Babbity Bowster Bar/Restaurant/Hôtel — Restaurant in Scotland

We visited today for lunch. While the service remained friendly and the staff polite upon our arrival, our experience was unfortunately marred by several disappointments, primarily regarding the food quality.|To start, the pricing felt steep for a casual lunch setting. A pint of Guinness was £5.70, and a glass of Pinot was £6. |Although the front-of-house team was courteous, we were not checked on after our food was served, which left little opportunity to address our concerns in real-time.|The food itself was exceedingly underwhelming. I ordered the fish supper, which arrived with a strong taste of stale cooking oil, suggesting it had not been cooked at the correct temperature, resulting in a greasy and unpleasant dish. I returned it to the kitchen and opted not to reorder. My wife’s haggis bonbons were also disappointing, arriving dry and lacking flavour. Although the Cajun fries had vibrant seasoning, they carried the same old oil aftertaste as my meal.|The highlight was my son’s chicken and leek pie, which he enjoyed and appeared to be the only dish meeting our expected standard.|To the manager’s credit, a complimentary drink was offered to make amends. However, given the overall experience, I declined it.|We have always enjoyed visiting this pub for its atmosphere and service. Still, based on this visit, I would not recommend...

Unfortunately I need to edit my previous 4 star review, as the new owners have left much to be desired.

7 of us were in on the 5th August for food. The menu has changed for the worse, including nachos as a starter. No haggis or specials on the board. The pie on the menu was steak pie, so I presume pie of the week is a goner also? Babbity's was known for their pies, and the new pie just isn't as good. I tried someone's mac & cheese, and I'm sorry it was awful. Tasted bland and was pretty dry - not difficult to make a good mac & cheese. It feels like everything is now done to be as cheap as possible, and you can really tell.

The service was truly abysmal. We were pretty much ignored when we tried to order a second round of drinks, and we were completely ignored when it came to paying the bill. I had to go up to the bar and stand there for about 5 minutes whilst one of the staff members walked past me numerous times putting away glasses - not even a "sorry I'll be right with you", just ignored completely.

Left zero tip, and won't ever be back for food. A shame, as Babbity Bowster used to be so great.

I have given 2 stars, as the new beer garden is nice and you still get a...

I have to admit, I was slightly apprehensive about staying above a pub, however, my stay couldn't have been better! Check in was easy and the staff are so friendly and welcoming. Special shout out to the guy at breakfast and checkout. Room 5, a single room, had everything I needed for an over night stay. Comfy bed, plenty of tea/coffee/water and spotlessly clean I don't know how long the hotel has been open but everything felt very new, from the luxurious carpet to the USB A & C wall sockets. I had expected a bit of rowdiness on a Friday night but it was very quiet and I had no trouble sleeping at all. Breakfast was simple but everything I needed; cereal, loads of fresh fruit (where do the sauce the huuuuge blackberries!), yogurt, toast and one of the best coffees I've had in a long time. It's a shame I didn't get chance to try the meals in the pub (I had arranged to meet friends elsewhere) but if I'm here again, I'll definitely give that a try. I arrived by train but there is parking available. Finally, I love the sense of humour on the notes left in...