Pete's Cafe in Shetland Islands

A very popular and busy cafe that can be difficult to get a table in, especially in the cruise season. I often end up walking past as the place looks packed when peering through the window. The service is table service, but you need to order at the counter just inside the entrance on the left. This area can be quite loud so you may have difficulty hearing yourself order. My table was clean and ready to use. There is little room between the tables so you might find yourself dusting off your neighbour's table with your trousers/skirt. You can't help but get into friendly conversation with the cutomers on nearby tables so you might make new friends! The Cullen skink soup needed more fish, potato and cream, but less leek. Not as good when I was in there a number of weeks ago, although I understand that they have had some turnover of kitchen staff in the relatively short time that they have been open. The blackcurrant sponge cake/flan was superb. The others that I didn't try looked very good too. The portion was quite generous. The flat white coffee was disappointing. It was very strong suggesting a double shot of a dark roast, perhaps it was Peerie Spiggie coffee? In blind testing in the UK customers almost always expressed a preference for a lighter roast, but many cafes use a dark roast. The cup seemed smaller than eight ounces, the accepted size for serving flat whites, but I may be wrong about their cup size. The drink seemed watery. The proportion of milk to coffee was wrong. It may also have been that the milk used was not full fat milk, which is a shame as the local Shetland Dairy's full fat milk is particularly good for coffee drinks that have stretched milk, as it seems to have a high cream content. I would recommend weighing the water that has passed through the portafilter: 18g of ground coffee in to 36g of coffee out then top up with stretched milk. The younger staff are busy and very good at clearing and cleaning the tables quickly, freeing up space for the next customer, as well as being polite, professional and cheerful. I noticed some of the customers lingering longer than was polite in the circumstances, i.e. other customers waiting for seats. Pete's Cafe is one of the best cafes in Lerwick, but also try the Olive Tree in the Bolts Shopping Centre. The soup will be better, as will the coffee, and you will have more space between the tables. The cakes won't be as good though.

The absolute best place for breakfast in Shetland. The food and drinks are delicious, and beyond that, the people have hearts of gold. I stopped in one morning before a tour, wanting to get a Diet Coke and the credit card machine wasn’t working. Christiane gave me the Coke anyways and said don’t worry about it. Me! A complete stranger. And when we went back for another breakfast (and I was able to repay her), I bought a bunch of scones for our travels the next day. As luck would have it I lost them somewhere during that day. I went back to Pete’s to ask if I had left them there. No joy. After re-walking the entire town I gave up and came back to buy a sandwich for the next days travels. When Christiane give me my bag she said I’m out of the kind of scones you bought this morning, but I put in another one with jam and cream to make up for it. They are so kind.

This is a great spot to just stop and take a minute and relax. We spent about 30 minutes in here enjoying coffee and the lemon cake. it was fantastic

Just perfect. Delicious cakes Excellant coffee Friendly service Great location Good value Yes, just perfect!......

We had a wonderful cooked breakfast at Pete’s cafe. Tasty, fresh, good quality, hot and filling. The service was friendly and fast. The cafe is clean and comfortable. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit.

This place is charming and delightful. The food is delicious and fresh, the coffee is fantastic, and the staff are helpful and friendly. We met Kristiana (sp?) the co-owner who is a lovely woman and makes incredible food. The pastries were delicious, but you have to try the Coronation Chicken and Uradale Sassermaet made with organic Shetland beef. I wish I could come here every day!

Absolutely delightful. Food was delicious and all homemade. Lattes were perfect and the desserts were fantastic and also homemade and fresh. The owner and staff are so sweet and helpful. I wish I lived in the Shetland Islands so I could visit a lot!

Delicious!! A lovely small cafe… takeaway and also has tables. Great food and really lovely staff! Went twice during our stay and both visits equally as 😊

A great cup of coffee and a great bacon roll. Nice juicy back bacon. A family member was there earlier and was impressed by being able to select crispy or very crispy bacon as well.

What a very warm welcome awaits you at this cafe, very friendly staff. The soup of the day was great and the bacon roll with onion and cheese was the best. Only small and there was a wait for tables ( they do takeaway as well) they were particularly helpful towards a couple of disabled customers, for them only doing table service. Very well done, highly recommend.

Came across this establishment, whilst staying in Shetland for a few days, and looking for a quick light lunch in Lerwick. The building is quite individual as it appears to be the combination of two small houses with servery in one section and tables in the other. The comparatively basic facilities were very busy, but we found a table and joined a small queue to order food at the counter. There is a good varied range of choices with some items displayed at the counter, but many requirements are produced to order, including our dietary requirements. The food was very good and reasonably priced.

Lovely little cafe staff was very helpful friendly and attentive it’s bright airy and spotless I will be back and hey are also dog friendly so I will definitely be back with my pup

Fabulous service and a perfect stop out of the rain. Great choice of sandwiches, cakes, and hot drinks. Served quickly and hot. Well done to staff team.