Hidden Scotland
Sign in
The dining room of the Galley at Scrabster under white-painted stone vaults, tables set beneath strings of little lights.
Caithness

The Galley, Scrabster

A seafood restaurant in an old ice house on the harbour at Scrabster, cooking fish landed at the port, with a vaulted stone dining room.

Visit websiteCall
Welcome

On the harbour at Scrabster, where the ferry leaves for Orkney and the fishing boats land their catch, a low white building below a green hill carries a ship's wheel and a name: The Galley, seafood and more.

Inside, the main dining room is a surprise, set under the white-painted stone vaults of the harbour's old ice house, strung with little lights.

The fish comes in fresh from the boats, sometimes caught that same day, and the kitchen cooks it with care and a light touch of flavours from further afield. The menu runs to langoustines, mussels in cream, crisp crumbed fish and chips, and seafood pasta, with a roast for anyone who would rather not have fish.

It is a small, friendly place, happy to welcome babies and even dogs, and many visitors count it among the best meals on the north coast. It opens in the evenings, and at lunchtime at the weekend. Book ahead.

The Daily

Arrives at 5am every day.

A free morning email to see what’s on this week, catch up on what’s happening in Scotland and find somewhere new to go.

The Daily for 31 October, from Scotland with love. A ring of standing stones set among mist and autumn birch
Not farStrathy Beach17 milesSee itStrathy Beach
Before you go

Open for dinner Monday and Wednesday to Friday from 5pm, Saturday from noon and Sunday from 1pm; closed Tuesday.

Book ahead.

Where
The Harbour, Scrabster, KW14 7UJ.
Open
Evenings; closed Tuesday.
In
An old ice house.

Opening hours

Their website
Monday
5pm–9pm
Tuesday
Closed
Wednesday
5pm–9pm
Thursday
5pm–9pm
Friday
5pm–9pm
Saturday
noon–9pm
Sunday
1pm–8pm

Eaten here? Tell others what to order and when to go, and the best go on this page with your name.

Add your tip
Where it is

On the harbour at Scrabster, the port for the Orkney ferry, just west of Thurso, KW14 7UJ.

Close byScrabster.
  1. Bedroom with oak furniture, purple throws and a cast-iron fireplacePennyland HouseA B&B on the road to Scrabster.1 mile 3 min by road
  2. Thurso Golf ClubThurso Golf Club2 miles as the crow flies
  3. Olive café frontage with dark timber cladding and a street lamp beside itOliveOlive calls itself ‘a shop within a shop’: an informal coffee shop and dining space.2 miles 5 min by road
  4. A sea-view room at The View in Thurso, a bed with a mustard headboard facing tall windows over the bay.The View, ThursoRooms on the Thurso seafront.2 miles 6 min by road
  5. Forss House from the air, a white house among woods on a loop of the River Forss, fields and the sea beyond.Forss House HotelA country house further west.6 miles 11 min by road
  6. Castletown Chip ShopCastletown Chip Shop7 miles 15 min by road
Directions
Sandstone facade of the Ulbster Arms Hotel with white bay windows and chimneysRestaurantsUlbster Arms Hotel8.1 miles
AttractionsReay Golf Club9.0 miles
Waves roll onto a sandy beach beneath a headland dotted with housesAttractionsDunnet Beach9.3 miles
A turreted white mansion with stepped gables and tall chimneys stands behind a low stone wall on a lawn.DunnetHouse of the Northern GateSleeps 18 · 11 miles
A surf lesson on Dunnet beach seen from the air, learners on boards in the white water along the long sands.AttractionsSurfing in Caithness12 miles
Sheer cliffs edge grassy headland above churning grey seaAttractionsDunnet Head15 miles
White lighthouse tower with black lantern room rising behind a stone wallAttractionsDunnet Head Lighthouse15 miles

Recommend to a friend

Stay nearby

Places to stay near the restaurant, and when each is next free.

A turreted white mansion with stepped gables and tall chimneys stands behind a low stone wall on a lawn.House of the Northern Gate
  • Sleeps 18
  • In Dunnet
  • 7 miles from the Galley
Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay in CaithnessAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
Hidden Scotland, the magazine

Scotland, in print.

We want to show you the best that Scotland has to offer. The makers and the creatives, the enduring experiences, the evocative tales, the concealed corners. The roads less travelled that take you to places that matter. The adventures that gather you up and sweep you away. The blend of the wild and the artistic that makes Scotland what it is. We’d love for you to join us.

Get Issue 13Read it here
Read on

The collections it is in and more in Caithness.

CollectionNorth Coast 500
More in Caithness
Find out more

For further reading, before you go. The details on this page were checked on .