Lower Deck

We only had a limited time to get back to our tour. The service was quick, efficient and friendly. I had the fish and chips and it was fresh tasty and overall terrific. Our server Alannah was friendly and very helpful. My sisters dish was also enjoyed fully. The manager, Stuart also went way out of his way to help us out.

My husband had the fish and chips: Worst fish and chips in Scotland so far, the batter was really not good and over cooked. To contrast with that, the chips were merely cooked. What a disappointment considering you’re eating next to the harbor and expect to eat the best fish and chips ever.
I had a Dressed crab salad. As it costs 16£ I was expecting quality. Once again, disappointing. The crab wasn’t that tasty and the salad… It was really low quality products, not refined at all. I will never come back, for sure.

There is always a crowd and a wait to eat here.
I’ve read they had freshest local seafood. Including Rick Steve’s guidebook.
Unfortunately, just because one has really fresh high quality seafood, it doesn’t necessarily mean that one also knows how to cook it well too.
£10.60 Dressed Crab… I’ll admit I wasn’t sure what to expect. If you fancy cold seafood, you might enjoy this, but I found it bland.
£12.50 Steamed Hake… bland. Didn’t seem like they added any sauce or seasonings.
£5.95 Cullin Skink… good, but not great, and better than entrees.
Seemed to be mostly tourists inside, if not all, eating here. The gals were polite, but seemed stressed and overworked. Interior has a fun sea theme décor, but was cramped and bit stuffy.
Its not good, but not bad either, its just OK.

The Cullen Skink as a starter was amazing… especially as it was a cool, rainy evening outside. My sister and I split the curry mussels, and it was plenty… we didn’t even finish all the mussels. And finished with the Cranachan Mess… amazing.
They don’t do reservations, instead the girls working inside remember who has come in and spoken to them. But you MUST go talk to them and give your name. It was pouring rain outside while we were waiting, so left for a few minutes to get out the rain (as we had a 45 minute wait). When we came back, there was a line out the door… but when our table came up, the girls came out and found us… leaving the people who were waiting (but hadn’t bothered to give their names) a little bit annoyed. Sometimes it doesn’t pay off just to join the queue.
Inside it was cozy, warm, the service was great and the food delish.

We definitely wanted seafood while on the Isle of Skye. The Lower Deck was more relaxed and not fancy, which was good since we were in frumpy rain gear. It’s down on the harbor, so of course it’s decorated with nautical stuff.
To warm up, I started with some Cullen Skink soup. It was creamy, hot, and perfect on a cold and rainy day. The soup was kind of like a creamy fish chowder. The fresh fish, potato, and onion all worked nicely together.
For our main course, my wife and I split an order of fish and chips. The fish had a great crisp batter, which was more cornmeally than most fish and chips I’d gotten down in the southern UK.
The service was a little slower than I would have liked for a quick lunch stop, but the server was very friendly nonetheless. They also gave us a complimentary map of Skye, which came in handy several times on the drive.

Came here and have to admit it wasn’t anything special. One would think being right on a harbor id have better seafood than I had at Lower Deck. They give lots to eat but the quality is average. All the food is just bland!

We started looking for a place for dinner as soon as we got off our tour bus. The first few spots were full until after 9pm, so we ended up at the Lower Deck, which seats first come first serve, no bookings. When we arrived there were only a few other couples in the place, but it filled up completely by the time we were done.
I started with the Cullen Skink and J with the mussels. The skink was exactly what I’d been wanting to eat in the Highlands — think smoky clam chowder, only with fish instead of clams. So deliciously good, particularly with little bits of the fresh bread. I didn’t even touch J’s mussels because I didn’t want to lose the flavor of the skink.
Next, we split the whisky-​glazed Scottish salmon with steamed vegetables. Neither the salmon nor the vegetables were anything impressive. I couldn’t taste the whisky at all on the salmon (and I wasn’t even drinking at the time, so it’s not like I’d just had too much elsewhere), and the steamed vegetables had absolutely no flavor.
For dessert, we shared the cranachan. It was essentially a sundae glass full of whipped cream with some raspberry syrup, 3 raspberries, and a sprinkling of oats on top. I expected more toppings and less cream, so maybe that’s my fault for ordering.
The staff was friendly, the food came quickly, the prices were decent, but the salmon and cranachan just fell short. I’d go back for the skink, but that’s it.

Fish and Chips for lunch? You bet. Especially when you can walk right in and grab a seat at this conveniently located spot right down by the water.
The menu also includes soups and sandwiches but we had our hearts set on fish and chips and they delivered. The piece of haddock was large enough to cover the plate served on top of the fries with a side of peas.
Know that this is not a fancy place– the wooden tables and chairs are casual and this is the perfect spot for adults and children alike. If take out if what you want– step up to the window located next door and grab your fish to go as there are plenty of places to sit along the water to eat it.
Prices are reasonable and you can wash it all down with an ice cold beer. And the service is friendly and efficient. Now what’s not to like about that?

Went here last summer (August ’10) and had wonderful cullen skink, curried mussels and chips. It was absolutely wonderful.