Eating Out On Arran
As you would expect there are a wide variety of eating options on Arran to cover any time of day, all tastes and preferences: carry out, café or eating in.
In recent years there has been a significant growth in eating opportunities on the Island with an exciting expansion of variety and availability. During the summer months there is a greater interest in eating out and there are plenty of establishments that specialise in ‘alfresco’ eating from the traditional fish & chips to specialist pizza places to other pop-ups and cafes offering an impressive range of culinary possibilities.
And of course, there are many restaurants all over the island providing ‘eating in’ options-our only caveat is to make sure that wherever possible the hungry customer has secured a booking in advance!
Lunch
There are a wide variety of lunch and café stops around the island. Our favourites include: Café Thyme in Machrie. Their speciality is Turkish Style Pizzas, freshly baked in a wood-fired oven and accompanied by excellent salads with a range of vegetables grown themselves.
For seafood Mara Fish Bar & Deli in Corrie is the place to head for. They describe themselves as a ‘casual takeaway place’ however you can sit and eat indoors or out. They are open 6 days a week, 4 days between 9:30am and 4:00 pm and 2 days from 4:00 to 8:00 pm. Check their website for details.
If a serious sandwich is what you need, or if you have just alighted via the Lochranza Ferry, then seek out the Sandwich Station a tasty takeaway place based across the road from the Lochranza-Claonaig ferry harbour.
Dinner
We strongly recommend that you make reservations for dinner as during the season the population on Arran increases greatly and it can be challenging to just show up and hope to be fitted in.
We never pass up the option to eat at Mara (see above) at least one evening per week. And if you are prepared to drive up to Corrie (coast road about 5 miles north of Brodick) you are well placed for the Corrie Hotel which has a bar and a restaurant and caters for non-residents.
In Brodick the impressive red sandstone building immediately opposite the harbour is the Douglas Hotel which serves food without the need to book within their bar/bistro. For fine dining then the interestingly named La Truffe Noire will be of interest.
Closer to home, the village of Lamlash has a number of establishments which serve dinner. These include: Duncan's on the Green, The Drift Inn, The Lamlash Bay Hotel, The PHT and the Glenisle Hotel.
Within Whiting Bay there are three establishments serving evening meals: the Shurig, The Burlington Hotel and The Shore does evening meals. A few miles south of Whiting Bay you will find the Lagg Hotel-the oldest coaching inn on the island.
A number of mobile eateries have sprung up over the last year and we find the food excellent. (We are more than happy to have guests bring in food and use our dinning space; crockery and wine glasses and corkscrew provided upon request!) These eateries are more flexible than a normal restaurant and their opening times and locations can be variable and irregular - links provided. However important to mention to them that you are staying in a B&B and therefore don’t have access to cooking facilities because occasionally they provide food where the cooking needs to be finished at home. Our favourites include:
Robin Gray’s Island Gourmet
The French Fox
Number 16 Arran
