Lochside Craigard House - Argyll Bute

A delicious meal that is affordable and offers a fantastic view of the surroundings. The local cuisine is outstanding.

The staff were very friendly. Upon checkin, if you intend to dine in house, (and we had a very nice dinner there) you should indicate what time you would like to be seated so they can manage their table arrangements. Also, since a full Scottish...breakfast is included, you should tell them what time you would like to eat for the same above seating reason. The menu was quite extensive given the hotel has less than rooms. The breakfast offered everything from cereal/fruits to bacon, eggs, black pudding, sausage, tomatoes, beans and of course white or wheat bread. The wait staff were very friendly, but a bit rushed with the full house we had the night we stayed. There is a bit of history attached to this hotel which you will want to read about during your stay.

The food here is of excellent quality. In particular we thoroughly enjoyed the wide selection of sea food. The staff are friendly and helpful and not intrusive.

I had a reservation and arrived a few minutes early to the restaurant. I was directed to a dining room with a slightly outdated decor, but with a great view over the bay. After a short wait, we received our menus and placed our order. However, things went downhill from there. The starters took a long time to arrive, but the prawn cocktail was generous and beautifully presented. Unfortunately, the main dishes took over an hour to come out, despite our inquiries to the only waitress working that night. She explained that she was also helping with cooking due to a shortage in staff. The food was good when it finally arrived, but the long wait was unacceptable. Other tables were experiencing similar delays and complaints. The waitress offered to discount our bill, but after waiting for the bill for several minutes, I left an amount I felt was appropriate and departed. The owner seemed to be hiding in a strange cabinet during the chaos. It's a shame, as the restaurant has potential to be a great spot with some improvements in staffing and service. I would recommend hiring more front of house staff and kitchen help, or considering a change in ownership. I give it two stars as the food and wine were of a good standard.

The lamb rack from the nearby hills was stunning, paired perfectly with a lovely house merlot. The service was a bit slow, but the walk around the city's bay was delightful.