Restaurants, pub and cafes

RESTAURANTS/PUBS

HORSESHOE INN (5 mins drive)

Recently re-opened by Paul and Toni, who have brought a touch of Shoreditch to Bridgend! (Not everyone loves the new black facade but we think it is eye-catching.) A very warm and friendly bar with a roaring fire in winter and historic photos of the area. Great beer and good selection of wines. The restaurant is open from Tuesday to Sunday ( for winter opening hours see the pub Facebook page), dinner only. The food ranges from home-made pies ( excellent) to fresh pasta and home-made burgers. Takeaway food available.  Basically delicious home-cooked pub food, very filling and tasty and not too expensive. www.thehorseshoeinnkilmichael.co.uk Phone : 07903 021901.

KILMARTIN HOTEL ( 10 mins drive)

This is a very friendly pub with good home-cooked pub food ( very good curries) run by Richard, and is reliably open all year round. Unpretentious and tasty food, with a good selection of beers. You can book but it’s usually OK just to turn up. 01546 510250.

TAYVALLICH INN ( 25 mins drive)

Lovely bar and restaurant, situated in one of our prettiest coastal villages. A really glorious place to sit on a spring or summer evening looking out over the sea – the Inn specialises in seafood and you can either eat outside, in the bar or in the restaurant. The food here is a step up from pub food and has a good selection of beers, wines and local gin. Reopens in 2024 on March 1st. It’s best to book online as it does get very busy. Offers both lunch and dinner. www.tayvallichinn.com 01546 870282.

CRINAN HOTEL ( 15 mins drive)

Situated at the end of the Crinan Canal ( great place for walking) this is a landmark building housing an eccentric but charming hotel, restaurant and bar. Run by artist Frances Ryan, you will see her wonderful sea view paintings. Great views from the hotel. There is a very fancy restaurant ( The Westward) which is good but expensive – best is the Seafood Bar, which serves seafood fresh from the Quay at Crinan. There is a charming small back bar (say hello to The General) and an outside tented seating area for warm nights. Best to book as it gets very busy. Opens from February 9th 2024. Call 01546 830261 or email reservations@crinanhotel.com

KILBERRY INN ( 40 mins drive)

This is our very favourite restaurant in the area – it is quite a drive but the scenery is awesome and the food is the best in the area. It gets extremely busy and you will have to book. Michelin-recommended. Quite expensive but delicious. www.kilberryinn.com 01880 770223.

TARBERT RESTAURANTS ( 30 mins drive)

There are quite a few good restaurants in Tarbert, which is the next town on from Lochgilphead towards Campbeltown. Our favourites are the Starfish, the Seabed and Lulabelle’s. Most specialise in seafood, freshly landed in Tarbert, and this is a very pretty harbour town with good cafes too and an art gallery. There are great walks at Skipness by the sea ( about 15 mins on from Tarbert) so this is a good place to have lunch on a day out.

INVERARY RESTAURANTS ( 25 mins drive)

Inverary is worth a visit for the day with the castle ( which reopens in spring) and the jail. There is a very good seafood restaurant Samphire (www.samphireseafood.com 01499 302321) which has rather sporadic opening times, best call to check. Also The George, which is a famous old pub and does lovely food – usually you don’t have to book as there are a lot of tables. About 10 minutes on from Inverary is the Loch Fyne seafood restaurant, which is excellent and offers both lunch and dinner.

OBAN RESTAURANTS ( 1 hr drive)

Our nearest big town, famous as a ferry port with access to the wonderful West Coast islands like Mull, Colonsay, Coll and Tiree ( see separate entry ‘Islands in a day’.) It has big supermarkets – Tesco, Lidl and Aldi, and a range of shops. A lovely place for lunch is Ee Usk, a seafood restaurant on the North Pier ( www.eeusk.com) . The neighbouring pizza restaurant on North Pier is also very good, and there are numerous other good restaurants and cafes (such as Coast, the Olive Garden and The Waterfront)  – and a great place for coffee, the Hinba Coffee Shop, on the front. In the summer you can also buy fresh and delicious seafood from the kiosk by the railway station. Also worth noting in Oban are the delicious fish and chips – Oban Fish and Chips, Norries and George Street Fish and Chips, which have won all kinds of awards.

KILCHRENAN INN ( 40 minute drive)

This is a favourite place of ours for Sunday lunch. The drive is like a rollercoaster on a single-track road with incredible scenery – make sure you stop at the lookout points) down the left-hand side of Loch Awe through Dalavich and there is a lovely walk before you reach the pub around Loch Avich ( Loch Avich and An t-Sliabh Circular, Argyll and Bute, Scotland - 26 Reviews, Map | AllTrails) and the Kilchrenan Inn does really lovely food in a great atmosphere ( and they take dogs). www.kilchrenaninn.co.uk 01866 833000.

PIERHOUSE AT APPIN ( 1 hr 10 mins drive)

This is a long drive from us but the road to Oban is spectacular, and then becomes even more beautiful as you head north over the Connel Bridge towards Appin. The Pierhouse is an award-winning hotel and restaurant and a fabulous place for lunch – best to book. The foot ferry leaves from here to the fascinating little island of Lismore and there are great walks around Appin.

www.pierhousehotel.co.uk phone 01631 770302.