Sugar Boat

Name: Sugar Boat
Address: 30 Colquhoun Square, Helensburgh, Dunbartonshire, United Kingdom, G84 8AQ
Telephone: 01436 647522
Price range: £25 and under
Rating: 4.5

4.5

215 Reviews

£25 and under

Bistro

Top Tags:

Welcome to Sugar Boat - a relaxed & informal neighbourhood bistro in the heart of the town on Colquhoun Square, a stones throw from the sea front. We are open daily from 10am (11am on Sunday's) through until late. We serve everything from a simple breakfast menu with cracking bacon sarnies or avocado & egg on toast, a fixed price lunch menu at £13.50/£16.50 for 2 or 3 courses & an a la carte menu available at both lunch & dinner. Cakes and scones & savoury snacks are available all day. We have a Wine Shop for off sales from our extensive list of over 75 wines - everything from £8.50 per bottle upwards. Enjoy a tip top cocktail from our bar made with premium sprits & our home made purees, cordials and juices or enjoy a pint of a locally brewed beer or a bottle of Scottish craft ale from around the country. Choose to sit on the square (there are heaters and awnings for when the wind blows & the rain falls....and it does or in our rear courtyard (again partially covered & heated).

Make a reservation

Party Size

2 people

DateTime

May 28, 2022

May 2022

Sun

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

11:30 PM

Booked 14 times today

Dining areas

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Elegant
Cuisines
Bistro
Hours of operation
Mon–Sat 9:00 am–12:00 am Sun 10:00 am–12:00 am
Phone number
01436 647522
Website
http://www.sugarboat.co.uk/
Payment options
AMEX, Contactless Payment, MasterCard, Visa
Dress code
Casual Dress
Executive chef
Oliver Nodwell

Location
30 Colquhoun Square Helensburgh, Dunbartonshire G84 8AQ
Neighborhood
Helensburgh
Cross street
Colquhoun Street
Parking details
A large car park is adjacent to the restaurant accessed via an archway from Sinclair Street & offers free parking for 2 hours. Free parking on local shopping streets for an hour or a couple of streets up the hill with no time limit. There is free parking too on the pier (5 minute walk).
Public transit
Trains run direct to Helensburgh Central from Glasgow; Edinburgh (2 min walk). Trains run direct from London Euston to Helensburgh Upper (10 min walk). Local bus services drop you in the square from neighboring villages & towns to Central Glasgow. The Waverley Paddle Steamer regularly stops at the pier in Helensburgh between Easter & October.
Additional
Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cafe, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Outdoor Smoking Area, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Vegan, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Potato Gnocchi£11.50
rainbow chard, wild garlic pesto, pecorino
Roast pork loin£13.50
peas & broad beans, baby gem
Pan-fried Cod£16.00
young courgettes, cockles, sea vegetables, capers
Grilled Bavette Steak£17.50
mushrooms, ox shin and beef dripping boulangère potato
Sugar Boat Bouillabaisse - Mullet£18.50
bass, cod, fennel, potato, leek

Sides

Hand Cut Triple Cooked Chips£3.00
Broccoli & Kale Salad£3.00
Grilled Hispi Cabbage, Sobrasada Butter£3.00
Jersey Royal Potatoes, Seaweed Butter£3.00
Bread & Butter
- per board£3.50

Desserts

Ecclefechan Tart£6.50
clotted cream
Cold Chocolate Mousse£6.50
passion fruit & praline
Almond Clafoutis£6.50
salted caramel ice cream
Gariguette Strawberries£6.50
vanilla cream, mint
Selection of George Mewes
cheeses, highland oaties
- For 3pcs£7.50
- For 5pcs£12.00

What 215 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.5

4.5 based on recent ratings

4.6Food
4.4Service
4.4Ambience
4.3Value

Noise • Moderate

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Filters

JC
JimC
Dunbartonshire
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined 2 days ago
overall5food5service5ambience4
Best place in Helensburgh and probably the wider locality. Excellent food at reasonable prices
JD
JordanD
Dunbartonshire
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined 3 days ago
overall5food5service5ambience5
Staff where really friendly and approachable! And the food was amazing! Can’t recommend this place enough!
K
Katie
Glasgow
5 reviews
4.0
5 reviews
Dined 5 days ago
overall4food4service4ambience5
A busy Monday night, great ambiance. Enjoyed the steak special.
AP
AnneP
Central Texas
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined 6 days ago
overall5food5service5ambience5
Everything was great. The Sunday roast was mouthwatering, and I had the best rhubarb crumble I think I've ever had.
LH
LindaH
Dunbartonshire
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined 6 days ago
overall5food4service5ambience4
Excellent Sunday roast beef, friendly staff. Would recommend
d
dogwalker
Glasgow
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined 7 days ago
overall5food5service5ambience3
an excellent meal in all respects. Very busy night at the Sugar Boat but the delivery of service was first class. Thanks for a great evening
OT
OpenTable Diner
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on May 18, 2022
overall5food5service5ambience4
Excellent service and food our friends were very impressed
MR
MarkR
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on May 17, 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
Excellent and knowledgeable staff and well cooked and presented food
a
andrewc
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on May 15, 2022
overall5food4service5ambience4
Took a table on a Sunday afternoon for a family birthday celebration with three generations and four young families of under four-year olds. The service was excellent, waiters very good-humoured and knowledgable about the regular menu and the specials. I'm afraid we were the source of most of the moderate noise level, but the restaurant, though busy, is well laid out so I didn't have to worry we were disrupting others' dining experience. This is an excellent venue and I'd recommend it unhesitatingly to anyone looking for relaxed (but really good quality) dining.
CS
ClareS
1 review
4.0
1 review
Dined on May 14, 2022
overall4food4service5ambience4
Lovely food, prices not extortionate for the quality. Great service and atmosphere. Only complaint was that our table was so close to the two adjoining tables that we felt as if we were eating with the diners sitting at them! Overall a very enjoyable evening.
RH
RichardH
1 review
3.0
1 review
Dined on May 11, 2022
overall3food3service3ambience4
Have had a fantastic weekend brunch here previously. Went mid-week for lunch, and opted for fish and chips. Chips were good, fish tasty, but batter was overdone, too crispy and overpowered the fish. Both of us had the same thoughts. The bistro section was pretty busy and they might need one or two more servers as it took a long time to catch anyone's eye. Can highly recommend their weekend brunch experience, but will have to think about giving other times a second chance.
RB
RichardB
London
4 reviews
4.0
4 reviews
Dined on May 4, 2022
overall4food4service5ambience5
Really enjoyed pur meal here last night. Very good food, friendly and efficient service and great venue. Highly recommended if you are put in Helensburgh
OT
OpenTable Diner
Glasgow
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on May 4, 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
Arrived early but they were able to seat us and we asked for a different table which they accommodated. Food was lovely as always
JP
JonP
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on May 4, 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
Super lunch, lovely service, probably my 3rd or 4th visit. Highly recommended.
S
Saskia2014
Glasgow
3 reviews
5.0
3 reviews
Dined on May 1, 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
Excellent as always. I had brunch fave of avocado and poached eggs but decided to have the broccoli and Stilton soup first great choice. Hubby had chicken liver pate followed by Scottish salmon. 2 very happy customers 😊❤️
B
Bsting
Dunbartonshire
1 review
3.0
1 review
Dined on April 30, 2022
overall3food5service3ambience3
Very noisy, kegs being rolled about too. It was a busy Saturday so service was poorer, asked several times for spoons for yoghurt. We had a table booked and we were at first ignore at the door. Lovely food, just an unfortunate busy Saturday!
S
Sophia
London
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on April 29, 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
I love this place. The menu is really quite fancy and it is technically very well executed, but never fussy or overpriced. The service likewise is unpretentious and friendly.
AH
AlistairH
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on April 27, 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
Great all round experience and would thoroughly recommend
c
celine
1 review
4.0
1 review
Dined on April 26, 2022
overall4food3service5ambience3
Good but more seafood will be great . The waitress was Kind
RC
RobertC
Dunbartonshire
1 review
4.0
1 review
Dined on April 24, 2022
overall4food5service5ambience5
Good welcome in, attentive service then absolutely lovely meal. Slight down points limited vegetarian option and proximity/location of storeroom necessitating staff to be back and forward. Otherwise absolutely great night.
OT
OpenTable Diner
London
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on April 19, 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
The staff were very good - both the hostess and the waiter were super! The food was delicious! Access was easy for my Mum in her wheelchair. The music was a bit loud when we first sat down and it was turned down when we asked. Overall a super experience.
SQ
SuziQ
Dunbartonshire
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on April 16, 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
Food, service and ambience great. Staff are very accommodating and friendly. Had a lovely evening celebrating our anniversary. Not sure about being dog friendly as animals around food areas don’t rest well with me especially when the dog wanders through the restaurant to our table. Also I am allergic to animal hair so have to take medication in those environments. Unfortunately I wasn’t prepared. I would recommend this restaurant to family and friends.
KC
KevinC
Dunbartonshire
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on April 16, 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
Great service great food and friendly attentive staff. A great way to spend a quiet Saturday morning.
GB
GillyB
Glasgow
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on April 15, 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
Fantastic eatery. To be highly recommended. If you haven’t been to Sugar Boat it’s “a must”! Will and his team are highly professional and the chefs produce the most amazing food.
OT
OpenTable Diner
Liverpool
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on April 15, 2022
overall5food5service5ambience4
Staff were super kind and accommodating. The food was really good too!
GQ
GemmaQ
1 review
4.0
1 review
Dined on April 15, 2022
overall4food5service4ambience5
Went for lunch. Lovely menu, nice atmosphere. Would recommend
OT
OpenTable Diner
Glasgow
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on April 11, 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
We had an excellent meal
J
Julie50
Aberdeen
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on April 10, 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
Excellent food & outstanding customer service from Ursula.
d
dc64
Argyll
1 review
vip
4.0
1 review
Dined on April 10, 2022
overall4food5service4ambience4
Anniversary
JD
JohnD
Dunbartonshire
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on April 10, 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
Staff friendly and very attentive. Food and service great. We had a lovely Sunday lunch. Looking forward to going back again.
S
Saskia2014
Glasgow
4 reviews
5.0
4 reviews
Dined on April 10, 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
Excellent as always ❤️😊. My husband had the pork loin special and really enjoyed it.
HS
HeatherS
Glasgow
3 reviews
4.0
3 reviews
Dined on April 10, 2022
overall4food4service4ambience4
Thank you Sugar Boat for introducing a Sunday Brunch to your offer and having Kedgeree on the menu - really enjoyed it. Avocado with poached egg on sourdough toast got a thumbs up too.
IH
IreneH
Dunbartonshire
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on April 9, 2022
overall5food3service5ambience5
Staff superb but food for first time a disappointment. Scallops starter excellent but meatballs very small portion and not great. Salmon itself good but served on a bed of 1000 watery peas and not good presentation or to eat. Crumble very good but caramel tart tasteless. Coffees very good. Left disappointed with what is normally an excellent experience
PD
PaulD
1 review
4.0
1 review
Dined on April 6, 2022
overall4food4service5ambience4
Great food with happy friendly staff and a nice quiet atmosphere (Wed Lunch).
MA
MarionA
1 review
4.0
1 review
Dined on April 2, 2022
overall4food4service5ambience5
1st time for us and we really enjoyed it, my meal was really enjoyable and very tasty but lacked maybe some nice salad garnish
SE
SimonE
1 review
4.0
1 review
Dined on April 1, 2022
overall4food5service4ambience4
Eaten at the Sugar Boat a number of times. Last visit we felt the food and menu off the boil. Good then to have a return to form with good menu choices. A great place for a relaxed Friday dinner.
IH
IreneH
Dunbartonshire
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on April 1, 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
Superb service. Food well presented and most enjoyable. Highly recommend
LE
LauraE
1 review
3.0
1 review
Dined on April 1, 2022
overall3food3service5ambience5
No-one asked how I wanted my steak and it came very rare. I did try to eat it but couldn’t stomach the raw texture (appreciate others can). I asked for it to be a little more like medium rare and it was taken away. Unfortunately, the chef decided to rinse the sauce off my steak and cook it further rather than making it fresh so it end up up very tough. However, owner did speak to me to ask how I found the replacement and when I explained he removed it from our bill. So I am happy I did not have to pay for what I couldn’t eat but disappointed that I was not given a fresh cooked steak. My husband enjoyed his fish and chips very much - the chips were fab! Finally the chocolate mousse was lovely but not like any kind of mousse I’ve ever had! Was expecting a light but rich soft mousse….. not a solid heavy chocolate ganache.
s
stephenb
London
10 reviews
4.0
10 reviews
Dined on March 30, 2022
overall4food4service4ambience4
Excellent experience sat in front of open kitchen enjoyed that. Service attentive and friendly. Food very good gnocchi with an excellent ox shin Ragu would have preferred it with pasta. Sweets excellent and good wine list. Wine shop open to enable you to buy wine of your choice at a 15 pound corkage. Owner very personable. Will be back
JM
JackM
Portland
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on March 30, 2022
overall5food5service5ambience4
The staff were very attentive and friendly. The food was excellent as was the wine. Excellent evening.

Safety precautions

Cleaning & sanitizing
- Surfaces sanitized between seatings
- Common areas deep-cleaned daily
- Contactless payment available

Protective equipment
- Waitstaff wear masks
Screening
- Sick staff prohibited in the workplace
- Contact tracing information collected

FAQs

Sugar Boat is rated 4.5 stars by 215 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

Party Size

2 people

DateTime

May 28, 2022

May 2022

Sun

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

11:30 PM

Booked 14 times today

30 Colquhoun Square Helensburgh, Dunbartonshire G84 8AQ

Dining areas

Additional information

Cross street
Colquhoun Street
Neighborhood
Helensburgh
Hours of operation
Mon–Sat 9:00 am–12:00 am Sun 10:00 am–12:00 am
Cuisines
Bistro
Dining style
Casual Elegant
Dress code
Casual Dress
Parking details
A large car park is adjacent to the restaurant accessed via an archway from Sinclair Street & offers free parking for 2 hours. Free parking on local shopping streets for an hour or a couple of streets up the hill with no time limit. There is free parking too on the pier (5 minute walk).
Public transit
Trains run direct to Helensburgh Central from Glasgow; Edinburgh (2 min walk). Trains run direct from London Euston to Helensburgh Upper (10 min walk). Local bus services drop you in the square from neighboring villages & towns to Central Glasgow. The Waverley Paddle Steamer regularly stops at the pier in Helensburgh between Easter & October.
Payment options
AMEX, Contactless Payment, MasterCard, Visa
Executive chef
Oliver Nodwell
Additional
Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cafe, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Outdoor Smoking Area, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Vegan, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Website
http://www.sugarboat.co.uk/
Phone number
01436 647522

Sugar Boat

Make a reservation

Dining areas

Additional information

Starters

Tomato Salad£6.50

Crisp Ox Tongue£6.50

Charred Wye Valley Asparagus£9.50

Courgette Salad£7.00

Mackerel£8.50

Mains

Potato Gnocchi£11.50

Roast pork loin£13.50

Pan-fried Cod£16.00

Grilled Bavette Steak£17.50

Sugar Boat Bouillabaisse - Mullet£18.50

Sides

Hand Cut Triple Cooked Chips£3.00

Broccoli & Kale Salad£3.00

Grilled Hispi Cabbage, Sobrasada Butter£3.00

Jersey Royal Potatoes, Seaweed Butter£3.00

Bread & Butter

Desserts

Ecclefechan Tart£6.50

Cold Chocolate Mousse£6.50

Almond Clafoutis£6.50

Gariguette Strawberries£6.50

Selection of George Mewes

Overall ratings and reviews

Sort by

Filters

Cleaning & sanitizing

Protective equipment

Screening

FAQs

How is Sugar Boat restaurant rated?

Is Sugar Boat currently accepting reservations?

Make a reservation

Dining areas

Additional information