Samphire Seafood Restaurant in Argyll & Bute

Incredibly fast service. Almost too fast, really, as we were there to relax, but we're in and out in under 50mins. It took us longer to drive there, although to eat! Puds - lemon tart, best we've ever had. Menu ok, but not as good as it was. There are few alternatives to fish dishes and vegetarian dish (singular option) uninspired. Staff were cheery and polite but just all too quick. We felt hurried.

It's a good, delicious, interesting restaurant.

We did not have reservations but managed to get in because we got there early. We just had to be out by certain time because someone else had the table reserved and we were fine with that arrangement. I had the most delicious smoked haddock chowder with a side wonderful salad. My husband had the fish and chips and they were delicious. Service was wonderful and staff were very friendly. We would definitely go back. However, to be sure you get a table, call ahead and make reservations.

Some of the best seafood I’ve tried. No over-complicated sauces, just letting the produce shine through. Would love to come back just for this.

Lovely food and really friendly service, would recommend!

Great food, well worth the wait

We enjoyed a fabulous dinner and a warm experience. The service was pleasant and prompt. A quiet and elegant environment. The sticky toffee pudding was fantastic. Thanks, Samphire!

Wonderful place for lunch. I had a delicious fish pie and my wife, who doesn't eat fish, had pate. Very nice, attentive service. Hope to go back some day.

Fabulous food : lovely staff - it well deserves its status

Food really good staff really friendly

THE ONLY COMMENT I WOULD MAKE ABOUT THIS PLACE IS THIS. IF YOU ARE IN THE AREA, EAT HERE !

My partner and I had Sunday lunch towards the end of a holiday. We shared Queen scallops to start, I had duck and my partner had fish pie for main. Desserts were crème brûlée and chocolate delice. Everything was fantastic. Excellently cooked and presented. Service was welcoming and friendly. Wonderful meal and experience.

A very nice lunch. I had fish pie (which was creamy and tasty) while my sister had fish and chips, which was good. We shared one of the best sticky toffee puddings I have had. Service was excellent- very good front of house

A very cosy restaurant with outstanding sea food! This was my first time trying oysters... I'm glad it was here, they tasted better than they looked 😋 Seriously, I wish this restaurant was my local! The lobster I had was just perfect.

This amazing restaurant in a small town in Scotland has some of the best seafood I’ve ever tasted. There was no problem changing most of the food on the menu to be gluten free. The staff were very friendly and helpful and knowledgeable about the food. Hopefully we’ll return to this one of the best restaurants we’ve been in. Thanks Hope this helps.

Mussels, scallops, fish chowder were all perfect. Service was local, friendly and prompted. Couldn't recommend Samphire more! Enjoy.

What a gem of a place! Stopped in on the off-chance for lunch to break a long journey. So glad we did! The staff were utterly lovely, and so helpful. The food was wonderful too. Highly recommended.

Absolutely excellent seafood, reasonably price, excellent atmosphere, fantastic staff. Really enjoyed our visit here, and highly recommend a visit Book ahead to avoid disappointment

Wonderful little place. The owner is the chef and his wife is the server. Food was quite pricey but very homemade with authentic fresh ingredients.

One of the best meals I've had for ages , mussels were huge and tasty ,fish was done to perfection, everything came out promptly and the servers were lovely,first time here and will be back soon ,book in advance as very busy

First class food, first class service. Had some family up to stay and booked Samphire for dinner as I heard it's amazing - we weren't disappointed. Had oysters and scallops to start, and both were delicious. The oysters, in particular, were some of the best I've had - super fresh and meaty with a beautiful texture and flavour. Roasted sole for main course didn't disappoint - perfectly cooked in butter sauce and shrimps with a side of buttery potatoes. My only small criticism is that it would have been nice to have some veg, I'm sure they were available as a side, but no one told me it didn't come with veg or offered any. Lemon tart dessert was a nice surprise. Looked more like a mousse or creme brulee bring presented on a circle of shortcrust pastry and cameralised top - outstanding. Great night and not too expensive.

First class food, first class service. Had some family up to stay and booked Samphire for dinner as I heard it's amazing - we weren't disappointed. Had oysters and scallops to start, and both were delicious. The oysters, in particular, were some of the best I've had - super fresh and meaty with a beautiful texture and flavour. Roasted sole for main course didn't disappoint - perfectly cooked in butter sauce and shrimps with a side of buttery potatoes. My only small criticism is that it would have been nice to have some veg, I'm sure they were available as a side, but no one told me it didn't come with veg or offered any. Lemon tart dessert was a nice surprise. Looked more like a mousse or creme brulee bring presented on a circle of shortcrust pastry and cameralised top - outstanding. Great night and not too expensive.

The seafood here is amazing. Freshly collected from the local area and cooked to perfection

There is nothing else to say but excellent

Fantastic meal. Probably the best we had on our trip. The seafood is excellent and the desert was equally delicious.

Having chosen Inveraray to meet up with my brothers and their wives to celebrate my 60th birthday we quickly booked a table at the highly recommended Samphire and that was certainly a good decision. 6 of us enjoyed superb seafood cooked and presented perfectly, with local beers and excellent wines to accompany it. A pleasant restaurant with friendly and efficient service but it really is all about the fish (other animals are available, maybe next time). We shared the big platter and some oysters to start (the gentleman at the next table had the platter to himself, I may just try that next time...) then I followed the strong advice of the man at Brambles Hotel to have the sole. A simple piece of fish and some tasty buttered potatoes is an accurate description in the same way that "a tall metal structure" accurately describes the Eiffel Tower, this was just superb and well worth a swift return visit. The fish and chips, fish pie, and panko breaded goujons (a special) were equally well received. I will have to take their words for it, no-one was sharing anything! We even made room for desserts, which were merely excellent (although the blood orange sorbet with the chocolate delice was frankly astonishing). There is no doubt that £98 is a lot of money for a single platter of anything but this quality cannot be served cheaply and the main courses were excellent value (I think the sole was £27, a bargain). Now looking for an excuse to return, soon.

Warm welcome and service. Excellent and excellently priced sea food. Everything was spot on. Will always return when I am in this part of the world.

We had a fantastic experience and Samphire. Food and service were outstanding.

Absolutely fantastic restaurant - food was delicious and cooked perfectly. The service was great as well, Laura was so patient with the table next to us who weren't English speakers and explained the menu so kindly during a busy service

Amazing find in a lovely part of the world. The seafood was incredible, and reasonably priced. Staff all very friendly. Would highly recommend.

We went for lunch at Samphire today. The food and service were both top notch. We had Tempura Squid and OMG it was awesome. So tender with fantastic lemon aoli. Also had the daily special: panko crusted Cod, salad, and chips. Again, the fish was so fresh and expertly prepared. My wife had the fish and chips and it too was fantastic. The service was world class as well. What a gem. The 4.9 rating on Trip Advisor is not high enough!

Lovely little fish restaurant. Amazing food and service.

Very nice place, lovely staff and delicious food

Brilliant service food was spot on server was a very friendly woman

Service was wonderful, we came with a party of five and she accommodated us quickly! All of the food was perfectly cooked but it did take some time to get it to us- BUT it was so worth it! Just be aware if you are on a time crunch. The oyster was truly the best I’ve had in my entire life.

Freshest local seafood carefully prepared makes this one of our favorite Scottish restaurants. The oysters were perfect, as were scallops prepared with chorizo butter. We had langoustines for the first time and they were sweet and delivered with a not overpowering garlic butter sauce. Nice wine and beverage selection too

Good dinner, make sure to order side. My fish pie did not come with a side salad and my partner enjoyed the fish and chips. We probably should of ordered a starter.

Lovely restaurant and amazing food. Haddock chowder and fish pie were fantastic! The staff are so friendly and welcoming, they really added to our great experience!

Exceptional! For lovers of good cuisine and especially diverse and varied seafood and fish, go for it, with your eyes closed, this restaurant is simply excellent. Very warm welcome, smiling, warm, friendly, the waitresses are very nice and the service efficient and fast. The cuisine is just a delight, the dishes are original, tasty and plentiful. Prices are very competitive for quality and quantity! Great discovery in this small town full of charm and authenticity! Remember to book, lots of people!

Very friendly restaurant, very welcoming team. We recommend the haddock soup, a real favorite.

One of the best restaurants in my UK trip

Delicious seafood, super fresh, and wonderful staff. Very accommodating to our young child's food preferences also!

Delicious oysters and langoustines, super friendly service. Lovely restaurant!

Lovely place in a lovely town. I had the langoustines in garlic butter and my wife had the tortellini, they were both tremendous! Would recommend coming here but book well in advance to avoid disappointment.

Absolutely delicious food! The fish is so fresh and really well prepared. Everything was available as a GF option too. The staff were helpful with menu choices. The sole was the best I’ve had in some time. You definitely need to book, we watched maybe 8-10 couples being turned away as we ate.

This place was spectacular! Amazing food and amazing service! I had the Chorizo Scallops and they were fantastic! A wide selection of gluten free options.

Superb meal this evening, if you're unsure don't be, just book beforehand 👍🏻

In Inveraray for a couple of days over a weekend. Wanted somewhere special to eat and Samphire was recommended to us. Super fresh oyster for starter and also a sublime melt in the mouth duck & chicken liver pate with a quick jelly - just the right combination of savoury and sweet. Mains were whole roast lemon sole (my partner said it was the best cooked lemon sole she’d ever had) and I had the mussels, which were fat and fresh. Side of fluted chips were oddly excellent - never had this shaped chips before and they worked really well - just the right thickness, crispy and delicious. Glass of white for me and water for the missus. Puddings were tablet & chocolate ice cream, and a tart but delicious raspberry sorbet. I had a whisky-flavoured crème brûlée - a good size and actually tasting of whisky. Fantastic. Espresso finisher and peppermint tea. Everything placed on that table was fantastic and was consumed consumed with wide-eyed pleasure and smiles galore. If you love local Scottish seafood, Samphire will not disappoint. Come on, what are you waiting for?!?

We knew we wanted seafood and saw this restaurant so took a gamble and booked. What can I say? Incredibly friendly atmosphere and the food was next level. My only grievance is that I'll never enjoy a portion of chips in quite the same way again, outrageous how amazing the chips were. We both had the lobster which also came with two langoustines on the side. The meat was tender and tasty and I'd definitely recommend it.

Great quality, freshness and choice, all served by lovely ladies with smiles and excellent knowledge of the ingredients and food origin. This is easy to miss but once you’ve found it you will want to go back

What a lovely little find this was. My wife I ate here while we were on honeymoon. The service was quick and friendly. Been a typical Yorkshire man, I like to think that I know my fish and chips, and I have to say, hand on heart, that these were the best fish and chips I’ve ever had.

Visited this Restaurant 16th April, we had the Fish Platter which was amazing, Lobster, Crab, Scallops etc, the full works, also came with the best Chips I have ever tasted, beautiful meal, also truly exceptional service from the young lady who served us. To add to the experience, the lovely owner of the Restaurant gave us a lift to our Hotel which was a ten minute walk from the Restaurant.

Fresh and delicious! We visited as we like to eat as locally as possible. We shared the most amazing platter of produce from the loch including crab, lobster, oysters and scallops. What a treat! Service matched the quality of the food. We will definitely be back if visiting the area.

So we are a late-lunch off-the-street walk-in couple. And out-of-season. Lucky us! Excellent service and cuisine. 'All Day' menu offers dishes that might appear ubiquitous but are here executed perfectly. Parking hint: use the free car park adjacent to Co-op (100m walk). You will want to dine for more than the 1 hr apparently allowed by the closer loch-side parking lot. Tipping hint: have some 'folding' with you. Apparently the card-reader system they use doesn't accommodate adding a staff gratuity. Which they deserved.

Perfect seafood lunch. The staff was amazing.

I honestly don't know where to start...we stumbled across this little gem whilst meandering around Inveraray. It was a Monday so it was shut but my partner made an email booking for the following evening. On entering it is bright, spotlessly clean and airy (and not overcrowded with too many tables & chairs) Being lobster virgins we were happy to see this on the menu so both ordered it. The waiting staff were an absolute delight, they guided us through the process of 'eating' our lobsters in a fun, friendly and non-patronising manner. I had suspected at some point I may do a Julia Roberts with the escargot....with the guidance of the waitress (& to pleasantly surprised other diner's I did not fire anything across the restaurant). The lobster was accompanied by langoustines. These were all beautifully presented and deliciously tastey along with the sides of green veg and fries. For desert we both chose the lemon tart...WOW...off the scale for deliciousness. Considering it was an out of season evening the restaurant was full which I think speaks volumes, if anyone reads this please please go for a visit, the staff are amazing and the food is divine (well done to the chef). Hopefully we will be back soon. (Sadly no photos were taken, sorry.)

Will be there very soon......Can't wait as know the welcome will be the best one could wish for, great service and wonderful food!!!! Experience has made me write like this !!!

Just a perfect little restaurant that I wish there was more of in terms small family restaurants. Menu was small but cooked to perfection. Atmosphere is cosy, service was outstanding. If I lived closer, this would be a regular place to eat for me.

I went here a few weeks ago with some colleagues and had the most amazing meal. Skipped the Starter and went for the Pork (all three of us) - some of the previous reviews said “sublime” and I agree. Every mouthful was sublime. It was very quiet (weekday) which was surprising considering how good the food is. Definitely deserves the Number One spot and will be back again for another culinary treat!

Beautiful food and staff so attentive

Absolutely no atmosphere service was shady and intimidating food mediocre and extremely expensive. I would not recommend this place. Me and my partner shared our starters and had major diarrhoea in the morning which spoiled our visit to Inveraray

Best sea food I have ever had- large fresh portions absolutely exquisite flavours - A must visit if you’re in the area

Delicious seafood and great service. By far the best place to eat in Inverary. Pity it closes for the slow winter months!

Live locally and have been wanting to eat here for ages. It didn’t disappoint in anyway. Fabulous food, lovely staff and great atmosphere. Will be back as everything on the menu looked so tasty. Really reasonable prices for the quality. Thank you for a lovely evening

Lovely fresh food served by friendly, helpful staff. Great gluten free options available and staff showed good understanding of food allergy/intolerance issues.

Amazing food and very welcoming staff

Always yummie and great service

Lovely food, including guten free choices.

I dined at Samphire a couple of nights ago with my partner, and can honestly say that although I have dined in many high end restaurants, I have rarely had such an amazing culinary experience. A big thank you to Chef Patron Andrew and his team. Cosy atmosphere, great service and stunning food; fabulous local produce cooked and presented to perfection. My only issue was trying to choose from such a delightful and mouth-watering menu, so I reckon I'll just have to go back again....and again!

We had a lovely meal at Samphire. The haddock chowder was so good. My husband had the crab claws and lobster. It was a special meal for his birthday. Would highly recommend a visit. Great hosts too

The food was amazing I have crab claws filled by the Lobster my husband had queen scallops and the venison burger we could not find any faults with the food service or price. The chips are also amazing

Amazing food, fantastic wine and such a great team looking after us. Really recommend this place if you’re looking for truly delicious seafood.

We happened on this restaurant by chance as we travelled through Inverary on our way south. Fortunately they could fit us in on a Saturday lunchtime and we enjoyed a superb seafood meal. Staff were excellent, menu had a good variety of choice and seafood was well cooked and presented. Would thoroughly recommend.

Absolutely delicious meal, staff could not be nicer - would recommend to anyone! Ps you can't tip on contactless so bring cash for a tip!

Having been to many seafood restaurants which were top notch, this disapointed. I feel they have tried to go too posh with the fish and are missing the simple things needed in seafood. I could only find one main dish i would eat on the menu and i could have got it at a takeaway!

This wee restaurant is a local favourite. The food is great but actually the front of house service is better. It's rare to find such a presence at the sharp end. Always polite, very observant and busy as a bee in a gentle way. The soup btw was incredible (I've never said that about soup before!). My guests enjoyed wonderful loch Leven mussels and delicious langoustines. I had the duck and it was great although personally I'd rather have it cooked pink than medium. It was slightly over for me but the mash and jus was great. Don't miss Samphire if you're in Inverarary but book ahead to avoid disappointment.

Great selection of seafood (as you would expect on Loch Fyne). And friendly service.

Stopped for lunch on the way to Islay. Fantastic food and really good value. Highly recommend.

A lovely little restaurant where booking ahead is a must! Our waitress was friendly and funny. We had oysters for the first time, they wasn't bad at all. For main I had lobster and my husband had langoustines, both tasted amazing! I had a glass of wine that was recommended with my dinner, matched perfectly! I definitely recommend this restaurant, the food is beautiful! Oh and the Creme Brule for dessert was outstanding 😋

High quality food though I thought that the lady waiting on us could have been friendlier!

Perfect! Staff, atmosphere and especially the food. What a wonderful delicious meal. The staff so lovely. One of the best meals I've had. Thank you xx

A stunningly good (mainly) fish restaurant, with friendly and personable service from a great young team. And although the fish choices are everything you might hope and more, with a choice of market fresh specials in addition, nor are the non-fish choices treated as second class... one of our party enjoyed the best cooked duck he'd eaten in years. A very decent wine list too. A little gem for lovers of fish, and their friends. Highly recommended!

We had lunch here during a stop on a tour, and we couldn’t have picked a better spot! The food was delicious, the atmosphere was cozy and pleasant, and our server was very kind and attentive. Thank you for the memorable experience!

Excellent food (moulles, burger and hake) - fantastic service and wine - nothing but 5 stars!

Delicious mussels in cream sauce, which many French restaurants could learn from, fine fish and chips, and charming, attentive staff.

Une belle découverte à découvrir et partager. Des mets excellents avec un personnel absolument charmant. Allez y les yeux fermés.

We didn't actually eat here due to the time factor although it's reputation excells itself hence the five stars! Pricey menu like most eateries in Inverary.

Lovely staff, booked for dinner and had the best seafood dish of our trip. We had the scallops starter, lobster( outstanding) whole seabass, a lovely rosy wine and coffees, had no desert as we were full. Would recommend this little restaurant, the staff were helpful and friendly.

Super gutes Essen; sehr zuvorkommendes Personal, dass auf alle Wünsche eingeht und ein schöner, kleiner Laden.

Was blown away by how good this place is. The best seafood I've tasted in Scotland. Well woth the 2 hour drive from Edinburgh

Lovely meal so fresh, great service friendly and lovely atmosphere, clean & cosy, tastfully decorated. Thank you

Set in the delightful village of Inveraray. Amazing food and service.

Fantastic food! Very good service, lovely atmosphere. Would definitely eat here again. Restaurant is quite small but certainly not crowded. Booking essential!

This small restaurant in the heart of Inveraray is probably one of the best meals I’ve had in years of travelling. Food was absolutely delightful. Small restaurant with attentive service.

This restaurant comes highly-recommended: and we could see why. We arrived (accidentally) half an hour early. Even in a fully-booked small restaurant, no problem, no fuss. We were made to feel v welcome and we're seated almost immediately. The menu is salivatingly appetising, and the...

Had seafood platter! Excellent selection of fresh local seafood. Took both of us while to eat this, we didn't need anything else. We has a Creme Brulee to finish and that was excellent as well! Ladies serving were very good and helpful. Extremely good night...

Virtually empty at 12.30 pm for lunch when we arrived. Greeted with a sigh, not sure what to do with us, before being seated at the table next to the toilet - and not in any of the other more inviting tables. We both had the chowder aka a bowl of tastless hot cream served with two slices of bread with all the appearance and texture of having been hastily pulled from a sliced pan loaf. One small serving of butter between two so we asked for another. Given 'another' not the other and even then it was margarine! We've been trying to come here for years and it wasn't worth the wait.

Super food and excellent service. Good selection of foods everyone left with a smile. Recommend to all fish lovers.

Excellent seafood restaurant. Everything fresh and perfectly cooked

A small restaurant. But the meals are absolut great. Very friendly staff. Book in advance.