The Barrelman — Restaurant in Scotland

I’d give the service 0 stars if I could!

My wife and I decided to have a 3 course meal here as part of our little getaway in Dundee for a night - I wish we hadn’t.

Where to start…

The service was appalling from the word go - we really should’ve walked out as soon as we walked in - as soon as we were seated we seemed to be a neusance to the waiting staff, who must’ve been playing a game of who can ignore that table the longest.

We (regrettably) ordered starters, mains and desserts, as well as a couple of drinks. We’d have ordered more if we’d actually been attended to; we were only asked for drinks orders once, as we were seated. When our food and drinks orders were taken, there were no basic manners - it’s not hard to reciprocate the word thanks to paying customers when they say it to you when taking their order.

Once our starters were finished, our plates were taken away without a word being spoken by the waiting staff, then another waiter came along and just put our cutlery and napkins on a plate in front of us. I’m not saying I expected him to put the cutlery out, but I’d at least expect one single word to us(?!), even a ‘there you go guys’.

We got our mains, which were lovely by the way - hats off to the chef, he must be the only one who cares - and our drinks were empty, but nobody came to see if we wanted any more. To make things worse, we’d actually finished our mains and STILL nobody had come over to attend to us, not to check if we needed anything, if we wanted more drinks, or if the food was ok. The food was quite spicy, too, so we really could’ve done with some water. My wife had to go up and ask the waiting staff for water herself, as they couldn’t be bothered doing their jobs and asking if we needed anything.

We, perhaps stupidly, decided to have desserts - again, there were no manners in the order taking process. There was a large table of customers behind us that clearly took precedence over my wife and I, and I understand that they’re a bigger cheque to the restaurant, but we’re paying customers, too. Having said that, we were clearly forgotten about before that party came in.

Again, the dessert was really nice, hats off the chef. The one thing that REALLY annoyed me was that I was having a coffee (which, by the way didn’t come with any sugar or a spoon, nor was I offered either) and I accidentally spilled half of it on the table and all down myself, and as you’d expect, coffee is quite hot!! The waitress clearly noticed I’d spilled it all over the table and down myself (I was wearing a white t shirt too, so it’d have been hard to miss!) but she actually looked over as soon as I did it and did absolutely nothing! Nobody checked if I was ok, if I needed a hand cleaning it up, nothing. I’m not expecting another coffee, I’m the one that spilled it, but I at least could’ve been offered some additional napkins so I could clean it up, as they certainly wouldn’t have bothered to offer to clean it up for me.

Oh yes, after sitting for a further 10 minutes of nobody tending to us, we had to go to the bar and ask for the bill, as if we hadn’t, we’d probably still be sitting at the table being ignored right now! It’s safe to say we will never be back, and we’d never recommend this...

It's a lovely pub with a great vibe and interior. The owner is a great bloke, and the Thursday quiz is really fun. You can sometimes get a fantastic pint. Prices are fairly steep, but when the quality is good, and it usually is, it is worth it.

Unfortunately, consistency can be an issue. There have been times when tap drinks have had a dirty taste or a hint of cleaning solution. When raising this with the bar staff, instead of considering the feedback, they argue. You may not be able to pinpoint exactly what is wrong, but after 13 years of drinking lager, you know when something is off.

It is unclear why staff would rather dispute this, or even giggle with their manager who smirks back, rather than take a moment to assess the issue. As a regular customer who attends weekly and has worked in hospitality and breweries, I know that constructive feedback is valuable. Yet, instead of addressing the concern, I have been told, “It tastes fine to me” or, worse, by a bartender in their late teens or early 20s who is new to the job, “No one else has complained.”

Rather than dismissing concerns, staff should pour themselves a proper glass, not sip through a straw, or even walk across the street to Bertie Moonies and compare. That said, we did receive a refund, which I appreciate, but staff should remember that some customers have been drinking the same beers for decades and can tell when something is not right.

It is a great pub overall, but it should be cautious not to let staff become so unreflective that it drives away business, especially as a local establishment rather than a chain. We want to see places like this thrive and appreciate them being here, so let’s keep these pieces of local culture and...

I took a lone trip up from Glasgow for a day out and decided to stop into The Barrelman for a bite to eat, having read some good reviews on Google and TripAdvisor. I was greeted with a very warm welcome—the waitress who served me was hospitable and kind. The atmosphere, however, wasn’t quite as warm; it was eerily quiet, and it was clear that the staff were rushed off their feet due to the venue being severely understaffed for its size.

I ordered an ‘artisan’ red onion and mozzarella pizza, which took quite a while to arrive. Unfortunately, it was anything but artisan—incredibly small, with a doughy, undercooked base, and what seemed like bog-standard grated mozzarella. It resembled a children’s frozen pizza you might pick up from Farmfoods. Very misleading advertising—there’s simply no way these pizzas, even if properly cooked, could be accurately described as artisan.

After two slices, I decided to complain—it just wasn’t good enough. Again, the staff were very accommodating and offered me something else from the menu, so I opted for the macaroni instead. That took about 20 minutes to arrive. It was alright, but rather flavourless. I’ve had better homemade macaroni at my local pub for half the price.

The discrepancy between the portion size of the macaroni and the pizza was stark—there’s absolutely no way that pizza was worth £11, though the macaroni was decent value by comparison.

Props to the staff: they did their best. But overall, this venue is a...