If you're out on the 'whisky trail' on Islay, this is a fantastic and convenient stop! Located just…read morea short drive from both the Laphroaig and Lagavulin distilleries, it's the perfect place to refuel between tastings. What truly sets this place apart is the incredibly diverse menu. Our group had varied tastes, and everyone found exactly what they wanted--from traditional Scottish cuisine (haggis, steak pie, etc.) to classics like pizzas and calzones, all the way to a good selection of curries. It genuinely offers something for every craving. The staff was excellent, friendly, and very accommodating of our requests. The seating was comfortable and spacious, making it a relaxing break. Highly recommend this spot for a great meal and an easy transition between distillery visits

Can I just say - BEST seafood restaurant in ALL of Islay?!…read more I've had my fair share of amazing European dishes over the past week, but Sea Salt, by far, was one of my favorites during this trip and all of Scotland. It's a small restaurant with limited seating, so be sure to make your reservation ahead of time. Takeout options are available if you don't have one. We've been trying out numerous types of wine this entire trip, with the latest here being a Spanish white wine, called Albariño or something close to that. This type of white wine was a little drier than the French white wines I've tried, but still I liked it. At the same time, though, I saw no difference in taste. One menu item that caught my eye was their haggis and black pudding pizza, which I found to be a little on the odd side, but I did not order that type of dish. I was focused more on their seafood selections than their pizza. I had the Islay Scallops and the Smoked Haddock Risotto, in which this was my first time trying out Risotto. While I finished the scallops, the Risotto was so ridiculously large that I could not for the life of me finish it. My mom had some sort of lobster dish (I forgot the name), which also she could not finish. According to her, who has been following a mostly vegetarian diet over the past several months, she does not like to "eat anything that has a face on it". My dad, I believe, had the Rigatoni a la Trimavera in Tomato Sauce and Parmesan, where he told me it was like Risotto but inside of a meatball. To end our meal, my mom ordered their bread pudding for dessert. While this looked yummy, I did not try to eat it as I was too full. I was already in a food coma at this point and I told my parents not to pressure me into trying it. Still, it looked really good! If I wasn't full from the Risotto and the scallops already, I would've definitely tried a bite of the bread pudding. Whether if it's your first time in Islay or you've been here before, Sea Salt is a definite must try!

This review is for the hotel's bar area only. We actually did not stay here, as we were already…read morestaying at a different hotel. We went to The Islay Hotel's bar for a few drinks while waiting for our reservation to become available at a seafood restaurant right across the street. We had gotten there an hour ahead of schedule after walking back into town from a distillery. The bar area, which is separated from the actual restaurant, wasn't at all busy so we were seated right away. It was this exact location where I learned that apparently all restaurants in Scotland don't allow carry out service on Sunday's. I think this was the first time I've had coffee and an alcoholic drink at the same place at the same time, which is a little unusual for me. The three of us had a cup of mocha first, with my parents eyeing the amazing coffee machine that they had at the bar. After we finished our coffee, we moved on to their alcoholic drinks, where I had their Inch's Apple Cider and my dad had their Belhaven Best Amber Ale. I've been on the mocha/cappuccino train during this entire trip and the mocha I had here was really good. The Apple Cider, which was made with real British apples, was excellent. Apple Cider is one of my favorite alcoholic drinks, so this really hit the spot. I didn't get the chance to try the Belhaven Best because I'm not the biggest fan of dark beers, but my dad said that this was one of his favorite beers so far during this trip. I'm happy that we got the chance to hang out at the bar here before heading back to the restaurant for our scheduled reservation, rather than waiting outside in chilly, windy weather.

Fantastic food and great service at this restaurant in Port Ellen. Loved the calamari, lamb shank…read moreand desserts too. Book in advance for the restaurant but it is first come first serve for the bar.

A great option for a quick meal after a morning tour. The cafe is comfortable and the food is…read moresurprisingly good. The Cullen Skink soup is delicious. The sandwiches are also very good. The staff is attentive.

After the tour stopped here for a delightful lunch. The place is busy so do be patient. I had a…read morelovely smoked haddock soup and roll and my companion had a nice steak pie. I wouldn't necessarily make this a destination stop for the restaurant as it is just located right inside the Ardbeg reception/gift shop area and more like a cafe but if you are here for the great tour a perfect place to stop for a bite.

Good food and service. Wouldn't believe you can get good pizza on a scottish island but I did…read more Atmosphere is family welcome. Worh a visit if your on Islay.

Solid pizzas with vegan options, which aren't too easy to find on this island…read more We tried eating in on a Friday evening without a reservation, but they didn't have room, so we ordered a couple pizzas for takeout. The pizzas were ready in 10 minutes. They have vegan cheese, so you can order any pizza with vegan cheese instead of dairy cheese. We got: -Ortolana pizza (£13.95). This came with cherry tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, and mushrooms. -Vegetarian supreme (£11 + 1.50 for rocket). This came with pepper, mushrooms, corn, and red onion, plus the rocket that we added. The pizzas were very large and filling, with very nice crusts and bases. Not the most amazing flavour-wise, but for a small island pizzeria, this was satisfying. Recommended, especially if you're looking for vegan options on Islay.

Need a reservation as they are popular! They were able to fit my table for one in with 24hrs…read morenotice. Located just north of the Port Charlotte Hotel, this spot is right on the coast, perfectly situated for a lovely seafood meal. Had the seafood platter for one, massive crab claws, a pile of fresh sweet langoustine and savory scallops, added 4 cool fresh oysters from the Islay oyster company. Heaven with a glass of wine. Dessert was a staff favorite, Nutella cheesecake with double cream. Roll me out now... highly recommend trying to get in here. Prices are what you'd expect for such fresh seafood and great service. Worth every penny.

Good food yes. Beware of the seafood platter for 2. We are confused why most other dishes on the…read moremenu are priced at 15-20 and this was 135 (170 usd). Nothing in the meal justified the price. Biggest disappointment of our week in Islay.

Atmosphere and service are great. Very friendly staff and some cozy corners and unique seating…read moreareas in this establishment. The food was unfortunately on the bland side. We enjoyed the appetizer of Guinness and onion soup and the Inn's bread but they weren't as special as the menu descriptions made them out to be: the whiskey and smoked cheese roll was hard to tell either of those flavors but the butter and pesto were very good. The soup was fine but I guess we had high expectations for it to be better than your average French onion soup. Again for entrees I think the menu descriptions built up our expectations but everything seemed even more bland than the apps. The BAHARAT SPICE RUMP OF IRISH LAMB was cooked well but was pretty flavorless even with the hummus and sauce and the lamb fat potato stack just soft potato. The unique piccolo peppers were the only thing that provided some pop to the dish- maybe it wasn't seasoned properly? The filet with the Bushmills whiskey black pepper cream and roast mushroom tomato and rocket was seasoned a little better but the cream was lacking some punch. Good but not great. It all sounds good but doesn't feel like elevated cooking especially for the price. Finally the desserts were split. We ordered a shot of the Bushmills 10 yr to go with the butterscotch sundae which made the sundae perfect. Without it I'm thinking way too sweet. The milk and honey delice was disappointing. We ate the ganache and left the rest. The crust had a strange herb like flavor that was very unappealing.

This is a beautiful restaurant and the service was impeccable. But it is very expensive for both…read moredrinks and food in comparison to other establishments in town. It is probably why the local folks we met did not recommend it because it was expensive. But overall we had a good experience and cannot complain about the quality of the food or service.

The large half portrush lobster is to die for!!!!!!!!!! We really wanted to get lobster during our…read morestay for The Golf. I was lucky to snag one last lunch reservation at 2:45pm online. The best dining experience in Portrush. Great service. Seaside views. Amazing food and wine. The Camembert cheese was amazing. My friend ordered the sticky toffee pudding for dessert and it was very decadent. I only had a taste of it as I am not a sweets person but it was very good. So glad we got to have the lobster. It had some amazing savory lemon and Parmesan crumbing on top. Plenty to share. This was a wonderful dining experience!

Pros: Great location on the beach…read moreWonderful food and drinks - I especially enjoyed the mussels, which was flavorful and delicious The Shack seafood chowder was some of the best I've ever had globally! Not too creamy and with lots of flavor The bread and butter was a perfect pair Pro tip: Be sure to make a reservation, even in the winter as it gets busy!

Located inside the Islay House hotel…read more This restaurant serves up top quality meals using only locally sourced ingredients and makes every item fresh to order. The menu changes depending on seasonal offerings and the head chef has zero problem with special requests. We opted for the rare steak salad and seafood chowder as starters and were blown away by the taste, presentation and fair pricing. For our main dishes, we both chose the pan-seared salmon. It was cooked to perfection and served atop a mound of mashed potatoes, a sprinkling of peas and came with a dozen mussels. Amazing. For dessert, the creme brûlée was divine; I would bathe in it if I could. The restaurant is open every day of the week and is open to both hotel guests and non-guests alike. The dining room is set inside the quaint hotel, built in 1677 and is served by candlelight. In other words, you won't find a better ambience.

I was very pleasantly surprised by this place. It has a beautifully inviting exterior, it's a stand…read morealone building unlike most of the places i visit in America, which are often strip-mall based. Newbridge Restaurant sits just off a roundabout, and my friend and I had been sightseeing in Northern Ireland, and we were STARVED, after a hard cold day. We saw it in passing, and went back around the roundabout because it was 7 hours since breakfast and were dropping from starvation. The interior was equally inviting, and warm!! The building is inviting, no doubt about it, and the car park pleasantly full, so you knew it could be decent food. The menu was 2 courses for 12 Pounds, which a lot of UK/Irish places feature, and i had expected there's be a limited menu, but such was not the case - it was fairly extensive, and even had specials. I got Spicy Pear and Parsnip Soup with homemade wheaten bread to start, she got Portobello Mushroom with Blue Cheese, Rocket, Sunblush Tomatoes, Red Onion, Parmesan and Balsamic. I have to say this soup was an absolute delight, and i congratulate the use of the humble (Yet hard to find a decent one in Alaska) parsnip, it was superb, with a kick of heat to elevate it. Just a touch of sweetness from the pear, but it was sublime. The wheaten bread, used extensively throughout Irish restaurants was delicious and hearty, and a perfect accompaniment to the creamy thick soup. She adored her gigantic portobello, which was full of cheesy goodness. For our entrees, i selected the Italian Chicken which was a butterflied breast, topped with Parma ham wrapped around Brie, and a rocket salad with balsamic, she went for the Wild Mushroom Linguine, which was drizzled with truffle oil. I must say, it was different than anything I've had before, the cheese with the Parma ham was a really delicious enhancement, to the chicken which can sometimes be bland, but not on this occasion. The rocket and balsamic were beautiful. She couldn't finish her linguine - pasta can be filling i find, she did enjoy the selection of mushrooms. Despite the fact that the prix fixe was 2 for 12 pounds, we opted to get a dessert regardless. Just because we'd earned it, with some hard walking that day. She got a chocolate brownie with fudge sauce, and whipped cream, and i got a banana sundae that i simply could not finish. All in all, it was a delicious meal.

Nine Months…read more That's how long it's taken for me to find a steak and service here in Northern Ireland comparable, or even better than the steak I ate and southern hospitality service I experienced for 7.5 years in Texas... and I found it here at The Newbridge. So we were in Portrush for the day, heading to Belfast to drop my brother off at the bus and I mention I'm hungry, its dinner time, we should stop somewhere. Going on no other information than the car park was packed, we hung a u-turn and pulled in. No reservation, Friday night, packed car park, I expected to be told to sling my hook, or wait 40 minutes for a table, but the nice host even helped find a threenager appropriate table upstairs for us to sit at, no wait - excellent first impression. The blonde dude upstairs (I didn't catch his name) got us sorted with drinks quickly, order in, starters came out in good time. Col enjoyed the black pudding scotch egg, my brother, threenager and I enjoyed the garlic cheese ciabatta. But the mains were the moneyshot. Col had the shredded duck w/ sweet potato fries, brother had the beef chili penne w/ salt and chili chips, threenager had the chicken penne carbonara and I had the fillet steak w/ chips and veggies for the table. I. can't. even. On how good this food was. My steak was cooked to perfection - exactly the way I asked (which, as it turns out, has been difficult for NI chefs to accomplish to date), and not an ounce of fat to be seen! My brothers chili wasn't a traditional chili as you'd expect, it had a sweet chili element to it, but it was delicious, that and his salt and chili chips packed a hot punch, but he loved it. Cols duck was tasty and plentiful and the threenager splatter-painted the entire top floor of the restaurant with carbonara sauce while gleefully shouting "mmmmm delicious!" I really wanted to try dessert, but told blonde dude (sorry, blonde dude, I wish I'd asked your name but by the end of the meal felt it was rude to be all "here bai what's yer name?") I was in a rush, he told me I could get it to go - so I ordered salted caramel cheesecake, cause I thought it'd be easiest to eat on my knee. Confession time: I *may* have acquired one of y'all's forks to take with me so I could eat my dessert on the way to the train station. But rest assured I'll get it back to you - promise! With that said, the cheesecake was devoured on my knee. We all thought it was delicious. Not a single bad thing to say about this place, from easy and plentiful parking, to the absolute nicest staff in any restaurant in the north I've been in in my nine months being back home, to the most delicious steak I've had in a long time and incredibly well priced too! I now need a nap...And to plan a re-visit before our next expat adventure begins! Check this place out for sure!!

Still as awesome as it was when I last came a few years back!…read more Food is undeniably good, affordable and the staff are friendly, Finest food in the city, for sure!

They were very accommodating of our large group. The food was good ... a little under seasoned for…read moremy taste. It was VERY noisy, hard to have a conversation. Would I come back? Probably.