The best restaurants in Kintyre and the Islands Argyll & Bute Central Scotland

The hotel is in a great location on the edge of Loch Fyne and the hotel has a long road (around a quarter mile) leading up to the small castle. The view is great and from the outside, you can see the conservatory (breakfast & lunch is served there) looking out over the water. The outside of the castle walls are black in places and could do with a jet wash to brighten the stonework up like other exposed parts are. Inside, there’s a musty smell but it’s a castle after all, part of the character, right? I’m filled with fear when I’m asked what time I would be wanting breakfast, which usually means hotels can’t cope with large groups appearing randomly and guests need allocated a timeslot…never a good sign. Another bad sign is getting handed those types of keys with a long piece of wood attached (rather than a key card) which in my experience means a tired and outdated hotel. I’m led to my room up two flights of stairs (no elevator), I feel the place needs a little TLC and is tired and dimly lit. The room itself was OK but the loud creaking floorboards did annoy me a little. The bathroom has been refurbished and modern which was a relief. I go to the dimly lit conservatory and the tables, chairs, cutlery and dishes scream 1970’s but the view is lovely. Here's where it all falls apart. I order the chicken burger which strangely has cheese and bacon added (usually left for beef burgers)…never heard of it but let’s see. It arrives promptly (quicker than expected) and as I take my first few bits, I feel a jelly substance in my mouth at times and quickly stop to cut the chicken on plate to discover the chicken is not cooked! I stay overnight around 100 times per year, and I have never returned food but on this occasion, I alerted the waiter, showed him the uncooked areas and to his credit, offered to replace the burger. When he returned, he said the chef had stated that this was not the breast but the thigh as if this was some sort of explanation. It doesn’t matter if it’s the head of the chicken, it wasn’t cooked plain and simple. I felt like throwing up after taking a couple of bits as my appetite was now gone. Fortunately, I was OK, but this must be a huge red flag for the hotel…this could have been very serious.

Called in whiskey walking . Had a cheese and onion toastie . It was nice enough but not much taste . Also a cheese and pickle sandwich. Fresh bread but again not much taste . Coffees were nice . We had a scone which wasn’t very good 3/10 for that . Came in cardboard recycling boxes . A bit overkill . Overall prices not bad on the food but can of Fanta was £2.30 . Fair enough you pay more on an island but that’s a bit extreme. Staff were friendly.

Excellent food. Great staff. Recommended to us by another hotel guest and, fortunately, had managed to book a table the day before as they do appear to be extremely busy.

Simply brilliant. Great food, and amazing service. The flexibility and care Dylan and Maggie showed to accommodate complex dietary requirements was a lifesaver! They went about above and beyond and really cared for our whole family, throughout our stay on Colonsay. They not only fed us in the pantry but made up suitable meals for our children to takeaway helping us to make the best of our short stay on this beautiful island. I cannot sing their praise highly enough and recommend a visit to the pantry as a must for anyone visiting Colonsay.

First visit to this delightful cafe - the service was cheerful & thoughtful with delicious home bakes all served on lovely china - we will be back - a real treat & fun

Stayed here for two nights - room was absolutely stunning with the most comfortable bed ever. I didn’t want to leave! Staff and owners are lovely and the breakfast is delicious! Will definitely be returning to stay when we next come to Islay!

This cafe is DEFINITELY OPEN ( today is March 8th 2025). The location is beautiful, the setting spotlessly clean and the food excellent. Highly recommend the full breakfast. Welcoming staff, good selection, particularly so early on in the season. We note the phone number is incorrect and have pointed this out to the NEW OWNERS. Wishing them great success with this new venture, we will be back.

Very poor munchie box. Dry chips with the occasional shred of onion. Two small chicken balls and some very dry wings. Very disappointed as I had a much nicer one on a previous visit a year ago.

Stopped in for lunch. Service was excellent, relaxed and very personal. Scallops were to die for then came the best Venison steak I have had in a long time.

Delicious food. Big portions. I had a goats cheese pizza and my dad had fish and chips. Restaurant was nicely decorated with cozy atmosphere and staff were lovely

Scallops were absolutely delicious and the beef and ale pie was melt in the mouth. A great selections of wines and a lovely stop for dinner after a long day visiting distilleries. Staff were attentive, surprised just how busy it was for a Monday evening.

Good food, freshly cooked, good, friendly unobtrusive service and a pleasant ambience. Bad weather prevented local small boats from fishing, so sadly no seafood, but a good menu nonetheless. Maybe some people should understand that if for any reason boats are not landing then this will be the case- no fault of the cafe.

Stayed a few hours on a Dreich day before the foot passenger ferry. Clean, friendly and dog friendly. Popular with locals and tourists alike. Prices were lower than expected!

The hotel is an experience. The food is wonderful the beds comfortable and the cosy. Great place to stay for visits to the island. Looking forward to a visit in the summer. PLEASE finish the residents lounge.

Popped in here on the last day of our 5 day trip to Port Charlotte, just for a cup of tea and a cake, as we were having a meal later.Was surprised to see such a full menu, if we had known sooner we would have dined here. Instead, one night we had driven to Bowmore for a meal, as our hote reataurnat was fully booked.so tea, coffee and cake it was, and theywas lovely. I ended up coming back later that day for a baked potato.The facilities were clean, and the staff friendly (We visited during Covid-19).There were outside tables with a sea view and a large car park, as it is serving a campsite.If I am ever in Islay again, I will be sure to come here for a meal.