I ate here on Saturday 11th November 2023, and was very disappointed with the lack of food options available.There was a choice of only 7 main dishes and both my first and second choices (steak pie & beef burger) were unavailable, and it was only 7:30 in the evening.I have been to the Winking Owl on a number of occasions in the past, but I don't think that I'll be back!In response to the comments from the owner of the Winking Owl, I stand by my one star for service.The waitress who served us did not inform us in advance of the dishes which were not available. She also made no mention of the special dishes?
Aisha Abdi
We had a wonderful evening meal it was really delicious. The customer service was amazing. Staff that received us were very friendly and kind and we had a lovely table looking over the Cairngorms! Fantastic place but you must book in advance.
Lesleyann Mcglennon
Had a good dinner here. Food was lovely can't fault it in the slightest...maybe more basic vegetarian food could be served for variety? Other than that it was a nice place for a bite to eat.Table wasn't cleaned properly but it was busier at the time...cleaned it myself. So will let that slip as the food was good.
Cygnetsixsix
First visit to this establishment having booked the previous day. I read the last review & a sense of déjà vu occurred. Drinks arrived promptly enough. The food took a while to appear. Two had salmon which was fine. Two of us had the Sunday roast beef. Had to send mine back as it was cool. Cold plate. Eventually returned & was hot. The quality of the beef wasn’t the best. Think cuts & very well done. No one appeared to ask if everything was good. They seem to be very understaffed…? Once finished nobody appeared & after 20 minutes asked for the bill & left.
Ross W
Easily my favourite restaurant in Aviemore….. usually! Have been many times before, with no issues and was looking forward to going back. Really poor experience tonight. Food took quite a while to arrive, but still arrived before drinks (which weren’t all correct)! Half the dinner was lukewarm at best and no one came to ask if everything was ok, or asked if wanted any more drinks etc. Atmosphere seemed different than usual…. Not the usual buzz! Overall poor experience! Hopefully a one off, but has really put me going off going again.
George T
Made a Reservation through the Restaurant Website. Overall a Good Dinner Service. The Wait Staff were through and on their game, it was a fairly busy Evening . Had the Steak and Ale Pie and was Not Disappointed. I look forward to a future visit whilst in Aviemore.
Emma H
Such a great place. The bothy bar downstairs has live music on Fridays and Saturdays and has a real bothy vibe. The staff are incredibly friendly. Great selection of well kept and pulled local real ale. We didn't eat but the food looked good.We stopped in for a few drinks on a night they were incredibly busy and they should be praised for how they handed it. They were all rushed off their feet but still gave everyone a great experience, and discounts off food if late etc.Highly recommend.
emma t
Went here for a few drinks with my partner. Magic atmosphere, music to playing but not too loud. Bar man was a legend, highly recommend
Allison C
Great vegan and gluten free options, we felt very taken care of and the ambiance was gently vibrant, lots of young folk looking for yummy food and finding it.
Carol D
We had dinner here on a busy Saturday evening. Service was great. No long waits on food. After dinner headed done to bar. Great band playing this night "The Shire". Bar staff really friendly. As were the locals. Can't wait to visit again.
Had lunch here today. Took the Sunday roast. Food was excellent and the portion size generous. Staff friendly and helpful.
ChilternRugby
What a tired old place. Saturday lunchtime, only 1 bar man. Menu really boring. Cannot think why we even walked in ( and out straight away) Avoid
MartinBD34
Interior is really tired looking, particularly compared to other bars and restaurants nearby. Be warned that the menu in the restaurant is different to the online version and it is the most limited dinner menu I’ve ever come across - the table next to us were in disbelief! We shared a cheesy garlic bread for starter. Shop bought garlic bread slices covered in melted cheddar. Was soggy and greasy, just dreadful. Fish and chips was pretty decent so no complaints there. Had a pint of Neck Oil which tasted strange. Staff polite and friendly, but not attentive and there didn’t seemed to be any direction or oversight. Couldn’t wait to leave, which was sad as the place was clearly popular at one point in time.
Seamus60
What a super place this is! My husband and I took our three grandchildren (12, 11 and 8 years old) for dinner and found that the service and food were both super. Four of us had burgers and one had a (children's) pizza - all great; nicely presented with a couple of choices of extra toppings for the burgers. There was a really nice atmosphere with a nice 'buzz' going on - even on a weekday! The layout of the restaurant is quirky, warm and interesting; we had a really nice table in the corner. The staff were exceptionally friendly and helpful and were lovely with the children as well as the adults. I am so glad that I had booked this restaurant in advance as they couldn't take 'walk ins' on that evening. We will definitely be back on our next trip to Aviemore. Thank you to the staff for making our visit there such a pleaant experience.
Peter N
Having witnessed a fight outside the venue a few nights before our booking, we were considering cancelling our booking as we were attending with children. However we decided that as we were eating in the early evening we would visit as planned. The staff were friendly and took our orders quickly. The food arrived after a short wait. The adults declared their meals tasty, although the pie was not a true pie but a dish of stew with a piece of flaky pastry added to the top, probably just before being brought to the table. The vegetables: roasted carrot and parsnip, nothing green. What really let this venue down was the children's pizza. This was not a pizza but a nan bread with tomato sauce and cheese added on top of it. Winking Owl you can do better than this! If you are offering pizza then serve proper pizza. Would we go back? Well we had a booking for later in the week but cancelled.
I ate here on Saturday 11th November 2023, and was very disappointed with the lack of food options available.There was a choice of only 7 main dishes and both my first and second choices (steak pie & beef burger) were unavailable, and it was only 7:30 in the evening.I have been to the Winking Owl on a number of occasions in the past, but I don't think that I'll be back!In response to the comments from the owner of the Winking Owl, I stand by my one star for service.The waitress who served us did not inform us in advance of the dishes which were not available. She also made no mention of the special dishes?
We had a wonderful evening meal it was really delicious. The customer service was amazing. Staff that received us were very friendly and kind and we had a lovely table looking over the Cairngorms! Fantastic place but you must book in advance.
Had a good dinner here. Food was lovely can't fault it in the slightest...maybe more basic vegetarian food could be served for variety? Other than that it was a nice place for a bite to eat.Table wasn't cleaned properly but it was busier at the time...cleaned it myself. So will let that slip as the food was good.
First visit to this establishment having booked the previous day. I read the last review & a sense of déjà vu occurred. Drinks arrived promptly enough. The food took a while to appear. Two had salmon which was fine. Two of us had the Sunday roast beef. Had to send mine back as it was cool. Cold plate. Eventually returned & was hot. The quality of the beef wasn’t the best. Think cuts & very well done. No one appeared to ask if everything was good. They seem to be very understaffed…? Once finished nobody appeared & after 20 minutes asked for the bill & left.
Easily my favourite restaurant in Aviemore….. usually! Have been many times before, with no issues and was looking forward to going back. Really poor experience tonight. Food took quite a while to arrive, but still arrived before drinks (which weren’t all correct)! Half the dinner was lukewarm at best and no one came to ask if everything was ok, or asked if wanted any more drinks etc. Atmosphere seemed different than usual…. Not the usual buzz! Overall poor experience! Hopefully a one off, but has really put me going off going again.
Made a Reservation through the Restaurant Website. Overall a Good Dinner Service. The Wait Staff were through and on their game, it was a fairly busy Evening . Had the Steak and Ale Pie and was Not Disappointed. I look forward to a future visit whilst in Aviemore.
Such a great place. The bothy bar downstairs has live music on Fridays and Saturdays and has a real bothy vibe. The staff are incredibly friendly. Great selection of well kept and pulled local real ale. We didn't eat but the food looked good.We stopped in for a few drinks on a night they were incredibly busy and they should be praised for how they handed it. They were all rushed off their feet but still gave everyone a great experience, and discounts off food if late etc.Highly recommend.
Went here for a few drinks with my partner. Magic atmosphere, music to playing but not too loud. Bar man was a legend, highly recommend
Great vegan and gluten free options, we felt very taken care of and the ambiance was gently vibrant, lots of young folk looking for yummy food and finding it.
We had dinner here on a busy Saturday evening. Service was great. No long waits on food. After dinner headed done to bar. Great band playing this night "The Shire". Bar staff really friendly. As were the locals. Can't wait to visit again.
Restaurantji Recommends
Had lunch here today. Took the Sunday roast. Food was excellent and the portion size generous. Staff friendly and helpful.
What a tired old place. Saturday lunchtime, only 1 bar man. Menu really boring. Cannot think why we even walked in ( and out straight away) Avoid
Interior is really tired looking, particularly compared to other bars and restaurants nearby. Be warned that the menu in the restaurant is different to the online version and it is the most limited dinner menu I’ve ever come across - the table next to us were in disbelief! We shared a cheesy garlic bread for starter. Shop bought garlic bread slices covered in melted cheddar. Was soggy and greasy, just dreadful. Fish and chips was pretty decent so no complaints there. Had a pint of Neck Oil which tasted strange. Staff polite and friendly, but not attentive and there didn’t seemed to be any direction or oversight. Couldn’t wait to leave, which was sad as the place was clearly popular at one point in time.
What a super place this is! My husband and I took our three grandchildren (12, 11 and 8 years old) for dinner and found that the service and food were both super. Four of us had burgers and one had a (children's) pizza - all great; nicely presented with a couple of choices of extra toppings for the burgers. There was a really nice atmosphere with a nice 'buzz' going on - even on a weekday! The layout of the restaurant is quirky, warm and interesting; we had a really nice table in the corner. The staff were exceptionally friendly and helpful and were lovely with the children as well as the adults. I am so glad that I had booked this restaurant in advance as they couldn't take 'walk ins' on that evening. We will definitely be back on our next trip to Aviemore. Thank you to the staff for making our visit there such a pleaant experience.
Having witnessed a fight outside the venue a few nights before our booking, we were considering cancelling our booking as we were attending with children. However we decided that as we were eating in the early evening we would visit as planned. The staff were friendly and took our orders quickly. The food arrived after a short wait. The adults declared their meals tasty, although the pie was not a true pie but a dish of stew with a piece of flaky pastry added to the top, probably just before being brought to the table. The vegetables: roasted carrot and parsnip, nothing green. What really let this venue down was the children's pizza. This was not a pizza but a nan bread with tomato sauce and cheese added on top of it. Winking Owl you can do better than this! If you are offering pizza then serve proper pizza. Would we go back? Well we had a booking for later in the week but cancelled.