Cairndow Oyster Bar Restaurant

Did both dine-in lunch and take-away. LUNCH: Had the scallop thermidor as starter, then the lobster. Scallop was nicely seared and cheesy. Lobster came with flavourful garlic butter, although I would have preferred if it were cleaned of all the barnacles. Service was friendly and attentive. TAKE-AWAY: There is a deli section. I bought 2 items: Seafood with rose marie sauce sandwich was only average, very little meat. The smoked haddock quiche was flavourful. As a tourist I could not buy the smoked haddock itself (as that needs a fridge), so the smoked haddock quiche was a good alternative!

I had recently enjoyed fresh oysters outdoors in Oban and was excited to do the same at Loch Fyne. I purchased a takeaway box of 6 oysters with high hopes, but was ultimately disappointed. The oysters were medium in size and had only been shucked, requiring me to use a spoon to detach them from their shells before eating. In contrast, the oysters in Oban were larger and fully prepared for immediate consumption. It appears that I had misunderstood the takeaway option at Loch Fyne.

You won't find fresher oysters anywhere else! This restaurant offers an absolutely amazing dining experience with a friendly atmosphere. They also have a great shop for you to explore.

The restaurant does not have outdoor dining options. They do provide a takeaway service, with food served in polyester boxes that can be eaten at their outdoor tables. The outside area was dirty. We ultimately chose to buy our food from the deli and bring it back to where we were staying to prepare it ourselves.

Very late lunch (4pm) and the restaurant was quiet. Staff extremely friendly and engaging. The langoustines were excellent as was the fish cake. The cabbage and egg with the fish cake was unusual, but tasty. Well worth a detour if your heading to Dunoon or Bute.