La Balena

La Balena opened on Francis Street in 2022, run by chef Matteo, whose family spent fifty years behind the stove at La Parmigiana on Glasgow's Great Western Road. He trained under his uncle at Cafe Parma before bringing that experience to Stornoway, pairing Italian technique with fish and shellfish landed on Lewis. The short menu changes with the catch: langoustine, scallops and whatever the boats bring in dressed simply alongside pasta made in house. Locals and visitors off the ferry fill the dining room through the week, drawn by a family-run kitchen rather than a corporate one. It is open Tuesday to Thursday for lunch and dinner, and through to late on Friday and Saturday. The restaurant sits a short walk from the harbour, in a town better known for herring history than Italian cooking.