The best restaurants serving British food in Highlands and Islands

This place could be excellent, but during my visit, didn’t hit the mark. PROS 1. Excellent location 2. Great outdoor space, with cover from rain too. It also has a heater. CONS 1. The menu. I visited on a Saturday lunchtime. Sandwiches, breakfast rolls and baked potatoes….none of these are available at the weekend?!? Every single table (including me), firstly tried to order one of these standard items to be told, no. Crazy. 2. The service. Outside was served by inexperienced, young staff. Pleasant and polite, but inept. Once you have ordered the food came quickly. 3. Their system for the outside space: Add a sign at the front door, saying how to get to the rear patio for dog owners. At the rear, make it clear it is table service and have someone (trained / more senior) giving out menus and taking orders. Payment was inside only…as a solo traveler with a dog….that is tricky. Overall, a few small tweaks could make a huge difference.

Went last night and ordered large haddock supper single scampi two chips cheese curry sauce. Also a pickled onion. Waiting in queue the portions of food looked great getting boxed up for customers. Number 26 was called and we happily headed off to enjoy. Disaster! One not very large Haddock Supper! NO Scampi...another small single fish? NO pickled onion but a gherkin! Where did you guys get it wrong? Did you not understand Scottish? Or is it just another case of ripping off the tourist?

Very friendly staff, fantastic view outside, nice dining area with a very delicious menu, nice clean and tidy room, we really enjoyed our stay there.

Good food at a reasonable price from a varied menu featuring local produce. We ate there several times given that the food and service made it worth returning.

Amazing food, freshly cooked to our preference. Josh the owner couldn't do enough to ensure we had a good experience. Definitely recommend a visit.

Delightful small hotel, very personal in agreat spot on the coast, but the food was exceptional. We had the venison and the lamb rump and both were perfect.

Let me kick off by saying what not to expect: this is not a fancy hotel with subservient staff catering to your every whim. At this place, you are quite literally a guest, joining the owner and his family in their house. If this aligns with your expectations, then you are in a good place. The owner, Tom, runs the bar, where your pre-dinner drinks are accompanied by friendly locals, happily sharing a story or two on the day's events. The bar is stocked with a nice selection of reasonably priced whisky (Scotch of course) and gins, catering to every taste. Dinner is a convivial affair, where conversation is quickly intermingled between local patrons and guests staying in the hotel, while the menu offers a nice selection of local food, lovingly prepared by the lady of the house. All in all, a most excellent experience, completely in line with our expectations of a more rural hotel/restaurant.

At first we went into the Hotel bar, having asked if we could come in with our dog. She was made welcome and even given a biscuit. When we left we asked what was in the other room, lots of laughing going on. We were told it was the public bar and that is where we spent the night. The Crabby One watching the football and me talking to the bar staff and my dog! We worry, going into strange pubs, how will the regulars great us? There was no need to worry, we were made welcome before we got through the door. Again our dog was welcome, spoilt with biscuits. The staff were friendly to us as well as our dog, clean and tidy and the glasses even got polished, this is a dieing art!

Despite being in this chip shop with an exemption lanyard round my neck on previous visits this time the owner shouted at me to wear a mask. He was shouting that because I was exempt doesn't mean he is and he could catch covid from me! There was a large hard plastic screen between me and the staff and none were wearing a mask themselves. I went to car and wore the mask which then resulted in me hyperventilating. And to top things off the food was substandard

An excellent restaurant with impeccable service of first class food. Well worth the value for money price. A lovely premises in a lovely setting.

¡Una bienvenida increíble te espera en Helgi’s! Esto nos lo recomendó un amigo, así que pensamos en ir por mis bebidas de cumpleaños. No nos decepcionaron. Tiene un ambiente muy agradable y el personal de 2 bares, Jack & Jamie fue más allá para hacer nuestra noche. Sin duda recomendaría y volvería a visitar Helgi’s.

Very good, nice relaxed atmosphere However bit of a limited menu

Great wee place ,just next to Kirkwall Hotel.It belongs to Kirkwall Hotel and breakfast is in main Kirkwall Hotel.Nice and quiet room.

We had lunch and dinner here on the same day. Excellent food and service on both occasions in a lovely setting. A good choice of dishes and although not cheap, the food was well worth it.

Visited in September 2024 whilst on holiday, we couldn’t take dogs inside (fair enough) but we then asked if we could eat outside and was told no, asked if we could just get a drink outside and was also told no. What’s the point in putting tables outside? Terrible hospitality - I wouldn’t bother giving them your money, let alone my own.