The Old School Restaurant

Someone from this business manages this listing.

1,978 reviews

#1 of 7 Restaurants in Dunvegan$$ - $$$, Seafood, European, British

+44 1470 521421+ Add website

Hours

Sun

9:00 AM - 11:00 AM

Mon

5:00 PM - 11:00 PM

Tue

5:00 PM - 11:00 PM

Fri

5:00 PM - 11:00 PM

Sat

9:00 AM - 11:00 AM

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Ratings and reviews

4.5

1,978 reviews

#1 of 7 Restaurants in Dunvegan

Travelers' Choice 2023

RATINGS

Food

Service

Value

Atmosphere

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PRICE RANGE

$3.00 – $31.00

CUISINES

Seafood, European, British, Scottish

Special Diets

Vegetarian Friendly, Vegan Options, Gluten Free Options

meals, features

Location and contact

Dunvegan IV55 8GU Scotland

+44 1470 521421

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Details

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About

We are a family run business in our 30th year of trade, serving seafood and other locally grown and harvested produce, Scottish Meat and Game, craft Scottish Beers, wines and spirits. We are open from Mon-Thursday for light lunches, Sunday Lunch for a 2/3 course menu, and 7 nights a week from 6pm.

PRICE RANGE

$3.00 – $31.00

CUISINES

Seafood, European, British, Scottish

Special Diets

Vegetarian Friendly, Vegan Options, Gluten Free Options

Meals

Lunch, Dinner

FEATURES

Reservations, Seating, Parking Available, Street Parking, Free off-street parking, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Wine and Beer, Accepts American Express, Accepts Mastercard, Accepts Visa, Cash Only, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service

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4.5

1,978 reviews

Excellent

1,198

Very good

561

Average

134

Poor

Terrible

foggypc

Bury79 contributions

Worth a look for takeaway

Aug 2020 • couples

We decided to get a take out as we were staying on the nearby campsite and have a dog and saw this had good reviews. Sampled the local beers as we waited for my haddock and chips. They have set up a large tent on the front which offers shelter from the rain but certainly not the midges. They have a system where you order from one point and pick up your beers from another which sounds great if it was one way but then they had a rush of customers and it got a bit cramped having to walk past everyone queuing, especially as I had to requeue as they didn’t have vinegar on the condiments table outside (great idea). Anyway the haddock was the best I had tasted in a long time and the chips and was reasonably priced (good sized portions) Just needs a tweak on sorting the process but would recommend.

Written August 28, 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

MonkeyGirl

72 contributions

3 Course Set Dinner

Aug 2020 • none

We visited The Old School Restaurant, having booked the previous day, but on arrival discovered that it was a 3 course set meal. Although it was good value (£25), I was not hungry enough for 3 courses and hadn't necessary wanted to pay £25 per head that evening. I think that the restaurant should let people know that only a set menu is available, so you at least have the choice when booking. Having said this, our meals were very nice and of a high standard. All of the serving staff were attentive and helpful. Our waitress even packaged our desserts up so we could take them away, as we were too full, which was appreciated.

Written September 14, 2020

LizFDerby

80 contributions

Bustling brasserie with great food

May 2021 • none

We visited just as Covid restrictions were lifting, it was a joy to be in a busy restaurant with the clatter of plates and gales of laughter from friends meeting up at last. They've managed to space the tables out without it looking bare and empty. Service was good but like everywhere at the moment we had the odd hiatus due to understaffing. The menu was imaginative and varied with plenty of local seafood, I can never resist mussels and these were delicious. Our waiter asked how the wine was and my husband said simply 'I wouldn't keep it any longer if I were you'. He replaced it, although we would have lived with it as it was. There is a lot of pre-Covid wine in all our restaurants that hasn't survived lockdown, sadly. We ate there twice and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to friends. As with many places in the area, opening times are limited by staff availability which is a shame when this is their big chance to claw back some of what they lost over recent months. Grab and table and help them do that but remember, that last portion of mussels is mine.

Written July 30, 2021

Darryn_Fewster

Edinburgh149 contributions

Has the title but not the backing!

Aug 2020 • none

I went here with my partner with incredibly high hopes, she having been recommend by a local friend to try here. On arriving they had dealt with Covid-19 very well and had a system in place for us to order. We hadn’t booked and understandably had to order from the takeaway menu. There was no issue with this at all. On trying to make heads or tails of the order of the multiple menu we eventually managed to navigate the menu, finding what we where to order, breaded haddock and chips with one beer. We paid and where told to follow the system through to the other side. On walking around and entering the famous hall with the blackboard we were met with a stern gruff woman who must have been an authoritative figure as she displayed no mannerisms of hospitality as she also wasn't wearing a mask or face covering, told to wait for our order and the beer placed on the counter in front of us. After retrieving the beer we sat on the school benches awaiting our order to arrive. After an allotted time, which we were happy to wait for as we had heard the quality was worth the wait, we received our order and had to retreat from the premises using the same method of entry passing all the those wanting to gain entry and place an order. On arriving at our location to eat the food, we discovered that the previously ordered Breaded haddock, hadn’t been provided and instead we had received an incredibly greasy, disgusting looking, battered haddock. We had no other option than to try this and to our disgust we found it was even worse trying to eat than it was to look at. I haven’t ever been so frustrated with a service that should have been nothing but simple!

Written August 20, 2020

ScottishConnection

Hampshire120 contributions

Lost The Magic

Sep 2020 • none

The Old School used to be one of our absolute favourite restaurants on Skye and a "not be missed' visit on at least two occasions during our stays. Sadly, following our experiences last week, much as it pains me to write this, we just cannot say the same. Although some understandable changes are in place with Covid regulations, the emphasis is definitely on the take away service and not the restaurant clientele. All diners are seated at the same time after queuing outside for some time whilst being simultaneously devoured by clouds of resident midgies. The interior has completely lost its cosy ambience and intimate feel and now has all the allure of a rather bare and functional village hall, the window curtains having been removed and made into a makeshift screen to hide the bar and takeaway area. Windows were covered with all the takeaway signs, my seat directly facing a nondescript old door with a large handmade EXIT sign on it - the entire restaurant has just lost its magic. The food was generally good, but not up to previous standards with a set menu (£25 a head) of pretty limited choice and you had to order every course including dessert (??) at the very start once seated. The staff were lovely if a bit overworked with everyone entering and ordering at one sitting, which gave the impression of a rushed atmosphere around us. You can do SO much better than this Old School - we had so many happy memories of wonderful evenings and fantastic food.

Written September 9, 2020

MrsH1992

3 contributions

Great food...but not nearly enough!

Aug 2020 • couples

The food here was absolutely gorgeous although we were left needing more to fill us up and after paying the same amount we would usually at any other restaurant, or even more so actually, we ended up back at our campsite nearby filling up on snacks. We felt like what we ordered was more like tapas than a full meal portion so we would have had to get a few portions each to fill us up, which would have cost a small fortune. I also ordered food just before 7:00 and they stopped taking food orders then, even though it says in big lettering outside that they take orders till 8, which made me feel very rushed as I was told I had only two minutes to decide what I wanted. There is also the issue about the lady who another family dubbed as 'the head mistress' who was very rude to customers and was completely unwelcoming and snapped at anyone who got in her way or asked a simple question. Which is the complete opposite of the server behind the counter - I think her name was Ruth, who was lovely by the way. I was also waiting a long time for food, when I was originally given a time of 5-10 minutes. I know that other customers had the same problem, with one family's order coming an hour late and another man next to me waiting for his 7:00 pick up at 7:40. I understand in the works of covid that managing a food business would be very tricky, but if they don't have the capacity or time, then don't open it fully up again. Nice food though.

Written August 11, 2020

curlyishungry

17 contributions

Bit disappointed

Sep 2020 • couples

Was recommended by a friend. Staff were lovely but everyone seated/served at the same time and all felt a very rushed. Food was there in minutes after ordering and seafood platter, which we paid a premium for, lacked flavour and lobster was overcooked. Have no doubt used to be better but overall underwhelming and not worth £120 bill.

Written September 15, 2020

NJA_7

London999 contributions

Lovely food, glad we checked the bill

Sep 2020 • none

If you are staying in Dunvegan there are very few restaurants so it’s fair to say that they have a captured audience. It gets busy so you need to make reservations. We had a look at the online menu before we booked and I was a little disappointed to find out when we were at the restaurant that they only offer a set menu. Not that which was advertised online. There Old School looks really nice and has a nice atmosphere. For starters I had the roasted pepper and tomato soup, followed by beef cheek stew. The beef was so tender that it melted in the mouth. For dessert I had a chocolate brownie, which was overcooked as a little burnt at the edges. The food was washed down with a nice bottle of wine and we finished the evening with a glass of Talisker Isle of Skye. The service to this point had been very good. When we asked for the bill the waitress decided to engage us in conversation, mainly around where we were staying. She didn’t speak favourably about our accommodation, which I was very surprised about as the owners of the B&B had recommended this restaurant to us. The conversation made us feel very uneasy and really put a dampener in the evening. From the way she was talking I was left with the impression that she was in someway jealous of the new owners of the B&B (which I can't recommend highly enough). A few minutes later the waitress returned with our bill. We noticed that the bill was a lot more than we were expecting. The waitress was standing over us the whole time with card machine in hand, she continued to engage us in conversation and was very eager to take the payment at the same time, not really giving us a chance to examine the bill. We noticed that they had in fact attempted to charge us twice for the meals. When we pointed this out, she initially she gave the impression that this was our mistake and the bill was correct. We had to question the bill for a second time, before the bills was taken away and rectified. I was left with the feeling that this was deliberate and based on the fact that we had drunk half a bottle of wine and a whiskey each and would probably not question the amount. The food was nice and we had a nice evening until the end. I won’t be returning.

Written November 10, 2020

Equanimity

Scotland222 contributions

Food good, service not so much

Sep 2020 • couples

This is a tale of two halves. I’ll start with the positive. The food was very good. Set meal (3 choices for each course allies a variety of permutations), at £25 a head . A good deal, in my opinion. I started with the black pudding salad which was most delicious (although the BP was a little bland). The fish curry that followed was also excellent in a very homey way. Not so the over -baked flatbread served on the side. My meal was rounded off with a strawberry meringue confection, and I was, on the whole, very happy. My dining companion was also pleased with his choices of Cullen skink, fish and chips, and sticky toffee pudding. The rather mediocre wine we had was, at £26 a bottle, ridiculously overpriced. Second half of review. The service was awful. Clearly not coping well with the new restrictions, and not able to balance the service inside the restaurant with the provision of takeaway meals. We stood in a long queue before being admitted, in spite of pre-booking. Our order was taken 50 minutes after we were seated (we had come very close to leaving)and we were then rushed through our meal in one hour flat. All diners were brought in together, resulting in a chaotic approach to service. I could go on, but I’ll leave it at that. Suffice to say, the atmosphere really suffered, and in spite of this being one of my favourite Skye restaurants in the past, it will be a very long time before I visit again.

Written September 7, 2020

Loraine C

27 contributions

Don’t bother

Apr 2021 • none

After been closed for months due to lockdown you would think the business would be Glad to welcome tourists for meals, we arrived and asked for 2x fish and chips. Not Very welcoming, had to ask the chef if he would make it, this we thought was a bit odd given they sell seafood. Wouldn’t recommend or return.

Written May 3, 2021

Heather

1 contribution

Poor meal followed by unprofessional behaviour of arrogant, rude manager

Aug 2021 • none

Not the warmest of welcomes by the lady on the bar/reception and we waited to be seated by the waiter who was lovely. The menu was disappointing and very randomly put together. Asian Duck, Haggis, Thai Curry, Ox Cheek? It was a difficult decision for all the wrong reasons. My partner had the Haggis and Neeps and I opted for the Haddock Thai Curry. When our meals arrived we realised we should have chosen the Langoustines! The Haggis, neeps and tatties all had the same texture, very soft and not a traditional meaty, grainy haggis. Everything resembled mash potato but in a different colour. The Haddock Thai Curry. A nicely presented dish but the only flavour was of ginger. The fish tasted dry even covered in the ginger sauce and it was not edible. There was no coconut, lemongrass, chilli, coriander and although the fish was present it had no flavour that could compete with the ginger. On realising I’d left my meal, aside from the pitta bread the manager (Italian gentleman) asked if I’d like anything else and took my comments back to the chef and did seem genuinely apologetic. I chose the salmon salad starter as I wasn’t as hungry now, this was okay but nothing exciting or special. We thanked him as he’d removed the Curry from the bill and finished our meal. *Two nights later* We were dining at Edinbane Lodge (absolutely incredible), on arrival we went through to one of the small dining rooms and we could already hear a very loud Italian man… and I mean from the bar area! As we made our way to the table we realised it was indeed the same manager from The School House. He was already, “well oiled” and very loud in the small sophisticated dining room. He’d already seemed to aggravate other guests by the glances from other diners as we were seated. He noticed us and promptly told his fellow companions about me sending a dish back when there was “nothing wrong with it and I couldn’t handle the spice” - there was no spice in this dish, I assure you. Also, we were seated a good 3-4metres away and heard every word! Then he followed by saying, “how could I refuse when the man is so enormous.” Granted my partner is 6’3” but I’m not sure why this has any relevance and also, he offered to take it off the bill and a replacement dish. I found this incredibly unprofessional and found his behaviour that evening so arrogant. Leaving for cigarette breaks or “excessive toilet” breaks in a 10 course tasting menu and the staff there struggling to decide when to serve, often coming out with dishes to an empty table. Very disrespectful. Needless to say, we do not recommend this establishment and due to the behaviour of the manager we won’t be back again.

Written September 6, 2021

Laura B

16 contributions

Not exactly a warm welcome

Jul 2021 • couples

This place could have been so much better had the welcome been even slightly tepid. We had called ahead in the hope of booking a table but sadly they were fully booked so we opted to sit outside in the sunshine. Upon entering we were glared at by a lady behind a computer. Unsure of the protocol with ordering we asked to see a menu to which she pointed to the wall and said ‘that’s it’. My partner is vegetarian and so we asked if we could see what veggie options they had, her reply was ‘there is vegetable curry on the menu if you look’. Had we have know the area I would have walked out and tried to find somewhere else, but we had just driven across country and we were starving. Just as we were looking at the menu a lovely spanish man appeared and told us he had a veggie lasagne available which we ordered and I opted for the seafood platter. We were then given a buzzer and told we’ll buzz you when your food is ready and one of you must come and collect it from the bar. This was very odd and considering the prices and the current covid level you think that they’d prefer to do table service ? Once our buzzer had alerted us we collected our food. I was not expecting fine dining but maybe a plate was too much to ask for, our food was served in a cardboard tub like you’d expect off a food wagon. The seafood platter consisted of 1 slice of smoked salmon, a small pot of mackerel pate, 3 langoustines, the smallest bread roll I’ve even seen and a tiny side salad……. Just enough to sustain a small child. The seafood was delicious but sadly not enough of it and not worth the £16.50 price tag ! I am surprised that after the recent lockdowns a small business wasn’t more welcoming to tourists and visitors. Instead we were made to feel like a nuisance and left feeling still hungry and ripped off.

Written July 4, 2021

Matthieu G

Southampton167 contributions

Awkward atmosphere

Sep 2020 • couples

The food was really nice but the service was not up to the standard. The Covid situation could be better dealt with since the take away area takes away the atmosphere of the old school. Moreover offering a single three course meal menu is very off putting for those who do not necessarily want to spend that much money. The website advertises more than this single menu.

Written September 5, 2020

Quireboy

24 contributions

Disappointing

Jun 2021 • none

After reading the reviews I was really looking forward to eating here. It was a beautiful day so we chose to eat outside. When you are paying £16 for a main course, you really don't expect it to be served in a takeaway container. The portions are very small, badly presented and the food is very average. Overall it very disappointing.

Written July 5, 2021

Lisabulbs

Dingwall41 contributions

Confusing service

Sep 2021 • none

I visited this establishment three times during my visit and on each occasion they seemed to have different service 'rules' which lead to lots of people standing around looking rather confused, while I understand things things are different due to covid I really think the Old School needs to re-think their system, I was not the only person to pass comment on this. I had my dogs with me so I had to eat outside which I didn't mind but If I'm paying almost £18 for fish 'n chips and a pint, I'd really rather not eat it out of a cardboard box with wooden cutlery (which makes me gag) I would have asked for a plate and proper cutlery but it was busy and my food would have gone cold by the time I'd got served again. On the plus side the food was delicious but because of the way it was served it got cold very quickly, the fish was on top of the chips so you had to keep picking up the fish to get to the chips beneath leading to a messy eating experience. If the food had been served on a plate I'd have eaten there on three occasions but my first experience put me off. The staff were a mixed bag, some were very warm and friendly especially a lovely chap who I think was Spanish and a lovely lady who came out with some treats for my dogs, some were offhand and some quite rude.

Written September 14, 2021

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