Carbost Restaurant Guide

2024 Review: “What an experience! Lobster and chips from a cardboard plate, sitting on a wall in the open air” – overlooking the Talisker distillery, Paul McGlynn’s shed was an extension of his oyster-farming business, opening as a full ‘seafood kitchen’ nine years ago. It’s “takeaway only, though they provide barrels for you to stand around and enjoy the fish”. “We had a couple of oysters each, four large scallops each with chips and shared a whole lobster, with change from £50”. Top Tip – BYOB.

“Bravo!”. “Dinner is nothing short of magical” for fans – ie all who report – on this 16th-century hunting lodge, converted by chef-patron Calum Montgomery in 2018 and “well-deserving of its four AA rosette status” (it was the first establishment in the Highlands to achieve this, in 2022). “The welcome is warm and genuine and the young team exude professionalism and charm that belie their years”. “Chef Calum serves dishes that are technically skilled, using the most incredible of ingredients fresh from the sea and land that are utterly delicious”. “What stands out is the incredible attention to detail, with each dish so detailed, and so delicately prepared… almost like a love letter to the Isle of Skye, showcasing locally grown ingredients with immense creativity, skill and care. By the end of the meal, we weren’t just satisfied, we actually felt quite inspired”. Top Menu Tip – “the largest scallop I’ve ever seen on a plate. The amazing sweet and fresh flavour was perhaps explained by the fact that it had been caught in the nearby Lochbay two hours before it landed at our table!”

“Local produce cooked to very high and innovative standards” won fame over 40 years for this former crofter’s cottage, which was sold in 2019 by its founders to Scots born international hotelier, Gordon Campbell Gray (and his Wee Hotel Company). Briefly recognised by Michelin in 2014, it’s never regained its star, although it holds a not-scruffy three rosettes from the AA. Unsurprisingly given its remoteness, it doesn’t inspire a huge volume of reports, although they are not as numerous as once they were. Chef Paul Green took over the kitchens in January 2025, returning to a venue where he started out as a commis chef 20 years ago. At £120 per person for the entry level five-course menu, it’s not an inexpensive pilgrimage, although all our feedback this year is positive. The best feedback is reserved for the ‘Kitchen Table’, and “amazing kitchen dining experience with great food and wine”.

There’s a fine view from this small room, above the harbour in Portree. The venture started life as a pop-up in the owner, Calum Munro’s parents’ home and he aims to deliver modern Scottish cuisine from top produce. The result is a “small plate sharing restaurant where all dishes are excellent with friendly helpful service”.