No.9 By The Harbour — Restaurant in Scotland

I also hate leaving bad reviews but can't help but feel like I received an almost identical negative experience as the reviewer below me did a month or so ago, so feedback clearly doesn't get taken on board and it desperately needs to start being here!

After traveling around the lesser developed islands for months and therefore having had limited eat-out options available, coupled with the fact I do really love a good bagel, I was initially very excited to try out their offering!

Unfortunately the food was only mediocre, nothing special, and the coffee was well below average, although honestly I wouldn't have minded so much if I had actually been met by a friendly face and enjoyed the experience. However instead I was met with absolutely terrible service and was spoken to very abruptly by two incredibly miserable looking waiting staff, one especially with a severe attitude issue and the other not much better!

Wait time was long which I also wouldn't have cared about, however the atmosphere of the place was a total mood hoover, despite being a busy but small place bustling with people, it still somehow managed to have a very hostile unwelcoming feeling and I was made to feel the entire time like i shouldn't even be in there. Also made to move from the bar seating area where I had tried to tuck myself out of the way in whilst I waited for my order. Nobody was waiting for these seats.

Overall I'm also very confused by what this place is actually trying to be. For example one of the servers was dressed totally unprofessionally, kind of outfit you'd see a person going out nightclubbing in, whilst the other was dressed in a much more classy appropriate office/casual style attire? Sorry to say it but the club outfit just came across really tacky whilst the rest of the shops decor looked like it was trying to give off a slightly more upmarket/luxury/exquisite vibe. Even later in the day serving cocktails it would still have looked massively out of place.

The bloke making the food in the back area was the only thing who saved it, polite and friendly, although a punch in the face would probably seem friendly after experiencing the service I got from the two women.

No idea why this place is rated so high, I absolutely...

I walked along down to no. 9 to do some work and grab some food after reading a bunch of lovely reviews. Unfortunately I can't echo their experiences and I wish I could.

After spending just short of £10 for a Chai latte and a "waffle stack" made with shop bought reheated waffles I was told there was no WiFi. This would have been fine if the service and food was fab. But unfortunately that wasn't my experience at all.

The chai was really bland, the waffles I could have easily grabbed myself from Tescos along the road and the atmosphere was so uninviting, the decor was quirky although very dark with really bright lights at eye level on the tables.

This place could be so much better!

EDIT IN RESPONSE TO REPLY. Thank you for your response. I understand overhead costs and as a result if your waffles were made on site this would bring those costs down a great deal and provide a nicer meal. Win, win!

As for the WiFi, I did not encounter any other places to have their WiFi down and if only your server had told me this when I had asked instead of a flat out "No".

I understand that you don't go out of your way to attract negativity, what business would? But I feel from my visit that you don't go out of your way to attract positive feedback either. A friendlier front of house experience would benefit.

I am also just one person, not loaded with money either, so when I go out to for food the customer experience is important to me, as I am paying for a service.

This is not an attack so please take this...

We wandered in here for some takeaway teas before the ferry. I believe I am always fair in my reviews so I intend to give a balanced view. The location of this place is excellent, the place itself is very modern and it was very clean. The design of the ordering and payment section is a bit strange as it’s really narrow. We were served our takeaway teas here and we needed an extra couple of minutes to add milk and give it a stir. I looked up to see two staff members rolling their eyes at us as we were in the way of other customers away to place an order. We were initially asked to move from the front of the bar area to the narrow ordering point which is fine but it made me really uncomfortable to be judged for making our teas before leaving. The cost of living these days is expensive everywhere so I believe that customer service now takes precedence over value. This visit fell short of my expectations. I visit the island 3-4 times per year and I will try some place...