Argyll Bute
The Cottage

The Cottage

Church Square, PA32 8TT, Argyll Bute, United Kingdom

Cafés • Steak • Seafood • British


"This caf is tucked away down a lane just off Main Street East (opposite The George Hotel) so it would be easy to miss. If youre looking a lunchtime snack, as we were, its worth considering. Its a very compact space with a few steps...down from the door and it was busy however we managed to get a table. The menu consisted of soup, sandwiches, paninis and baked potatoes with a standard variety of fillings and so we ordered up a Cheese Ham Panini 6.15) and a Tuna Mayo Baked Potato 7.25) with a side order of cheese 1.30) and a couple of Americano coffees. The Panini was served with a salad garnish and some coleslaw (the latter of which I unusually liked) and the Baked Potato with a little salad garnish too. The food tasted okay and was served up by pleasant staff in a reasonable timescale so all was perfectly satisfactory in our experience. The cost was 18.90. Later whilst walking up Dun a Cuaiche (overlooking Inveraray Castle) we were wishing that we had opted for some of the cakes on offer to give us a boost of energy. There are a couple of unisex toilets and these appeared to be well maintained. The usual Covid-19 rules appeared to be respected with staff and guests wearing facemasks when not seated and hand sanitiser was provided. From this aspect you would need to accept that it is a small caf and spacing between tables is not particularly generous which may not suit everyone. Overall, a fairly standard caf experience, even if a little compact."

Lord Of The Isles

Lord Of The Isles

PA31 8UA, Lochgilphead, United Kingdom, PA31 8UB, Argyll Bute

Food • Pubs • Steak • Coffee


"Having been here several times over the 5 years pre Covid, I was really looking forward to enjoying my birthday meal here with my wife. We made a 2 hour detour just to come here, but what a disappointment! My Cullen skink starter was basically a bowl of smoky tasting cream with some raw onion spread over the top. I had mussels for the main, they were supposed to come with crusty bread I found the bread in with the mussels rather than on a separate plate, and it definitely wasn’t crusty! My wife had the langoustines which we were asked if she wanted hot or cold. She ordered them hot when they arrived the shells were warm, but the meat inside was cold. When I mentioned this to the staff I was told “we have quite an executive chef” and when I explained that my wife was a food safety consultant she just stuck her nose in the air. I did ask the waitress if the place had changed hands since Covid and she confirmed that it was under new management. What used to be a lovely pub restaurant is worse than a Wetherspoons but at three times the price. The service was friendly, but poor as we had our food and drink delivered with no time between courses to allow the food to digest. Add to that, their fire exit was half blocked by a table, the fire extinguisher was on the floor with no signage and the illuminated fire exit sign wasn’t illuminated. Not safe for food, not safe for fire and very disappointing all round. I won’t be coming back unless it changes hands again or they get a decent chef rather than an”executive” one."