Great food and okay service too - probably some of the best food we had during our Scotland…read morevacation (outside of a large city). Came here on a cold, rainy day and delighted in the hot tea and sensible food. The shop items are, in my opinion, nice but overpriced. We liked around, but didn't find anything we couldn't live without. The desserts were very good. Definitely recommend digging into at least one!

Have used the BFS before but there was a different vibe to it this visit…read more It was very quiet and whilst the food was ok/good we felt it had lost its edge a bit and service wasn't as sharp as it used to be.

We needed lunch for 5 of us when walking along Stonehaven beach and were lucky to get a table. The…read moredecor is very pleasant, the restaurant much more spacey than you would give credit for at the outside and the service friendly. With the menu consisting of appetisers/small plates, sandwiches and mains 4 of us had a sandwich, one a small plates. The quality was outstanding, the sandwiches rather large. Very pleasant for a very pleasant lunch.

My Wife and I stopped in Stonehaven on a visit with our motor home, While walking along the…read morepromenade we stopped at Molly's cafe, We sat down at one of the tables, A loverly girl called Laura came over to tell us it was a 3/4 of a hour wait, so we sat and waited, Being old folks eating a lot of food is not an option, so asked Laura if we could get a meal between us , No problem she said, The food she brought was fabulous we really enjoyed it, just a pity it was the only meal we had at this restaurant, Will be back when we come south again 10/10 lovely people lovely place. Phil & Moira Stoneman. Shetland.

Called in here for lunch and thoroughly enjoyed our crepes and waffles, all imaginatively named…read moreafter castles. A great range of both sweet & savoury options is available and they certainly know their stuff when it comes to coffee as well.

Arrived in Stonehaven fresh off a visit to Dunnotar castle; local pubs were full, so we tried the…read moreslightly more expensive Tolbooth. Easily the best meals we've had not only in Scotland, but in the states in years. The starters--Langoustine Bisque & Sea Trout Gravadlax--were astonishing. My wife and I couldn't decide who'd made the best choice. Then, the mains: Seafood Risotto & Whole Roast Sea Bass. You know how you go into a restaurant sometimes and the presentation is everything? Giant plates with the often mediocre food arranged artistically? Well, this was NOT the case with our meals at Tolbooth: beautiful presentation, which the food itself more than lived up to. The still hot, fresh loaf of sourdough bread was the perfect accompaniment. Ambience was warm and relaxed, and the waitstaff could not have been friendlier or more welcoming. A truly memorable dining experience.

We went to The Tolbooth for lunch on a Sunday, having not been for years. On Sunday there is a…read more2-course option for £35 and a 3-course option for £45. Mostly seafood but some meat dishes as well. Starters for us were the excellent sea trout and the lamb croquette, mains were the special salmon, hake and pork belly. Excellent food, friendly, professional service and a very nice atmosphere. Well worth returning for.

You can reach The Waterfront Cafe from the Main Street, but also from the beach front. And there is…read morestraight away the main attractiveness: you can sit inside and outside overlooking the bay. Otherwise, this is a fairly middle of the road place for breakfast, sandwiches and bigger lunches.

Delightful cafe with sea views. Breakfast all day and giant freshly baked scones. Friendly…read moreservice. The small breakfast was huge and filling and the omelette well cooked and piping hot.

As mentioned many times so far within my reviews, I do not believe there is a really 'descent'…read morecoffee shop in the Aberdeenshire (and in the whole UK I would say). This farmhouse shop is one of the best alternatives as I call them. It is well hidden above Banchory in Finzean, that the local people do not even know it. Yes we asked (cause we thought that we were lost) and they did not know it.. and the mobile reception is non-existing at that corner of the world. It was open in 2007 I think and it is within the Finzean Estate that can provide holiday cottages, too. It has a ground floor and a first floor that you can sit and enjoy your coffee, and selection of sandwiches/paninis and soups. And they were all really delicious. I had the ham and cheese panini and a roasted peppers and coconut soup...yummy. My companions had sandwiches and paninis and they were really satisfied as well, with the end product. I must say, however, that I found it a bit expensive. 7.5£ for a panini is a bit too much. We've spent £30+ for a soup, 2 paninis, a juice, and a coffee, and a sandwich. The portions were good sized, but again a bit pricey... The shop had free range products, but not organic. Something that I would really like to see. Moreover, they had a lot of paintings, and other things for sale; however I personally think they were very expensive and they were things that you could find in the internet or in the shops...so not really worth buying them there overpriced. Very clean toilets (both male and female). I believe that it is worth a visit and definitely get your children or older members of the family with you. They will all enjoy it.

This review relates to the restaurant (tea room) portion of the business…read more The food is really superb and a cut above other similar restaurants in the area (e.g. better than the Victoria Tea Room at Dinnet, which is also good). Food is fresh and tasty, positions are hearty without being too big, and they have a good selection of regular menu items as well as specials. Soups are a standout - often with locally grown ingredients to satisfy "locavores" [whatever!]. Stew was tasty and satisfying. Kids' pizza was great. The location is beautiful with a sunny, open location and views of Clachnaben. Service is a letdown. There was no visit to our table after the food arrived: no drink refills, no checking to see if everything is OK, I even had to wander around to find a staff-member and ask how I could pay my bill. It's not a big deal and could be easily fixed with 10mins of staff training but, given the great food and location, it's a pity that service is not perfect too. Price is a little dear but you get what you pay for. Thoroughly recommended for a treat. Want 5 stars? Improve the service. Oh, and a bench beside the kids play area outside would be a great idea for weary parents/grandparents!

My husband and I had dinner at The Bay Fish and Chips. Both the fish and the chips were fantastic…read more The restaurant is take-out with a couple of (not so clean) tables, but don't let this deter you. It was some of the best fish and chips I've ever had, and you can get ice cream next door.

We went to Stonehaven tonight to go to get fish and chips followed by ice cream. The Bay is great…read morefor fish and chips. You can argue how the chips compare to elsewhere, but not the haddock. That is superb. What I like is that they are very specific where the catch comes from and where the potatoes come from. Only issue this evening was the 45 minutes queue.

After seeing a devastatingly beautiful castle I was hungry and I am so glad that we came across…read morethis fish and chips bar almost by accident. This is not only the birthplace of the deep-fried Mars bar but it also has award winning fish and chips. So we ordered both and I was in deep-fried heaven. Soft and yielding fresh tasting fish covered in delicate and crispy batter. The chips were textbook perfect covered in malt vinegar and salt. It was delicious beyond belief and the homemade tartar sauce was silky and flavourful. The deep fried mars bar was so good it made my tooth ache and made my heart skip a beat. The lady who took our order was very congenial and the cook seemed to be completely at ease standing over big vats of oil, which bubbled golden and comfortably. I cannot believe how wonderful this place is to have so much deep fried offerings. I wish I could try everything on the menu but I barely finished my big serving of halibut and chips. This is the best thing I have ever happened upon and I will continue dreaming of coming back here. Stonehaven is deep-fried heaven!

The place where (according to legends) the fried mars bar was invented. And that was the reason why…read morewe stopped there. We had to taste it right? Well, it´s fried mars bar but actually it wasn´t bad. Even sweeter than classical one. Anyway, it´s a nice small place for grabbing a quick lunch to go. Yes, they have also other things but fried mars bar.