The balaclava byre in Argyll & Bute

I and my colleagues were appalled by some of the most abusive behaviour I have ever witnessed upon entering an establishment. We waited for a table in what must have been the wrong place to wait (?). My friends were subsequently subjected to a barrage of unintelligible but clearly hostile bluster from an apparently aggravated host, who ushered us over to a counter to ostensibly assist us. We had done and said nothing! It felt only appropriate to leave the establishment immediately, upon which one of the chefs threw us a profane finger gesture. Baffling and shocking. Do not visit here.

We came to have a dinner and instead of greetings and normal social interaction upon our arrival were met with hostility and rudeness from the waiter. When we were leaving one of the chefs flipped us off. I never experienced this kind of attitude towards customers anywhere in the world.

We visited Balaclava Byre at the end of August 2024. A very friendly and warm welcome from the staff who were also very informative about the available menu options on the day, and how their meat and other produce is produced and procured. This was the first time we had been able to find langoustines during our trip owing to poor weather for fishing. They were on the menu as “specials, and were delicious, enjoyed hot as part of a “surf and turf” alongside a beautiful dry aged sirloin steak by two of our party and cold with mayonnaise by another. We also had the delicious crab claws with garlic mayonnaise, and one of the party much enjoyed her buffalo chicken burger. All accomplished by chips and small salsa with delicious dressing. We enjoyed a delicious, and less run of the mill white wine, but the grape name escapes me as I write this note. We all thoroughly enjoyed the evening and will be back. A definite recommendation!!

We decided to head out of Port Ellen for our evening meal as the options there had left us rather uninspired. The Balaclava Byre proved a top-notch alternative and the food my friend and I had (Haddock & chips and the venison pie, with meat sourced from the island) was fantastic. The guys who run the restaurant source as much of their ingredients from the island and this really shone through in the quality of the food. After a day of sampling drams at the local distilleries, the generous portion sizes were the ideal way to soak up all that whisky! The owners are pretty knowledgeable about the Island's history with Scotland's favourite drink and we had a good natter (and a taste of Islay's first rum) after our meal. Would definitely recommend!

Food was wonderful the ingredients fresh local and thoughtfully prepared…..without doubt the best food we had on Islay…..

Absolutely off the charts. I wasn’t expecting this level of food on Islay! The haddock and chips were the best plate of food I have eaten in a long time. The desserts were unreal and the service was lovely. Please do yourself a favour and visit if you are on Islay! Only thing I would say is that there doesn’t seem to be that much of a “farm shop” on site or maybe it just wasn’t in operation when we visited. Didn’t affect our visit as we were there for dinner but just if you’re planning to pick up something at the shop when you are there.

I personally have a policy of not writing reviews. I decided to make an exception here. The food and service were absolutely outstanding. Wish we discovered it earlier in our stay as we would have eaten there repeatedly. We all loved our meals (four different), dessert was superb, and range of drinks exceptional. Pleasant and attentive service. Can’t recommend it highly enough.

Le serveur était vraiment très sympathique et chaleureux. La nourriture très bonne, avec des produits savoureux. En amuse-bouche nous avons eu droit à un simple beurre maison avec du caramel mais complètement complètement bluffant .