Helgi's

Lovely, homey feeling right next to the water. We were introduced to the pub/restaurant by our friends who are locals and greatly enjoyed our time here. Lots of great options for vegetarians like my wife and friends, as well as great options for carnivores like myself. The Old man of Hoy burger was lovely, if a little tall for my mouth. The staff was very friendly and welcoming. Do yourself a favor if you're in Kirkwall and give it a try!

Visiting relatives on the island and stopped her for a pub dinner one night. Lovely cozy atmosphere with good service. Friendly server. Nice pub food (partner and I had the Old Man of Hoy burger with Haggis and the lasagna with chips) and good pints of Tenants. Clean restaurant and bathroom.

We had a nice dinner at Helgi's. It may be for the tourists, but I couldn't resist ordering the Highland Chicken. The haggis stuffing complemented the chicken nicely, but the potato base was the standout feature. Fabulous flavour and texture. I didn't love the decor, but it's all a matter of taste. They have a pretty good selection of non alcoholic drinks - better than almost anywhere I've been to, so deserve much credit for that.

The only saving grace of this place is the cosy atmosphere and the fantastic serving staff - the woman and her son who served our drinks and took our order were lovely and personable and clearly excel at their jobs. Unfortunately, that is where the excellence ends. You would think that a full booked and busy restaurant on the popular harbour front area of Kirkwall, one of the biggest towns in Orkney, would be a sure thing. Guess again. “Creamy mushroom & spinach pasta” turned out to be flavourless, nearly ice cold, soggy penne pasta with barely seasoned macerated mushrooms and spinach slopped on top. The portion size was adequate, though slightly underwhelming, and the small bowl did nothing to add to the presentation. The “chipotle tofu salad” sounded tasty and original but turned out to be lightly fried, completely flavourless cubes of tofu (white in the middle, so no marination occurred, and that’s all it takes to make tofu taste good!) tossed on top of a handful of salad leaves. The katsu mayo was nice though. The starter of “risotto balls” was actually really tasty, but with three balls presented over a spoonful of salad, you would expect quality (as opposed to quantity!). Generally speaking, when you see small portion sizes you would expect qualify and superior flavour, to make up for the lack of quantity! Neither quality or quantity were present in this meal. I want to reiterate that the serving staff are amazing, and the young lad handled our complaint like a pro (politely and with grace), but apparently “cold and flavourless” didn’t warrant a free meal or even a discount, because we had touched our food - this was the excuse of the kitchen staff anyway. I’m not sure how a customer is supposed to know they’re disappointed in the flavour, temperature, and consistency of their food without trying it!? Eventually the server came back to say we could have a free desert or our drinks could be comped. That’s better. Not wanting to try any more of their food, we opted for comped drinks and made a hasty exit. DO NOT EAT HERE. Just buy drinks, especially the “Harbourside Gin” cocktail, and tip your servers! That is all. Goodnight.

Local to Orkney but never been to Helgi's. Booked lunch for a Birthday, on the specials board was a seafood platter, £16.95. Arrived with bite size 2 pieces of fish, mackerel and salmon and some white crab in the middle. This was on a small plate, not a platter, complained before eaten and asked to change, was told no I'd still have to pay for it. Even the waiter agreed it should be a starter and not on a small plate. Was also told no one had complained before, although there's another review the same on here. Not interested in complaint and no resolution or change. Won't be back. Feedback, thanks for the reply, the fact it was complained about before eaten, also wasn't mentioned it was a starter when complained or on the board, advertised as a platter and a special..and told I'd have to pay for it isn't good customer service at all. Was only brought up as the server said it should really be a starter.. There's no way I'd be paying that amount for a starter and should have been mentioned at the time. Also was told it hadn't been complained about before, yet, on trip advisor there's many saying the same. Sorry but it should have been taken off the bill.

Had to wait an hour for our food to arrive, even had to confirm inbetween what we ordered. Had to ask for a glass of tap water TWICE and then go to the bar again to get it. The waiters were lovely guys but it seems their service is inefficient. Heard other tables around me get wrong orders or get information about non available food halfway through their stay. Food was decent, but a bit basic. My mom ordered a chipotle tofu salad, which was literally salad leaves, chipotle sauce and some tofu chunks. We would have made it better at home. The bar itself looks lovely and feels cozy, but the service needs to improve. Long waiting times and wrong orders. Also the kitchen for lunch closes at 2:30 PM?!

A nice place to hang out and have dinner or some drinks. Great burgers and very tasty fajitas! Gluten free options available too.

Good quality good but not a lot. Had to order more chips.

The fish and chips were beautifully prepared. Best mushy peas I've had. Haddock lightly battered and cripsy.

It was my birthday so we picked Helgi's. It was just ok. We had a reservation, ate upstairs next to the wall. The servers came up to take the order and drop it off and that was it. I got the Scallop and Prosciutto Tagliatelle and the scallops were right off the boat that morning, couldn't be fresher. The dish was extremely bland though. They came complete with their roe (see the picture). The steak was nice and dessert was good. I think I just felt pretty unwelcome here because as I thought back to my visit, it wasn't really a good one.

Pretty good food, small menu. I liked sitting at the bar while waiting for my table and then in the booth. They give you lots of time to hang out and enjoy the evening, which is great. Downside is they turn the tables very slowly, so you absolutely must have a reservation. Warning to Americans that they do beer the British way of barely below room temp.

Best fish and chips I've had outside Alaska (where I eat beer battered halibut every chance I can). Onion rings were also excellent, and the local beer (Swannay Ola) was cold and delicious. Service was friendly and fast. Warning if traveling with children: they can't by law allow anyone under 18 inside the bar (some people were informed while we were there). We weren't, so they've earned 5 stars.

Great place for a quick bite to eat. I had the Italian fish pie and it was delicious! They have a fairly good selection of beer, with some craft beers from the local breweries. It seems to be one of the more popular places to eat in Kirkwall, as it was pretty full (compared to some of the other pubs I walked past) for a Sunday night. With an extensive, unique menu, I don't think you can go wrong eating here.

Reservations for dinner is a must. Food and service exceptional. Portions are generous and their selection of adult beverages is above average. I highly recommend the Seafood Platter Appetizer, its a meal in itself. I also had a bowl of the seafood chowder, very good. My partner had Mac and cheese, let me say it looked great and she said it was very good. Lastly I had a few pints of Tanner as per custom.

HORRIBLE service. Sat at the bar for 10 minutes with 2 staff behind the bar and were not greeted, let alone asked what we wanted to drink. Maybe because we were dressed like tourists because the next couple to come in after us received an apology for the wait of one minute while we were putting our order in. Had to ask three times if we could order a meal before a friendly waitress took our order and a nice waiter brought it our food (tasty) and later checked in on us. Wondered if we smelled bad, but did shower this morning....Everyone else looked like a local, so maybe they don't like American looking people. The sure did like our music though. Lovely assortment of Frank, Etta, Louis and Nat

A loquacious local at Helgi's bar told us, "This place serves the best food in all the Orkney Islands. I've been here fifty times. Try the fried farm cheese, the fish 'n' chips, or the rib eye." Given this endorsement -- and the fact that we were pointed here by a neighbor tending her garden next to our B&B -- we knew we were in for something special. Helgi's is exactly the kind of place the fam and I were looking for: a charming Scottish pub serving well-conceived, fresh local cuisine. Bonus points awarded for Helgi's picturesque location overlooking Kirkwall Harbour, warmer-than-usual hospitality, and clean, classic decor. Despite a lack of reservation (apparently recommended due to the small size of the restaurant), we were shown to possibly the best table in the house: a corner booth with its own window, upstairs facing the water. Thanks to the advice we'd received downstairs at the bar, we ordered the Fried Farm Cheese, a special on that evening. Two thick wedges of the crumbly, creamy local cheese were coated with thick, crunchy batter, fried until golden and served alongside green salad and sweet chutney. We all agreed it was a divine appetizer, each of us eyeing the last few morsels greedily. Since no one in our party is especially fond of rib eye, we passed the steak up in favor of a couple orders of Fish 'n' Chips, a Chicken Burger, and two Megrim Vierge. The local gentleman hadn't lied: the Fish 'n' Chips were out of this world: giant fillets of haddock in batter so crisp it shattered. The Megrim Vierge was the stand-out surprise, however, steamed Megrim fillets on "crushed new tatties" with herby, citrus sauce vierge (to my palate, it was pesto). I'd never had megrim before, but it turned out to be a supremely enjoyable, flat white fish with a sweet, mild flavor complemented perfectly by the herbed potato mash. Only the chicken "burger" (really, a breast) was average. Everything else -- including the local Orkney beers -- was top-notch. And, considering the quality of the locally-sourced food, an incredible value for the money. A meal (or two or three...) at Helgi's is recommended without reservation. Er, hesitation. Reservations encouraged.

Great place to grab dinner while visiting Kirkwall in a great location. The service was friendly and prompt. They had plenty different options to choose from. I would certainly recommend them if you're in town for a visit.

Nice pub. Enjoyed our beers. The staff was very friendly. We didn't eat anything, but it wasn't time for a meal. Had it been we would have.

Doing the tourist thing about town. We stopped in for an early dinner. Found that from 2ish to 5 the only thing available is light fare. Hmmm....killed an hour at the bar exploring the local Swannay beers...I liked the dark munro...tasty. Its served at room temp. Being Scottish. The service is fine, don't rush, be pleasant, it'll happen. I had the sausage and mashed pie, enjoyed, keeping the local fare fest alive...thanks.

Pretty good place to eat for visitors. The menu is great for families. Food tasted as fresh as is can be considering your on an island. Service was decent, Im giving it a 4 because its one of the better places in Orkney.

Best Food in town. The Starters are very delicious. The Location is very beautiful. You Must Reservat nearly one day before but it is worth.

Good food and drink, but the bartendress was curt and bordering on the surly. Maybe they dislike American tourists?

An authentic Orkney Restaurant based on its history, Helgi's delivers excellent food and service with a view of the harbour. Open for lunch and dinner, it is also a bar outwith eating hours. The atmosphere is nice and relaxed with a very clean and polished interior. Well worth a visit. It is also very popular so it may be an idea to book to ensure you get a table.