Brilliant experience at the Boathouse. The menu is extensive, which is very impressive given the…read moresize of the restaurant. Sitting outside on a sunny afternoon, we were treated to an incredible experience from start to finish with an incredible chef! Meal was fantastic and every dish was very much enjoyed!

I had wanted to visit Gigha to eat the famous halibut there since I moved to Glasgow. The…read moreexperience and meal at The Boathouse exceeded every expectation I had. The warmth of the welcome, the service, the views and the quality of the food is just superb. The Boathouse is just minutes away from the ferry and has a perfect position facing over a small bay with incredible views back over to the peninsula. We arrived mid afternoon and had some ice cold Peroni out on the decking overlooking the white sand beach and turquoise water. We were camping at The Boathouse - which I can highly recommend. There's quite a few pitches doted around and it's an incredibly relaxed atmosphere. Campers mingle with locals who mingle with those who have just come over for the day to eat the amazing seafood on offer. The showers and washrooms are all clean and new, with piping hot water from very early in the morning. There are washing/drying facilities and it's a brilliant half way between wild camping and a formal site - just without any fuss. Everything we needed was here and nothing was too much trouble from anyone we spoke with. If you are planning on visiting, you need to book for dinner as the place was full. Luckily we already had. We started with some oysters and then quickly ordered some more. They were cold, creamy, soft and absolutely delicious. Perfect start. After much deliberation we opted for a lobster mac 'n' cheese to start and the 'Gigha plate'. We has seen the live lobsters being brought in only an hour before and a considerable amount of one was inside the mac 'n cheese. There is no scrimping on the good stuff here. The Gigha plate consisted of deep fried halibut, quails eggs, salmon, smoked halibut, Gigha bread, oyster and the star of the show - the chef's own beetroot smoked halibut. I'd waited a long time to eat the halibut here and the beetroot smoke was just superb. Main course was the monkfish and fish curry and the pan fried halibut. Everything is cooked to perfection and the chefs inventive use of Gighas own produce of potatoes, to beetroot to fish makes it a locally sourced, excellently executed dining experience. We just amount managed to cram in a deliciously light sponge of sticky toffee pudding and peanut butter icecream - and the wonderful pecan tart with red grape ice-cream. Perfect to end to a great meal. With around 30 whiskeys to choose from I went for a Talisker to round the meal off and take a coffee outside and admire the view until bed. Wherever you are, get your map out, work out how to get there and go eat some fish and check out that view. It's worth every mile.

We had a wonderful vegan and gluten free meal specially prepared for us by the owners. I was…read moredelighted with the fantastic tomato sauce that was definitely created on premises using fresh tomatoes, as good as it gets. The owner herself waited on us, was certain to warn me that their malt vinegar contains gluten, and generally watched out for me because I have celiac disease. A great place to stop along the A75 between Dumfries and Stranraer near Kirkcudbright.

May 2024, stayed in the area 4 weeks, came here four times, - it would of been nicer if they were a…read morebit more customer centric. First time 10:30 am ....they say too late for a English breakfast, but sandwiches were good, Second time 10am trying for english bkfast, but food hadn't been delivered to them, so again - sandwiches were good. Third time, 10am .... Closed, short staffed. Fourth time hoping for a meal, at 2:30 today (they close at 3:30, so should of been OK) ...but they said they were only doing cakes and drinks.... they sent us up the road to the Brown Cow....( lol, we know they dont do food untill 5pm.) Nice friendly people, but....

Perfect stop on our way out of the Lake District! Great food, fresh ingredients, friendly…read moreservice..... So fortunate to find this place!!

A bit of a find, and had a lovely lunch here. Well worth looking out if you're visiting for the…read moreday. Dumfries could really use more spots like this - the centre of town has too few lunch venues: I really hope the folk here go from strength to strength. The place has some nice touches, free wifi, and a good selection of options on the menu, together with a specials board. I went for the New Yorker ciabatta: pastrami and gherkins and cheese, toasted perfectly. Came with a nice salad, a few crisps and a creamy coleslaw. Service was prompt and very friendly. Couple of rough edges - minor decor touch ups requires, and inside tables are hilariously wide: you'll wanting to be sat next to, rather than across from anybody you're with. But that's no bad thing- they've only been open a short while, and doesn't detract from things in the slightest. Also we almost walked past: think they could use a bit more obvious signage. Will definitely be back next time I'm visiting Dumfries.

This place was a real treat! We walked about 1mi to get here and found ourselves sitting inside,…read moreenjoying the cool air. Though there is some outdoor, courtyard seating as well. Enjoyed the goat cheese, beet root, rocket ciabatta and a freshly made scone with a side of fresh cream. The kids menu was very reasonable at £2/ea and both ate their plates clean. One had the smoked ham with cheddar, the other smoked ham with goat cheese. Nice corner of toys and color pages for kids to bring back to tables. Would definitely come back to this sweet shop!

Totally superb and very highly recommended!! Don't trail round looking for nice cafes in Dumfries…read morebecause this is the best one! The 'Mission Statement' on the wall is, "Provide and serve healthy wholesome food in a warm and inviting atmosphere" and they do that in spades. It's a comfortable cafe with delightful decor and colours - everything is clean including the brightly patterned tablecloths; the food is excellent and very good value (better than any we've found in Dumfries and we've tried out several places over the last few years). There's a great breakfast menu, snacks of many kinds, soup and fresh bread, sandwiches, toasties, panini, rolls, baguettes, vegetarian choices and so much more. I had a baked potato and I was surprised and delighted that it was a good size and heaped with cheese and coleslaw (so often these days you get a small potato with hardly any filling!) It also arrived with an eye-catching fresh salad which included slices of orange and tortilla chips - not bad at all these days for only £5.25! My husband had a scrambled egg roll which he said was lovely - fresh and delicious and only £2.25 (where else would you find that?) There is a huge choice of drinks both hot and cold; good teas and coffees, hot chocolate and more. The owner is very pleasant and helpful as was the lady who brought our meals to the table. We'll definitely go straight there the next time we're in Dumfries!

Best chicken noodle soup I've ever had! The chicken wrap special was delicious it had a little…read moreflavor of curry and raisins and was delightful. It's a small cafe on a small characterful street. Stopped here on our way down to England.

It definitely took me a good ten minutes to work our why this little cafe was littered with little…read morelemon ornaments, lemon shaped candles, lemon wall hangings / plaques, and other associated lemon-esque accessories. As I looked around at the various features, I was left wondering 'why so many lemons?!' And then it hit me. The cafe was called The Lemon Tree, and I hadn't even noticed. How embarrassing. Aside from the lemon tree theme and name, there wasn't a literal lemon to be seen. Not even on my sister's scampi (which was deemed delicious despite the lack of said lemon). Cute name though. The Lemon Tree is somewhere you would imagine to be located in the middle of the Yorkshire Dales. With it's wooden chairs, old-fashioned lace table cloths, huge dark fireplace and low ceilings, this cafe certainly has a very snug and traditional feel to it. The menu reflects this, with a good number of solid 'pub grub' type options, including soup, pies, sandwiches etc. As I previously mentioned, my sister opted for the scampi, which came with a massive side of chunky chips, while I went for the chicken goujons (predictable...as always) with a load of those fab chips, plus a sweet chilli dip. The scampi was gorgeous, the chips were wonderful, and the goujons weren't bad at all. If only they'd been coated in breadcrumbs though...why do these places insist on making them in batter?! A very pleasant, homely experience, which left us well-fed and happy...no bitter tastes whatsoever.

The Lemon Tree from the outside is barely identifiable as a coffee house, it just blends into the…read moremain street of Saintfield as if it were just a house, but inside it is a small and quaint little cafe/ coffee house. I t is not exactly cutting edge here, it is more meeting your granny for a scone and afternoon tea than moccachinos and lattes to energise you and then send you off to a high street of hustle and bustle. They do a range of breakfast meals like fried and pancakes, soups, quiches, salads, sandwiches, wraps, scones and a range of tray bakes, all of a homemade nature. Everything is lovingly made and prepared. Things here are homely, filling and satisfying, if nothing particularly mind-blowing. A chance stop off here will not be a bad choice, though try and go in will someone older or you may feel a bit out of place!

Small but perfectly formed little cafe on Prestwick's Main Street, Murrays is a bit of an…read moreinstitution. As a result its sometimes hard to bag a seat but its worth the wait. The soup and sandwich combo is my favourite with everything fresh and pretty much made to order. I love the little touches with the decor, the vintage china and cutesy condiment sets. Friendly service and take away available. Recommended.

Cafe Bluebell truly is a beautiful wee gem where you'll meet the friendliest folk. Every time we go…read morehome for a wee visit it's a must. We ate at Cafe Bluebell several times August 2024. It is pet friendly, very clean and lovely atmosphere, not to mention fabulous staff and very reasonable prices. The food is always fresh and the portions are large. I enjoy everything from their breakfast rolls to the cheese toasties and baked goods. They also have a few vegan choices. Their fresh baked Cakes and pastries are made by the owner Michelle Armour, a beautiful person inside and out. Go enjoy Cafe Bluebell.

Recommended by the lady in the Tourist Information Centre, we were very pleased we went here for…read morelunch. It's more or less across the road from there too in a row of shops facing the harbour. It's nothing fancy, just plastic tables and chairs, but everything was clean (our table was wiped as soon as we sat down) and there's lots of choice. Several vegetarian dishes too including spring rolls with dip, and jacket potatoes. The specials of the day are on the blackboard. There's ice cream too, lovely cakes and pastries, and the staff were very nice too.

What a cute wee place!! Having seen some comments on a local Facebook page and a sample of the…read moremenu, I headed out to Strathaven to have a gander. Just off the Main Street, to the back, you'll find a small, blink and you'll miss it, type building which houses this lovely little cafe/restaurant. Inside is almost like a converted house! A huge space with stairs leading to an upstairs balcony, surrounded by art by local artists. They sell bits & bobs - candles and the likes - as well as coffees, food and cakes. In the middle of the room is a black wood fire surrounded by cushions which I imagine is a lovely, cosy seating area when they have a full house. The menu is small but filled with dishes which include produce from local suppliers, such as Battlefield rolls and Puddledub bacon. As it was still early in the day I went for a delicious sounding open sandwich - Puddledub Shoulder Bacon with Avocado, Halloumi & Chilli jam. The sandwich arrived beautifully presented and laden with strips of bacon and beautifully crisp but gooey Halloumi. A total knife and fork job, the combination of all the flavours together on one forkful was truly delicious. The other half went for the Beef Chilli (which is braised with some local Strathaven Ale) and it was rich and delicious with a lovely rustic, homemade taste to it. Food you can tell has been lovingly prepared. There was no way I was leaving without something from there beautiful cake display. A selection of cakes were laid out on a side cabinet in baskets and trays and I had to deliberate for a good five minutes. I left with a Woods White Chocolate and a Raspberry brownie and a latte which I happily scoffed in the car on the way home. Overall, a lovely wee place and well worth the journey out to Strathaven for a visit.