Highland Nights Dinner and Show

Fabulous night very friendly staff, the meal and entertainment was fantastic we would definitely recommend this and excellent value for money. Thank you Highland Nights.

This was a fantastic evening.

The dance demonstration lasted 5 minutes. Unique singer, nothing special. It was very cold in the room (door left open all evening).

Pleasant experience, You eat decently while they dance and play their typical dance The story is interesting, but obviously we as a group liked the dancing part more; maybe the story could be presented in paper form for those who know little English and want to know beforehand what it is about

A wonderful experience with good food and super friendly service and performances.

The evening was very entertaining and we enjoyed the food. We decided on the traditional haggis, neeps and tatties, which didn’t disappoint. We had a great view from our table (11) and got involved with the story telling. There were 2 options for red wine (Merlot and Malbec) we requested the Merlot but were told they had “run out” we were one of the first customers to arrive so perhaps a stock check earlier in the day could have been considered, they were also low on fruit cider which would have been a popular choice given the warm weather. Our waiter was keen to take our order and I asked what the soup of the day was but he didn’t know (surely a basic piece of knowledge?) A large party arrived very late and in the middle of the entertainment causing some disruption as they took their seats and placed their orders. It was disappointing to see that some staff appeared oblivious to the entertainment when moving around the tables. We observed one to almost walk into one of the performing dancers to take an order at one of the front tables. They also waked in front of the stage several times showing a complete lack of awareness. None the less this is worth a visit and we really enjoyed the experience

The food was fairly decent and the entertainment was enjoyable enough. I would probably have given this 4, or even 5, stars if we had plenty of time to spare and things had run more efficiently. Unfortunately, the service was painfully slow. We waited an hour for dessert to arrive, despite chasing it three times. With two children, the wait felt particularly long and frustrating. In total, the 3-course dinner lasted over three hours, which was considerably longer than we had anticipated. Overall, there were some positives, but the slow pace really took away from the experience.

Excellent in every way. So pleased. From the food to the entertainment. Just over the top!!! Want to come again!!!

We spent an evening at An Seòmar's Highland Nights experience, which we pre-booked with dinner and admission. The experience overall was okay but not quite as lively or fun as what we experienced at the other nearby dinner/music venues on Church Street. We arrived right on time for our reservation and were the only people in the spacious venue. A few tables filled in during our entire time there, but it never quite got to the level where it was even a quarter filled. So the energy for a venue like this, which relies on the audience reaction and engagement, never got to where we wanted it to be. On top of that, sitting opposite the stage in the back (or possibly the front, as that's where the entrance was) there were a few locals, possibly friends of the band, who came in and didn't seem to care at all that anything was happening on the stage that people paid to see. They were quite loud, especially during the times when the storyteller was on. We were sitting as close as possible to the storyteller...very front row, and he was standing directly at our table throughout his time, and we had a very hard time hearing him. For an experience like this, we expected a bit more in production value...at the very least, give the storyteller a microphone. We shouldn't be straining to hear him in the front row. At the very least, if people are making enough noise in the back of the venue to distract the audience (and the storyteller himself) from actually hearing, shouldn't the staff be aware of that and try to manage the situation? The dancers were endearing and gave a very simple glimpse into Ceilidh dancing. The band (a guitarist and an accordionist/singer) were really good...BUT since this was billed as "Highland Nights," a traditional Scottish experience...they leaned heavily in their early set on music from Ireland...enjoyable but, as best as I can tell, Ireland is not Scotland. Also, when they weren't playing the joined their friends in the back of the venue and were part of the noise problem distracting us from hearing the storyteller. If you're a performer at a venue, you deserve the attention of the people in the room, and you should certainly not be part of the problem when you're not on the stage distracting people from hearing people who are. The food was not ok...I had the veggie haggis...among the better tasting ones I had in Scotland, though it came in patty form, which was weird or at least different from all the other places serving it we tried. The sticky toffee pudding was a bit rubbery, and the apple pie (which was more of a cobbler) was very sweet and nothing to write home about. The storyteller was a little bit funny but more of a teacher than a storyteller...giving interesting bits of info about the culture, including a full-on kilt demonstration...but he was not really a storyteller per se. Our server worked very hard to take care of us and was very attentive. The rest of our nights in Inverness, we experienced the truly lively, energetic music rooms nearby on Church Street, all of which had full menus. If you're looking for music and food, they are probably a better bet than this place. If you're looking for Highland culture, the similar experience at another venue at the end of the street is probably better. Everything was kind of perfunctory, like a demonstration as opposed to a cultural presentation with any kind of production value. We're not sure it was worth paying in advance for the cultural experience we were hoping for here.

+3

The live music and Scottish culture were delightful – thank you.