We stayed here for 4 nights in August and loved this place. The rooms were clean, the bed was…read morecomfortable, and the hotel was quiet. More importantly, the bathrooms had been updated recently, with a good shower and heated towel rack. My only complaint about the bathroom was that the hot water took a bit to heat up but it got plenty warm and had good water pressure. We also ate in the bar for lunch and at the restaurant for dinner. Both meals were excellent. The staff was very helpful, let us use left luggage when we arrived early and let us settle our bill the night before/gave us instructions for leaving our keys when we checked out very early. Location is convenient to buses at the visitor center and to the city center for shopping, sight seeing, and dining.

The shore provides some lovely rooms, a restaurant, a back bar and a bar open to the public. The…read morefood is always delicious, the staff friendly and everything is spotless. The bar is the only place in town where you can get a proper cocktail, which are always delicious. The interior is stylish, with leather sofas, a tv showing sports and a tempting display of bottles behind the bar. It is right by the harbour and open for lunch and dinner for food.

Ommmm, so Seaview Hotel is about the only place we could find that was open before a 7:30 pm…read moresailing from Gills Bay on the Pentland Ferries (Pro tip learned quickly in Scotland: outside major cities, everything shuts up tighter than a drum in the evenings). Plus, it's just fun to say "John o' Groats." We scoped the bar area -- depressingly run down, but happily full of rowdy locals -- and the dining room -- clearly going for the "executive ballroom" feel, and probably where everyone in John o' Groats holds their wedding reception. We went with the dining room which, apparently, boasts the moniker "Groatie Room." Service was excellent, friendly and accommodating, as at most places in Scotland. Also, a variety of local craft brews was on offer, as at most places in Scotland. Food, however, perfectly matched the stuffy, outdated dining room. Exactly what you'd expect from a sit-down reception catered by Sodexho. A bland Caprese salad, run-of-the-mill paninis, season-less steamed veggies. But, considering Seaview was about the only thing going in John o' Groats and put much need sustenance in our bellies, it garners the A-OK rating.

My husband and I stayed at the very lovely Anchorage B&B during our September trip to John…read moreO'Groats. The owners of the Anchorage recommended the Seaview for our dinner and we even ran into them there that night. Admittedly, this pub is not much to look at. It's dated and a bit run down. However, don't let that deter you. If you love fish, this is the place to go. We started with scallops and they were the best scallops that we have ever eaten. We live in Los Angeles and frequently eat at high end restaurants...the Seaview had them beat! For my main, I had a grilled haddock that was amazing. My husband had a burger made from local beef. Fresh food makes all of the difference. Our meals were fantastic! Beyond that, this is clearly a place filled with locals and everyone was exceptionally welcoming. John O'Groats has the friendliest people that we encountered during our UK trip. Go here, trust me!

My travel companion and I were on a walkabout of Kirkwall and decided we were in need of a…read morerefreshment. We stepped into the Kirkwall Hotel Bar and were very pleased with the ambiance. We debated what to order and the bar tender (Kelvin maybe? such a great gentleman) - suggested trying some local gin.

We really came here solely for the 8 pages of Highland Park scotch they have at the bar and did…read morelunch at the same time to avoid being too tipsy and feed the kids. My wife and I are huge scotch fans and we really wanted to do a Highland Park tasting, but there was no way to do that with our kids. The distillery instead pointed us here, where they supposedly have the biggest selection of Highland Park scotch anywhere in the world and I believe it because they had 8 full pages. We wound up tasting our way through a relatively expensive collection of six different selections going as far back as 1973, which was awesome to do. That said, it was a bit disappointing because we basically had to do the selecting entirely on our own. I would have expected somebody there to be able to help some with what we might like given how extensive their collection is. Also, there were at least a few times where what we asked for wasn't available anymore. We still had a great time drinking very good and rare scotch. Beyond the scotch, the food was good, if not exceptional. My wife and I both got salads we enjoyed and finding a good salad with vegetables in Scotland isn't always easy. Our kids didn't really eat the mac and cheese, but that's sort of par for the course with them. The ambiance with the view of the bay and a very fancy dining room was actually quite nice. The only real downside (beyond wishing there was more Highland Park scotch expertise) was that the whole hotel filled up with people from the cruise ship in the harbor pretty soon after we sat down, which then resulted in very slow service for a while.

Good brewery with a variety of beers to try but the best part was the restaurant and food. Tried a…read moreflight of beers but nothing really stood out for me. Had an amazing Cullen soup though, so flavorful!

Love the location. Didn't believe for a second that we were in the right place since we were in the…read moremiddle of nowhere, but sure enough we turned the corner and there she was. We were greeted at the door and welcomed in. There is a large gift shop with shirts and beer and all sorts of things. The tasting room/cafe is beautiful and cozy. It was an old school house, so the walls are covered with historic information. The staff were friendly and happy to answer any questions about allergies and whatnot. There is a separate gluten free menu available (the same menu, but gluten free items are highlighted). The four of us loved our food. It was delicious. We had the steak and ale pie, Thai green chicken, old man sandwich and a salad. The ice cream trio was a big hit as was the chocolate dragon head cake. I really liked my scoop of dairy free ice cream. I don't drink beer, so I can't comment on that (though I can say that the folks at my table did not enjoy this style of beer). The skull splitter was everyone's favorite though. Overall a great experience and I love that they are dog friendly.

Had a really nice meal but the highlight was fantastic service from John. My wife and I came in…read morewithout a reservation and he graciously came by to get our order in promptly on a busy evening and gave us some great tips on places to see on the next leg of our honeymoon trip.

Found this little gem as we were driving across Orkney. It's easy to find, park, and has an…read moreinviting dining room with a big bay window. There were but three empty tables when we came in for lunch. The decor is part bar, part restaurant with letter stools and banquettes that are clean, and comfortable. It seems to be a spot for people who like to fish, with a few fine specimens mounted on the wall, and an art piece of tied flies (surprising delicate and beautiful; I would bite on these). The grab-a-menu-from-the-bar menu is large, and offers conventional Scottish cuisine of fish, and meat, tatties (potatoes), and salads/vegetables. You order at the bar. They tell you to give them 30 minutes to prepare each meal to order, but ours was out in 15. And it was some of the best food I've had in Orkney. All three kinds of potatoes (!) were tasty. We both had slow-roasted pork with apple sauce and it was tender and delicious, with a light gravy on top. There were also steamed vegetables, and they were as expected. Each plate cost thirteen pounds, which seemed more than reasonable for the quality. Service was minimal but just right. Loved this find. Pro tip: Kitchen closes at 2:00 pm.

We had some time to kill before taking the ferry to Orkney and spotted this cute little shop. I'm…read moreso glad we had the extra time. This place is utterly charming. My three children and I enjoyed breakfast and shared some wonderful desserts. The server was prompt and friendly. The owner came out to chat with us and explained that her dessert recipes had been handed down from her Granny. The Victoria Sponge cake was delicious. We took some cupcakes with us to go. Our only disappointment was that we returned from Orkney at a time that Cups was not open. We would have happily stopped in again! Make the time to stop in and visit Cups if you are headed to Orkney. You will be glad you did. (My son says to try the salmon sandwich!)

Discovered this fabulous café by accident. If you are in the north of Scotland - go there! The…read moreservice is friendly and personal, the food reasonably priced and well presented. The haggis and cheese ciabatta was very tasty!

Sweet little coffee shop and restaurant in the shopping area of downtown Kirkwall - Orkney Islands,…read moreScotland. It's a really unassuming little shop that from the outside looks like they only serve coffee and teas. Once inside you'll notice that there are three booths and at least 7+ tables for dining. Upstairs there seemed to be another large dining area but it was closed off (likely due to staffing). We were surprised to see they had a full kitchen menu and decided to sit inside as dining options were limited in this area. If you only want a tea and pastry you can order at their counter and take it to go. It's also really interesting as the kitchen is upstairs so this spot is bigger then it looks! The staff were very very nice girls here. They were working super hard as the cafe stayed busy so I get why they really couldn't manage more then the 10 tables as there were only three girls responsible for working the register, making all the drinks, and acting as severs on the main floor. They were all lovely and helpful. Menu was impressively large with plenty of sandwiches, burgers, breakfast items, and drinks. I just wanted a snack so I got some fries with Mayo (yes Mayo). Love EUROPE as I don't get judged for eating my fries with this condiment haha. Anyways fries were super crispy and delicious, can't go wrong. The girls also turned me on to a fabulous cranberry and raspberry iced tea that I'll for sure be purchasing when back in the states, 10/10. Check the menu for the brand and flavors of their instant iced teas, so good and flavorful. Wayyy better then a Starbucks tea. Prices were reasonable and it was just really nice to receive sit down service. Bathrooms upstairs were super clean which is a 10/10 pro tip when traveling as it can be hard to find a nice bano. Cute little spot for tea and snacks, would definitely recommend as it's so easy to miss.

Popped in for a sandwich after sitting for 15 minutes elsewhere without being given a menu…read more Friendly and quick. Very happy with salad and pizza; it ain't American-quality pizza, but it's acceptable. Charming place to sit. We liked it enough that we came back for tea and cake the next day.

Great place to shop local treats, food, sodas and alcohol…read more Came here during a Cruise stop. Very close to the visitor center. Easy to find. We were here on a Sunday (staff said they closed at 1400 that day). They have the locally famous Argo's bakery bere shortbread. The Millionaire Shortbread is super delicious. There are other locally made shortbread and other foods. Staff is very friendly. Store is a decent size, it's not small. Credit card minimum charge is 5 pounds. They take cash also.