of fish. Pancakes for dessert were excellent. Children got food not on the menu too. Excellent staff.

Llegando a Huntly desde Aberdeen en auto, paramos a almorzar. Todo cerrado a las 13 hrs . Menos éste lugar. Almorzamos liviano dentro de lo que ofrecen. Para un latino, no hay muchas opciones, pero estuvo bien igual. La atención parece ser de dueños, muy cálida y pueblerina.

escapando un poco de la lluvia de huntly econtramos este local, para almorzar. muy buena comida. atencion correcta. precios acordes.

I went to the cafe with two friends on Saturday. The staff were friendly and listened well when taking our order and we didn't have long to wait. I had beans on toast and got nicely toasted brown bread arranged on the plate so that the beans sat in the middle if the plate. I have never, ever seen such a small portion of beans, so asked if I could have more which took ages to come and was equally as small, brought in a tiny bowl. I was disappointed and even more so to find that my beans with toast apart from my coffees, must have cost £4.40. In total for two ordinary sized cappuccinos plus the beans and toast cost me £8.40. My friends enjoyed their small full breakfast which had much more in content in relation to my poor sized beans with toast. Not happy. I am a vegan so choice very limited for me but I don't hold that against this type of cafe.

We ate lunch here as all the other places seemed to close at 2 or 2.30pm, but we were glad we did. Sometimes, the little places can surprise you. The Merry Kettle let me go off menu (I wanted a salad and they made me up a perfectly delicious cheese one), and my husband had mince pie, chips and gravy. (You don't get more Scottish than that!) Cheap, cheerful and friendly.

I called in mid afternoon looking for coffee and cake. There were a few other people in who seemed to be regulars. The staff were friendly and I enjoyed my coffee and Victoria Sponge. I saw no reason not to go back again.

Called in fir a cuppa, friendly staff we didnt eat here but the food looked good and it had a fair chouce on the menu, and it was busy always a good sign.

We stopped off here on the way to Aberdeen. Food was okay but you leave this place with the smell of fried food lingering on your clothes. Staff seemed to know their regular customers well.

Muy agradable. . Fresco y personal muy agradable. . Buena selección de comida en el menú para un delicioso pudding y pancake 😁

Visited again at the weekend while passing through and as always tasty food .....and ....unlike the previous reviewer - I rather prefer their tasty fruit crumble which has more crumble than fruit . I make it that way at home . Keep up the good work .

It was a damp day and I was cold so I ordered the soup and Sweet offer. Great idea but the soup, although tasting nice, was not very hot. The sweet I ordered was a fruit crumble and custard which was mostly crumble with litter fruit!Would not go there again.

Ideal for a quick plate of the delicious soup and homemade sweet of your choice. Parking nearby. Friendly staff. Very reasonably priced.

We have twice visited this cafe in recent weeks while passing through Huntly. Both times we have had enjoyed lovely toasties and sandwiches, delicious hot drinks including very good hot chocolate and found the staff to be very helpful and friendly.We look forward to returning soon.

This cafe has changed hands since we last visited. Decor first of all has moved away from the 'tea shop '' type to an opened up more modern look but it's a bit haphazard - the table cloths are vinyl and have a retro pattern- very loud and in your face which really dominates . Menu has changed - now smaller and more easily handled also a good children's menu and soup and sweet deal still available . The foods offered are mostly the same - sandwiches ,toasties, paninis and now hoagies. Main meals still mostly deep fried but always a special on the board - it was lasagne the day we visited and the choice off soups were French onion or kale- thought these were rather a strange choice to offer together as it would have been better to offer a more common soup and only one of these .We ordered scampi and although it did take a while to come was served well presented and nice and hot and crispy and we enjoyed it . The large modern square plates are very nice and enhance presentation but it's very difficult to fit them and your drinks etc on the smaller round type tables.Good selection of cold drinks and coffees , but coffee was far too strong for my taste -it was supposed to be a milky coffee ., but it was so strong it was hard to tell if it was made with milk or not!Staff were pleasant.Only really annoying thing was the bell on the entrance door which rings ( loudly!) every time a person enters or leaves . As this is not a large cafe and counter faces the door it really is not necessary to have this annoying sound all the time you are eating.Tip - pick a table away from the door - not just for the noisy bell but also because sitting at the tables near the door you are very cold from the door opening / closing all the time.

Having pulled off the A96 on route from Inverness to Aberdeen, our first impressions of Huntly were not great, from a cafe/restaurant point of view, so we headed off to find some where and found the Merry Kettle where the service was quick and friendly and nothing seemed a problem. We had cauliflower soup that was delicious followed by a Hoagie, served with salad, Coleslaw and Crisps, all really good value for money

Had a lovely meal here on 23rd December , scampi chips , fish & chips , broth and apple crumble . Everything (as usual )delish! Will continue to bring custom when in the area ! Keep up the good work everyone !

Called in this lovely Cafe whilst on a day trip to Huntly. Super service even whilst really busy, great soup and panini. Great staff, great food, great atmosphere. Well done.

The Merry Kettle , tucked neatly down the lane ,just of the main square DUKE STREET pop on in and relax with a fancy tea and cake or a hot meal from there menu ,the staff are friendly and make you welcome .All food is freshly cooked or made to order . Go on and treat yourself .ps they only take cash no card .

"Where everybody knows your name......", classic line from Cheers in a small country town that seems to cater for locals and visitors alike. Cosy old school interior that might have come from a set out of a 1960's TV programme. Quite an extensive menu too but a tad unusual that my date and banana scone was warm and my wife's plain scone was cold? Nice cup of tea to accompany our little snack so a very nice afternoon delight. Huntley is a small town and even though Merry Kettle is down a side road, it is not hard to find. Worth a visit whilst you browse the old world charm and narrow streets of Huntly.

As you know I'm not easily impressed.This place is just amazing.I guess if you want the tea shop atmosphere and quick service you need to go early morning or late afternoon, because at lunch time when we went, the place was heaving. There was one spare table when we got there, and one was vacated soon afterwards.The menu is variable: from croissants, toasted teacakes and various sweet and savoury scones, to a full breakfast (of varying sizes and prices-we have had the medium breakfast before and it is excellent and beautifully presented)There are also burgers supplied by Edendiach Farm Shop, which is local. I didn't try them here, but I have bought them from he shop and they are excellent. Haddock and chips is on the menu with locally sourced fish and there are other meat options with locally sourced beef from Forbes Raeburn, who win awards..He went for chilli con carne with chips (you can have rice as an alternative)In the interests of research (again) I tried the chips. They were gorgeous. Crispy on the outside fluffy in the middle and clearly just cooked!. His chilli looked good and he said it was exceptionally so (he had it in USA and this was better)I had home made minestrone soup served with fresh bread. The bread alone was delicious! The soup was to die for. Wonderfully tomatoey, with soft veg and thick noodles. I went for a bacon sandwich as well, and it was maybe on the small side, and the bun was buttered, which isn't my preference, and it was dressed with brown sauce, again not my preference, but the bacon was really tasty and plentiful, so I've ignored the personal aspect.With a pot of tea for two, which gives you over two cups each, the bill came to £13.50, a bargain in anybody's language.Because everything is made to order, you will not find this a fast food outlet, but neither would you want to, with the quality of the food! Service was a bit slow, but the place was full, and Huntly people like to savour the moment. It's a really nice tea shop ambience, and they do home made cakes of varying descriptions which you can also have as takeaways, and they do look goodTwo points to know: It is on a busy street, so parking might be difficult but there is ample free and pay for parking in Huntly, plus they don't take cards so you need some cash, but there are three cash machines in the square 200 metres away.

The Merry Kettle is a lovely cafe serving great value, fresh food with superb, friendly service. All the food is freshly cooked or made to order, and the menu clearly states where the food is sourced from local suppliers. The staff are so friendly, and have got to know our favourite things to order and are helpful and chatty! Our favourite things to order are poutine, paninis and the cheesy macaroni!We visit when we stay at our caravan in Huntly, and other family members, who occasionally use our caravan when we are not there, always go to the Merry Kettle too! We do like other places, have tried most in Huntly, but when you find a place you can rely on every time, know what to expect and never be disappointed, why go elsewhere?

We visited after being to Huntly Castle. There was a good choice on the menu at very reasonable prices. It was busy, which we always take as a good sign but we didn't have to wait too long. All of our food was freshly home cooked with big portions so we couldn't really ask for more.

A nice little cafe, service was good and a nice choice of food.Everything was cooked to order so arrived piping hot.

Recently enjoyed a lovely meal for three at lunch time . We had scampi fish and baked tattie. Generous helpings , fresh delicious food . Would return ! Pop along and give it a try .

The little hidden gem, the food is cooked to order and always arrives well presented. You get what you pay for which is ample. You get good honest home cooked food. The sweets are lovely.

Today I treated a girlfriend and her daughter for Lunch and decided to go to The Merry Kettle, a nice little traditional cafe in the centre of Huntly, I've been before and had very good experiences at this charming place. NOt sure what happened there but it really really isn't good anymore. We had the steak pie with mash tatties and neeps, and a hamburger for the daughter. The food arrived and it already did not look very nice , all slopped on the plate and not appetising at all. Well, presentation is not everything but when we started to eat it was cold! I asked the waitress if this was microwaved and she assured me no, fresh from the oven.... It was cold and it did not taste good! What a shame, lunch cost me £20 for us three...and I shall not be going back there again! Very disappointed and my friends where not impressed. ;-(.........

On entering the cafe we were greeted by the staff having their lunch. I doubled back to check the opening times as by the dirty looks we were getting from the staff we felt we had interrupted. I have never been looked up and down like that before. The food itself was below any reasonable standard. My macaroni cheese was DISGUSTING, the pasta was boiled to near nonexistence and the cheese sauce tasted bland. My husband had a burger, which he said was ok but was served in the cheapest bun. Asda do better! Hospital food springs to mind. The price for the quality is shocking, we felt ripped off. We were very disappointed as this used to be a great wee place to grab a bite. Only 1 star and that's for the lassie that served us, she was very friendly! We won't be back.

When I'm going for coffee, a cake and a news I'm not looking for anywhere pretentious. Good coffee, yummy cakes and a laid back atmosphere is what I'm looking for and this cafe is exactly that. It's quite old fashioned but I really like that.There is a wide range of food to choose from and everything I saw pass us looked good. Our coffee was good and malteser crunch and millionaire shortbread were lovely. Plenty cakes to choose from too.The girls working there were really friendly and the prices were reasonable. I probably will be back with my mum as it's a favourite of hers in Huntly.

This cafe is on a one way street in the town centre . It is very popular and frequented daily by shoppers and workers in the surrounding area. It has nice decor and furnishings . It does not have an extensive menu but there is a good variety of the things it does have eg usually choice of 2 soups, good variety of fillings for paninis and sandwiches and toasties . It has a few regular main meals - fish ,scampi,chicken fillets,gammon , salad, all served with chips and served attractively with garnishes. Also has a board of daily specials to vary this . Has a good soup 'n' sweet deal - and there's plenty puddings to choose from.It is well worth a visit for afternoon tea as the scones are lovely and there is a glass cabinet display of cakes - and they are huge portions!

This used to be a lovely busy cafe but it's gone downhill quickly. The staff a very polite but no effort into any uniform, just casual clothes. When you order a sandwich, the side salad is served in the sandwich - bizarre and inconvenient. Drinks are served late and sometimes not at all. The staff have a carefree attitude and were loudly discussing their weekend plans

Visited for lunch while on an Asda shop.Busy Cafe. Ordered fish & chips. All looked cooked from frozen.

Visited Huntly for the first time and was surprised that there is a complete absence of modern places to have either a coffee or lunch, the Merry Kettle looked the most inviting but sadly did not live up to expectations. Both the interior and menu are dated, a simple serving of basic "toasties" brought back memories of bland rubber cheese and plastic ham the only part of the experience brought up to date was the price.Not an experience I would recommend.

Found the Merry Kettle just off the Square in Huntly and it was a real treat. We were there for morning coffee and they had a great selection of biscuits and cakes. Very friendly staff and a warm welcome!

We have had lunch here many times and have always enjoyed the meals presented to us, the staff are pleasant and are kept busy with the flow of people I have rarely seen an empty table for longer than five minutes on our visits.

frequented mainly by locals with a " Greasy joes" feel, good value and decent food, but if you want the ritz then this is not your venue

Accueil sympa., souriant.Petit resto pour manger rapidement à midi.Service rapide, et cuisine correct, mais c'est du très banal...

As we were visiting my mum in Huntly , we were on the look out for somewhere local to,take her for a spot of lunch and this tea room really "hit the spot" as they say . A busy place that do take aways too.Very friendly, happy staff, and delicious soup and sandwiches. We thoroughly enjoyed our meals thank you , and very good value. Just wish I'd had the room for a pud. Will certainly be back for a return visit. Really wish we were locals, we'd be there all the time.

Good service and friendly atmosphere. They do a good cooked breakfast (although not if you are vegetarian). Overall, good value for money.

A nice wee café with pleasant staff and some tasty dishes.Just what's needed on the cold and dreary day we visited Huntly.

Been here twice now and a great wee coffee shop for something to eat. They do great sandwiches, pannin, homemade soup, prices are reasonable, only thing is the sign says they only accept cash, they have free WiFi, staff are very friendly and pleasant. Its a very busy wee cafe.

This is a great place to go for a good lunch. Staff are friendly and efficient and the food is excellent and there is a good choice and daily specials. Very reasonably priced aswell. Don't think you can go wrong in here.

This little cafe does a lovely soup and sweet deal with plenty of choices in soups and sweets. They also have a very good selection on the menu for a small cafe, the cakes and hot chocolates etc are out of this world. Lovely staff and very clean. It is always very busy so that can only mean one thing it is very good

Asked shop assistant in nearby shop to recommend somewhere for lunch. The cafe was busy and the menu looked simple but hoped would be good. I ordered haggis/beef burger. Served plain in a bun with frozen chips and peas. Unappetising and decidedly mediocre. My sister ordered pie - and hoped it would be homemade, but sadly not. Very average at best....