The Edge Cafe — Restaurant in Scotland

I have to echo the experiences of others who mention the gratuitous rudeness of the proprietor. I went in with a couple of friends at about 18:00, and she was initially friendly and chatty enough to us, telling us a bit about the history of the village and the military installation.

However, after we'd been looking around and chatting for about five minutes, she seemed to notice that we were interested in getting a late tea and cake (to tide us over for the drive back to our accommodation in Stornoway), despite the fact that we'd mentioned wanting a snack when we came in. We were promptly and almost aggressively informed that "after 4:30 pm I serve food BY APPOINTMENT ONLY!", in a tone of condescending exasperation that seemed to suggest she couldn't understand why this was not simply obvious to everyone. She followed this up with "if I have to serve everyone who drops in I'll be here until midnight!", which seemed flatly absurd given that she had exactly one customer at that time (for whom she was preparing food as she talked to us), we just wanted some cakes and coffee, not for her to cook us a three-course meal, and the place is not exactly situated on a busy thoroughfare.

I thought that it would at least be nice to buy some of the locally made arts and crafts. So I picked up some cards and put the money in her honesty box. As soon as she heard this, she came scurrying out of the kitchen, asking what we had bought, and scolding us for not writing in the ledger so she can keep track of her stock. Er, no, that's what the shopkeeper does, not the customer.

I have to be honest, the proprietor of this business seems to lack the most basic understanding of how to work in hospitality, as well as showing major deficiencies in the relevant social skills. We were some of the few humans on a remote part of a remote island, visiting what's probably the only such business nearby, and she still somehow managed to make us feel totally alienated with her bizarre passive-aggressive attitude towards people whose offence was to want to be...

Peculiar food (and human) experience on the edge of Gallan Head

Eating at The Edge Cafè was a peculiar experience, different from any other we had in Scotland.

Starting from how to book the meal: just go on it’s Fb page and write to Fiona. The website link on the page, will lead you to “Gallan Head Community Trust”, but no mail there.

About the booking, I must also say that we found an uncommon, pleasant willingness in Fiona: she’s supposed to close at 7pm, but (after a large prior notice) she accepted to welcome us at 8pm… Thank you Fiona :-)

Then we had to find the place, because no available pictures of the outside, and the sat/nav couldn’t get it. Ask to locals, they know, it’s the best way.

In any case don’t be scared about getting lost, when you enter a road with ugly houses looking deserted: it’s just the old RAF base, and the sign that you’re on the right way!

However you will be rewarded with a great view, when you get The Edge Cafè, and the cliffs of Gallan Head Peninsula.

The place itself was a surprise: a harmonious mix of different furniture styles, with a huge collection of tea cups, board games, tourist info about the area; besides being a little gallery and craft shop, selling works by local artists.

We shared the table with other people, because there is only one long table; and this was nice yet unexpected.

The menu too was a surprise: she didn’t tell anything, just started bringing a course, then another one, another one, another one… we couldn’t finish everything!

Good to know: the cafè doesn’t have licence for alcohol.

Price per value:...

Rustic, homely welcoming and great food. Not many places are open on a Sunday on the island, but fortunately The Edge Cafe was, making for a good Sunday outing. We were greeted by the owner, who informed us that food on the menu was an idea of what she could offer, but she could cooked from scratch depending on what we wanted and the ingredients she had. In this case we wanted soup and she offered either a fish chowder or a mushroom soup, which we went for mushroom. It really felt like I had just stepped into the family kitchen and mum was just putting lunch on. The seating area consisted of a large communal dining table surrounded with chairs and two cozy arm chairs, which again, gave the feeling of having lunch in a family home. It was lovely and rustic and on a breezy day, with the view of the waves crashing against the cliff, it was just wonderful. As well as toilet amenities, there are an additional two other rooms with crafts in to purchase from local art and craft islanders. Just be mindful cash is preferred here! After having a look around, we were called through for our soup. It was the best mushroom soup me and my partner had eaten. It was warm, chunky and creamy, with lovely bread on the side. Another couple had joined at this point, and along with the owner, we had a lovely chat all together. If you like rustic, communal and down to earth goodness, this is the...