Balcary Bay Restaurant in Dumfries & Galloway

A beautiful grand building in a wonderful setting. It was very quiet but the service and food were excellent. Not cheap but definitely worth it for a special occasion.

…. Dead plants, dust and plastic vines. Intriguing venue for horrifically overpriced, average coffee…..enjoyed my cake whilst trying to work out if the black hair by the plant pots was human or animal.

My guests and I have all had superb evening meals at the Balcary Bay restaurant on 3 occasions in the past month. The waiting staff all worked hard, some engaging in chat, others not. As I understand from news media, the hospitality industry is desperately trying to survive, particularly recruiting and retaining staff. This suggests that guests should perhaps be a tad less dismissive in their feedback. There were some minor lapses in the standards one would hope for in less insecure times, but WELL DONE to Balcary Bay for their good humour and excellent cuisine, at a difficult time. A delightful evening out each time: we'll be back!

We live locally to this hotel which is a coastal gem on the Galloway coast with views to die for. We have been coming to Balcary for years for delicious food and before moving here,relaxing stays. It has now acquired new owners so we booked for my husbands birthday dinner. It was extremely busy, the menu was eye wateringly expensive but looked good. When the food arrived it looked absolutely revolting, worse than a school dinner,and completely unappetising. There was no effort made to present the food appealingly and the wine,a Sauvignon blanc was warm! I could not believe what I was seeing and we sent back half eaten meals as did the couple at the next table. The desserts were no better,and I regretted not having checked recent Trip Adviser reports before booking. The staff were very pleasant,but disorganised and need some training if the Balcary Bay purports to run a decent,high end restaurant. The acquisition of a competent and experienced chef would be a good place to start. Until then we will not be revisiting the hotel or recommending it.

If I hadn’t booked a table here over three weeks ago I might have thought twice given the reviews I’ve read today. And echoing other’s comments I also don’t want to give a bad review without good reason, but things need to change here otherwise it’s days will be numbered. I will start by saying that the food we had was great – in fact the portions were a good size and were very tasty, but the prices were crazy. The fact we weren’t greeted by anyone when we arrived and the woman who eventually did speak to us was distracted by a small child, then we were seated in a perfectly adequate room but were told the sea views were for “guests only”, meant that we didn’t get off to a good start. (No track and trace). We were asked after a short time what we wanted to drink (though hadn’t been given a drinks menu) and when we asked for non-alcoholic choices one of the ones suggested was unavailable. As others have said £11.00 for a tomato and mozzarella starter might have been ok if it was buffalo mozzarella and home grown, mixed heritage tomatoes, but it wasn’t (I saw someone else’s as I’m not paying that price!!) - unripe tomatoes and supermarket looking moz. The whole keto, low carb, superfoods business is fine, great in fact that those diets are being catered for, but an almost complete lack of veggie options, and possibly no vegan, meant the menu was confusing and lacking in choice. Funnily though we were offered a nice selection of bread twice, perhaps the waitress knew there weren’t enough carbs in some of the dishes!! No-one asked how our meal was until we were paying, we could hear confused staff chat around us including offering Pinot Grigio when someone asked about red wines….., two staff had a heated discussion about where to sit some guests as we were paying with no regard to us being present. I think if you are a guest at the hotel you are probably quite happy here because you get a sea view with every meal and I imagine there are some dinner, bed and breakfast deals, so the prices are inconsequential. But “non-residents” are not made to feel special in any way, the dining area doesn’t feel luxurious, the service isn’t great and therefore what could have been a three course meal with coffee afterwards turned into a main course only and leaving….and we won’t return until there are improvements, which is a real shame.

I have stayed at this hotel and, when I am in the area, it was a treat to visit this busy hotel for lunch : lovely setting,friendly staff, excellent service,good food . On tuesday I went for lunch arriving at 12.45pm. Four people were leaving. The place was empty.I only found a cleaner. She didnt know if they were serving lunch, they had no staff but went to find out.The Manager?? ( no mask) walked past me to speak to a man who had just arrived.On his way back he asked me if I was wanting something.I asked about lunch.He didnt know but would go and see. When he returned he asked if I wanted something cooked.I said possibly.He said I would have to wait a while..about 20 minutes.....the chef worked late the previous night. He would have to go and get him. I left and had lunch elsewhere. Whilst waiting I looked at the lunch menu. As well as some usual thing now more expensive there was a keto dish and a wagu beef main course for two at £58. Healthy meals, planned Spas and saunas are all well and good but basic organisational and hospitality services need to greatly improve.

This hotel used to have an excellent restaurant. We live locally and used to when it was run by the previous owners. We took our family there for lunch and was bitterly disappointed. It has now become very expensive and the food and service were poor. We arrived promptly and were shown to our table then ignored for about 20 mins. There was no attempt at track and trace. We placed our orders and eventually the food came minus my wife’s lunch. When we asked for it the waitress looked surprised. When it eventually arrived it was completely the wrong dish. We were told that what my wife had ordered was not available and they had substituted it with another dish. As we wanted to eat together we accepted it. At no point was there an apology nor did anyone come to check that things were OK in the way that they do in proper restaurants. The food was poor and very expensive. £4.95 for one portion of kale chips. Which is a few chips with a lump of kale on top. We won’t be returning. The new owners clearly have no idea on how to run a restaurant nor how to treat customers.

Balcary Bay Hotel is in a beautiful setting looking across the bay, a blue and white ‘castle’ with manicured gardens almost out of a fairy tale. The interior a little dated perhaps but smart nevertheless. It should be the perfect experience, unfortunately it isn’t. OK we have to allow for being just out of a long lockdown but even then it was a huge disappointment. 1. The Perspex coated menu was really just a bar food menu with fairly limited choices. 2. My ‘mozeralla and tomato main course, though very pleasant, was just that, tomato and mozeralla. More like a starter, at a cost of £12.75. No offer of accompanying bread. 3. After asking for a wine list we were informed that many of the selections were unavailable. The few that were extortionately priced. 4. We asked for a large bottle of sparking water but our waitress brought only small bottle. We queried this but we’re told that there were no large bottles available. (No thought then to bring two small bottles?!) 5. Although the staff were very pleasant they seemed to be quite inexperienced. We can accept this but the worst aspect was that throughout our meal we could hear staff calling each other, shouting and even arguing. We felt this appalling and decided to quickly finish our lunch, settle the bill and depart. Not sure what is going on at Balcary, it could be a super place to visit and dine but our experience was that it is being run by very junior staff who were struggling to cope.

The food at this hotel is exceptional, and the dining room and conservatory offer fabulous views. Would highly recommend.

I would dearly love to be writing a glowing review of this restaurant, given it has seen some hard times and nobody wants to see another local restaurant disappear in these difficult days. However, an establishment that seeks to cater for those prepared to parts with lots of money should be able to do much better for vegetarians. A total disregard, lack of thought or planning, meant that vegetarian(?) options were Fish Hors d'oeuvre, a starter of Mushroom Risotto and....you’ve guessed, the main course was Mushroom Risotto. So, my advice is don’t set foot in the place if you are vegetarian (or like to choose that option as part of your meal) until they join the 21st century! Sorry if this honesty hurts but so did paying out for that meal and the embarrassment my guests endured.

2 night package at hotel included food in their restaurant. It was gorgeous! Good choice on menu. Food tasted beautiful, amongst best food I've ever had. Well done chef and everyone else behind the scenes.

We had lunch in the conservatory on Saturday and the food was fantastic in a stunning setting overlooking the water.Also our waitress was amazing. I didn't get her name but she was from East Lothian and so helpful and attentive.

The Dinner menu is changed daily and features a wide range of Fine dining choices, including a delicious Intermediate Sorbet. The wine list features some lovely bottles, though wine by the glass is available for those with more moderate habits. Highly recommended !

Great food as always but think there’s been a change of chef this year - still great food but could tell there was a difference. The dining experience on the whole has changed due to Covid and the restaurant has taken this seriously by having set meal times, paper menus and reduced number of tables.

After a 6 year break because we had been living in Spain, it was great to be back at Balcary Bay. The service was superb and as always the food was delicious and beautifully presented. We were a little anxious as this was our first holiday since lockdown but we felt very safe. With all the procedures and protocols in place we felt very confident.

A regular haunt of ours for many years. The location and the food are fabulous. The food is sourced locally and beautifully presented. The conservatory for lunches overlooking the bay and shore is delightful. Great value for money taking into account the quality of the food, the presentation and the location. Sunday lunches in the restaurant are amazing value. Best to book. It’s silver service. The set menu is excellent. 3 courses followed by coffee/tea either in the restaurant or in the lounge. Always visit with family and friends for special occasions and recommend to visitors. A hidden gem.

As always the food is locally sourced, fresh and cooked beautifully.A good wine list compliments the food, I would recommend the red and champagne!Breakfasts are well proportioned and their lattes are perfect...I’m usually very picky with my coffee as I tend to find the coffee is too strong but as you can see they were superb!

Quite formal and old fashioned, but in a nice way. Service very good. Hotel was very quiet at our visit.

Great food from a limited but excellent menu that changes daily. The range of Scottish cheeses is wonderful!

Took my Dad here for Fathers Day. Lovely setting Beautiful views and lovely friendly staff. However, food was alright nothing to write home about.

Excellent breakfast, superb fillet of beef, fantastic cheese platter without being overindulgent. Location is something truly special.So welcoming and comfortable.

We had been recommended by several people that the food and view in this hotel were well worth a visit. We booked in advance to be told we had to be there by 1.00. We arrived some 10 minutes before the appointed time to a beautiful conservatory with stunning views of the bay and were the only people eating for the whole duration.The welcome (or unwelcome I should say) was extremely disappointing by a middle aged man who clearly needs to go on a 'how to interact and endear guests course'. From the first he was just dour and didn't improve or mellow. He put a dampner on the whole occasion. His role of thrusting menus in front of us and a few perfunctory grunts when he took our orders was reminiscent of a Basil Fawlty type service without the humour. Customers were obviously a 'pain'. His whole attitude is very wrong and off putting. Suggests he goes to The Auldgirth Inn at Dumfries on how to see customer service as it should be.The food was fantastic. All credit and glory to the chefs who delivered beautiful crab starters and fantastic fish and chips. Excellent size portions, spot on seasoning and beautifully presented. The puddings were equally superb and deliciously mouthwatering to finish the occasion. Can not fault it at all and am surprised to see previous negative comments. The food and location are outstanding

This is our 13th year to staying at Balcary Bay and the restaurant does not disappoint!The menu is from locally sourced produce and is always of superb quality. Absolutely delicious. As a resident 4 course dinner, with coffee is included in our DBB tariff. However, we never manage to get through 4 courses. We skipped the intermediary course (soup or sorbet) so we could have dessert on our last evening and I’m so glad we did as my Auchencairn honey cake was to die for!! The cod and chips starter was novel too and beautifully cooked. Nice and light batter, not in the least bit greasy! Good size portions- I could probably have had the starter as a main- good job hubby is on hand to help me out!

The rather expensive meal was blend and uninspiring. Pretending to be a gourmet restaurant but unfortunately does not stand up to that criteria from food point of view while the price does.

After travelling around the area this summer we searched TripAdvisor for a recommend places to eat. Unfortunately, this one we will not be returning to. The vibe i came away with is this hotel looks after the guests currently staying however aren't bothered about customers just looking to eat here especially not if you’re of a younger generation. The lady who greeted and served us did not seem interested at all and was rather rude. We ate outside on the lawn and were given the Conservatory & Cocktail Bar Menu to choose from. The open sandwiches served with fries were OK, certainly over priced for what was served (one slice of bread for £8.25.. seriously?). It's such a shame we left disappointed as the hotel is in a beautiful location and with a little bit of love and the right staff, could be wonderful.

Traveller from Leeds, GB Date of stay 16 Sep 2017

Nos alojamos en el hotel por 3 noches, comiendo en el restaurante cada noche. Pan frito pan frito carne de venado, ambas eran de primera clase escocés, el pescado estaba totalmente fresco y excelente, con vieiras también, de una sopa diferente intermedios o sorbete cada noche, y liberar en los postres la boca. Hay una lista de vinos a un precio razonable y una buena relación calidad-precio, vinos de la casa y apetecible por la jarra de vidrio, o en botella. El plato de queso era delicioso, con quesos locales. Café en el salón con vistas a la bahía, con petit fours que complementan la comida. Sin duda merece la pena el viaje.

Every course was excellent and the Chef is to be cherished; I could not fault anything at dinner at all and that may be the first time ever.

Después de años de decir que iba a la hermosa ubicación y escénica que es Balcary Bay Hotel, finalmente encontré a la persona adecuada para ir con. Visitamos con la otra mitad para comer y no me decepcionó. Después de la amable bienvenida de las cosas miembro del personal fue mejor. Decidimos ir para el sándwiches abiertos y la comida llegó, fresco y bien presentado en tiempo. La comida estaba tan buena como parecía y para acompañar. . ¡Qué vistas.. Sentado en el jardín de invierno con vistas a la bahía era una delicia para los ojos y con el sonido de las olas suavemente deslizándose en la orilla hizo un ambiente relajante. Durante todo el día y el personal hacía para primera reunión anterior.

We have visited this hotel for my birthday for several years. Food is very good, restaurant is quiet (no background music) staff friendly and caring. We'll be back again.

Comimos en el restaurante cada noche durante nuestra estancia. Las comidas estaban bien servida y el servicio era impecable.

La comida en este restaurante era fantástico, teníamos cinco campos de ambas noches de nuestra estancia y no podía quejarse de comida o servicio

La cocina es de alto nivel, muy bien preparado y servido. Bien merece una visita. Bastante caro, pero merece la pena para una ocasión especial

Poor quality and pretensious. Very expensive for quite frankly awful food. Never again. The conservatory is the size of a greenhouse with uncomfortable garden furniture .Only good point is the view which does not make up for the pre prepared offerings.

Everything home maid or locally sourced. Superb choice lunch and afternoon tea really lovely but to enjoy the breakfasts and 5 course evening meal you will need a very good appetite.

The bar food was good and the staff friendly. For the best experience get there in time for a table in the small conservatory which affords a good view of the estuary.

Beautiful location. Had lunch in conservatory overlooking a splendid view. Staff were friendly and quick to take our order. Food was excellent and very good portions.

The menu has a map which shows where, in Scotland, the ingredients come from. Carefully prepared and well presented.

This is a comfortable restaurant with great views out over the bay. Service is very attentive and nothing was too much trouble. We visited for Sunday lunch, which was served using mainly fresh local ingredients prepared to perfection. After the meal we were able to relax in the lounge over complimentary coffee and chocolate. Not the cheapest option for Sunday lunch, but one of the best we have been to.

The chef takes local ingredients and brings out the best in them. Each course is beautifully presented and there is an extensive wine list to compliment each dish

Went to this hotel and restaurant twice. Once for lunch which was amazing good. Beautiful mussels to start and smoked salmon afterwards. Was amazing view and beautiful garden. The evening meal was very lovely. Very attentive staff, lovely wine and great setting with the views out to the bay from every window.

We stayed at the hotel for 2 nights and enjoyed the excellent cuisine on two evenings. Superb food, well presented and well worth the trip. The hotel is also a great place to stay; comfortable, immaculate and with wonderful views if you take one of the front rooms.

We found this Hotel after walking around the area, beautiful scenery and exhilarating walk along the cliffs. Lovely relaxing meal in the conservatory. It was quite busy but the waitress was lovely and charming and we didn't have to wait long for our meal. Trio of Burgers and Lamb cutlets, beautifully presented and extremely tasty. Views across the bay were lovely. Will go back again if we visit the area.

Really beautifully located hotel and restaurant on the shores of Balcary Bay. Restaurant offers set menu with different prices for two three four courses etc. Value seemed reasonable and food quality was excellent. Great views from the dining room over the bay.

We have been to the Balcary Bay Hotel's restaurant on four separate occasions and have loved it every time. The food is the best I personally have ever eaten and it is eaten in a quiet, unassuming atmosphere with stunning views out of the restaurant windows. Your meal is 'posh' enough to make you feel special but it is not intimidating. You enjoy canapes with a drink before being seated for your meal. The service is then quick, with the option of two, three or five courses - we usually have three. This time I had partridge with a parnsip puree which was light and delicious. I then had a to-die-for duck dish for main and a dark chocolate torte for dessert. It was wonderful. Others had vegetarian dishes, pasta and fish - all were very, very happy. After eating, you can sit down to coffee and little pastries or chocolate to cleanse the pallet. A brilliant evening out!

We stumbled across this hotel by accident. Being dog owners we were restricted to drinking/eating on the lawn rather than inside. Excellent shortbread and nice coffee in a fabulous location.Would we go again?We already have done

Fresh local produce perfectly cooked and served in a lovely restaurant with an amazing view. Good wine list to accompany with a good selection of sensibly priced wines.

A very pleasant dining experience, "smart casual" wear is requested, well run dining room and unflappable staff. Lovely selection with small tasty courses and imaginative cooking, book into the Hotel for a few days and make the most of it!

We were recommended to the Balcary Bay Hotel for Sunday lunch by Alison Elkins of Maidenhead Forge Mill (holiday cottage rental). We were not disappointed. The locally sourced food was cooked superbly and the setting by the beach was perfect to take a stroll after lunch.

Start the day with their excellent varied breakfast.Good standard fare and excellent fish alternatives.

NB: I emailed my review on this restaurant last week and you have not published it. Why is that?The service was prompt and efficient. The location had a great view but the verandah was a bit cramped for a lunch. Most diners ate quickly - one course - and got out very fast.My earlier review described the dry guinea fowl and awful pottatoes, the seafood starter was good but had a poor sauce which spoiled it. Wine from the Languedoc was very good.

Ate in the hotel 3 nights whilst staying there are were so impressed by the food and the extensie wine list. There was so much rich food we hardly made the desert choice.

No dislikes, liked the food menu the quality of food and the presentation were fab. The window table had a beautiful setting.

Went here for a family meal and throughly enjoyed it. The service was very quick and the food was good. They have a set menu for each day and if you do not like it, you can request to eat off the bar menu. Very good food, excellent service and stunning views outside. Will definitely come back.

We had tried the lunchtime menu out in advance of my partner's 94 year old father visiting for his birthday celebration. The food was good and as the location is very attractive, with views from the conservatory out over the bay, we thought it would be a good choice. Originally there were to be 6 of us for lunch and we negotiated that three of the wrought iron tables in the conservatory would be used with 5 of the wrought iron chairs but with one of the, far more, comfortable chairs brought in from the bar area to provide a more comfortable seat for the 94 year old 'birthday boy'. The negotiation was a little protracted, since it seemed that none of the staff could ok this arrangement without the approval of the owner. However, approval was eventually obtained. Unfortunately, there was a family bereavement which prevented three of the family from attending the event and the hotel was advised of this some three days in advance. On the day of the booking my partner and I arrived at the hotel with his father. We were shown through to the bar area by a passing member of staff and were then "abandoned". There was only one member of staff and she appeared too busy looking after those at the two already occupied tables. No attention was paid to us whatsoever. We noticed that one of the tables in the conservatory was marked 'reserved' and we presumed that this must be ours. We walked to it but realising that it was just the one table, with four chairs around it and none of them suitable for my partners father, we returned to the bar area. We eventuality managed to attract the attention of the waitress and requested that we be accommodated in the bar instead to ensure greater comfort for my partners father. Provided with menus we made our choices but then after waiting a considerable time to give our order we finally managed to attract the waitresses attention only to have it pointed out to us that there was a notice on the bar (which we had not noticed) stating that orders were to be placed at the bar - something that one might expect in a cafeteria or lesser establishment but not in a hotel of this reputed calibre and price bracket. In any event it was hardly overrun with customers and when we pointed out that we were unaware of the requirement the waitress did take our order at the table. The food was good. We all had the "rich man's" fish and chips for the main course with two of us having tempura prawns with sweet chilli dipping sauce and one terrine of the day for our starter course. We declined dessert as the food had been filling but ordered coffee - two Americanos and one cappuccino. The waitress was confused as to what we meant by Americanos and also pointed out that it would take a while for the machine for the cappuccino to be warmed up. As it happens all three coffees were at best luke warm when they were served. Admittedly, we failed to complain about this at the time. We would normally have done so but we did not want to spoil the occasion for my partners father, given that he had already experienced a very lacklustre welcome and hardly the sense of occasion we had wanted to create for him. Thankfully the quality of the food salvgaged the day but I would definitely think twice before returning to this establishment. Overall a very disappointing experience.

We'd rented a pretty cottage in Colvend, Dumfries for a quiet week to relax and unwind. We knew nothing of the area but a friend from home had recommended the hotel for afternoon tea. We turned up without a reservation for Sunday lunch but were lucky to still be able to get in. I enjoyed one of the best roast beef dinners I'd ever had. Rare, tender and delicious. We sat in the conservatory where there is a stunning view of the Solway Firth. The service and fellow diners were friendly, there was a good menu choice, and it was a great way to start our holiday. Would definitely recommend it.

We had tea and shortbread out on the lawn. Beautiful day. We were on last minute but they still served us and took a photo. Gorgeous setting.

We were taken here for lunch as we have just celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary. The hotel itself is in the most beautiful area and is spotless throughout. We sat at the window table and admired the view. The meal was excellent. Cant fault a thing. Service also very good. Only downside was when the waitress brought the coffee to the table the cream jug tipped off the tray and down our friends jacket and trousers. It was a very unfortunate accident and I hope she didn't get into any trouble over it. No use crying over spilt milk as they say!!

We went there with 4 of our friends, to celebrate our 30th anniversary. We were a little concerned because the last time we stayed, the service was very poor, by their usual standards. It would appear that over the winter there has been a lot of thinking and work going on.The service is now of the highest quality again, the food as impressive as ever.A delightful experience, to be repeated soon.

loved the food it was melt in the mouth. Hated the service dirty glasses and the staff were not helpfull

No complaints what so ever.... The food was great, service great and environment great. We will definitely be going back time and time again. This is one satisfied customer. Thankyou :)))

This is just a special place as you are right on the bay looking out to Hestan island. The food is secondary to me the ambiance of the place is wonderful.

Everything to perfection. Staff brilliant. Food out of this world.Peace and comfort in beautiful surroundings to enjoy it.Thank you all.

My Wife booked us an evening meal at Balcary Bay as a surprise for my birthday, as the menu looked enticing. Whilst the food was 1st rate the evening was marred by the rudeness of the owner and another senior member of staff. We were not made to feel welcome on arrival, I was completely ignored with no eye contact and agree with a more recent review of his ignorance.Maybe some lessons could be learnt from junior members of staff who seemed more capable of customer service.This is the first time we have felt compelled to write a review. As seasoned travellers and diners we would not wish other guests to suffer our experience and we shall Definitely Not be returning.