The Alley At Strath Ristretto Bar in Highland

Came here during a ride out from home on my Harley. Opted for Quiche, salad and a banana and strawberry smoothie. Food was totally delicious and I was able to get a table outside to both watch my bike, enjoy the sun and the amazing view. Highly recommend The Alley for an excellent lunch.

The Alley never fails to disappoint. Sarah the owner is a gem and makes you feel so welcome, also the staff very polite. The food is amazing, great coffees and variety of scrumptious ice-cream and cakes. It’s a must visit in Gairloch.

A longer, harder, colder and wetter scramble up and around Beinn Eighe left us hungry and the hound wet and cold. Late arrival at Gairloch and we sally down The Alley by the best ever accident. The warmest welcome and great coffees. Wonderful quirky back garden. And then arrive the paninis. So often served alone and congealing on a plate, these marvels arrive hot, oozing and accompanied by the most generous of side salads. Best. Ever. Go out of your way to support this place. Small business are in crisis at the moment. Winter will be hard, especially when the NC500 custom dies down. Winners like this deserve to survive. Be an ally to the Alley.

Amazing food, amazing staff, amazing people 100% recommend. I had a wonderful time there with my family

We stumbled into The Alley at Strath and had the most amazing panini’s and even got an ice cream for our greedy dog. Just what we all needed after a long day on the road. It was busy but the server was amazing despite being a ‘one woman band’. Best service we had on our NC500 adventure. (PS the side salad was amazing let us know the recipe it was too busy to ask at the time).

This cafe in the Alley at Strath has been beautifully decorated with an outside area, covered gazebos and an inside conservatory. We love the place and called several times for tea and ice creams. It also serves casual lunches. The owner is as friendly as it is ever possible to be and we wish her well with coping with the rising costs of running small businesses such as this. We look forward to returning.

Oh my gosh.... what a fab wee find! The staff, particularly the owner, was just so lovely and welcoming. Nothing was too much trouble. Service as good as this makes such a difference and we would highly recommend a visit. Delicious food. Waffles to die for and soup was very yummy. My coffee obsessed daughter thought her speciality latte was amazing. Honestly - if you are in the area, make sure to go up the steps to this wee gem. You won't be disappointed.

We stopped here for lunch. I had a GF toasted panini and Ice cream. Husband had the most amazing waffle/fruit/ice cream combo I have ever seen - he was happy (& full) for the rest of the day. Great coffee too. Dog Friendly and the staff are super helpful, knowledgeable (GF) and welcoming.

Best Turmeric & Oat Milk Latte, ever. Off the charts. Worth the money. Young waiters attentive & friendly. Thanks.

The best place on the nc500. Friendly and welcoming staff, with a lovely garden/conservatory and a great, wide selection of food. Seriously, they do EVERYTHING you could want. (Including coronation chicken baguettes, which I wish I got now). The milkshakes were lovely, and if there was a place like this where I live, I would be in there every weekend with my friends.

What a find !! Seven of us called in here with our two giant leonberger dogs. Nothing was too much trouble. The customer service was outstanding, the food was delicious and the our dogs really enjoyed their special dog ice cream. This place is a must if you are in Gairloch and looking for a snack / lunch. The human ice cream was scrumptious too !!

Do yourself a favour and visit this lovely restaurant in Gairloch. The service is unmatched. The staff truly cares about you and your pets experience. The food is absolutely amazing, service was so quick – everything we tasted was delicious. Absolutely the best meal we had while in the West of Scotland - Highly recommend! If you’re ever over that way make sure to pop into The Alley.

Visited for lunch and ice cream today, and cannot praise the food, service and whole experience high enough! Food was fantastic - large portions, all freshly made and super tasty! The service was just the best, super friendly and attentive, and overall, my family and I had a wonderful visit. A must visit if you’re in the area, and if you’re not nearby, you should made the trip!! Thanks again ☺️

small businesses can learn something from here on customer service. we popped in at 1645 as the place was about to close, be happy with a takeaway coffee and cake. but no problem with sitting in. come 1700 the owner comes out and says too us and another table they're closed now, but take along as you like and let yourself out! cake and coffee was also very good and good value. highly recommended

Lovely food and lovely and friendly staff. Its not an obvious place to find but across the road from the Hillybillies coffee shop.

Brilliant wee cafe took my wee girl for ice cream and I sat in had coffee and pastry upstairs 👍☕ lovely atmosphere staff welcoming and coffee sooo good as was ice cream and food we will definitely be back thank you to the staff for...

Found this little place by accident, what a find! Delicious gelato and lovely coffee. Great staff, very friendly and happy

So glad we found this place. From the moment we stepped in we felt welcome, which isn’t always the case when you have 2 little ones with you! The owner couldn’t have been more lovely. She took time to speak to us and everyone that...

After a frosty reception from the cafe across the road it was a delight to visit this extremely friendly and professional coffee shop and cafe. The proprietor, her husband and children were very accommodating and the food was top class. Beautiful ice cream and the...

What a delightful find. Tucked away up ‘The Alley’. So friendly, great coffee. And gorgeous food. Thank you for being here A couple of weary travellers

The is a great find tucked away in Strath, Gairloch. We have some lovely ice creams here on a couple of occasions. My daughter is lactose intolerant and the staff couldn’t have been more helpful with their great selection of dairy free ice creams. Very...

Amazing little find in the heart of Gairloch. Very warm welcome & great food with indoor & outdoor seating areas.

We received a lovely warm welcome from the staff, who were really helpful and accommodating. Our boys enjoyed delicious milkshakes and pancakes and our paninis were excellent. Well worth a visit.

This is such a nice place, located up a small alley in the cente of Strath. The service is charming and welcoming. We had a delicious prawn marie rose baguette, and a house salad. Then shared a delicious waffle withe fruit and ice cream. Good...

Went two days running for lunch. Lovely baguette and panini. Followed up with a knickerbocker glory! The desert took 10 minutes to arrive and the owner was extremely apologetic and insisted on giving us the money back (totally unnecessary). We went back the next day...

We came here for something to eat and we’re made to feel really welcome. The Alley is quaint and the food is absolutely delicious, so good we came back again. Dogs are welcome and are treated just as good as the human customers. We sat...

We visited this small family run business for breakfast, having some of the best coffee on the NC500 route and some wonderfully tasty Belgian Waffles (see the photos). We had such a fun time, we simply had to go back later in the day for...

Just love this place use it regularly as the owner and her family are just superb, funny and passionate about what they do. This is a real hidden gem of a place just off the main car park at Strath in Gairloch. Hot food drinks...

We visited for ice cream on our Easter holidays. We were welcomed by a wonderful owner who looked after us so well. Great outside eating area too. Highly recommended.

Lovely little place. Had an awesome soup and baguette. Ice cream and waffles looked amazing too! Fab service

Saw it was Dog Friendly so popped in after walking our Dog Gino , he had Judes Ice Cream for Dogs & we had delicious Pannini & lovely salad ..We enjoyed it so much we came back the same day & all had Ice Cream...

Hidden gem! The food was delicious, portion sizes perfect, and service outstanding. Also lovely seating round the back. Highly recommend!

After a walk to the Flowerdale waterfall on a blustery January day, we couldn’t have found a better place for a coffee and cake! The cosy conservatory was as warm as our welcome. This relative newcomer to Gairloch deserves to do very well so do...

We had not spotted this place until a local pointed it out. What a lovely cafe hidden down an alley. The service is friendly and helpful. We had two pannini's and coffee. Freshly made and tasty. An amazing selection of ice creams. You have to...

This lovely cafe is a wonderful treat just outside Gairlock. We had a panini for starters and Waffles with fruit and ice cream for afters, they were fantastic. The service was both friendly and helpful. We will be returning again before we leave for the...

Food was good, large portions. Exceptionally friendly owner/staff. Very chilled atmosphere. Don’t be put off by the walk down the alley, not that it’s scary or intimidating, just odd to walk past an entire shop to get to where you’re going. Would recommend to anyone…...

Stopped on spec for lunch at this cafe and had the most delicious panini and salad. The service was excellent- great to see a new family business doing so well.

We popped in for some breakfast and coffee with our dog and was made to feel really welcome. We had American Pancakes with fresh fruit and it was delicious. Definitely recommend you try this family run business in Gairloch if visiting or on the NC500,...

We are so pleased that this cafe has opened to add to the places one can visit for casual food in Gairloch and in our opinion is ranks as one one of the best for its ambiance and friendly service. It is a family run...

Warm welcome, friendly service, great coffee, traybakes, ice cream and panini. Plenty of covered outdoor seating and indoor tables too. Highly recommended.

Theo paninis, brownies and coffee were delicious . Nicest staff, so friendly and helpful-definitely recommend.

The best coffee in Gairloch! A hidden gem down the alley, well worth a visit for a coffee and cake. Friendly service, loads of dairy free milk options. Recommended to us by the local campsite manager, and we can see why!

Lovely wee find, right round the corner from our campsite at Gairloch Camping& Caravan site. Lovely family run business, friendly staff with 2 young boys helping out…food was lovely, chicken, chorizo & red pepper panini was fab, coffee was crackin…just what we needed after a...

We visited The Alley in June and again in August. Delicious ice creams, yummy waffles and so much more. The owners are so friendly and helpful. We will be back, a firm favourite with the kids.

The Alley is a must when visiting Gairloch. The owner is very welcoming and happy. The coffee is proper, super Flat Whites. There is an extensive ice cream selection, a hit with my children. There is indoor seating, and outdoor seating in a lovely private...

Up a small alley way beside the fish and chip shop, just off the square at Strath in Gairloch lies a charming little garden cafe. An amazing array of waffles, pancakes and specialty Italian ice creams are served to sit in or takeaway along side...