The Old Forge in Highland

The Old Forge is legendary. But it doesn't live up to the hype. It's one for the bucket list, only for the surroundings and location. But the food is average at best - what does it take to make your own steak chips - it's not difficult. Instead we were treated to limp, soggy chips that looked like they'd been out of a frozen chip bag from ASDA. The locals are aloof and stand-offish, most of them crowd around the pool table in the ridiculously laid out snug. (Who puts a dart board above a seat?) Pool table is rank and falling to pieces. Very few locals mingle in the main pub. Not a patch on what it was like when Iain Robertson ran it. Atmosphere sadly lacking. My advice, pop over for a pint on the ferry, avoid lunch and dinner and go with a bunch of friends so you've got someone to chat to. Managed to get a chat to one of the staff who said it's run like the Mafia with various folks undermining the bar manager - so it seems all is not well. Really disappointing. Only giving it two stars - one for the location and one for the young staff who were very good.

Great service in an amazing location . We eat 3 nights in a row - superb food . Pulled venison , venison madras. Fish pie etc !

The perfect venue for a very tough post-hill walk, with wonderful views, friendly staff and fantastic food. Dog friendly, too. Seasonal staff were well trained and understood the needs of weary walkers!

The most remote pub in Scotland. Part of a community buy-out of an old estate. The locals are very welcoming and the beer/ale selection is great. There may be local music that visitors can attend in the nearby community hall on Fri/Sat.

Really enjoyed lunch at this pub. really welcome retreat from an attempt to stay at the despicable Ivy Cottage annex nearby -- took one look at paid for accommodation and escaped by next ferry. I attended school in Inverie in 1948 when 7 lay-a-bouts tried to claim land from the benign land-owner. A public enquiry found the men to be "unsuitable" ie. inadequate and indolent. Led by their priest Colin MacPherson -- who fathered a child with our school-teacher before he went on to become bishop of the Western isles

Lovely staff, lovely bar, welcoming atmosphere and my venison burger was amazing. The only place you can go in knoydart but does not disappoint. Hopefully be back at some point.

Excellent pub grub, excellent beer, excellent service. If you find yourself in remote Scotland, come here and enjoy yourself!!!

This has been one of my favorite places to visit. My friend and I travelled from Canada and backpacked from Glenfinnan to Inverie just so that we could visit this pub. The three days of hiking was worth it. This pub has great food, a huge selection of beer and spirits and the staff was awesome. A surprise visit by a group of musicians that arrived by boat played throughout the night and made us feel like locals. If you are ever considering a visit, don't hesitate to go.

Lovely pub/restaurant. Excellent service. Very friendly. Great atmosphere. Many thanks to the chef who provided me with an Allium free meal on short notice. 😋😋🤩🤩

The booking was poor and took 48 hours for an email reply. The phone number on the website does not work. We arrived for a meal to a friendly welcome. we ordered at the bar. The options were limited to three for mains and one starter. After ordering we waited 40 minutes for our food to arrive. I had fish and chips which were very small portions. Chips overcooked and frozen ones. No peas. My wife had venison burger and chips. Bun burned. Chips overcooked. Burger good. We were left hungry and could have ordered same again to feel satisfied! There was no attention given to us and the staff were more involved in the community event. We felt incidental to the activity in the pub. Felt service and food could have been so much better and had hoped that being a community pub it would have been. Beer was good! Left disappointed ☹️

Brilliant fresh food for a reasonable price friendly service . Great to see such a strong asset to the community.

Unfortunately we arrived the day before the kitchen opened after a major refurbishment. The place looked great however and the beer and whisky selection was excellent I wish them every suscess in the future and we will definitely return.

Was blown away by the recent refurbishment. Better than ever with new tables & bar. The kitchen was delivering some top bar food. My favourite was the Venison burger. It was massive & super tasty. The fish & chips were also a stand-out dish. Big portions for the hungry hiker. It is better to reserve a table using the email on the website to guarantee a good feed.

In the very early 1980’s I came here still as a schoolboy with my father and others various times and skipped around most of the big tops. One night we even ended up sleeping in a fish farm building when we ran out of light, there being nowhere else (that we could find) way back then. Now father is 89, I’ve just retired and we’re back here with my son. I picture my younger self still up there on the skyline ridges. So while I ponder all this and wait for the ferry back over to Mallaig and home we have enjoyed venison, squid and the like washed down with a couple of pints of the local beers. What a lovely place and what achievements created by the community here. Thank you, Knoydart, for all these lovely times.

So happy that the pub was open again and serving food. We went everyday over the weekend and enjoyed great food and a good laugh with some of the people we met including the wonderful staff. Great to see this community owned pub doing so well.

Well, what a change from 5 years ago!!! Well done to all involved in securing this community pub. We stopped in for drinks and lunch and we were t disappointed!

What a wonderful bar, warm, cosy and lots of craic with the locals and visitors alike. Bar staff outstanding. Worth making a visit to Knoydart just to experience the bar now under community ownership.

Couldn’t wait to vist the pub how ever with everything being a community push the bar staff she was unwelcoming never even said hello just continued to talk to the regulars .. only stayed for one drink Been following the efforts of the community such a shame that impression will stay compared to the welcoming kindness of everyone we met . But none the less would recommend to everyone fire on and great view across the sea Loch . A little acknowledgment goes a long way …shame she was so miserable for a barmaid

We stayed on Knoydart for 5 nights, and were in The Old Forge every day! A great locally run pub, frequented by locals and day-trippers alike. No food yet but they have a great selection of beers. There's a slightly battered but free pool table, and greats views across the bay. We miss it!

After a visit to the old forge 5 years ago I said I'd never go back, but the previous landlord has gone and it's now a community owned pub. It's a thousand times better, although no food yet as the kitchen is being replaced the beer and atmosphere is great. Brendon was welcoming and friendly. Didn't get to say goodbye before I left so have a great time on your travels. All the best

Although the restaurant isnt opened yet the pub is brilliant the first time I visited the pub was in the 80s and it was the most unfriendly place BUT move forward to today and what an improvement the lady in the bar was friendly and we spoke a lot about the area, it is a community buyout, loved Ziggy the dog and I will be back when the restaurant opens next year

We have been coming to knoydart for work and pleasure for around 4 years. The old Forge has gone from a place to avoid to a place you need to go and visit. The change in this place is off the scale, locals just turning up and playin bag pipes to a Harp and everything else in between. The warmest welcome and the best view by a country mile in Scotland.

What's not to love. Group of friends stayed in Inverie for three nights. Pub not that long in community ownership when we arrived and the staff and locals were delighted that it is and this reflected in the atmosphere which was great. Not doing food yet but there is food nearby. Great beer from the local brewery, warm welcome from the staff, great atmosphere and location that's hard to beat.

Lovely staff, superb location and good beer. Great experience from the community owned pub. We were too early for the restaurant's reopening but the pub was fab.

We had a glass after a long walk, outside in the sun. Everybody was so nie, and the cider perfect in the sun !

A quaint pub and one of the most remote in the UK, and worth a visit for that reason. But if it's still owned by the same owner whose disliked by the locals when you go, don't expect too much warmth or friendly.

Visited a day after pub reopened as a community pub. Location is fantastic in itself & worth the trip in itself. Beer, staff & atmosphere terrific & match the amazing location. Absolutely worth the trip

The Old Forge had such a great reputation in the past but our experience recently has so disappointed us. Expensive and a pub with little atmosphere. My potatoes were undercooked and was told that’s how the chef likes to do it. I could have made better at home. The locals have plans to take over the hotel. Good luck!

Constant and intentional rudeness by the owner- made us feel like he was doing us a favour by making food for us.1) Only 3 main menu item given on the blackboard.2) Asked if I could have a beefburger and chips as I saw someone else eating one - was condescendingly told that he doesnt serve beef, only venison, as if serving a beef burger was below him3) Didn't give a price for the secret menu venison burger when asked - told 'it'll be on the bill'4) Refused to serve my friend her desired order - he told her 'we dont do 'just' chips - pretty much forced her to order soup instead5) Prices of drinks changed from one round to the next - I honestly think depending on how much he likes you6) Kept nudging my group towards buying the most expensive pint he had - it was nice but so were the other cheaper ones7) Refused to allow us to split the bill between 3 cards (standard for 2020) - muttered that it costs him a fortune - then decided to allow it but charge extra per transaction8) We then had a private discussion about an alternative way of splitting it(1 of us pay then the other give them the cash) to which he overheard and astonishingly BUTTED IN OUR PRIVATE CONVERSATION to announce that he wanted the cash as everyone pays by card and he is low on cash!! Phenomenally rude. So he basically stood over us menacingly (huge guy) and forced us to pay with what cash we had!!9) Refused to give a closing time then announced last orders at 9:15pm when many people were happily drinking away (before 10pm Covid rules) - then proceeded to what I can only describe as 'patrol' around the bar around 10pm standing over people who still had some of their drink left until they finished up and left before moving onto the next group!All in all the food tasted good and the other French speaking waiter was a quiet and pleasant presence in the restaurant.Such a shame for everyone involved (apart from JP himself) that he has gone down this path of extorting one-time visitors. It clearly is a successful strategy as any other restaurant would see a drop in visitors if they had hundreds of one star reviews and a average below 3. JP knows this so well which is why he is so happy to continue to act so braggadociously. Another half decent pub/restaurant in the village would force him to begin act like 99.9% of people in the hospitality industry and respect customers. The Old Forge is in a great location, has lovely decor, can serve great food and could easily treat people well and drop its price by 25% and be an asset to the community. Only shame is that it'll require market forces to force JP to do it. I sincerely hope that the Inverie community can make it happen sooner rather than later.

I had seen the very negative and also very positive reviews on here before having lunch on Monday. My mate and I also spoke to a couple of locals about the pub - all negative. So I was determined to have an open mind. While I can only comment from my perspective (and if I had seen or heard anything homophobic I would have immediately left) my experience was nearly all positive. Good beer (albeit a number of ales disappointingly not available on Monday) and decent food (veggie soup followed by langoustines).I concluded that I suspect (but of course cannot know) there are some fake negative reviews on here (I suspect I have seen these for other places I have visited around the world), perhaps from locals exhibiting what I term 'outsiderism'. The Belgian owner looks to have brought French speaking staff in. Perhaps some locals feel that is depriving them of a job yet we met a sprinkling of English staff elsewhere.I've seen some of the negative reviews refer to the food, the beer and atmosphere. Again a personal view but I have been in too many dreadful pubs in Scotland (which incidentally is my favourite palce on earth) to recognise such reviews for the Old Forge.This is a decent pub, no more, no less, serving decent beer and food and prices which probably reflect the cost of running such a remote establishment.If some locals are looking to drive out the current owner, my advice is "be careful what you wish for" as what/who comes next may not be what you're hoping for.

Read the reviews and believe them I can only think that some of the good ones are friends or family as from the 1st minute you walk in the old forge you sense an unwelcoming atmosphere. I had the pleasure of visiting knoydart many years ago while working on a community project and had lunch at the old forge, I remember having a lovely lunch in front of a roaring log fire talking away to lovely staff who you could tell really enjoyed their work. On this visit I said I'd love to come back with my wife, so after about 15 years I finally had the opportunity to do just that.We went across on the western Isles ferry on a day where the weather was at best diabolical. Wind and driving rain never stopped all day.I'd booked a table for noon the week b4 as I thought it might be busy and didnt know if the covid restrictions would harm our chances of getting one.Boat arrived at 11.00 sharp and after walking in torrential rain I was disappointed to find the pub closed with no sign telling you when it opened. We had to sit in a small wooden shelter across the road and wait til 12 when the doors opened but I thought oh well we can go in and sit at that roaring open fire I remembered but alas it hadn't been lit so we sat down at our table and had a drink. As people have stated in previous reviews there are 2 staff members the owner and a younger man, he served us our drinks whilst the manager took our orders. I fully understand that seafood restaurants will sell mostly seafood but the menu in here is so tiny you are left with very little choice if you are not big on seafood.We went for the vegetarian soup option for starter which was some sort of water cress soup. Out of 10 I'd give it a 2, it was hot and that was the best I could say about it.Main course the only non seafood option was venison stew. Please see the attached picture, it tasted ok but the beef was dry and over cooked.My wife fancied nothing at all on the menu so we asked if she could have a larger portion of the smoked salmon starter and the manager said yes and I will give you chips with that. Little did we know he was going to double the price of the starter and also charge £6 for the dozen or so frozen chips he put out.Desert had 3 options we chose the cheese board as we didnt fancy the other ones but we were told they didnt have any cheese so I had a chocolate mouse, which was solid and a bit of packet shortbread jammed into it. My wife had Belgian waffle and hot chocolate. She said she had better waffles out of Asda. In all I had 3 pints of shandy my wife had a coke.Bill came to almost £100 and know what if the food had been better I wouldn't grudge that as running a place as remote as this must be difficult but the whole experience was not worth the cost of the ferry £44 plus the meal costs.Would I recommend it, absolutely not unless it was someone I didnt like.As though our day couldn't be any worse, the boat back to mallaig wasnt due for another hour or so and we sat looking at the rain bouncing off the ground outside and the owner said I am closing you will have to leave.So we had to go sit in a shelter until the boat arrived. How difficult would it be to leave the bar open for an hour until the boat arrives especially on days when the weather is like this.I feel sorry for the inhabitants of knoydart as they seem to be stuck with a very poor owner of what used to be a great wee attraction. I'm sure they are missing out on income due to the attitude of this one man.Trip advisor really needs a 0 star option for guys like him.

I hiked from Fort William to Inverie last week and for at least half that time all I wanted was a proper fish and chips pub lunch at the end of the journey. The most remote pub in Britain would surely have excellent pub food, right?Wrong.For starters, this place is more like someone's badly executed idea of what a pub should look like rather than an actual pub. Sure, you'll find your well stocked bar at the entrance, and your wooden furniture, and even a great big fireplace further in but there's still something off about the design of this place, something deeply inauthentic. Then there's the staff. The young lad serving our table was actually very nice and polite, it's his supervisor (or perhaps just a more senior waiter?) that was shockingly rude. "We serve only real food here" is an actual phrase he said to a customer asking for something that wasn't on the menu. Perhaps he felt emboldened by the mask he was wearing as I truly have no idea how anyone could say things like that to a customer and not immediately die of embarrassment but there we are...Fish and chips wasn't on the menu either, by the way. Because apparently none of the fish served as part of fish and chips orders in Scotland is authentically Scottish (according to the same senior waiter). Instead - and to my vegetarian partner's horror - I had to settle for muscles and chips. Chips were very clearly cooked from frozen and pretty tasteless, with no condiments offered. Muscles were sad at best and deeply unsatisfying after a week-long hike. My partner had the only vegetarian option, which that day was ravioli. To our mutual relief, that was actually good - just probably not what you'd want from a pub lunch after a sweaty hike.Onto dessert. The Belgian waffles on the pub counter looked very appealing so we had a couple of those with a cup of cappuccino each. But we clearly got too relaxed. I mean, it's pretty hard to cock up a waffle and a coffee! Yet cock up they did. The waffles were served cold, with no toppings offered, and were crumbly and dry. Even the cappuccino (!) was bad and tasted more like soluble coffee with some frothy milk than an actual cappuccino.All that for eye-watering £65. Rude service not included. You couldn't make it up!I do wonder what the locals think of the clown who runs this place. There's a two-page printout of an article about him buying the Old Forge a few years back pinned to the wall that goes on at length about which high-end hotels he worked at and which celebs he personally looked after. What a joke! But also pretty infuriating to think that the only local pub was taken over by some sleazy former salesman who is completely oblivious of the environment he's operating in. Whether you're thinking of sailing here for Mallaig for a day or want to stop by here at the end of your mountain adventures in Knoydart, if you're after a decent pub experience, this ain't it.

Had a nice wee sail to Knoydart for a couple of pints and some food. Really fancied the Lobster Bisque however the landlord very strangely refused to sell me it, telling me it’s a starter and how can he keep the business going if I don’t order a main. Ended up having to order the venison stew which was really nice. When we paid, the landlord helped himself to a tip on the card machine, very nice of him. Shame, could be a nice place but we won’t be back. 2/10.

I have never been spoken to so rudely by a pub landlord in my life, and I have been to a lot of pubs! He was very critical that we hadn't ordered enough food and apparently completely unconcerned as we walked out. A diner at a neighbouring table said "I don't blame you" after she heard the guy speak to us in that manner. Not sure how he ever chose the hospitality industry for a career, he is totally unsuited to it. The food and drink is very expensive, and to cap it all he wasn't operating a contact tracing system of customers either. We will never visit again and would advise everyone else to avoid it altogether. Great shame as Knoydart is a great spot.

After a 6 hour hike we we disappointed to find the pub was closed and not open until 5pm. All 13 of us ordered food, but my friend was questioned by JP (The infamous Belgian landlord) as to why he was not having a starter?! There is no menu you have to scan a QR code and half the specials he mentioned weren’t on the specials board so we were not sure how much they cost. The food was average but the prices absolutely extortionate! Every time we ordered something it seemed to be a different price?! JP the landlord made it very clear he was not happy for us to pay separately by card and even charged some of us extra for “transaction fee”. Once we had all paid for our meals JP insisted we were still £30 short even though we had all paid up for everything we had ordered. There was no way we were paying this t0sser any more than we had already. He had already had our pants pulled down on the food and drinks. Also he sells 175ml of wine as a “large” when in fact it should be 250ml. I’m not surprised the locals hate him, I’ve never met such an arrogant penny pincher, this bloke just takes advantage of a captive audience. Such a shame because the pub is in a beautiful location

After reading some of the scathing reviews on trip advisor slating the landlord, I was pleased to be warmly welcomed by the infamous JP when I arrived. He insisted I do not need to wear a face covering “we will wear one so you don’t have to”. Lovely. It was time to order. I ordered what my mate had because I was late to the table and didn’t have time to properly look at the menu. I was asked if I wanted soup to start with in addition to my main (venison burger), and he seemed a bit annoyed that I politely said ‘no thank you’. The food was good but it was v expensive. My main did not come out with everyone else’s and I had to go to the bar to ask if it was on it’s way. They had clearly forgotten about my order as my main arrived after everyone else had finished. Judging by some of the other reviews here, this could have been a calculated insult to me as I didn’t have a starter when asked, but I suspect it was actually just poor organisation on the front of house. My mate had to leave before everyone else had finished so paid for his food at the bar. He said the owner seemed annoyed at the simple request, as he huffed that it is a ‘nightmare’ paying separately. I too got the same speil about it being a ‘nightmare’ when I paid up. After we had all paid, JP insisted that we were £30 short. Again, I put this down to poor organisation at the front of house as we’d all paid our dues. After we said we had all definitely paid, JP blamed my mate who had left (even though he knew full well that he had paid at the bar). He made us go a get my mate (out of bed!) to come back down. “I’m £30 short and it’s not very nice”. Indeed, nor is being dragged out of bed for no reason. The next day one of our party has to return to the pub only to be told that we were “too loud last night”. A pointless remark to make as we were all leaving that day and would probably never return.I suspect that JP starts off each day with the best of intentions, but unfortunately on this day - and I suspect most days - bitterness gets the better of him in the end. Good food. Nice place. Extortionate, varying and questionable prices. Unbelievable landlord.

If we had thought the terrifying experience of the 6 hour walk out of knoydart after a months worth of rain was the worst thing that would happen to us that day, we were sadly mistaken. We arrived in knoydart at 2pm soaked, cold and some what beaten by the trek we had all endured, JP the owner said he was closing the pub to clean it and we would all have to wait in the rain till 5, luckily there is a wooden shelter across the road that the locals use as a pub, this seamed strange at the time but would all become clear as the night wore on. We got drinks when we got in the pub, these were all overpriced and seemed to get more expensive everytime you ordered, my mates larger tasted of pipe cleaner, JP wasn't bothered about this as he had his £5.50. 13 of us ordered food next, the food was really expensive and was at best average, JP got round this problem though by just not putting certain items on the menu or the specials board and that way you didn't realise the price until you payed, what an clever chap. One of our group didn't want a starter, this would be JP's first dark turn of the night, "how can I make a living when people dont have starters" the angry man roared. I would have thought the £22 burger he was having, or the tiny £27 stake my friend got might have left him enough money to survive on, maybe we can set up a go fund me page up to help JP through the hard times when people skip ordering a soup. When the food arrived we weren't offered sauce or anything I didn't ask as JP seemed to be in his element scouring at people and I didn't want to ruin it for him, needn't have worried as he had hours more of this to enjoy. I visted the toilet after dinner, turns out the 3 hours we stood in the rain didn't give them time to clean this, it gave off a trainspotting vibe, I didn't drop a valium in the toilet like in the fim, shame really as in my 33 years on this planet I have never met a man that could benefit from one of these more than JP When I went to pay JP was incredibly annoyed that he had to take payment from me, apparently taking people's money was becoming "a bloody nightmare" after paying I decided to have desert and would have to go through this all again, my cold waffle with a can of coke turned out to be £14 pounds, it was certainly not worth that, however I didn't complain as JP had earlier told us that british people didn't know how to eat, I bet I had just ate the waffle wrong and infact it had been brilliant. Later on I retired to my accommodation down the road, my friend had to come and get me as JP now belived I hadn't paid, he became incredibly aggressive despite realising I had paid, being a red headed lad I decided not to fight back to much in case I had made the list of endangered creatures that JP apparently loves to shoot in the face. I noticed over the night that he didn't like english people, oh or Scottish people, oh reading other reviews he also doesn't like gay people, not sure why he chose to be in a job where he has to deal with people maybe that's why he chose the most remote pub in Britain. Hopefully one of the endangered species he apparently loves to shoot will fight back one day and the locals can have their lovely pub back. I imagine JP letting his first smile of the night out heading home his pockets full of the gold he had ripped from the hikers he despised so much. This pub would work really well if they offered it as an experience day and JP's terrible cutomer service was part of the day, think I might have enjoyed myself then.

Homophobic belgian owner/Manager who charged us different amount for each round.If you smiled nicely he let you sniff an empty bottle of gin and then he told you he likes lesbian women (to watch) but hates gay men.Shame this is the only pub. Stunning location.No wonder the locals rather drink in a shed they built next door. Bless them. What a shame.

Had a fantastic lunch, we visited on Saturday afternoon, I had emailed in advance, was greeted with a smile from JP, made so welcome. We were a family 5 Adults and my grandson, also Rex the dog. No long waits for the food and when it came out, amazing food and service, thank you JP and your staff

No issues with this place at all. We arrived in Inverie with no plans and arrived here at about 6pm. We were asked if we'd booked a table. We hadn't but we were welcomed, served pints of beers and free snacks and decided to order some food. Venison stew was exceptional just more of it would have been nice. Chips superb and the fillet steak was frankly the best we've probably ever experienced. The chef sure can cook a steak. There may be wrangles and evident niggles with a number of visitors and locals but for us we thoroughly enjoyed the visit.

We had an amazing experience here. I see the reviews range fairly widely - that's disappointing to see but I expect that with a kitchen that is dependent upon an unpredictable ferry service you're expected to a) pay slightly more than would be expected on the mainland, b) book ahead, and the menu will be restricted at times. We had the seafood platter, the steak, venison stew, lobster bisque and the vegetarian pasta and the food was phenomenal. Combine this with the setting, the miserable weather outside, the eccentric belgian owner and some fine beers, and it has to go down as one of the best meals I've had in a long time. We can't wait to come back.

Myself and friends came for the day. The service was very good, greeted at the pier with free beer. The remoteness beer is locally brewed by the landlords friend and would recommend you try this. I had the seafood platter for lunch which was very good. All very fresh although pricey you do get a good amount for your money. Overall was a lovely day with good service. Especially liked his two waffle loving dogs!

We read and thought they couldn’t be correct. I’m not sure the guy behind the bar actually realises that he is in the hospitality industry Went for a drink on the first day, asked for a popular cola drink to be snorted at and told “that American stuff” (if you don’t like it then don’t sell it) Our second attempt we were told at 2 pm, kitchen was closed,Third attempt we rang early to book a table for lunch that day, to be scolded for attempting to book this late, but he managed to fit us in. Great we thought. Turned up and ordered soups and venison burgers when the host told us that we weren’t ordering enough, (3 soups and 2 burgers with drinks) but we brushed that off as humour - it really wasn’t. Soup was very disappointing- leek and something else - Portion was small and nothing special, and I haven’t seen soup served in a mini tureen for many years. Venison burgers were good. Kids wanted dessert so ordered Belgian waffles and icecream - these came out cold and verging on stale - certainly not fresh. £130 later I was not impressed. I appreciate the limitations of the location and getting supplies to the pub, however...It would seem the current owner is still cashing in on the merits of a previous owner and the location. He’s onto a winner as he has a captive audience of people coming to the area by boat with few options. Can’t argue that the locations is great, but I would avoid this place and go up to the Lookout for dinner which we used a few times - and the takeaway fish and chips from there were fabulous too.

Checked before arriving that the Inn would be open as ferry arrived at 3pm. Landlord informed me that although not serving food, the inn would be open for drinks. In fact it didn't open until after 5. When it did open the landlord was extremely rude and stated if we didn't order drinks or food immediately I would have to leave the communal area outside (where I had been sitting happily for 2 hours), this despite no menu available. Yes, the remotest pub in the UK with the remotest of welcomes in a beautiful setting, wasted on this person entirely. Not indicative of the warmth of other highland hostelries. Without the shop (and kindness of the owner next door we would have had no refreshments and a long wait for the ferry back. Grossier, grosser, grosser, Il a ete tres impoli avec moi.

We were advised in Mallaig to book ahead - which is a must - and that The Old Forge was a restaurant and not a "pub". We booked the restaurant the day we booked the ferry. This needs to be advertised clearly as it's not apparent on a quick look at the website. And it's a seafood restaurant and not a pub selling pints of ale and typical pub grub. Again this needs to be very obvious on the website. Fantastic food - at a price - probably the best seafood we've had in years. The term "remotest pub" is misleading and might disappoint. We would definitely re-visit, planned in advance.

Visited this place for lunch at 2.30pm. Hadn't realised they shut at 3pm. When we walked in the owner (behind the bar) seemed to be not impressed the 9 of us had turned UP for drinks and food. Which was so unusual to say the country is in a recession. However we ordered our drinks then discussed what we wanted for food. He told us HE would tell us what we could have given the time we arrived. 2 of us had mussels and chips, 6 had scallops and 1 a basket of chips. We also asked for bread. When the scallops were served there were only 3 on a plate with sliced new potatoes (so only 2 potatoes) and a celery sauce. This seemed like a starter rather than mains but when the bill came we found out at £23.99 it was a mains dish! Our total bill came to over £257!When looking at the bill, after paying, and being outside the pub, we noticed we had been over charged for 1 wine @£7. We tried to get back into the pub to tell the owner but he had locked the doors so couldn't get our money back. This was a total ripoff meal, the owner was rude, disrespectful and lacking in manners to customers.WARNING: DO NOT VISIT THIS PLACE UNLESS YOU DON'T MIND BAD MANNERS AND YOU HAVE WON THE LOTTERY. VERY DISAPPOINTED

To begin with, the property is about a 20minute walk with luggage from the location advertised and where the boat drops you. On arrival at the place we quickly realised it was a bunk house not a ‘Luxury Snug’. This makes it very over priced and excludes breakfast. The bathroom and bedroom was dirty with poor quality rickety beds and a padlocked wardrobe. The locals know this place as a rip off along with the Old Forge pub. We left a night early after comforting the owner who couldn’t care less and seemed to be used to people leaving early. Please go to Inverie but give this place a miss. The Lookout Restaurant/ Gathering B&B is an amazing place where we ate dinner and breakfast to avoid the Old Forge as much as possible.

This place really is a little gem. A combination of amazing quality fresh food, great beer and a stunning view pays off. The staff were friendly and efficient and couldn't do enough for us. Though priced slightly at a premium - it is worth every penny.

We planned to go to Knoydart by first booking the ferry, shortly after we tried to book a table in the forge, all was good and we ended up booking a table for drinks and snacks at 5. He wanted us to look online at the menu and let him know the day before what we were eating. The menu is exquisite but very expensive and limited, if you have special dietary requirements or if you are a vegan / vege.... good luck!When we arrived at the pub, we were told “this is a proper restaurant and we do not do snacks - you need to understand this is an A-Z restaurant.”After explaining that he himself had said that it would be okay to have snacks he refused to admit that he had agreed to this and said “I take a hundred phone calls a day I do not remember you”Then after we established that snacks were not an option he moved us from our booked table under the pretence that he could serve the others in our space - in an empty restaurant. All I can say is as we walked in he judged our appearance and deduced he wouldn’t be making hundreds of pounds off of us as we didn’t sail in on a yacht. We watched people get drinks and take them out into the pouring rain and midges to avoid being in the presence of the man JP himself. One of our company went into the toilets and found sh1t on the floor - possibly a previous customers gift to the owner to express her emotions about her visit. It says a lot when no locals drink or eat there. There is a unofficial locals pub just down the road in a leantoo, I would head there instead or just get some drinks from the off licence and drink on the shore. Rude, pretentious and a bitter find at the remotest pub in the U.K.The old forge is a hollow shell of its previous form which was the heart of the community. PS the in house ale “Remoteness” is quite aptly named as it is not remotely tasty.

Quality food! What a great atmosphere! The Remotest Pub of Mainland Britain, Guinness book of records ! A real piece of heaven at the end of the world.Very warm service and very smiling staff! I highly recommend this place! We still do not understand why Tripadvisor is not able to manage the bad fake jalous locals reviews trying to persuade daily travellers to enjoy this fantastic foodie place...

Great beer, great food and delightful staff. We had a wonderful experience yesterday when we came over from Skye to this little gem. The food was absolutely delicious! The seafood was amazing and the chips were the best we have ever had. JP and his staff we very attentive and made the whole experience a joy. Make sure you book if you have a large group like we did as then they are prepared. We are very much looking forward to doing it all again very soon.

Visited three times, twice for drinks and once for a meal. All visits were very pleasant. One visit on the Wednesday was very pleasant as it was after a long hill walk and the pub is meant to be closed on that day, but the owner made the effort to serve people anyway. Our visit was two weeks after the lockdown was eased so considering the Covid restrictions the staff all made a good effort to make you feel welcome and in a safe environment. Meal was excellent, venison stew, steak and vegetarian dishes all good standard. Drinks and food a little more expensive than on the “mainland”, but as everything has to be shipped in that is to be expected. Anyway the food was worth it, excellent! Plus the views across the bay are great.

£25 for 2 tins of coke and 2 small Belgian waffles with a dab of ice cream!!!! An absolute rip off for the food.Knoydart is a lovely place to go,but definitely take your own food as this place charges rip off joke prices for its food.

Only just reopened and we were the only guests that evening. Warmly welcomed by the owner and his staff. Food was great. We had soup and the smoked salmon to start then fillet steaks with peppercorn sauce and lovely chips. Quality of the beef and the cooking of it were excellent.Pudding was chocolate mousse.Yes the final bill was expensive but didn’t feel it was overly bad and the quality and freshness meant it was worth it.Owner was friendly and we sat and chatted for a while. The other staff were all cheery and helpful too

Pints are fine, about what you'd expect. But the food is SO overpriced and the atmosphere a bit tense as the owner isn't the *friendliest*. Recommend the lookout up the road a bit for a delicious fish and chips at reasonable prices and fab service. Will be back to Knoydart but unfortunately wouldn't return to this pub unless prices etc are reviewed (25 quid for fish chips- are you kidding?)

We had a fantastic time at the Old Forge during our stay in Knoydart in absolutely terrible weather. The food was phenomenal and definitely worth the money, my mucky dog was allowed in and the owner was good craic! I can see how some customers may be upset at the lack of sugar-sweet customer service but, personally, I prefer quirky character to fake niceties! Will be back soon!

Diabolically rude owner who was rude to the people in front of us and then us and the people behind. We even heard him say "h0m0" to a man who was leaving. Avoid this place. Buy a drink in the off licence and drink at the shore. That's what the locals do. You're welcome.

Because of the reputation of the landlord we were determined to avoid confrontation and have a nice time. We were ready for the irritating ’have you booked’ line which seems obligatory even though no one has and there was plenty of room. We forgave the fact that one of us ordered an alcohol free beer and we’re given a regular beer, and that this was blamed on our accent. We were slightly surprised by the really high food prices but decided to go with it and not allow that to spoil our day. We were still having a nice time. Realising that there was no vegetarian main course option available i decided not to mention it, but to order the soup as a main course with some fries. AND I STILL GOT TOLD OFF. Apparently the chef doesn’t like people doing that. I explained that it was because there was no vegetarian option and was met with an angry glare. It stopped being funny at this point. Seriously don’t go to this pub until it changes hands.

My husband and I were last in Inverie over 10 years ago after our highland wedding, when we were captivated by this remote community, at the heart of which was the Old Forge Pub. We returned to the UK last year after almost a decade away, and decided to revisit our favourite haunts in the Western highlands, and booked accommodation through the Old Forge. In retrospect the booking process was dodgy - payment was only taken via a bank transfer (no cards) with no email confirmation. The manager/owner JP assured me on the phone that tables in the pub are always available for staying guests. I took him at this word, and we arrived in Inverie this afternoon to find that the pub is closed until March - in a community of 90 people with nowhere to buy food on a Sunday. To add creepiness to the swindle, the bunk house we were booked into (at 100 GBP per night) has a spy camera - that my husband re-angled to face the wall for privacy. Worried about how we feed ourselves for two days, we engaged JP and asked him to help us get the gas cooker going , but he demanded more money for the privilege. Frankly, I'm speechless at these events.We were saved this evening by the the lovely and kind owners of The Lookout B&B who fed and watered us. Do come and visit this glorious place, but STAY AWAY from JP and the Old Forge. The community here have been fighting him since he took over the pub, and I can now see why. We had no idea about this situation before arriving here today, but now I can confirm that he is a grasping and greedy individual with no understanding of the meaning of hospitality.

Only accessible by boat from Mallaig but well worth the effort, great food and ale, comfortable with outstanding views. Owner is friendly and chatty. IT took us 4 days to get there and back with 3 hours in the pub but well worth the effort.

We read a lot of reviews about this place and I was very disappointed to find that JP is a decent guy and we got on fine. We ate here two nights with no issues, no agro and no criticisms. The food was on the expensive side but I thought it was all very good quality and worth the money, especially given the location. The venison casserole was filling and the steak at £23.95 was excellent and very good value.There was a decent choice on tap at the bar including a good ale and the prices were reasonable. WIf you are looking for standard pub grub this probably isn't the place for you. A lot of reviewers seem to have expectations out of line with what is clearly advertised on the website. I will say that there was a group of 8 of us and were staying at the Old Byre as well so perhaps this affects matters but for us JP was friendly and pleasant.

How how how, this is the place to be in Scotland ! Wonderfull bar with outstanding fresh seafood and youhavetotry beef with whisky. We slept at the Forge too, in a magnific Lodge. And yes the boss JP is incredibly friendly. The perfect weekend. for sure we will be back !

If you're after fish and chips or a burger this isn't for you but if you want top quality, organic , locally sourced food then you will love this. Yes it is more expensive than some restaurants but is worth every penny. I had the best scallops I've ever tasted and the most stunning view. Jean Pierre was extremely helpful and knowledgeable and passionate about his craft. We both loved every mouthful. A day and a meal to remember.

The owner didnt like it when I only ordered a main course and question why I wouldnt order a starter as how was he supposed to earn a living if I didn't order one! All I needed was some good, hearty food after my 3 day hike to inverie but was faced with supposedly haute cuisine seafood platters and venison broth. The venison stew was way overpriced, small portion and I didn't dare ask for bread to mop it up, I think it cost extra anyway. I had an upset stomach next morning, but that could just have been exhaustion.The 'Remoteness' ale was a good pint

Stopped in for a couple of pints of local Knoydart Brewery "Remoteness" on first of two nights in Knoydart - very nice. Booked in for meal following night. Friendly welcome, efficient service, delicious soup, langoustines and ( belgian ? ) waffle washed down with more "Remoteness" and fantastic sunset. Yes it's not cheap but comparable with island prices nearby. Not sure what's going on with the bad reviews unless I'm missing sonething??

we walked in from loch arkaig on a 12 hour walk to be greeted by the owner saying you expect food at 830pm (when it says it serves til 930 pm outside). to his credit he did give us 3 venison casseroles at £22 a go. definitely not worth that.pub very quiet now he has fell out with the locals.went there for some drinks and he was ok to chat to.think most tourists only see him for an hour and first impression ain't good. such a shame cause great place and coukd be a great pub

After paying £50 for a mediocre meal, and not the most generous of portions I have to say. On two occasions I asked for a can of irn bru, on both occasions I was served a small glass of draft irn bru. When I asked the owner if he had any sugar free irn bru, he launched into a huge angry spiel about being the most remote pub in Britain and all the lovely beverages he had to offer, I apologised for offending the poor mans fine establishment and explained this was not a complaint. I was then told I would be taken outside and drowned in the sea. The owner explained he was an ex marine commando then chuckled at a private joke he declined to share with me.

I’m Knoydart for a long weekend, with friends,for my last Munro. Was warned about this place and the awful “Belgian” owner who allegedly pays more taxes than anyone else.

Great food and service. Owner is a purest and if you accept that you are sure to have a good meal/evening. Expensive but this is understandable given the location and logistics. All in all really nice meal and evening.

The Old Forge has so much going for it - the location overlooking Loch Nevis, the romance of arriving by boat or via a rugged hill walk - yet there is so much wrong with this pub it’s difficult to know where to start. The landlord, JP, takes arrogance to new levels, and even Knoydart isn’t big enough for his super inflated ego. Instead of running a friendly pub catering for walkers, sailors and the local population, he thinks he’s running a high-end French restaurant. He made it clear we should have booked, before showing us to one of many empty tables. The menu is completely inappropriate - seafood platter at £39.95 per person? A small chicken fricassee and chips for nearly £20? Really? No pub classics, no fish and chips. Everything is twice the price it should be. And the service is rude, condescending and bullying. No wonder the locals have set up their own alternative unofficial pub nearby. Go to the cafe down the road, or The Lookout.

This restaurateur has somehow managed to fall out with his neighbours in this small village and being open minded we booked a table for three. The food was mediocre and overpriced. Don’t bother going here if you are looking for reasonably priced good food. You ain’t gonna get it. To add insult to injury he charges u for paying by Visa card. But what put the tin lid on it was when we were waiting for the ferry we watched the proprietor collecting boxes of brakes brothers frozen chips from ferry and putting them into the back of his jalope for which we had the pleasure of being charged £6 for a measly portion for one . He was taking the piss

If like us you are sailing round the waters of Skye and are looking for good food to keep you satisfied after a day of wind and rain give The old Forge, Inverie, Knoydart a MISS.

We had high expectations as members of our group had been there several times previously and reported it to be a great end to a week of sailing- great location, shower, and good food.

In an unbelievably beautiful setting overlooking a sea loch ringed by remote mountains. Watch sea otters play while browsing an expertly chosen wine list. The cooking, the people, the atmosphere offer a rare integrity. I will always remember this place with great fondness

Without a doubt the worst pub I have ever had the displeasure of going to. Save your money, your time and the local community by boycotting the Old Forge (until it changes owners).

A great pub ( I last went 20 years ago) ruined by an arrogant ,slimy owner.

Sitting in the most remote pub in the British Isles, stunning views from the picture windows, friendly landlord just lent us his own maps to explore this beautiful peninsula.

We should have checked the reviews beforehand. What could be an idyllic pub and restaurant has been totally ruined by the Belgian manager/owner. Rude to guests, even ruder to staff (in French - does he really think that nobody understands other languages) we paid extortionate prices for stingy portions of badly cooked seafood. The moules tasted like they were cooked in dishwater. On top of this the owners charged us for paying by card - which is illegal. This place need to be shut down.

I had booked a table for lunch, but when I arrived, neither my partner nor I were hungry so we only wanted soup and a sandwich. We bought drinks, asked for a menu, and went outside to sit in the sun by the water. Minutes later, the proprietor came out to ask for our order. I explain that we only wanted soup and a sandwich, and asked what the soup was. We were snootily directed to the tearoom, which was shut. After a diatribe about how hard he had worked to bring the place up to the present high standard, he took my order for fish soup and a side order of chips "only because he wasn't busy" I wasn't allowed to have it outdoors, but had to go indors to have it. There, i witnessed another customer asking the waiter to keep his main course warm while he finished his soup. I quickly finished my soup and chips, and went to pay. I didn't get a bill, just proferred my card, and, without checking how much I was being charged, swiped it and left. i should have been charged £11.90, but on checking my bank account a couiple of days later, I discovered I'd been charged £24.50 for a plate of average soup and a small portion of chips. I later heard that he had started slagging me off to the other customer who was there. This used be a great place, but I'm horrified that it has been spoiled by this man. My partner felt like she'd been told off. I was ripped off.

We visited this pub as a group of 11 and had a great evening - had a lovely meal, played some music, darts and pool. The food was great (possibly over priced but given the location you would expect to pay more).

I saw a story on the BBC about this pub and thought what a great place to visit and celebrate my friends birthday. I emailed JP (the owner) numerous times asking various questions and he promptly replied within 24 hours. He was informative and responsive. He ordered a cake for my friend and suggested a few other options for her celebration. When we arrived, JP was welcoming, friendly, and the place was exactly how is was in the pictures. I had the steak, which was cooked to perfection and my friend had the fish soup and mussels which she enjoyed very much. The birthday cake was presented and the whole pub (about 11 customers at the time) sang her happy birthday. My friend and I had a great time and I will be coming back. As for all the negative comments, I think there is a lot of island politics going on and everyone should visit and decide for themselves. This place is too good not to be seen or visited.

My friend saw this place featured on a BBC special discussing how it's the most remote pub in Britain. Since we were looking for a different sort of experience to celebrate my birthday, we took the ferry and booked in at the Old Forge. Overall, it was a great experience-nothing like what others have said in their reviews. The owner was welcoming but professional. We were treated well, and he even spent time explaining and recommending items off the menu. The fish soup was very flavorful, and the mussels were also a great choice for me. JP had a birthday cake waiting for me per my friend's request (they had emailed a few times prior to our arrival). And since there were only a few other guests there that night, they all sang and shared the delicious cake that JP sliced and served for us all. It was just what I had hoped for. And I didn't expect bargain prices given the location and lack of competition from other pubs (plus London had already beat the sticker shock out of me). I would advise others to make up their own minds about JP and the Old Forge and give it a try; it was a great experience for me. Thanks, JP.

Having heard great reviews about this place from my family, who in the past have visited this area, my partner and I went in at sunset for a drink. We were met by a patronising, buffoonish, fool. We were disappointed to find out that he was the owner, It turns out the good things you hear about this place nearly always relate to when it was owned by the previous landlord. Overpriced drinks and a hollow atmosphere, not even the locals will drink here anymore. Knoydart is a wonderful place that deserves better, there are other places here, find them before settling for this shell of a pub.

Beautiful setting. However the landlord is exploiting the fact that there are very few alternative places to eat in this remote location. We were dropped here by boat for an hour. We were hungry so opted to go to what looked like a friendly little boozer. We were promptly met by a buffoon of a man barking do we have a reservation. We didn't! and what looked like almost every table had a reserved sign but no customers?

The publican is continuously rude to visitors. Accused my guest of behaving like an Indian in a very derogatory fashion. JP charged one friend £10 for using touch card payment. So one bowl of soup cost £16.50!!

I was made to feel very unwelcome when I first went into the pub for a drink, and was surprised to find no locals in there. The staff are all Belgian and the food is good but the manager is snobby, pretentious and simply rude. He insults and bullies his guests, and is mean with drink sizes. Don’t bother going at all - there are other places on Knoydart.

Despite reading the poor reviews for this pub, we still decided to take a trip. This is a very average pub and 3/5 stars describes it very well.

Being to Knoydart a few times now, but first time we had food at the Old Forge. Menu was limited, could do with some Scottish dishes Cullen skink, Haggis, Cranachan to name a few. Also food for hill walkers maybe fish and chips or burgers. I had mussels to start could have done with a sauce and bread not toast or was this hiding it was stale. Main was to be a chicken casserole one word pathetic. The landlord is an ignorant person and insulted us on a few occasions with his personality. I asked why he didn't stock the beer from the local brewery and he said they were amateurs, I've tasted their beer and far from being amateurs. Definitely won't be back not even for a beer. There's a shop at the Kilchoan estate, the snack shack that's open 24/7 beside the bunkhouse and the table at the visitors information office where you can purchase some beer or wine. Next I'll either bring my own or shop in these places, definitely won't be back to the old forge.

I apparently have a local badge of honour by being banned from old forge for buying second round of drinks as apparently inappropriate for women to have more than one pint.

I'd read the reviews and heard some negative comments from locals about this place and JP, the Belgian owner, but I like Belgian mussels and beer and so we went along to try it out. I didn't find the owner rude, maybe just a bit abrupt and somewhat arrogant in a way. The mussels were good but I'd say everything is overpriced and they are trading on their name and the "remotest pub in Britain" slogan. Apparently JP has been running it for 6 years so he can't be that bad at what he does but having been to the Lookout Restaurant, a relative newcomer just along the road, I'd have to say there is no comparison. The food at the Lookout is more inventive, and well presented and doesn't cost as much. The views are just as good and the service is very friendly. So I'd go back there next time and bypass the Old Forge.

A long time since I’ve been to what was one of my favourite pubs in UK. Oh dear the prices have escalated- £5.95 for an extra side of chips, £39.95/Portion for the seafood dish. Seldom have I known such an arrogant and rude landlord. The food was good though. The beer well kept but not to my taste. I will not return whilst in present ownership.

overpriced, did not enjoy the food and the owner was literally the rudest person I’ve ever met... was shocked by how he communicated with customers and have no idea how he runs a business or makes any better money

I ate here on 6 evenings. I don't like seafood so I tried only the scallops and the steak with a side salad, which were all very good. Revolution beer was a cut above average IMHO. This place is almost the only show in town but I can recommend it.

Was really looking forward to eating here and had booked months in advance. Beer was lovely, mussels were great, the rest of the food rather average and very expensive.

I will start by saying that the food was very tasty. The atmosphere is cozy and the Remoteness beer was a good drink after a long day of travel.

We have great memories of Knoydart and in particular this pub from many years ago when it was full of fun and music. We decided to revisit when we were touring around the north of Scotland last week and we were so looking forward to taking our friends to this pub.......we were utterly embarrassed by the way we were spoken to by the bar man on our arrival. It was Saturday night and the place was dead, no music, no fun, zero service. Nothing like what we remembered!

We stayed in the snug and ate at the pub for a birthday treat. Best seafood we’ve had in years, friendly welcome, good selection of beer and wines and of course the views are stunning. We stayed at the snug, which is a pleasant 10 minute walk from the pub - again we were not disappointed. We’ll definitely be back, would highly recommend.

Nice atmosphere and a good selection of food and drinks. The chicken fricassée was very tasty and my husband’s ravioli delicious. My friend’s burger a bit dry though and not very tasty.

Yes, everyone who has reviewed here and said the landlord was rude and abusive is quite correct. Add to that the fact that he's a cheat as well. We were staying on one of the pub moorings, the cost of which was written on a notice on the way in to the pub: £15/night. In spite of that, the landlord charged us £20 and would only accept cash. Even when challenged he insisted it was £20. We refused to let his attitude spoil our visit to this beautiful spot, but next time we visit we'll eat on the boat! Apparently the locals are so hacked off with him they bring their own beer and drink it outside!

Heard so much about this place we were let down a rude and abrupt Landlord .I suppose due to its location punters do not have much choice but we found some without too much looking