Olive in Highland

Delicious food and coffee, nice cosy decor and friendly helpful staff, highly recommend!

I didn’t eat here so can’t comment on the food but the coffee wasn’t nice at all, asked for a mocha and I certainly didn’t get a mocha, beans were bitter. Staff were rude. Place is beautiful just a shame about the coffee and the rudeness of staff.

Rude staff member when we went in. We didn't stay.

Great little cafe. Stopped in for a piece of cake and a brew. Which were both superb. The atmosphere here was great. Would go back again

Lovely place and good gluten free options

I had high hopes for this cute looking place. The staff were ok, if a bit off, not rude or anything just disinterested. We ordered food and drinks. The drinks arrived and then we waited and waited. We waited 45 mins for two chicken sandwiches, however the sandwiches were covered in cheese which is not mentioned in the menu and I can't eat. After waiting for 45 mins I was hungry so instead of sending it back I scrapped the cheese off and ate. The food was OK but very pricey for what it is. Wouldn't choose to eat here again.

Lovely atmosphere, very friendly and accommodating staff, fantastic food, much needed rest stop!

Lovely cafe, great food and drinks but very slow service and to get food and drinks! Very laid back to a point of frustration esp when waiting for take away.

Excellent cafe! Great atmosphere, delicious coffee and food. Staff were very lovely as well. Hope to stop in again soon.

Had a lovely peppermint tea and one of the Dairy free brownies and they absolutely delicious.

Decent little upmarket bistro. Actually feels a little out of place in Thurso. Staff are friendly, service is quick enough. Seems trendy with the younger crowd. Menu can be a little Niche so check it out before hand. Pretty good for the veggie and vegan lot and those with dietary requirements.

Went to sit in for a coffee as the weather today wasn’t the greatest. Ordered 2 large mochas, didn’t taste like one, tasted more like a latte. Felt awkward buying a drink and got asked if i wanted sugar and was told to help myself in an unfriendly manner. Would love to go more often for the place but just doesn’t have a nice atmosphere and the coffee isn’t nice

Lovely food. Paulina is a wonderful cook. Kyle, Lynn, and June look after everyone. Beautiful venue, and the best coffee in town. Don't have any of the home baking, though, because that way there will be all the more for me. 🤣😉🍰🍪🍩. Their theme nights of different countries are not to be missed. Very generous portions, excellent food at a great price.

You get the feeling they would rather you weren't there. Attitudes and service from staff and owner bad, to the point of rudeness. We would not go back.

A very beautiful place with very delicious food. It was just a great start to my dull day. If you can do try “HASH BROWN FRIED EGGS”, it’s yummy.

Really lovley coffee shop. Amazing decor. Really friendly staff and Amazing cake 😊

Adorable people with lovely atmosphere and design❣️ Great hospitality with fun toys for the toddler and kids.🦴 Food was unique and the orange juice was 100% organic 😋 Definitely will come back every time I have chance to do so!🥰

I really enjoy going into the Olive. The food is always good and well priced. The staff are always delightfully friendly and always acknowledge you. Well done to all the team. A brilliant concept. 👏👏👏

Amazing coffee, amazing people, definitely didn’t expect to find such a cozy place

Sweet café with young audience and great cake. Lovely decoration. Little shop in the back.

It is an exceptional and the best restaurant in Thurso, even very tough competitor to Edinburgh restaurants. Visit this restaurant and spend some quality time with sumptuous food and well mannered staffs. Thanks

Just love this place. Atmosphere is fab, staff are super friendly and helpful and food is first class.

What a lovely lunch myself and my partner had here at the weekend. I had the special coconut curry ramen with chicken and my partner the roast lamb dinner! Wow, what amazing food, some of the best we’ve had! We even managed to share a huge slice of carrot cake and a couple of lovely lattes to finish. Ambience is superb and service top notch too, highly recommend:-)

Been here 4-5 times over past 2 months, and each time the food is delicious, the cappuccinos are yummy and gorgeous, and the ambiance cannot be beat. The avocado toast is really special, not just avocado on toast, but a work of culinary art and flavors.

Wonderful hospitality during a very long layover between the Scrabster ferry and the Scotrail train departure. We loved the coffee, the poached eggs on sourdough and, most importantly, the warm and welcoming atmosphere. Good WiFi and outlets at every table for those who are not untethered.

Olive definitely deserves its high review ratings. I had the cauliflower & almond soup of the day, followed by the Highlander grilled sandwich, filled with chicken, haggis, red onion & mozzarella. A superb lunch on a cold and wet day (the 2nd day of Storm Babet). The service was friendly and professional. Recommended.

Absolutely delicious food, beautiful inside and friendly service. Lovely small range of gifts, handmade pottery etc. Highly recommended.

A rare gem of a cafe. Best coffee we’ve had in Scotland, delicious and beautifully presented food and friendly service. Kyle, who hand-built this beautiful haven during lockdown, named it after his great grandmother, Olive. He runs the place with the same passion. There is a lot of heart in this place. The cafe is fitted out beautifully using local materials. A teal testament to creativity and ingenuity. Do yourself a treat and order something a little different from the specials board.

We had the daily special "the Highlander" on a potato and my partner had it on the burger bun. Everything was very high quality and absolutely delicious

The best coffee I've had in the North East of Scotland. The cake is amazing. Don't go anywhere else if you're in Thurso. The lady serving was friendly, welcoming, and very helpful

Great little cafe. Great staff. Great food. A great find. Just wish we were in the area longer to try different dishes.

Delicious lunch in a relaxed atmosphere. Nice staff. Recommended.

Lovely chilled atmosphere, helpful staff, really enjoyed my coffee and toasted cheese sandwich.

I had the carrot cake. It was different as it used pecans, was nice and moist with a velvety topping. I highly recommend it with a cup of coffee or tea.

The place is super cute and cozy, the food is very good and the staff is very friendly. We had lunch there during a stop in Thurso and ate well, the dishes are fresh and plentiful for reasonable prices

Such lovely staff, gorgeous ambiance and top notch coffee. Food was fresh and lovely. Wish we were sticking around long enough to try more of their dishes. Would highly recommend.

my family and i stopped here and fell in love with the place! the cakes were all so good and we all enjoyed our coffees :) the dirty chai was really delicious! the decor and vibes are just right and the owner is super friendly!!! i recommend this place for sure :)

Very stylish cafe to visit. Great food and a good variety. Lovely staff and good service..

The seating was quite uncomfortable. Had scrambled eggs on toast and tasted like it was microwaved, fine if you're in a Wetherspoons but when you're paying north of a tenner for it and the misses said her coffee tasted burnt.

Currently doing the NC500 and stopped off for breakfast on the way though. Well worth a visit! Don't miss out

Delicious food, lovely interior and very friendly staff

Had the Tuna and Orkney cheese toasty and it was delicious. The place has a great a great atmosphere and friendly helpful staff.

Wonderfull coffee, food very fresh, coffee shop charming and very special with Kyle (ovner) personal touch for grandparents memory. Wonderfull wonderfull place!!! Will be back for shure!!!! Kyle is wonderfull warm and generous person. Hopefull he visit our place to give little design idea 😉

The place is centre of Thurso,it is the Best restaurant I ever been. The staff is always helpfull and kind, but boss Kyle is lovely, clever and handsome 😉 plus cheeky what is bonus! We love him !!!

Lovely atmosphere, well prepared coffee and tasty cakes. Service felt a little stretched, but no big bother. Some good vegan options. Would come again and recommend if staying in or passing through Thurso.

A light in this gloomy city!!! Very nice place, helpful staff and excellent food (with the kitchen open until 10pm!!!!)…highly recommended!

Very lucky to be in Thurso when Olive started their delicious evening menu. Very high quality food and friendly service at a reasonable price. Good music too. Thanks team 😊

This was a great find. Excellent modern food, coffee, and ambience.

Best carrot cake with great coffee, awesome lunch as well! Super nice atmosphere and friendly staff, forgot to take pics as the food was gone so fast

Food and coffee was amazing. Kyle, the owner and the entire staff take such pride in running a great restaurant with such a great vibe. If you’re on the NC500 route, this should def. Be a stopover for delicious coffee and yummy food. Not to mention, the ambiance is warm and cozy.

Good food, also some vegetarian, nice people

This is a warm and cozy cafe with a pleasant ambience. The kitchen smelled delicious. I give it one star for what we first thought was an extremely slow service. It took 20 minutes to get our drinks and we waited for over an hour for an order of bagels and sandwiches. Turned out the cafe staff “forgot” to place our order with the kitchen! I recommend to double check with them as soon as you feel you waited long enough. What a disappointment!

What a cute and cozy place! Service was very friendly. We had lunch and the food was absolutely outstanding, and one of the cheapest meals on our entire Scotland trip. Cannot recommend enough.

Great atmosphere and amazing coffee

Lovely spot of lunch was had here!

Went in for brunch couple of weeks ago. It had a welcoming atmosphere and good ambiance. Staff were courteous. Food was great. We ordered a Morning roll with fried egg and venison sausage and Mexican eggs on sourdough bread. The Flatwhite coffee was strong like we preferred. Overall a good experience.

What an unexpected treat. Fabulous!

Best chicken in a bun I have ever had. Taste was out of this world. Highly recommend

The loveliest little place, stopped in on a whim on the NC500 and had such a friendly chat with the girls working, the best service we’ve had in Scotland so far! The white chocolate and pistachio cake is absolutely immense! 2 iced lattes, a slice of a cake and an espresso shot for less than £10?? Cannot be faulted! Massively recommend - from the boys going to Australia ❤️

I was pleasantly surprised at this gem of a place in Thurso. They make their Chai fresh and from scratch! Great quality food at a good price point. Relaxing atmosphere and friedly staff.

Cutest vibe, lovely staff and absolutely delicious breakfast and cakes. Highly recommend!

Lovely lunch and cakes. Staff was so kind and welcoming.

Short visit at Olive today was amazing experience! Lovley service with smile and welcoming attitude. I have carrot cake and it was best carrot cake ever !!!! Very good coffee.

Lovely food and coffee + excellent craic for free!

Very very nice place to stop for a quick snack before embarking for the Ordkas. Good food and very friendly staff. Passed with full marks.

What a cracking find!! Fantastic service, diverse breakfast menu and the food certainly hit the spot.

Damn good breakfast rolls and coffee! One to come back for.

The best ramen I’ve ever had. Definitely recommend the coconut curried ramen if you go! Everything about Olive is beautifully prepared and made with so much thought. Thanks Olive for a lovely time! 😊

The servers were a bit grumpy. Must have been a rough day.

Olive is one of those places that want to look and feel like those really nice, lovely coffee shops in Edinburgh or Glasgow but it is NOT. Interior - fine. Food - alright. Drink - I'd say okay to good. Service and attitudes towards customers - very, very odd! Not particularly welcoming staff. Plus, I witnessed someone with a dog asking if dogs were allowed and the reaction was one of those bizarre 'no's. To summarise, they make you feel strange, food is alright, floor staff - odd (wouldn't say unfriendly but odd, like they don't really want you there) and from the conversation I overheard, no dogs allowed.

Definitely the nicest cafe in Thurso! Such a cool atmosphere with great food, we got the breakfast rolls with add ons - best vegetarian Haggis I’ve had so far. The Shop at the back is cute too, very boutique with a Byron Bay feel.

Amazing cuppacino to start my day. Australian batista pretty hot too! Too young for me but wowsers!!! The Olive experience is always a pleasure.

Lovely place in Thurso for a coffee and a lunch. We both had the morning bagels and they were packed full and delicious. Would definitely recommend.

Olive has the perfect combination of good vibes, and super yummy food! They have a great selection of meals and snacks as well as various drinks. The decor and atmosphere of the place is really laid back and chill, we didn’t feel rushed at all.

How amazing I had spicy bean burger very tasty My partner wanted a jacket pocket didn't have 1, so she went with her first choice of chicken burger her words were to die for, and we ended up taking our cakes with us how beautiful thank you so much x

Food was amazing we had the chicken burger which was seasoned well and very tasty, my partner had the spicy bean burger again super nice would absolutely recommend

The staff were very rude, especially who we believe was the owner. We heard him slagging off other customers for not wanting to stay. When he served us, he was very rude. On the menu there were 2 different size coffees so I asked for a small, and he said “we are not Starbucks”. We waited at the till to order and to pay and no one spoke to us, I understand they were busy but the customer service was appalling. The chef brought out the food himself, the food was lovely and he was very friendly. It doesn’t cost anything to be nice - we will not be returning, I think the owner needs some lessons in how to treat his customers.

Visited this nice cafe during my stay in Thurso. The staff were friendly and food was tasty. I had the Olive Club grilled sandwich which was delicious. The seating area was well decorated and spacious and it also has a mini shop in the cafe.

We called in on our way to the Orkney ferry and had coffee. The surroundings are comfy, stylish and contemporary. Our coffee was really good- smooth and full of taste. We didn’t have time to stay for lunch but there’s lots of choice. From our short time it’s a must visit place in Thurso

Very nice place, great selection of food and all very good quality, nice atmosphere as well but can get quite busy.

The food was excellent! Loved the bread. So tasty. Soup of the day was brilliant. Nice ambiance and friendly staff.

Best cafe in the far north east

Lovely kind staff, cute decor and nice food.

Amazing coffee, great atmosphere and the food is tasty too. I recommend the avocado toast.

Delicious Mediterranean vibe with Vintage overtones!!

Totally relaxing delicious coffee (real quality barista !) and moist nutty carrot cake .. yummy .. a treat ..in gorgeous surroundings too 👍👍

What a lovely place, and great coffee to boot.

Staff were a bit rude but the coffee was lovely, reasonable price.

A haven of tranquility on the North Coast! Absolutely fantastic food and coffee and lovely staff. Breakfast was superb. It’s a must for anyone travelling through Thurso!

Our first time eating here but it definitely will not be the last. Excellent fresh food, with wonderful flavours and very quickly prepared too. The staff were exceedingly welcoming and friendly. Very well done guys 👏👏👏

Really nice, chill cafe. Food is superb!

Very welcoming. Lovely food even better coffee. A pleasure dinning there

This was one of the BEST restaurant experiences I, and my family, have ever had. The food was absolutely delicious and the service was top-notch. The owner shared the story behind the restaurant with us, which made us all feel so welcome and excited to be in a restaurant that is rooted in passion and love. Our brunch at Olive was a highlight of our two-week trip to Scotland and I absolutely recommend everyone stop in for a good meal and warm hospitality.

We had fantastic vegan ramen, staff were lovely, helpful and knowledgeable. It was a real treat. Thank you

What a wonderful place with great people and delicious coffee. Inside it is all decorated with love and passion. A place you must visit

Kyle and Lynn are awesome! Not only does the cafe have delicious food, coffee and a great atmosphere, but they also told me told me about an amazing local music show in town which added to a great trip north! Definitely stop here if you're in Thurso!

Sorry that this review is a little late! During our NC500 drive in October 2022 we had found this lovely gem for our brunch. At the time they were short of staff, but this had not impacted our experience at all. The owner served us and had tons of witty banter, the service levels were magnificent and the food and drinks were to die for. I was so impressed with the owner and what he had created that I was more than happy to leave a tip for the experience. To anyone passing through Thurso, this is a must stop!

This café is very pleasant, the food is very good (fresh and good products), the coffees and teas are tasty, the decor is very cozy and the music is in good taste! The welcome is great: smiling and warm and the service too. Thank you++

Delicious food and such friendly, fast, and professional service! Kyle and the team were especially helpful.

Massively overpriced, no prices displayed on the board, so you only find out once it’s too late…. Beware!! Oh and the staff are rude!! Just not great and will not be returning.