The Pier Cafe in Argyll & Bute

**A Delightful Breakfast with a Blonde Twist!** ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ After reading a handful of reviews online about the *attitude* of the blonde lady at this café, I figured I’d pop in and see if I’d be the next unfortunate soul to fall victim to her alleged "bad vibes" — spoiler: I wasn’t. In fact, I had one of the most pleasant breakfast experiences I've had in a while. It was a rainy Friday morning, I had my dog with me (who, by the way, is strictly not allowed inside — fair enough), so I asked if I could sit outside. Without skipping a beat, the blonde lady appeared with a smile, took my order, and even offered me some great substitutes for things I didn’t particularly like on the big breakfast. (Very accommodating, I must say!) But here’s where it gets *extra* special: She didn’t just take my order, she also threw in a free sausage for my dog, who was living her best life with a little playtime from the lady. I’m pretty sure the dog had a better breakfast than I did. After I finished my meal, which was delicious by the way, the blonde lady came out to collect payment, and we had a fun bit of banter — me being English and all, I like to think I brought some charm to the table. But the point is, it was a *pleasant* exchange — no attitude, no cold stares, just good vibes all around. Let’s be honest: People are quick to complain online, especially without ever bothering to address an issue with the staff directly. It’s easy to write a review when you’ve had a bad experience, but not everyone gets the chance to speak to someone first and see if the problem can be fixed. If you’ve read a bad review, take it with a pinch of salt. I found my experience to be nothing short of excellent. So, if you're thinking about coming here based on some negative reviews — ignore them. If you’re open-minded and have a good attitude yourself, you might just find a delightful blonde lady (and some tasty food) to make your day. I’ll definitely be back for round two! P.S. If you happen to have a dog, bring them along. They’ll love it. #GoodVibesOnly

We have recently moved to the island and took a stroll along the Main Street on Sunday 8th September looking for somewhere to eat. We came across the pier cafe which seemed fairly busy. We stepped inside and there was an elderly gentleman in front of us who asked the waitress (a larger, blonde lady with short hair) if he could use the toilet (he was waiting for a table to become available outside before ordering food). She aggressively told him that he couldn’t be a customer because there are no available tables. She humiliated this gentleman infront of everyone and demanded he put a pound in a charity box. Then in a child-like outburst she shouted at him to move out of her way. We were absolutely disgusted and in disbelief by her horrendous attitude towards the gentleman who was politely asking to use the toilet. We walked out of the restaurant as we did not want to eat at a place where such a horrible, rude staff member was working. We felt uncomfortable and it was clear she had made everyone else feel uncomfortable too. She then began to shout at us while we were leaving telling us we wouldn’t be able to get a table anywhere else. We had spoken to another couple who also walked away from the restaurant because of her behaviour. I hope this staff member is disciplined or fired as she clearly doesn’t know any thing about customer service or common decency. Do not recommend this cafe to anyone in the area- I also noticed on tripadvisor this isn’t the first time a staff member has treated people badly.

Delicious! Great full breakfast!!

We stopped here for breakfast… we had a bacon roll and French toast. Great scenery with good food. Highly recommend

Best coffee in Tobermory by far. Michelle knows what she's doing!!! Go there for a top coffee experience.

Absolutely fantastic. The food is excellent at reasonable prices and Michelle, the owner, is so friendly and welcoming.

Tasty food, local and seasonal options in there and great service, in the perfect spot to catch the ferry or just take in the harbour views

Lovely little spot with cosy and convivial atmosphere and friendly staff as well as the benefits of being a cafe that serves whiskey. The fish finger sandwich wasn't bad - good fish but a little oily, and the flat white was nothing special, but I'd go back and try their other bits because of how nice it felt inside.

Quaint cafe - fast service. Cullen Skink was good and the salmon sandwiches were awesome!

Great family lunch, super food and very friendly owners running a great cafe / restaurant. Would definitely come back again and have even more food! Perfect lunch stop whilst exploring this part of Mull.

Had terrible time here the lady who served us was not very nice not very well presented and when a little dog snapped at our dog we were asked to leave a man and lady followed us out saying it should have been the other owners that should have left so not only did they lose our business they lost theirs as well so won't be going there again spoiled a beautiful place

A delight! Local products cooked wonderfully, we can only recommend. THANKS

Lovely coffee and cake. The owner is friendly welcoming and helpful. Baby friendly. Definitely will be back.

PERFECT SPOT for a relaxing lunch. A must when on Mull! KC from New Jersey

Amazing place and owners really friendly

Absolutely fantastic. Great food and such a friendly welcome and atmosphere. If you are visiting Tobermory this is not to be missed. Simply the best.

Had a lovely breakfast here this morning(10/1/24). Service and food were brilliant. Friendly staff. Will be back

The food was very good, for something small, and the price was cheap.

Genius whisky knowledge found here.

Stopped here whilst in tobermory. Food was ok prices were ok but a huge shout out to the staff who were brilliant with my two kids

Absolutely the highlight of our trip to Tobermory. Wonderful food (4 x mussels and a ham sandwich) and fantastic, warm friendly service. The prices are great, and the atmosphere is so welcoming. A must visit if you are in Tobermory.

A great little family-run spot. Good price, good food. Check them out!

Stopped just to have a brew, but saw a flapjack on the counter and couldn't resist then a bacon bap called out to me, so who can argue with that?! Great spot on the pier by the ferry office, fab view of the colourful harbour and houses. Lovely staff.

Very pleasant experience, very good food and nicely served.

Fantastic breakfast and good GF and vegan options. Delicious coffee. Nice outdoor seating area

Lovely lunch of mussels outside this wee place on the pier with the soft rain falling and a view of the harbour. Looked like some nice other lunch options too. Friendly service.

Fantastic place right on the edge of the water. Service was excellent, the lovely lady brought treats for our dog. He liked her so much he didn't want to leave. Food was delicious, we both had the fish and chips. Light, crispy batter and good quality fish. Chips were nicely cooked and it came with mushy peas and tartare sauce, we devoured them! Would definitely come back.

Loved it!! The steak baguette was amazing. The staff were very helpful and friendly we can't with to go back for another visit

Felt rushed, kitchen closed earlier than sign side. Starter and main brought together and couldn’t even fit on table. Main cold as was eating starter so had to swap between. Better planes I to go sadly.

Friendly staff, not the best fish and chips and chickenburger but it was good enough. Location is very nice and staff was friendly.

Lovley food in an beautiful panoramic view of the harbour

Stopped off here quickly for a dinner time snack, waitress couldn't have been more helpful when we asked where the local cash machine was and even offered to help pay for one of the meals when the virgin money machine had no cash! So helpful and polite ❤️❤️❤️

Perfect lunch stop, the fish & chips were the best I’ve had for a long time, bonus that they cater for Gluten Free and do a GF battered fish 👌🏻

Stopped off here for a quick lunch break. Possibly the best lunchtime stop we had in Scotland. Sat outside over looking the harbour and Balamory (those who know) sorry Tobermory. Great service, great food and really good on price! Well worth going to. Don't be put off by the restaurant price list, it's a different establishment.

Great food at a reasonable price.

Friendly service and premium spot for one of the best fish and chips I ever had. Simply amazing. The two ladies running today's service were really nice. My dad said it was the best chips he ever had! 😀

Great food in a beautiful spot 😋

There was very fast service with good homemade food.

Highly recommend! 5***! We had the GF fish & chips....it was absolutely delicious, the batter was light and crispy and fish super flaky! It was an absolute treat to have a GF fish & chip option and this was cooked in a separate fryer so coeliac friendly! It can get really busy, so recommend getting there early to avoid disappointment! Already looking forward to our next trip over and this will be most certainly be visiting again! Thanks and keep up the great work! 🙂

I was in Tobermory for a day and called in to The Pier Cafe for fish&chips which is right next to the CalMac ferry port, I was not disappointed. It’s all cooked fresh and I didn’t have much time as it was 14:10 and my boat sail at 14:30. I made the boat with a few minutes to spare. We pull out and opened up my fish&chips box with tartar sauce as I sail back to Ardnamurchan. It was just great the fish was nice and so was the batter the tartar sauce was they own and that was very nice. The chip still had the skins on and I like my chips like that. The staff where very good and friendly. This place is well worth a visit.

Wonderful, staff were very welcoming and friendly and the food was superb Thank you

Decent food but £9 odd for half a baguette is T in the Park prices. Fish and chips were lovely

Wish we found this place at the start of our holiday rather than the last day. Wide range of cuisine, unpretentious, healthy options and above all fantastic quality. Friendly service and seems well used by the locals which is a good sign. Really worth checking out for great food.

Another review commenting on the attitude of the waitress. My elderly wife turned up alone en route to Iona, in the pouring rain. Was not allowed inside with her bags and was told they had to be left outside in the rain - all while the place was virtually empty! Not a good advert for the islands. My wife ended up having to find shelter in a small bus shelter in the rain at 4 degrees, due to her bags not being fully waterproof.

The fish and chips here were really good.

Fresh fish, good chips with skins on, not greasy, lovely service, outdoor seats with shelter though be chilled when windy.

We were glad to find somewhere serving lunch after a boat trip.

Salt and pepper chicken is unreallllll And fish and chips are lovely. Little pricey but worth it!

The woman serving was not very friendly, four portions of chips, 2 pieces of haddock and four battered sausages cost £34, the portion of chips was very small and cost £4, my local chip shop sell a portion of chips for about £2 which could easily feed four people. I think this chip shop is very over rated.

Came here in June 2021. Staff were delightful and helpful. 😊🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Food was freshly caught in the area and made on site. We talked to one of the owners and she told us they have their own boat that goes out and catches what they cook. 🐟🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 My partner and I ordered the fist and chips, not only was the fish flakey, moist and fresh, but it also had a slight sweetness you only get from extremely fresh fish. The fish batter was closter to a tempura batter, light but crispy. But it could of done with some paper towel before serving as it did have a little extra oil left from the fryer. But the batter was not as heavy as other Brittish batters can be. The chips still had skin on them, but this did not detract from their flavour or crisp texture, no soggy chip here! Also, the tartar sauce seemed freshly made and had some lovely hand chopped pickle/gergins in it. A delight. 🍤 TIP - cut up your fish before you start eating it, the wind (almost always will be wind) will help to cool it down quicker so that you can enjoy it faster 😉. 🤩 We found out that before lockdown the ferry would bring 1000 people to the island of Mull at a time, but due to covid restrictions is been limited to 250, I say this because its a joy to have a little quite beautiful piece of Scotland all to yourself with delicious local food. Head there if you have the chance. 🧻🚽🚽🚽🚽🚽🧻 Due to covid restrictions they do not have toilet facilities, the closest public ones are on the opposite side of the town in the harbour building, about 10min walk. Keep this in mind.

staff were really friendly and helpful but the fish and chips was really not nice, anaemic looking battered fish and very greasy, ended up in the bin ☹

Straightforward, delicious haddock and chips, kind people. BYO wine and Mull views. An evening made in heaven.

Great fish and chips, as the sun set on Tobermory.

Me and my two friends had meals from hear yesterday thought cost was a bit much tbh and this morning we have all had sore stomachs and be regularly to the toilet wont be back im afraid

Great view, small but fine kitchen

Only place open in the dead of winter, so very welcome! Not a great savoury selection for vegetarians but what's there is ok. Decent coffee and lovely cake (I recommend the caramel topped one).

Great food , superb staff and brilliant atmosphere

Adaquate wee cafe in a superb position. Could do we a refresh.😊

Smashing there Panko chicken was delicious had I twice also there steak baguettes were so tasty 10/10 so friendly will deffo be back well done

Just had a couple of coffees each which tasted quite nice. Reasonable prices. Good seating area outside overlooking the harbour and right next to the ferry slipway so ideal for a quick drink while waiting for the ferry. One thing though its cash only.

Truly lives up to the reputation. The customer service could have been better, but understandable considering how packed it was for 12 noon.

Best chips in Scotland! This is a great casual or take away restaurant with a beautiful view of the harbor and delicious simple chip shop food! The burgers are great and the chips are the best! Real chunky chips with the skins left on! Yum yum!

Lovely staff and food. Quite small cafe with outdoor seating area (weather permitting). Excellent food and service.

Lovely fish & handmade chips! Lovely chicken pakora too. Sat outside in the sunshine and watched the water shimmering with the late afternoon sunshine, best place to catch the late evening sunshine . Bliss...

Good value unpretentious little place. With outside seating

Excellent food and staff however felt time waiting for food was too long and affected the rest of our days sightseeing.

Bloody delicious langoustine sandwich and fish chowder. Lovely view over the bay. Quite pricey however.

Good attentive service. Freshly cooked appetising food.

Excellent coffee and cake with lovely views of Tobermory harbour!

A very small cafe. The food was nice and a good price. One of the staff members was a little rude but the other lady was lovely.

Good fish&chips but otherwise a bit second class.

Best fish and chips around, really fresh and crunchy with hand made fries and delicious home made coffee cake... all that with a smile !

I had the rock lobster salad and my partner had the fish sandwich. Both were excellent, though we both found out dishes a little heavy with red onion, which overpowered the other flavours. But the staff are lovely, the location great. Generous portions, too. Certainly recommend it as a lovely place to have lunch. It was also popular with the locals!

Super fast, good, fresh food. All the employees are friendly, only the lady at the checkout was overwhelmed. Then the receipt got stuck on the cash register and the drawer for the change no longer opened. An old Casio. A long line formed. But everyone remained friendly, the customers and the employees, that's possible in Scotland.

Excellent lunch. Smoked haddock mornay, Ilse Mull scallops in panco crumb.

Never had a bad meal here. Staff lovely, food amazing xx

Amazing lunch outside in the April sunshine. Best fish & chips and mac cheese ever!! 😀

Very warm and friendly staff and the food is amazing

Amazing food, amazing staff, amazing value.

i had the most amazing cheese steak here. I will be going back for another one. I hope

Great food stop, staff helpful and courteous with a good sense of humour.

5 stars simply isn't enough. Ate there today and had the finest haddock ever. If you want real fresh fish and real chips this is the place to eat. Ignore the fish and chip van at the pier. Head away from the distillery until you reach Cafe Fish. The Pier Cafe is below Cafe Fish facing the harbour. Prices are competitive and the specials board looks very tempting. Superb food.

Very good place. Excellent fish and well cooked. Very good price quality. Really very good place. First salad I have eaten in Scotland. Excellent soup and fish. Great Relationship price and quality..

We visited this cafe today in Tobermory. The waitress was really unfriendly. We bought something for takeaway and changed our descision to stay outside at table. The Cafe was actually really empty but the waitress came out and sent us away. She also didn't want to give us a spoon for our food.will never come back....

Friendly ladies, great looking food but we just wanted 2 coffees, no problem and service with a smile

Lovely home made cakes and muffins.

Lovely scampi and setting by the harbour, but you can’t serve 4 scampi with chips and basic salad and charge £10.50! Not only that, but forget the lemon mayo. Service was slow, but clearly down to understaffing. Surely Tobermory has better offerings.

our second visit ... we travelled from the south of the island just for lunch. you need to eat here!

Staff brilliant, very helpful. Coffee good value Didn't eat but lots of folk were and it looked GOOD

Best fish and chips ever well worth £9

It might not be fair to reduce this Café with a lovely view to its Fish & Chips, but they absolutely were wunderful! Polite and friendly service!

Stumbled across this place during lunch and was very pleased. Food is great and cheap. Service is outstanding. View is spectacular. All around a very nice spot.

BEST cafe I've ever been to. Absoulolty amazing food, flawless service . No smell from the cooking , hot beverages very nice . Extremely polite and friendly. Food of best quality and size. Would recommend to even the fussiest of people , and would 100% come back.

The views from the pier are great! The food served is pub food, but the soups deserve special recommendation! Staff was friendly, even when very busy.

A selection of seafood, quality at an inexpensive price and an amazing view