The Oystercatcher in Argyll & Bute

Popped in for lunch after getting a recommendation from a friend. Friendly staff, lovely decor and great location. Plenty of choice on the menu and everything g we ordered was excellent. Highly recommended.

Outstanding fish dishes coupled with outstanding service from the super friendly staff. Nothing was too much for the folks that looked after us and the fish dishes and desserts were wonderful. Next time we’re back in Bonny Scotland we’ll be back without question

We had a nice family meal at the Oyster catcher during our holiday stay in Argyle. The restaurant staff were friendly and welcoming and appropriately attentive. We were a family of 4 and it’s fair to say this set us back a little but you probably get what you pay for here in terms of fresh produce from the sea. Our window didn’t quite look into Koch Fyne as there is a marquee in their front lawn but when you have finished the meal there is a nice shore with a small pebbly beach. Just down the road from the pub you may, we hear, have a chance of seeing some otters though I imagine you would be extremely lucky to do so. We did see a seal fleetingly and a majestic Herron. Anyway, I digress, the restaurant food is high quality and fresh with a chilled atmosphere - a few folk enquired about tables when we arrived but they were fully booked so you don’t need to book in advance.

Great service. Excellent food well presented. Good coffee. Brilliant view over the loch. We would have happily given 5* but there was only one vegetarian option on the menu which required a passion for peas. There were no “off menu” options (pasta, surely?). Aside from that niggle, highly recommended.

Well worth a visit , beautiful location right on the Loch. Don't be put off by the outside which is a little untidy. The food is amazing , staff very welcoming and friendly would definitely recommend and wish we were in the area longer as we would have returned to sample more the the menu.

Sehr sympathische Bedienung Das Essen war sehr lecker Und auch das Ambiente passte sehr gut Es gab grosse Portionen und Gratis Tapwater

An absolute must if you are in the area. A wonderful family owned restaurant. Superb food, lovely people, great beer and brilliant coffee

There were four of us and we all had different food and it was all delicious. The staff are friendly and the location is just wonderful. We would advise booking in advance.

I had a meal with a group of friends last month for my Birthday and we were blown away by not only the food, but the personal touch and care given with the service. The Oystercatcher team put up the most gorgeous decorations in our own room and the table was just stunning with candles, fresh flowers etc. They made the evening so special and memorable, I was so touched 💖 As for the food - the seafood was absolutely delicious and even the coffee we had after the meal was lovely! The rest of the restaurant is gorgeous and cosy with thoughtful interiors and wood burning stoves. I can’t thank Pheobe and the Team enough for making my birthday so special. I can’t wait to come back soon!

Have visited the Oystercatcher about 5 times now (most recently last week) and never disappointed. Its situated in a wonderful location overlooking Loch Fyne and if you are luck enough to see a sunset then it can be stunning. Seafood is excellent and staff make us feel at home.

Do not go anywhere else if you are in the area. The food is phenomenal, the staff are so lovely and the ambiance is perfect. What an absolute wee gem of a place. Will be back asap

Eat here regularly, always good, new dishes from Chef Steve, tonight's hake snitzel absolutely amazing, as always great atmosphere as well, thanks team oystercatcher.

We love visiting Otter Ferry and always go to The Oystercatcher. It’s one of our favourite places. Phoebe and the team are so welcoming, the food is brilliant and the views are to die for. It also helps that we usually stay at the Bothy next door! It’s become a bit of a regular haunt for us, so much so we’ll be there for Burn’s Night at the end of January. Can’t wait!

My partner and I stopped for a light lunch here today. Only half expected it to be open, but it was (winter opening times); and a nice welcome. Fairly busy, a good sign, excellent choice on menu, we had mushroom soup (excellent) and langoustines (again excellent) and coffee's each. Nice ambience, real fire, pleasant staff. Well worth a visit!

My son and girlfriend went today on my recommendation. Table for 2. Did you book? No. No tables then. A couple of tables were occupied. We can give you fish and chips take away. Sandwich asks my son. No. I suggested he go further down the road to the Inver. Better by far in my opinion. I have always been under impressed by the place. It could be magnificent. Always below average. I understand it must be difficult being in the middle of nowhere, but all the more reason to excel at what you do. Now permanently off my list.

Great food. Service great. Coped with dairy free and gluten free requirements. Setting awesome. Road to the Inn not the easiest

Amazing location, restaurant, food and staff! The produce is local - very fresh seafood as you’d expect. Food was so tastefully put together, it was very well balanced - the chef had struck the right balance 👌🏼! Staff were rushed off their feet, but always smiling and on the ball, had to wait a couple of times, but we didn’t mind the food was so good! I want to go back, thank you!

I realised I’ve been coming here for years and never reviewed. I find the food excellent and the service friendly. The second time I came, the owners could reel off my allergies. Now I get a custom menu which is never requested. The past few years have been very difficult for a small rural team struggling to find staff and some find it difficult that hours are reduced and booking is essential. I counter that with the first part of the review. Well done to team oystercatcher.

I booked for the pizza’s on a Sunday 2 weeks in advance. (As advised by the bothy owners where we were staying next door) When we arrived they didn’t have our booking. I even showed them my phone with evidence of me calling them to make the booking. They said there was nothing they could do and were aware that it would be hard to get anywhere else (we couldn’t book another restaurant). We had to travel to Dunoon (45mins there and back to get something to eat as all shops closed early on a Sunday) this completely ruined our stay as is was dark by the time we had our tea and couldn’t our time on enjoy the loch . I know mistakes happen but they just didn’t seem to care. You are supposed to order in advance on Sundays. We did. We were left stranded with no food for my young family. They just didn’t care. Thanks for ruining our stay (that was sarcastic , as no doubt your response will be below)

A wonderful lunch menu for all the family. The whitebait, mussels and catch of the day were lovely. Friendly staff and good ale!

First time we have eaten there since new owners took over. Starters were very good but unfortunately our mains didn’t reach the same standard. Although well cooked I was expecting a whole lobster but only received a small half. Questioned this and was told that the menu stated the price was for a half but the waiter did agree that the font used for “1/2” was so small you needed a magnifying glass to read it. Other members of the party received an uncooked burger, a cold steak and fish that was over battered. To be fair when I raised these issues they offered to deduct the cost of our main courses from the bill, which I accepted as a reasonable solution.

Excellent food, served with thought at slight delay with superb local bread and olives thrown in. Service was first class. Fyne Ales a surprise bonus. Remote location, but electronic pay works fine. Enjoy a walk and maybe even a swim before or after your meal.

This place is absolutely worth the journey (and we cycled). Amazing seafood and wonderful service. I'm definitely going again. The brown crab was delicious and I didn't have room for dessert.

5 of us stopped in for lunch during a cycle round the Dunoon/Tighnabruich peninsula. Realised the pub stopped serving food at 2pm, whilst in Strachur at 12.45, so quickly beetled down the road. Arrived just in time and favourable impressions. Good beers - Loch Fyne's Highlander is a standout. Super fresh langoustines in a delicious herb & garlic butter. Solid fish and chips. Prices nothing too outrageous - seafood fresh and decently priced. Layout is great, cosy and subtly stylish. But didn't feel out of place in our cycling gear. Friendly and easy going staff. Minus a point for opening times (need to order by 2pm, and closes at 3pm). But understandable I guess given the location.

We visited the Oystercatcher for lunch, had some oysters to start (very fresh and tasty), plus starts and some main meals. The food was good, and staff friendly. Decent selection of drinks as well, and reasonable prices. The only downside was the speed of service - we arrived at around midday, and ordered by about 12.15pm or so. The mains didn't then arrive until nearly 1.30pm, and as we had to leave by 2pm to get somewhere else, we didn't have time for dessert.

After a long and tricky drive through single track roads to get here, we were looking for this to be something special. Unfortunately we were sorely disappointed. The seafood we had was woeful and stupidly overpriced. My gf had John Dory fish, which is difficult to make taste bad, but they managed it. I had the special ‘Skate Wing’ as I’d never tried it before, I’d have been better ordering a SkateBoard! It was way over cooked, stringy, and had more bones than meat (I am ok with fish bones, and of course I expected them in a Skate Wing, but it was truly awful). Have eaten on a tonne of seafood restaurants and this is the worst I’ve experienced. Maybe I caught them on an off day. Nice decor, and great location, but the effort to get there simply isn’t worth it.

Great place for lunch. We where staying at Portavdie and decided to visit for lunch ?, my husband found this place online, after reading reviews we thought it was well worth a visit. It was a 25min drive from Portavadie . The staff where very friendly , good range of food . There was 5 of us and well enjoyed the food. Food was well presented. It is a cosy place , especiallybat bar area. It would be lovely to visit during Autumn time .

We stopped by here today for lunch on a recommendation on the food. We arrived at 2.30pm and upon walking into the bar to order food was told they stop serving at 2pm which seemed odd given the time of day. we looked at the menu which i have to say was outrageously expensive for a pub so we only had a cider and tea which was very refreshing and adequately priced. They had no bar food as advertised, nibbles and cake do not qualify as bar food, and the bar attendant was less than convivial after we explained our trip to this venue was for the supposed great food. On top of this the landlady decided iy was a good idea to let her dogs roam free amongst the patrons. OK if your a dog lover, not so much so if your not, very uncomfortable feeling having a big dog sniff you suffice to say we did not stay very long. Had our drinks and left .

Visited to celebrate my birthday after hearing wonderful things from my parents, I thought “how good can it be” well, with views to die for, servers that are clearly passionate about what they do, and to top it off the most wonderful food - I...

Came here because of a recommendation and we like to support places in remote areas. Unfortunately we got disappointed. Advertised different options for take away on the board but then when we ask they only had fish & chips and prawns. One of us missed...

I can’t say enough good things about this wonderful little restaurant on the shores of Loch Fyne. The food, the specials were incredible) the ambiance, the staff, it was perfect & the kind of place you dream about happening upon at the end of a...

Wonderful location and staff. Very welcoming plae and a pretty stretch of coast, would definitely visit again.

Our daughter was married here recently and I could not improve on anything Phoebe, Steven and their lovely staff produced for us all. It was a small wedding of 25 people comprising only family and was very intimate because of this. The setting was magnificent...

I visited with my partner and two dogs on Sunday afternoon. Immediately felt so welcome and a really lovely vibe. Airy decor and comfortable, relaxed surroundings. I had oysters, lingoustines, plaice for main, and cheeseboard. All cooked perfectly and very tasty. My partner had oysters,...

The Oystercatcher hosted my son Robbies wedding to his partner Scott on the weekend of 29th April They were all absolutely amazing The food over this 3 day event was out of this world and just kept coming Nothing was too much trouble for Phoebe...

Went for a lunchtime meal arrived in a very cold restaurant i had beer battered fish and chips quite qreasy and small my partner had gnocchi with mushrooms very dry very small bowl not a great deal of flavour not really what we expected after...

Really friendly service, great meal. Super atmosphere. Really accommodating about bringing my hepa filter for our table, and did superb vegan food. Really impressed!

Although living locally we have never previously visited the Oystercatcher due to its "moving target' opening days and early closing hours under the new owners management . Finally, having heard good things, managed last week and found the place looking good however the food (oysters...

Travelling round the West Coast earlier this year we discovered many little restaurants and pubs, however, The Oystercatcher was by far the best and really is a hidden gem! The staff on entry were warm and welcoming, especially the pub pups! There is an exceptional...

What a beautiful wee inn - very eclectic and welcoming - tasty food and excellent and friendly staff

A warm and friendly atmosphere as always, Steve is an amazing chef, can’t believe he does it all on his own!!! Staff are always welcoming and provide first class service, couldn’t ask for anymore from our local! Never disappoints!!

I had a real hard time choosing because the menu was fantastic. Steve the chef is brilliant, all the more extraordinary is the fact he is the only cook??! Bravo. (Go work there young chefs!!) scallops for starter cooked to perfection, with textures of parsnip...

Super meal at the Oystercatcher last night. The pub has a cosy feel and the staff were friendly and attentive, nothing was too much trouble. Great selection of beers, wines and gins. The food was fantastic using lots of locally sourced produce (and a nice...

We visited the Oystercatcher during July at the height of the summer season and all we can say is that the staff are not given enough credit where they’re due. The meal was excellent, the location is outstanding and the staff couldn’t be more polite....

It may seem biased coming from Phoebe's dad but I and Sharon are incredibly proud of what Phoebe & Steve are doing, they have taken over a pub in a remote part of Scotland and they are doing their damnedest to make sure its a...

My family and I visited recently and what a beautiful place, the location is something else, to be able to wake up and see that view every day would be fantastic. The food was delicious, such lovely dishes all cooked fresh by the lovely chef,...

Well what a beautiful & cosy place to visit! We had a fantastic dinner, the food was out of this world, the atmosphere in the pub was lovely, beautiful cosy fire, great wine, full bar, with friendly service! Perfect little pub in Scotland, definitely one...

Such a lovely restaurant, friendly staff, fantastic local food and beers. Having recently dined at other local establishments on the Cowal Peninsula the menu and quality of food at the oystercatcher is far superior.

Had dinner here last weekend and what an amazing place! Such a warm welcome from the staff as we arrived and we enjoyed a couple of local beers next to the log stove before our reservation. We had some of the best food we have...

The oystercatcher is one of my favourite places to go. Me and my friends absolutely adore the food and wine and the overall feeling is so cozy and warm. All the staff are brilliant and the family feel is so inviting. Can't wait to come...

We are frequent visitors to the area and often (try to) attend the Oystercatcher for lunch, dinner or just drinks but more often than not...they are closed. You would think they would make the most of school holidays, but closing at 2pm on a Saturday...

lovely location, friendly hosts food is fabulous and good selection of wines a fab place to get together

Having had the Oystercatcher highly recommended to myself by friends we drove 2 hours to get there. The food unfortunately was under whelming and we left feeling disappointed.

We spent 9 days in the area. This pub was recommended as a good place to frequent on the booking blurb. On our first day we arrived at the pub well before the end of lunch service to a lukewarm reception. All we were offered...

We ate here twice on our week nearby and enjoyed both the visits. Having been previously 3 years ago I was interested to see if there were many changes and some reviews would indicate there might be. I was happy to find it was still...

Wasn’t what I expected nice view over loch fyne but disappointed with the meal we were so looking forward to. Scallops for started two smallish scallops with mushy peas basically £11 . Then hubby had mussels main in Tom sauce it was mussels with a...

We booked in advance as we know how busy The Oystercatcher can be. We had a lovely lunch, Pork Terrine and Trout Pate as starters with Fish'n'Chips and Sea Trout and Beetroot for mains. Fish'n'Chips portion was massive, too much even for my partner who...

Stunning Jubilee Weekend at the Oystercatcher.....highlight a glorious Saturday in aid of the RNLI, team coped so well with mobs of people, lovely BBQ food, real party atmosphere, thanks very much Team Keene

We visited The Oyster Catcher after reading good reviews as we were holidaying walking distance from it and was advised to book. I tried to do this before we went but I didn’t get confirmation of our booking and luckily enough my daughter got our...

I never normally leave a poor review as hospitality is a hard game but tonight I do feel compelled. We've visited here every year for the past 4 years and it's become a holiday tradition to visit on our last night for a fabulous meal....

Lovely atmosphere on Saturday 4th June (and in sunshine) where the venue hosted a bbq amongst other stalls raising money for the RNLI. Was very busy probably due to the weather being so good and the staff made the correct call in pausing service for...

Came here on Saturday 4th June . They had run out of food at 2.00pm and then they closed the bar at 5.00 pm. Pretty disappointing . No idea of how to run a business.

Visiting The Oystercatcher was a massive highlight of our holiday. The most perfect place to enjoy amazing food, great atmosphere, really friendly family run pub! A must visit on a trip to this area! The best fish and chips and the cauliflower dish was a...

Love, love, love The Oystercatcher. Beautiful location with fantasy local ales, wonderful food and equally wonderful hosts. A warm, cosy, friendly pub which we’ll be visiting for the fourth time in August. Can’t recommend it highly enough.

Had the most fantastic meal in the Oyster Catcher Service was first class although very busy Staff could not do enough to make sure we had a lovely night

Fantastic place Ambience superb Food is absolutely fab Friendly staff Brilliant menu Superb presentation

Sunday lunch at the Oystercatcher best I've had in over 3yrs (and I've had some good uns!)....the new owners are doing a fantastic job...I highly recommend a visit to this wonderful eatery you won't be disappointed

Another fantastic meal in an amazing location. We hadn't realised this place had changed hands and were glad to see it continues to be exceptional in every way. Friendly owners and staff with a carefully structured menu. We wish you every success and we'll be...

We headed to the Oyster Catcher on the off chance we could get a table for lunch, and were lucky to get one for the 4 of us and our 2 dogs. We'd heard great things, and were not disappointed, it was immense! The atmosphere,...

We came for Sunday lunch on Halloween and it was absolutely brilliant. Friendly staff gave our daughter a trick or treat bag of sweets, unbelievably beautiful setting, cosy and inviting inside with lovely decor. And the food was amazing. Fresh seafood with local mussels, lobster...

We have just had the most amazing meal at the Oyster Catcher, Otter Ferry. We are a family of 8 staying locally for October half term. The meal was nothing short of exceptional. A mixture of ages in our party and everyone was catered for....

The place looks the part but the customer service is well short of the mark. We arrived for lunch only to be told we could only have soup nothing else. After 5 or so minutes other lunch visitors arrived and were seated and given menus....

Four of us had lunch here a few days ago. Four different main courses, all really excellent and with hearty portions. Given its beautiful, but somewhat remote, location we’ve only been able to visit this venue sporadically over the years, but if our recent experience...

We were in the area for the Cowal Open Studios weekend and combined an evening meal at the Oystercatcher with a look at Becca Thorpe's beautiful paintings which were on display there. Our meal was well worth the journey to get here. Both starters (crab...

I’ve just written a review and as soon as I clicked on submit, it disappeared! This is not the first time this has happened! There’s something wrong with the websiteTripAdvisor - and I don’t have the time to do it all over again!

Thank goodness we pre booked a few weeks before. If you love great fresh sea food this is a must Fantastic Oysters, I took a gamble on Cullen Skink ??? It’s absolutely delicious. We sat outside as the weather was lovely Would go back there...

Wow...starters, main , sweet....all food was fantastic, service great, staff lovely and friendly. Great atmosphere, thoroughly recommended...make sure to book...they are busy....obviously cos they got it right 😁

Top Quality Food and the service was amazing!!! Will definitely be back and would recommend to everyone

Came here with family for a birthday meal while on a visit to the area, after high recommendation and word of mouth - we were not disappointed! Beautiful setting and a fantastic spot to sit outside for a drink or a meal - that being...

Finally all got to eat here on Saturday night and it couldn't have been better. In awe of Phoebe, Steve and Madelon running the show like they do. The food was incredible - amazingly fresh and delicious. SO welcoming, even though we were late. SO...

Another excellent meal at the Oystercatcher...good food/brilliant staff/ excellent service.... (book in advance!)

As always just superb quality of food for a Friday night dinner and then a Tuesday morning breakfast. Well done Phoebe and Steve. The roasted hake was just wonderful and the chocolate dessert just melted in the mouth. Then the breakfast yesterday set us up...

My parents took me here for a birthday lunch on Thu 19th August. The menu is well designed, and very appealing for those with a penchant for Argyll's fresh seafood. The pricing for the most part seemed fair, as the ingredients are well sourced. On...

We booked well in advance for a table of 9 for lunch. The initial welcome was good, but the service was so very slow. We order drinks, then a 2 course lunch (starter and main). The starter arrived relatively promptly and was lovely, albeit a...

6 of us booked for lunch and were warmly welcomed. Each choosing different meals, we all thoroughly enjoyed our meals which were well presented, and the service was friendly and helpful. My haddock and my husband’s mussels were particularly enjoyable. A great choice of wines,...

Fabulous lunch with absolutely beautiful food and wine in a lovely relaxed environment - and we were a noisy group of 12. What a great place

We visited The Oystercatcher for dinner as we were staying at Ballimore Bothy (also worth a visit) which is next door. The team couldn’t have done more for us. We’d booked in advance but with three rather unruly dogs we were hoping to eat outside...

Wow what a location! We were able to choose where to sit inside and chose the snug which had been painted a very nice midnight blue since we had last been. We were slightly disconcerted not to be given a drinks menu however opted for...

I’m not quite sure, or maybe just a bit suspicious that the reviews for the Oystercatcher are so positive. This was the worst dining “experience” we’ve had in a long time. It was a lovely sunny, I’d booked lunch about a month in advance and...

After seeing a friend visit here and post pictures of their delicious fare on instagram, we decided to make a pitstop on a trip. This place is absolutely stunning, the vista is just incredible and I think it'd look good in all weathers. We were...

Lovely restaurant with a beautiful outlook. The food was fantastic, great portion sizes and excellent value for money. The staff are all very friendly and attentive. The menu is quite small with only 5/6 options on each course and a couple of specials, which may...

Havent eaten at the Oystercatcher since the new owners took over earlier this year....I ordered fish n chips tartar sauce and mushy peas and can say that that I wasnt dissapointed.. watching (and smelling)all the lovely food that was been delivered to the tables made...

The new owners Steve & Phoebe are delightful and have worked so very hard to maintain the quality of service and food at The Oyster Catcher especially in such tricky times. We were a table of four and we had a delicious selection of starters...

I have visited his hostelry since 1960 and my last visit (last week) was one of the best. We drove over the hill from Glendaruel and needed a drink after reversing 4 times to allow vehicles to pass! The Oystercatcher is truly a great inn....

Fabulous fresh oysters. We had halibut for main course which was excellent. Beautifully cooked and nicely balanced dish. The views from the oystercatcher are stunning. A memorable evening

Absolutely fell in love with this beautiful pub/restaurant. New owners serving incredible seafood (we had oysters and mussels - best I’ve tasted!❤️) wonderful local craft beer, all of this with the Otterferry beach just outside - blissful!

The vegetarian lentil and aubergine dish was fab. Nick is very keen on any veggie dish that includes pulses. He definitely gave it the thumbs up. I had lobster - first time for me- thank you to our lovely waitress for the help and advice...

AMAZING!! Some of the best seafood I’ve ever had and wonderfully fresh. Super helpful staff and lovely and welcome. Wishing the new owners every success here, we will be back

Wow. So happy we found this place- by accident! Just had lunch on a beautiful sunny day, sitting outside, overlooking Loch Fyne. Probably the best seafood I have had. We started with oysters fresh from the Loch then languistines and mussels and for main I...

New owners, Phoebe and Steven, took over the Oystercatcher just 2 days ago. Unfortunately the website, which says no bookings required for lunch, belongs to the old owners, who have not yet taken the website down yet. Advance Booking is required. Despite no booking, they...