West End Hotel in Orkney Islands

Convenient and central but too expensive for this type of rooms and establishment.

Self service check no one at reception. Rooms are small & a little tired, bathroom needs updating but ok for 1 night. Location great just off main street. Breakfast very good & lady serving really friendly. Shame no bar or lounge to sit in.

Great place to stay. The people are amazingly friendly and the breakfast is really nice. Stayed in a nice single room, everything is clean and maintained. Will definitely stay again when I come to the mainland. Bed was also really comfy

Very happy with the staff, maintenance and cleanliness, but the small size of the room and lack of amenities and comfort really put a dent to my overall experience.

Good location hotel. Musty and dated. Beds were lumpy and uncomfortable. Staff (Andy) who greeted us with delightful and helpful. Carried our bags to a second floor room 14 steps up. The made to order breakfast was delicious. Breakfast server and housekeeper was very pleasant and helpful.

Really great guest house spotless quiet and friendly. Angela and Andrew were great hosts and Aggie was so helpful at breakfast!

kleine kamer, bedenkelijk brandbeveiliging, matig ontbijt, gehorig, personeel onvoldoende aanspreekbaar in het Engels, bij aankomst 's avonds gee personeel aanwezig

Such nice staff! Angela was lovely and couldn't have been more helpful. And a yummy breakfast......recommend the back pudding!

We stayed for 3 nights and it was a lovely place, perfect location as so central to the high street. The food was absolutely delicious. Staff all very friendly and efficient. Well done West End Hotel.

Ate here last weekend with friends, 5 of us in total. We had pre ordered all our food prior to arrival. We were shown to a table in the restaurant and our drinks orders taken. The food was good, the service was good but the room temperature was just above freezing. We were all so cold we could not enjoy the meal. Won’t be back here in winter for sure.

My wife and spent 3 weeks traveling all over Scotland and Orkney Islands for our 50th Wedding Anniversary. Breakfast was really good. Would recommend to all travelers.

Went in for lunch. Nobody at front desk. Proceeded upstairs to bar/restaurant. Nobody there. Waited a few minutes and nobody appeared. Place was empty so left. Terrible

Situated on Main Street which is in fact a quaint laneway in the centre of Kirkwall the West End Hotel is a challenge to find at night without a GPS. Nevertheless it is a comfortable mid range hotel. The single bed hotel room could be described as snug but comfortable but well equipped with a great heater for those cold nights and a supply of coffee, tea and biscuits with free wifi. The stairs to the rooms are narrow and steep but at the same time reflect the ambiance of the hotel. The food is superb and the staff friendly and engaging. Within walking distance of the major tourist attractions I recommend this for those seeking a short getaway

I had a sea food pie very Nice...at bit too hot but lovely.. we have etaten better and cheeper ar otkney.

Meal from early bird menu, excellent service, quality of food and value for money. Good selection of starters, main courses and sweets although we did not have room for sweet after first two courses.

Went for Sunday lunch, roast beef was so tough and service was non existent, have eaten here in the past and wasn't too bad, this was our last visit :(

Unfortunately I can’t recommend this property. Although tidy and welcoming from the exterior, the interior is drab, dark and tired. We had room 7 on the ground floor. The decor is so uninspiring I wasn’t even sure we could make it three nights. The room is so damp our clothes and bed linens were slightly wet at all times which is not comfortable. The room is adjacent to the kitchen so we were subjected to the kitchen staff’s music and chatter when the kitchen was open. Fortunately at bed time it was quiet. The room smelled fine despite the proximity to the kitchen and the moisture but the hall outside our door smells of cooking grease. The bed was pretty comfortable. On our last morning before we checked out, I attempted to get a coffee to take to my room to enjoy while we packed, but was told to sit in the dining room and order if I wanted it, despite the coffee maker being accessible. It was puzzling and not very customer friendly, especially considering our room rate included breakfast that we hadn’t used but for one morning.

One of the few places open on a Monday night. Food and service were good, but not great. Atmosphere was quiet and relaxed.

I'm sorry to say so but my experience wasn't good at all. The starters were ok but nothing exceptional. The crab was fine but the mushrooms were tasteless and the bruschettas were cold and chewy. We had also told the waitress and she replied "I'll let them know". Then we had the beetroot risotto and the seabass. The fish was good but its ragu and the rice weren't. There was too much of that ragu, that tasted only of some spices and added nothing to the plate. The rice was overcooked and seemed just warmed. To eat it I added some creme fraiche from the beetroot risotto, that in any case had too much of it. To talk about the beetroot risotto, all ingredients were put there but not well mixed. There were more beetroots than rice and again no taste. Only too much creme fraiche, too many beetroots and also in this case the risotto wasn't well cooked. Due to this experience we didn't take the dessert. Maybe it was only my taste and other persons will find these dishes fabulous.

This hotel is located over the road from the end of the main pedestrianized shopping street in Kirkwall. The breakfasts are served on hot plates,are huge and also delicious. You do your own toast but you can ask for latte,filter or cappuchino coffee as well as various teas. No croissants etc but no need as the breakfasts are great. There is also cereal and pieces of fruit/yoghurts.The staff are all lovely. We stayed in room 3 which is a king size and plenty big enough with a shower and sink with vanity unit to store toiletries etc. We also were in room 4 ( a double) which is small and has the sink is in the main bedroom. The bathroom is a shower and a toilet with nowhere to put any thing, not even a soap holder in the shower. The bistro within the hotel is good value and i would highly recommend eating here. We ate here 3 nights as it was so good. Take a look at the menu! I had slow cooked shin beef with pots and beetroot jus and crispy curly Kale as well as many other thnigs. All delicious! The other hotels in Kirkwall looked decidedly yukky.

My favourite place in Kirkwall for a pint or a cocktail. The cocktails are creative, yummy and fairly priced. It's really nice to sit in the bar, and the garden tables are great for the summer. The food is so-so, but the West End is great if you just want a drink.

We booked this hotel and had a long trip to Kirkwall with flight disruptions. Happy to find that our hotel had a restaurant. We ordered local fare and were quite satisfied. I was much more satisfied than several other reviewers. I'd also go back. Nice atmosphere and nice people.

My friend and I were well impressed with our recent meal here. There were plenty of tasty dishes to choose from plus lots of nice cocktails. The food we had (a pasta dish and a curry) was rich and delicious and the portions were large. Restaurant has a nice atmosphere and service was excellent.

Disappointed. Expensive for what we had for 4 people. Had run out of simple things like certain fruits and cream. Tesco isn't far away, you had to.nip.out anyway. Wont be back sadly. Aervice was good though

At local hotel to meet friends. No one on reception. No signs to bar.

Been to the west end before it was ok went back had a deluxe burger which I have had in the past had the meal I throught it did not seem wright paid the bill can home checked the web for west end looked at the menu the deluxe should have two burgers I had one I had no bacon no source sorry to say want be back

Ate here tonight and although the staff are great, cocktails are to die for and the menu has a lot of choice I will not eat here again. Ordered the seafood linguine and when it arrived was not impressed. Tired the pasta and the fish, prawns and squid. Had about 2 forkfuls in total. That is all it took for me to realise that the fish was bland, the pasta over cooked and the squid like rubber. I called over the waitress and explained this to her, asking if I could order a new dish and she was very polite and got me the menu. I got a new dish and everything was fine. Then we asked for the bill and she started explain to me that I’d have to pay for half of the linguine. I tried to explain to her that I only ate about 2 forkfuls of the pasta and I wouldn’t have ordered a new meal if I knew I knew I’d still have to pay for the original. She insisted that this is what happens. The restaurant was busy and I didn’t want to take it out on this young girl so after a bit of arguing I grudgingly payed and left. Not happy with my experience here which is a shame because this was one of my favourite places to go.

Worst Mozzarella Balls & Seafood Linguini I've ever had. So called mozzarella balls mainly consisted of some kind of rice & a bit of mozzarella to keep the shape. Not bad, but totally not what it should be. Seafood Linguini - tasteless disaster, hardly touched it.

In a quiet corner of Kirkwall city centre, a lovely, clean hotel with friendly and attentive stuff in the restaurant. The menu is traditional: we had North Sea beer battered haddock with peas and rustic finger chips and three pints of Indie Pale Ale.

Location of table was in a drafty area, waitress needs to be shown how to place the food rather that stretching over the other quest......to go around and set the plate in front carefully. At times we thought the other things on the table were going to be knocked over as were clipped on removing the dirty plates etc.

Nicely renovated dining area but tables are very close together. Food okay but portions of chips small with haddock and chips and chips of the frozen variety not home made. On both occasions we visited mistakes were made with our order resulting in the wrong food being brought to the table and a lengthy wait for the correct food to arrive. Such a shame as with a bit more care, attention and staff training (so they listen and are well informed about the menu so can advise people) this could be a great place.

A handy stay after arriving on the late ferry, but be sure to check your arrival time as we just caught the staff before lock-up, however an after hours phone number is provided. Breakfast was pleasant and served by friendly staff.

As one of my locals we have eaten here a number of times never to be disappointed ! Food is great service is lovely and friendly and it’s well priced ! Well worth a try if your visiting !

There were seven of us and we ate a variety of dishes - all of which he enjoyed as excellent! The service was good and there was no long waits between courses. Greatly enjoyed the shin of beef and look forward to a return visit - or two - next year while in Orkney.

Interni piacevoli. Servizio veloce e curato. Molto buono il piatto di fish and chips e il burger vegetariano.

Three of us ate here last week. Excellent food and service with an Orkney theme. If you are going please book in advance.

Enjoyed dinner at the West End Hotel in Kirkwall. Was a little concern to find this restaurant not terribly crowded on a Saturday night in July, but it was really a pretty good meal with good service. I guess the reason is this place is a bit away from the downtown area. So, if you are finding a hard time finding a place to eat in the downtown area, give this place a try.

Had a wonderful meal at this great hotel . Friendly service from bar and waiting staff . My steak was cooked to perfection with an excellent whisky sauce to accompany it . Both our meals were great value for money .Well stocked bar had an excellent selection of local gins and beers . If in Kirkwall give this place a visit you won’t regret it

Stayed here for a night & found it very comfortable. Ate in the restaurant in the evening & it was very good local food. Drinks at the bar were restricted in choice but were reasonably priced. Staff were charming, friendly & attentive - noothing was too much trouble for them. Situated in a quiet location with parking at the rear or in the street in front of the Hotel it is a mere 10 to 15 minutes walk into the centre of Kirkwall.Stairs were quite steep & I did not see a lift so perhaps unsuitable for people with walking difficulties, although the lady on reception was quick to offer help with luggage if we needed it.

Bei unserem Besuch in Kirkwall haben wir im Westend Hotel Abend gegessen. Wir haben vier Vorspeisen sowie vier Hauptgerichte gegessen. Alle samt waren sehr lecker. Die Portionen waren so groß, dass wir keinen Platz mehr für das Dessert hatten. Die Essenspreise sind der Qualität sowie dem Ambiente mehr als angepasst.

Went the first night we arrived went to the hotel but it was full went second night same but got in third night and it was worth waiting for beautiful

One meal was forgotten by the staff. Afterwards it took again more than half an hour until it was served. No apology, not offering a coffee while waiting for the forgotten food. The food was good, the service not. Sorry guys.

Food was good. Not your standard pub fair, local twists on old favourites. Very friendly and efficient staff. Good beer. A very nice meal out in Orkney.

We popped in for an evening meal on the off chance that there was a free table, the restaurant was busy but they managed to accommodate us and we’re very glad they did. The menu was varied - and very reasonably priced. The food was delicious and served with a smile. The waiting staff were friendly and entertaining. We will definitely be back. A++

Best place in Orkney for cocktails, good selection on menu and made from scratch. Food is excellent!

We have eaten here a few times since the new owners took over and they re-opened after their refurbishment, and each time the food was perfect. I have had a pasta dish, chicken dish and I have had the monk fish special. Every meal was tasty, well presented and a good portion. The staff are attentive and are knowledgeable about the drinks they serve, they serve an amazing French Martini as part of their cocktail menu. I have recommended the West End to many friends and will continue to do so. You must try it!!

Excellent experience all round. New owners have started off well and we will be recommending the West End to our guests. Service attentive without being overwhelming, cheerful and professional staff.

We were eager to try The West End after the recent refurbishment and am glad we did. The menu was small but select, a starter of siracha prawns was good enough to ask the server for the recipe, however, we were told the chef is quite secretive.

We visited this restaurant for Sunday lunch with our elderly mothers. The parking was good, access for an infirm mother was great. The welcome was very warm and friendly. The menu was great, difficult to choose with such good options. The food came in a...

The West End Hotel is in an excellent location, with only a 2 minute walk to the main street & Catherdral, and 5-10 minutes to the local pubs. The hotel itself is very average. The rooms are small, with dated decor, a small TV and...

I wasn't expecting such an incredible meal from a hotel dining room, but it was absolutely delicious. The steak and ale pie special I ordered was delectable. Both of my parents ordered fish and it was equally delicious. You literally cannot go wrong ordering off this menu.

I just think they dont warrent the rating they have. Service was ok but the food was terrible. My wife had chicken whicj was an unusal salad. My steak was like a peice of leather. Vegetable also terrible I know this was show weekend and...

Excellent food, excellent service and excellent price, definitely recommend this place for a meal restaurant is quite small so would recommend booking in advance as it is very busy in season

El bar es pintoresco y encantador. El servicio es cálido y amable. La comida es bastante buena y la ubicación (a corta distancia a pie del centro de la ciudad) es perfecto.

Como nos alojábamos en el hotel por 4 noches decidimos cenar allí la primera noche y estábamos muy contentos de haber hecho así. Mariscada con una gran variedad y todo de buena calidad. Bistec era perfectamente cocinada y gran calidad.

El salón y el restaurante de West End son de primera clase. Disfrutamos de algunas comidas, el personal es muy amable y la comida es increíble. . Y hay mucho!

Pedí champiñones y estaban fritos (y sin sabor). Pedí pescado y patatas fritas. El pescado estaba seco y sin sabor. Las patatas fritas estaban bien. Probé el flan y natillas. Fue dulce y el flan era buena, pero no era nada especial para hacer la comida. Pero. . El bar era agradable y hay una gran selección de cervezas orkney.

We had eaten at the West End on our two previous visits to Orkney, and on this return visit - with two family members - we wanted to try it again. We weren't disappointed - and ended up having dinner here three times during our week's stay in Kirkwall.Service was always fast, friendly and efficient, and we were seated and served quickly in the pleasant dining room. Our food was excellent in every case, and portion sizes were very generous (so much so that it was sometimes a struggle to manage a dessert but we nearly always rose to the challenge - especially for the clooty dumpling!) Prices are very reasonable and these were probably the best value meals we enjoyed in Orkney. They also have a good range of Orkney beers available.The restaurant is located just at the edge of the town centre and is just a few minutes walk from the centre. Ample on-street parking is available nearby.We enjoyed every meal at the West End Hotel and would warmly recommend it to anyone visiting Kirkwall.

Fue recomendado el filete y no me decepcionó. Buen servicio y personal muy amable. Encantador, muy agradable bar.

Este hotel es muy antiguo y todo mis igualados en las habitaciones, pero la ropa de cama, los baños y las habitaciones están siempre limpias y ordenadas

took two friends for a meal - attentive staff, excellent food, clean and well presented restaurant. Good variety on menu too. Not overly expensive.Made to feel nothing was too much trouble. Recommended

In a quiet corner of Kirkwall, small but beautiful hotel with welcoming owners and smiling friendly waiting staff. The quaint and characterful first floor bar leads through to a cosy dining room. The menu offers a very good variety of choices for all courses. On the evening we dined the dish of the day was haddock, stuffed with prawns in a white wine sauce, large portions accompanied by broccoli, carrots, potatoes and or chips. All beautifully presented and cooked to perfection. We also had starters and dessert. Everything first class, would certainly return and highly recommend. The prices were very reasonable, all in all a great dining experience.

I found this hotel to have a lovely homely feel ,the beds are very comfortable and the rooms very warm.

We ate here twice during our recent visit to Orkney, and really enjoyed eating at the West End. Service was excellent, the food very good, and the prices very reasonable. Highly recommend this!

First time visit for an evening meal with merrimedium to large portions ,every thing was well cooked except the steak ,asked for rare and got medium

A lovely clean, tidy and comfy hotel with a friendly and helpful staff. Being a small hotel it makes it more relaxing as the staff are very attentive. The food is excellant and offers local produce

works do every year and the food is always excellent and great sized portions. Lunches or evening the standard is always very high.

This is a lovely intimate restaurant with a open fire and comfy seats in the lounge. The decor is traditional and in the lounge it has a medical theme as this hotel used to be a hospital. The food is locally sourced and cooked simply. The menu is traditional and the steaks are cooked very nicely.

Only stayed one night here, but were well looked after during our short stay. The hotel is well located, and Kirkwall town centre is only a few minutes walk away. We walked to both the Scapa and Highland Park distilleries from here, which allowed us to taste as much as we liked without having to worry about driving back!

Roaring fire, small bar, small restaurant, very Scottish, caring staff,very cosy and lovely lunchtime soup.

Excellent value and cuisine, seated quickly and served quickly, music was a little loud but staff turned it down for us, decor a little dated - but a great place to eat and cannot fault the service.

Looks like a nice place from the outside, and sure enough the atmosphere inside is pleasant. Neither trendy nor shabby, there is a comfortable feel of a place happy to continue as it has been for many years.The soup course was superb - neither too liquid or too solid, with a proper soup taste. Good start. The main course was good in parts - superby cooked vegetables, but the salmon was disappointing in its lack of flavour. Munching away at it, I began to notice the lack of ventilation in the restaurant, and as the evening wore on in the busy room I found it uncomfortably warm and airless. Added to the proximity of tables one to another, and the presence of someone with a rather penetrating voice at the next table, the initially promising evening turned slightly less pleasing.Finally, I was out in the fresh air, and despite the good parts of the experience, the main feeling was one of relief.

Found this place while wandering the streets and took a chance they would have a table. Great food (the lamb hot pot was divine!), nice friendly staff, reasonable priced.

My friend and I just got back from having dinner there while visiting Orkney. I'm trying not to let the very negative experience we had shape my rosy picture of the islands. The waiter was an elderly rather rattled seeming man, but incredibly rude, rolling his eyes at a question and groaning. I wish I'd gotten up and left at that point because when the food finally did come it wasn't that good, and the potatoes were crunchy. The music was very peculiar, we tried to figure out the well known bits but the only one we could positively identify was from the Nutcracker. I can't express how miserable it all was.

Good selection of well cooked local food. Small restaurant level with the car park to the rear but on the 1st floor when enterring from the road.

We are local and eat here regularly. Never had a bad meal yet! The steaks are always cooked exactly as requested and full of flavour. Generous portions of vegetables come with every meal. The staff are also very friendly and ensure you enjoy your meal.

We enjoyed the food very much, which is honest home-cooking, not fancy designer mini plates of foam and micro portions. You certainly get a proper meal. There are also local beers and a good wine list.

Five of us enjoyed an excellent dinner here - honest to goodness food and honest to goodness value for money!

I visited here regularly to have a drink and work on my laptop/use the wifi during my stay in Orkney. The staff were friendly and helpful and welcoming. On my last night in Orkney I had delicious steak and chips with blue cheese sauce and vegetable sides. I would recommend. The lovely waitress remained professional and friendly despite having a very busy service due to the Jutland commemorations.

We were looking for lunch and most places in central Kirkwall were either full or we had tried them and weren't encouraged to return so we called in here.The immediate internal visual impact is not of the highest standard - more 'faded glory' but, more importantly, clean and tidy..We enjoyed the lunch and service - all delivered at a reasonable price. I particularly enjoyed the steak pie and my wife enjoyed her wide selection of cheeses on the cheeseboard.We would very happily return and would encourage you to try their food.

8 of us went for dinner on a busy Saturday night and were very happy we had chosen the West End Hotel. The food was great especially the fish soup, the service was very friendly and efficient despite demanding diners at times, and the hosts were charming.

We stopped by the hotel recently for the first time, and found it a bit difficult to figure out where the restaurant was at. The dining room appeared to be closed, but food was being served upstairs in what appeared to be the bar. The food was actually quite good and plentifully served, and the service was good. Overall a good dining experience.

I wish we'd known about this place before we checked into another hotel. I don't think it comes up on google searches. Lovely ambience, roaring fire and terrific beer garden for smokers.

We were taken to this restaurant by family that live on the Island. Very friendly host, food fantastic, served hot. good choice on menu to suit very different tastes. Hope to return when next visiting family on the island

we were going visiting and decided to go out for tea before hand. Thanks to facebook seen a post previously which made our decision of the west end hotel. They managed to fit us having only phoned an hour before we wanted to dine. There were other parties dining as well and looked really quite busy.Having ordered our food it came out and it really was delicious as well as being beautifully presented making each dish look quite delicate. The hot food really was piping hot and the plates hot as well which was great. The staff were also very attentive to us during each course as well.We both truly enjoyed our meal and certainly looking forward to returning in the future.

Five of us had dinner and we all loved the food. My steak was superb and it as served with a lovely fresh salad and 'tatties'. Puddings to die for!.

I stayed for 5 days and have already booked for 2 visits next year.I recommend this hotel. I cannot fault tyhe service or staff.

No other way to put it. Thanks again! Breakfast is totally enlivened by Giffi! All of the rooms are different and all of the rooms slope. Please put the mirror at a height you can see your hair while drying it!

i booked for 3 nights for myself and 3 colleagues and they managed to book me on the wrong 3 nights. This meant that I arrived to find that we had no accommodation. To be honest, they did find us some bed and breakfast accommodation around the corner but they had cocked up the registration

this is a busy restaurant with a good selection on its menu, good food and the waiting staff are very friendly with a nice atmosphere.

They completely messed up our booking . We were booked three rooms on Tuesday, weds Thursday and they booked us in for Friday Saturday and Sunday . They did find us another accommodation

I have been there for dinner with my family in last Aug. The place is nice, at normal standard, as well as the staff. Food was quite good and well presented, but a bit too expensive if compared with service level.

While home on holiday we were treated to a visit to the West End.The service is good, the food very nice and value for money.

we visited Kirkwall in late May and enjoyed a meal twice at the West End hotel. the owners, Robert and Gifford, gave a warm welcome; food was reasonably priced and well cooked. the bar area is lovely and warm (important in these parts) and we had a fun time. Dogs were welcomed which was a bonus for us.

lovely meal, in a friendly well looked after, homely place! food was brilliant, great wine and the staff were all very well mannered and knew how to do their jobs, always greeted with a smile!

Arrived late evening and Locarno was fully booked so our landlady suggested the West End, close by.The welcome was friendly and our waitress lovely. The special was beef (presumably Orkney) in a large saucer of Yorkshire pudding) and the wine list good. For pudding some of had clootie dumpling and malt and coffee to finish. So lovely we booked again.

Went to this great hotel for an evening meal having heard many good reports . I definitely wasn't disappointed . Both my wife and my own starters and main courses were excellent . My steak was cooked to perfection and I can recommend the whiskey sauce. The level of service and the attention of the owners and staff was second to none . I will definitely be back on my next visit to Kirkwall !

I loved the friendliness of the hotel proprietors, Gifford is a joy. There is the cosiest bar, and at the time we went there was a lovely open fire. The food is great, well cooked and plenty of it, and the breakfast is lovely. The rooms and beds are so comfortable, warm and quiet, and within a few minutes walk you are in the centre of Kirkwall with its great little cafes, bars and restaurants and shops. If you need to know anything about the area or where to visit, you just need to ask the lovely staff or the owner Gifford. I wouldn't stay anywhere else.

Well priced and very tasty food. Recommend the lamb hot pot - be careful the food is very hot (temperature-wise). Very nice food at a good price.

There is a Good atmosphere here. The Food was tasty and not overly pretentious. I enjoyed my meal here.