The Tolbooth Seafood Restaurant

Someone from this business manages this listing.

734 reviews

#4 of 43 Restaurants in Stonehaven$$$$, Seafood, Scottish, Vegetarian friendly

+44 1569 762287+ Add website

Hours

Sun

12:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Tue

12:00 pm - 3:00 pm5:00 pm - 12:00 am

Wed

12:00 pm - 3:00 pm5:00 pm - 12:00 am

Thu

12:00 pm - 3:00 pm5:00 pm - 12:00 am

Fri

12:00 pm - 3:00 pm5:00 pm - 12:00 am

Sat

12:00 pm - 12:00 am

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What is Travellers’ Choice?

Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.

Ratings and reviews

4.5

734 reviews

#4 of 43 Restaurants in Stonehaven

Travellers' Choice 2024

RATINGS

Food

Service

Value

Atmosphere

Details

Someone from this business manages this listing.

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PRICE RANGE

$39.00 – $87.00

CUISINES

Seafood, Scottish

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Gluten free options

meals, features

Location and contact

Old Pier Harbour, Stonehaven AB39 2JU Scotland

+44 1569 762287

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Can a gluten free person get a good meal at this restaurant?

Yes

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Details

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About

Intimate fine dining serving fresh local seafood in beautiful historic surroundings.

PRICE RANGE

$39.00 – $87.00

CUISINES

Seafood, Scottish

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Gluten free options

Meals

Lunch, Dinner

FEATURES

Reservations, Seating, Street Parking, Highchairs Available, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Accepts Mastercard, Accepts Visa, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service

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4.5

734 reviews

Excellent

463

Very good

148

Average

Poor

Terrible

fisherking332

Stonehaven122 contributions

Special occasions

Aug 2019 • none

A little pricier than y General restaurant hose ever this is the place to go if you have something special to celebrate then you are it is more than value for money. It is an experience.the menus is spetial,it tastes special and you are left feeling spetial. Yet the staff have a natural talent at attending your table.

Written 5 March 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

gillden2014

9 contributions

Amazing value for money

Sept 2020 • none

Treated ourselves to lunch before leaving for home. Booked for the 3 course set menu for £20 each not expecting anything other than a nice lunch....WRONG! The food was excellent, prepared and presented to a very high standard. The portions didn't look very big, but even my husband had to admit it was enough even for him. Wished we'd been staying longer so we could have gone again!! Well done chef xx

Written 17 September 2020

RubyAberdeen

Stonehaven26 contributions

Excellent lunch

July 2020 • couples

Just had an excellent lunch at The Tolbooth food and service very good as usual, it was so nice to be able to eat out again!! We felt very safe being there, hand sanitizer as you enter the door and waiting staff wearing masks and very friendly tables well spaced making you feel relaxed and not concerned about being too close while still maintaining a nice atmosphere. Food delicious and no increase in price since lockdown. Definitely will be back and highly recommend:)

Written 25 July 2020

Bill B

Carlisle28 contributions

Sunday dinner

Sept 2020 • none

Overall, a disappointing experience. We were pleased to be offered a reservation for Sunday dinner as we had looked forward to eating here and had actually arranged a trip to Stonehaven with this restaurant in mind. We were given excellent service, a very tasty amuse bouche, and very enjoyable wine.The restaurant is bright, clean and pleasantly situated. Apart from these positives I have nothing to say to recommend this establishment. Our shared starter was insipid, at best, our mains bland (one hake and one halibut) and our shared dessert dull and unsatisfying. While there was nothing worth actually raising a complaint with our server or the management, we left feeling that we’d spent over £100 on a very underwhelming meal. I did wonder whether we’d chosen a bad evening to visit.Is no fresh fish landed on a Sunday? Sorry, management, to be so critical. I’d be much happier to be writing a glowing review.

Written 9 September 2020

Gray567

9 contributions

Grossly overpriced and left hungry!!!

July 2020 • couples

The restaurant is clean but underwhelming for the price of the food which could be forgiven if the food was exceptional. We had the mussels and scallops to start. The mussels were the biggest disappointment, the sauce was not far off water, there was no flavour and to me, this dish should be the bread and butter. The mussels were however a good size. The scallops were nice but small. There was a long wait for the mains which is lucrative with the wine list. We had a bottle of NZ Marlborough which was ~£28, it was very nice but when we wanted a different bottle after, this was a challenge so we took the easier option and got the same bottle. For mains, we had the langoustine's at an incredible £28. They were nice but the roast potatoes and vegetables were poor. The only thing that they should have added to the dish was a vinaigrette around the edge of the plate spelling 'robbed'. The other main was the halibut, again, underwhelming. We toyed with the idea of ordering the cheese board but decided against it after the wait for the mains. £130 later, we wanted a pizza on the way home because we were so hungry. Will not be going back, there are much better restaurants in Stonehaven that will fill you up.

Written 18 July 2020

petesaund

United Kingdom4334 contributions

Hugely disappointing - expensive and overrated

May 2022 • none

We had high expectations for this restaurant located in an historic building in the idyllic harbour setting of Stonehaven very close to Donnotar Castle. I have delayed this review for three weeks as during this time we have eaten seafood all the way round NC500 plus Isle of Skye and Isle of Mull In spite of all the excellent reviews this seafood restaurant was our worst experience and left us very disappointed.I have also done over 550 reviews on trip advisor globally so I think I can speak with a little authority. There was an ‘a la carte’ menu and a fixed lunch menu £25 for two courses and £28 for three courses which seemed reasonable.We ate In 18 seafood restaurants during this time the majority highly reputable and nowhere was there a white fish main at £32- it seemed overtly excessively expensive like main of the other dishes and probably rang alarm bells. We decided fixed lunch menu Cullen Skink (smoked haddock soup) and grilled grey sea bream – these are not expensive ingredients Cullen Skink is a national signature dish and available at most restaurants and many cafes and a way to judger a restaurant like mousse chocolat in France and tiramsui in Italy.This was the worst Cullen Skink we had experienced on our trip – it was meanspirited as well as drowned in croutons You could not smell the smoked haddock as you normally would.It was predominantly leak and potato with a few morsels of smoked haddock.Even the creamed element had not flavour and was grossly diluted.I raised this with the manager who informed that the fish was probably at the bottom of the pot when it was served – a very weak excuse and no apology just a justification. The main course was by no means generous – a minuscule piece of fish on a bed of cabbage and certainly package peas and two tiny potatoes soaked in butter.The whole dish took up 40% of the plate You could expect this on a tasting menu in a fine dining restaurant but not here. I then decided to do two courses and then take a dessert from a la carte menu as the desserts on set menu were uninteresting and very generic the type you would get in a café.It was called pavlova with rhubarb compote lemon custard and shortbread crumble.Pavlova is very different from meringue and this should have been classified as meringue as it was rock hard and a challenge at all times to eat without splaying it everywhere.Pavlova is lightly crisp on outside and mellow and succulent on inside and disintegrates easily.So can I suggest you do not misrepresent your dishes description wise Any smart restaurant would have been strategic and give us an element of our food ‘gratis, not to be – this is what a professional restaurant would do from a customer perspective So of course as a result of our experience we did not give a service charge so their mean spiritedness meant that the member of staff unfortunately did not benefit I would not recommend this restaurant

Written 13 June 2022

Aileen S

3 contributions

Expensive

July 2022 • none

Went for lunch yesterday and took set lunch menu .Starters were very disappointing Thai fish cakes worst I have tasted and terrine not much better .Both took the two fish mains mine was seabream which was beautiful cooked but the pea and bacon fracasse was no sauce and curdled cream the coley was lovely cooked the main problem was the portion size it was tiny had 2 small glasses of wine bill was £56 !! and still feeling hungry.Would not recommend would not return mentions Mitchellin guide but think it must have gone downhill since achieved 2018

Written 3 July 2022

Jill K

1 contribution

Terrible

Nov 2022 • business

Visited on the 26 th November for lunch with my partner and a client. We decided to take our visitor here as we had previously had a great meal here around a year previously, but we were sorely disappointed. All three of us ordered the Cullen skink starter, and as a north eastern girl I am well aware of what Cullen skink is, or should be. What we were served was, watery milky, oily broth containing NO FISH WHATSOEVER! This, is beyond poor standards for anyrestaurant or cafe. If you cannot provide a decent fish soup then do not have it on the menu please! In addition my partner and I ordered the mussels as a main which although adequately cooked, were served with the most tasteless watery broth which was provided with a spoon ! Little reason required for that as there was little flavour to scoop up! utterly disappointing and utterly forgettable. Won’t be back.

Written 8 December 2022

Chia50

Aboyne3 contributions

So disappointing

May 2022 • none

Went for lunch 20 May my daughter husband and me. Restaurant was bright, only one lady serving.given slate board menu with limited choices, al la carte menu unavailable Told it it was at the printers. We ordered 2 Cullen Skink soup the worst I have ever tasted ate 2 spoonfuls mussels OK , mains tiny sea breast 2 small potatoes and peas 3 drinks bill £80 totally overpriced would never recommend it. Did complain no feed back from chef or waitress

Written 26 May 2022

TheHedgies

114 contributions

Discovered I liked cucumbers here when I normally hate them!

June 2021 • couples

Great location. Atmospheric dining room. Staff very professional and, of course, the food was excellent. I had the hake and it came with cucumber wedges. I would normally put them aside but thought I would try them here - delicious!! I was stunned. Asked the manager how they were cooked and she said marinated in salt and rosemary. We live in London and this restaurant competes with the best we have been to. Well done.

Written 8 June 2021

Lisa M Elliott

3 contributions

Disappointing

Sept 2023 • couples

Went for a special occasion, had heard lots of good reports however we won't be back. The food was OK, nothing special to be honest. Lovely setting but how this warrants the extortionate prices is beyond me. My starter consisted of 1 scallop and some grated pickled Carrots and cost £16. Being local, i know how much scallops cost here and I felt this was absolutely ludicrous and a bit of a cheek! My partner had the langostine bisque which was tasty enough but was not hot. For main I had the lemon sole which came wth 2 potatoes, 2 bits of broccoli and 2 pieces of crayfish. It was OK, nothing special. Could have made it at home, that cost £25. My partners main was the pork belly which he said was OK but the portion size was laughable. All served by very young inexperienced servers who were clearly overwhelmed by a full and busy restaurant. A bit disappointed and I don't really understand what the hype is about.

Written 3 September 2023

Anna H

2 contributions

A village pub that pretends to be a restaurant

Aug 2023 • family

It’s an extremely overpriced place. The portions are microscopic and nothing special. The eatery looks and feels like a village pub but prices itself like a Michelin-star restaurant. You’ll get paper napkins, bare tables, bored waiters, and dirty loos and will be expected to pay around £200 for a family of three. RIDICULOUS!

Written 18 August 2023

Marian1792014

Aberdeen25 contributions

Disappointed

Aug 2022 • none

We have been visiting the Tolbooth for lunch for many years and last Saturday was the first time I have been disappointed. Our starters were both very good and my husband enjoyed the mackerel main course. I had the coley the piece of fish was very small and bland and it was served with a tablespoonful of mashed potato and 2 pieces of broccoli. The red pepper sauce was very nice but there was only a small amount of it. What really upset me was the bill. I was charged £4 for 2 half slices of bread and £2 for a dash of soda I'm afraid we will not be returning .

Written 23 August 2022

stewartmann2016

Glasgow112 contributions

trip to Stonehaven

July 2022 • none

After a walk around Dunnottar castle it was time for food. I have been to the Tolbooth before and it has kept its standards. I started with the Scallops and after the walk it was refreshing with the salad I then had the Halibut a beautiful fish well cooked and the vegetables set it off nicely, a large white wine went down a treat I will be going back in the future and this time to tackle the lobster

Written 16 July 2022

Lynn M

1 contribution

Rude service overshadowed the food. Eat somewhere else.

May 2023 • couples

The food was good, albeit smaller portions, so not a place to go if you’re really hungry. What really bothered us was the service, which was shocking. When you enter, the chef calls out a quick hello as you walk past the kitchen service window, a lovely welcome. However, our server was Gus, and he was one of the rudest servers I’ve ever encountered. We weren’t expecting red carpet treatment, but being kind to your guests shouldn’t be the exception. Both my husband and I worked in the service industry for years. We know good service, and this was not it. Gus began our dining experience by belittling us when we asked for a jug of tap water for the table, bringing us a bottle of flat water instead and “correcting” us for not being clear about what we ordered. How does one misunderstand a table asking for a jug of tap water? He then proceeded to take our drinks menu away before we’d had a chance to consider what we were eating before ordering a beverage. When we’d entered the restaurant a customer coming out told us they had enjoyed the sea bass on special. When my husband inquired, Gus told him “I would have told you if we had any”. How about just saying there was none left and leaving it at that? The final insult came when Gus came to collect our dishes after the meal and commented that he’d never seen people clean their plates as well as we had, to which my parents responded that they hadn’t licked the plates. My husband then shot back “I guess most people don’t finish their food here”. There was no way in hell we were staying for dessert. I’d rather have a past-due Kit Kat from the petrol station than suffer through dessert at this place. The food was good, but not enough to make up for the insulting way we were treated by this server. I can’t tell you when I’ve felt so unwelcome in a place. Maybe because we were dressed comfortably for a long drive and slightly rumpled that we were treated with such disdain. If you enjoy a heaping pile of snobbery with your meal, go. If you prefer to feel welcome, and that your custom is valued, go somewhere else. Like, ANYWHERE else in the bay would have been better than this place.

Written 23 May 2023

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