Mingary Castle - Restaurant with Rooms

I knew this castle when it just a ruin...a fantastic renovation job , sympathetic to the original structure and resembling a Georgian living style as would have been when last occupied. The rooms are amazing, as is all the castle areas and location stunning. The food is well worth a Michelin star, in my opinion having eaten at various Michelin starred establishments. Well worth a visit...but book early as it does get very busy....

We recently had the privilege of enjoying the 8 course tasting menu at Mingary Castle which was an absolute treat. This is a truly stand out place to eat and we’ve eaten at some pretty good places! Every single course was delicious and beautifully balanced. I think the beef dish particularly stood out with an amazing umami flavoured jus. The bread and butters are definitely worth a course of their own and the snacks and petit fours are generous . The dining room has a wonderful ambiance and the service is charming and professional. We were staying at a lovely 5 star hotel just before we ate here but as good as it was it didn’t touch Mingary on the food front. Outstanding.

I'm not sure how I found out about Mingary Castle since it's in the middle of nowhere on the Ardnamurchan Peninsula. It's actually pretty easy to get to if you take the ferry from Tobermory to Kilchoan. We drove in and out both ways -- from the Isle of Skye on the way in and to Fort William on the way back -- and it's a surprisingly long, grueling and beautiful trek with a lot of single track. The castle itself is spectacular, set right along the sea coast with a grass lawn and a horse farm on the other side. We had the top floor room, which was great -- once we got our suitcases up the many flights of stairs. It's actually a two-bedroom suite with a big bathroom and access to a private rampart. The bedding and pillows were very nice. The only complaint I have is that there aren't any bedside tables. There also isn't a lot of storage, but that was fine for us; we just put our stuff in the spare bedroom. One of the main reasons to go to Mingary Castle is the restaurant. One night we had the 5-course dinner and the other night we had the 8-course. The menu each day is different, and I think we liked every course. The wine pairing with the 8-course dinner was appropriate and interesting. Breakfast was also good. Outside the castle, you can visit an interesting lighthouse and explore the area on foot or bike. There are also some very beautiful sandy beaches. And of course, lots of sheep and highland cows. Eva and Cory, the excellent hotel managers, can help you figure out what to do. If you're debating whether to go, don't hesitate. It's a special place.

Travelled almost a 70 mile round trip to have the Christmas Lunch and it was truly amazing. The food was exceptional, service was cheery, friendly and helpful definitely a place we shall return to, possibly to stay as we had lunch in April for husbands birthday in the Castle and that also was a beautiful meal, hence the return for Christmas. What's not to LOVE

One of the best places to stay and dine. The setting is beautiful, the rooms are extravagant and the food is Michelin star worthy. Don't want to sound like a travel agent but you should book this now before everyone else finds out and you can't get a booking. This is my second visit and it was even better than the first trip. The friendly service is second to none and the food is exceptional. Then there are the views, great sunrise and sunsets from the battlements. Another plus for us was the EV charge point that allowed us stress free travelling in rural Scotland.

The castle location is amazing and we were really looking forward to the meal. Staff were great, very friendly, but there was a lot about the meal that was disappointing. The little venison on pork crackling for example, the crackling was stale and chewy rather than crispy. Then there was a bread course - a filler with no wine. Although the breads and butters were tasty, we were surprised that ‘bread’ was a ‘course’. Next came the courgette flower. The flower was tiny, the butter inside nice but not much of it and the mushroom veloute was disgusting. It wasn’t a veloute, it was thick, very salty, gloop. I believe there was a problem with it as the waitress had to go and get more as it didn’t pour well and ran out. The most disappointing course however was the duck dish. Our duck was really tough, and the pearl barley risotto was just a dry heap of cooked pearl barley. There was nothing ‘risotto’ about it. Inedible. The cheese plate was a joke with one bite of one cheese and dessert looked amazing but was so salty it tasted savoury. We were totally baffled by the lack of wine also, apart from the first glass of fizz, each glass of wine was barely two sips, my husband even asked for a bit more at one point which was reluctantly given but again was barely there. When paying £100 for the wine flight we did expect to have a reasonable glass with each course. I actually said to my husband that perhaps Sundays is the chefs day off. Nonetheless it was a miserable and expensive experience.