Stornoway

Eating Out

The pubs and hotels serve the usual range of bar meals. Probably the best restaurant in town is at the Park Guest House, which offers top-class modern Scottish cooking using local fish, lamb and venison. It also caters for vegetarians and is open Tue-Sat. Mid-range to expensive.

Also recommended is The Boatshed, in the Royal Hotel , which specializes in seafood. Expensive. Less upmarket and cheaper is their HS-1 Cafe bar.

Stornoway Balti House

24 South Beach T:01851 706116. (review) Family-run restaurant that’s been in Stornoway for decades. The curries are the real thing and the service is great, but the real boon is that it is open on Sunday. Best value are the set menus: lunch £10, dinner £16. Daily noon - 2pm & 5 - 11.30pm.

Thai Café

27 Church St T: 01851 701811, website: thai-cafe-stornoway.co.uk (not working). Despite the name, this is actually a restaurant, serving authentic Thai food. The lunchtime Pad Thai is good value at £5, while evening mains like the spicy Jungle Curry - stir-fried beef and peppers in a spicy cocount gravy – cost around £9. No licence, so BYOB (£1 corkage). Mon–Sat noon - 2.30pm & 5 - 11pm.

An Lanntair

Kenneth St T: 01851 703307, website: lanntair.com. Arts venue with a stylish, modern café-bar restaurant that serves food all day. Light lunches start at £4
for soup and bread, or for more substantial eating, they do burgers, fish and chips and pastas from £10. Food served Mon–Sat 10am–8pm.

Digby Chick

5 Bank St,  T: 01851 700026, website: digbychick.co.uk. Smart, modern, buzzy little bistro with a real emphasis on using local produce, such as the famous Stornoway black pudding. There are some interesting options on offer here like their Indian-French fusion of salmon with curried bisque, tandoori onions and coconut bonbons, or ordinary battered fish 'n' chips if curry’s not your thing. Two-course lunch menu costs £14.50. Mon–Sat noon–2pm & 5.30–9pm.

Otherwise

The Golden Ocean Restaurant (facebook page), on Cromwell St.

There are several other takeaways offering the standard fare of pizza, kebabs, fish and chips etc. The cheapest option is the all-day breakfast served in the Co-op supermarket. For a cheap lunch try the cafeteria in the Deep Sea Fishermen's Mission on North Beach.

The Criterion

32 Point St T01851 701990. A tiny, authentic no-frills Stornoway pub, where they have regular informal (music) sessions – if nothing’s going
down, try nearby MacNeill’s. Mon–Thurs 11am–11pm, Fri & Sat 11am–1am.

Supermarkets

There are 2 large supermarkets in town. Safeway is beside the ferry terminal and the Co-op is by the first roundabout on the road out to Barabhas. There's also a smaller supermarket opposite the tourist information centre.

Remember that

 thet pubs are closed on Sun and hotels cater only for residents.