Old Gatehouse — Restaurant in Scotland

We go here at least twice a year, the staff are always friendly and welcoming. If you’re a dog owner, which we aren’t, they allow dogs and have water bowls out for them which I thought was a nice touch.

And the dogs are also made to feel welcome, because it’s a known dog friendly place people don’t tut or moan about the dogs, that i’ve noticed anyway. I think they encourage them to stay in one area though. If you are eating your dinner they don’t want your dog wandering off around the restaurant. But if they are friendly and do all the ‘sit nice and lie down’ stuff it’s good.

My wife is scared of dogs and we’ve never had a problem with any dogs approaching her, so if you don’t like dogs, you should still be okay. The reason I have given 3 stars if because of the food, portion sizes are quite small on some dishes for the price you pay, for example the curry dish is £16 but a tiny little bowl. Yet fish and chips which is cheaper you get a massive fish. So I’d advise getting fish and chips as it’s yummy. The steak and steak pie is very hit and miss, sometimes the steak is good, sometimes it’s too tough and sometimes it’s just blobs of fat masquerading as meat. So don’t order steak dishes. Lasagne tastes a lot like a microwaveable one I had once, so whilst it was nice, I wasn’t impressed by its taste for the price. Desserts we’ve tried so far we’re all lovely.

Hope this helps you decide whether...

I'd like to start by saying I never write negative reviews, I don't like doing it especially in the current climate when there's so much pressure on the hospitality industry but felt compelled to do so as this place is shocking.

We were in for lunch a couple of days ago and waited over 45mins on 2 sandwiches from the set menu. The restaurant was very quiet and shouldn't be taking that long even during busy periods. When the sandwiches arrived they were dry and tasteless, the only thing good about the meal was the chips. When the bill came we were shocked it was close to £50 for a couple of barely edible sandwiches and some chicken nuggets for the kids.

This wasn't our first time at the restaurant the last time was just as bad when we got 2 microwave currys and a rock hard naan for a similar price. I don't expect fine dining quality but if you are charging that much you at least need to make an effort.

So yeah to sum up, great location, great parking, nice little kids park, slow service, basic pre prepared food and quite expensive.

2025 Update - Great experience this time around. Seems to be under new management and thriving. Food and service...

Check your final bill if paying by card. My wife and I booked a table as a treat for our 3 teenage grandchildren to celebrate their achievements in the past year. Food was fine and well cooked. I had received a 30% discount voucher and when I went to pay the bill, this was indeed deducted from the eligible items. I was given a till receipt for £104.63. Fine. I elected to pay with my RBS Debit Card. Since the bill was over the Contactless limit, I inserted it into the Reader but there was no total on the screen. The reader was taken from me and I was told all was well but I was not given a transaction receipt. Only when I returned home and checked my on-line banking did I see I had in fact been charged £123.46. This is £18.83 more; presumably as a Gratuity. I was never asked if I was willing to pay this! I was simply added without my consent! I DECIDE IF I WISH TO PAY A GRADUITY AND INDEED WHAT PERCENTAGE I WISH TO LEVY. It should NEVER be done like this. I may add this has never happened to me on past visits to the Old Gatehouse and I will have to think carefully about frequenting this venue again if this is now...