Balmakewan Farm Shop in Aberdeenshire

Lovely staff and excellent service. No parmesan shavings on the caesar salad. Other than that the food was lovely. Prices have shot up though. Careful on the driveways...lots of pot holes but it is a farm.

Warm, welcoming ambiance, delicious coffee and amazing cakes, freshly made each morning. We bought some of the Balmakewan home made curry from the shop - it was totally delicious. Highly recommend this friendly local place.

Lost count of how many times we’ve passed the sign for this venue on the A90 finally stopped for breakfast and not disappointed we had a full breakfast and eggs Benedict, delicious. Staff friendly and welcoming. It’s a must try.

Quick stop in for breakfast rolls. Fabulous bacon and haggis rolls very tasty. Always a lovely place to visit . Nice range of foodstuffs and gifts in farm shop. Only 5 mins off A90 . Well worth the stop.

After a long drive, I was hoping for a bite of lunch and wanted to support a local business rather than a chain so I followed the sign along the bumpy farm track - all part of the charm. Went in and was impressed by the light and airy dining hall with a nice array of cakes and what looked like an interesting selection of quality gifts, with a delicatessen through in another area. It looked fresh and clean and I was looking forward to a break from the drive. The menu was given in good time by the friendly, but very busy, staff. The menu looked creative and tempting, but only if you ate meat. There were only two vegetarian meals on offer in the whole menu - a tagliatelle with white wine and wild mushrooms, and a goats cheese tart. The third page of the menu had filled baguette options, not one of them meat-free. I decided I would go with the tagliatelle (not cheap at £14, if memory serves, but I understand the soaring prices are hitting hospitality hard). The busy staff bustled around but no order was taken. I was beginning to worry about my time as I needed to get back on the road and the delay in taking my order did not bode well. I went to the counter and asked if I could order there but was told other people needed to have their orders taken before me. I left, somewhat exasperated by the experience. The two elderly gentleman across the table from me had enjoyed their soup and were waiting with happy anticipation for their cakes to arrive. If you have lots of time and are of a carnivorous persuasion, I am sure this would make a fine wee stop, but the next time I am on the road to Aberdeen, I will not bother to make the detour again.

Whilst on holiday in the area we turned in at Balmakewen Restaurant for lunch. Such a lucky find. Our meals were delicious. Venison and Pork Loaf and Barbecued Chicken equally enjoyed. Tea and coffee nice and hot. Service with a smile. What more could you want. Well done.

The best culinary experience of the North East. Top quality, delicious, beautifully presented food. Very clean and great service. Just off the A90. A must.

Tucked away out of sight not far off main road heading to Aberdeen sits this amazing farm shop, stopped for late lunch, fabulous food, super staff, wonderful shop. Highly recommend you take time out to visit this gem of a place. 👏

A wonderful venue for a morning roll, or an afternoon lunch located five minutes off the A90 dual carriageway. The staff were so friendly and attentive, the food was fresh and delicious and the setting inside was beautiful and full of a manor house atmosphere The outside patio was spacious and ideal for a sunny day. It was a first visit and I would definitely return.

Had a lovely lunch - food was really nicely presented and tasty. I had the fish platter and my friend had the roast beef. Both didn’t disappoint Very friendly waitresses and they didn’t hurry us at all so we got lots of time to chat and catch up with each other. Very relaxing. We sat upstairs and it is a bit dark but to be expected as an old converted stone farm building. The shop is great too. Lots of gifts, food and paintings etc. well worth a visit for that alone.

Friendly and efficient service from our servers, tasty soup and sandwich lunch, enjoyable cakes and coffee for afters. A lovely space, love the bread co op partnership with Wild Hearth and the vegetable growing csa aspect.

Morning coffee and home bakes were delicious. We also bought a quiche and a steak and gravy pie to take home for later. They were both generous in size and extremely tasty. Indeed my steak pie was probably the best I have ever tasted! Bravo!

Food and service at Balmakewan is second to none! There is a happy, relaxed atmosphere and all staff take time to chat and make you feel welcome regardless of how busy they are. Food is freshly prepared to a high standard. It is well presented and always delivered with a smile. Would highly recommend a visit to Balmakewan where the customer always comes first.

Fantastic food, service and atmosphere! The staff couldn’t have been better, it felt very clean and the food was all absolutely delicious, we will definitely be back!

I love this shop for its deli counter the home made produce is awesome especially the scotch eggs and the cheese

Road trip across Scotland, couldn’t have chosen a better place for a stop. Lovely place, amazingly well kept, clean spacious and the food was fantastic! Highly recomended!

Fantastic full breakfast for myself and a lovely gluten free bacon roll for my wife. A very friendly atmosphere and the coffee, sausage roll, and venison lasagna we took home were all delicious. Our first visit but it will not be our last.

I have been looking forward to visiting Balmakewan for a long time and today we decided to pop in for a coffee. On arrival we waited at the please wait to be seated sign and the waitress came over and was blunt with no pleasantries....

stopped in for lunch and could not resist tea and cake to follow. Best Mac n cheese ever and the home baking was wonderful. highly recommend. YUM!

Estábamos por la zona y como siempre busqué en TripAdvisor un sitio donde comer.Perfecto!Un lugar encantador..muy limpio con tienda para...

A wonderful hidden gem. Delicious freshly cooked food. Lovely peacefull surroundings. And very pleasant helpful staff. A little farm shop. Some unusual gifts. A Must if your in the area.

Always receive a warm and friendly welcome, had the full breakfast and it was delicious, my friends and I would say it’s our number 1 choice for a good full breakfast in the local area. will be trying the Eggs Benedict on my next visit.

At the end of June, a friend and I were looking for somewhere to eat and saw the sign to Balmakewan Farm Shop & Tea Room. Although we arrived only a few minutes before their published closing time, they were only too willing to serve...

Drop in coffee and snack brake on road from Aberdeen to lanark. Fantastic little off the main road cafe/restaurant and gift shop. Lovely building and super well presented upstairs dining area, terific smaller deli and interesting gift shop. Good selection of snacks, food most of...

Love to promote local businesses especially after today's visit, fantastic service and fantastic food especially the scrambled eggs on brown granary bread I felt like I was robbing them at a fiver ! My only critique is being told at 10.30am I had to be...

We popped in on Friday on our way down from Inverurie. We had 2 sausage in rolls and bought some fantastic food in your farmshop. Can recommend it all and particularly the chicken, leek and bacon pie in cheesy sauce. We've never tasted so good....

On arriving in the restaurant, the upstairs waiting staff could not have been more courteous, friendly, helpful and attentive. Nothing was too much trouble, even down to various options for those of us with food allergies or are vegetarian. I would thoroughly recommend the restaurant...

A definite must if you are in the area. Thank you for the service received and goodwill gesture. Wonderful food.

We stopped here for lunch with no reservation and were told by a friendly member of staff that, due to the current covid situation they were quite short staffed so were running a reduced menu and the service would be slow, however we were welcome...

Booked a table for coffee with friends. Had been advised before arrival we’d need to vacate the table by 11.30am to let them prepare it for lunches starting at 12 noon. On arrival our guests were told too - not the best welcome! More importantly...

Normally in a farm shop you'd expect good quality food. But Balmakewan takes it a step further with high quality restaurant food. In this particular visit we both had the Hough and Pea Linguini. With the lovely added surprise of a tarragon cream sauce which...

Hidden away from the road and the A90, is this wonderful farm shop and cafe. Great place for a lunch. Seems a popular place so booking recommended. Very friendly staff and amazing variety of foods. Not very big portions so ideal for lunch time. The...

Enjoyed a lovely wholesome lunch on a long lonely journey south. What a refreshing change from sad sandwich at a ridiculously expensive service station. Beautifully served by friendly staff means that this is a destination for the long term.

Found this place whilst on holiday in the area so stopped for coffee and cake. Gingerbread (cake of the day) so delicious. The shop has beautiful gifts and we purchased a few presents. The deli looked good too so we'll definitely pop back as its...

Absolutely first class service fantastically delicious food. This was our first visit but we will most definitely be back soon.

Excellent. Nice to return to one of my favourite lunch spots. Food and service have always been first class. Lots of local produce on sale as well as books and kitchen ware.

Popped in for a cuppa late afternoon. Staff were really friendly and we felt nothing was too much trouble. The custard creams were amazing and my hubby said it was the best empire biscuit he had ever had ... praise indeed. Thoroughly enjoyed our visit.

Just moved into the area and had my first breakfast at Balmakewan - having bought their home made food from the farm shop before. Delicious coffee, friendly, efficient service, amazing cakes and perfect poached eggs. So pleased we now live close to this excellent shop...

There was a lot excitement in our house when we discovered Balmakewan were doing an afternoon takeaway for mother's day. My son ordered it through Facebook and we collected it today. Their social distancing was fantastic, with staggered pick up times and collection at the...

Come here often and have done for years now. Service is warm and friendly, food is so tasty and the surroundings are gorgeous. Couldn't ask for more. We live further away from it now but still make the journey because it's thats good.

Pleasant atmosphere and social distancing maintained throughout. One way system very effective to negotiate the floors. Toilets very clean and spacious. Loads of sanitising stations across the venue.

Absolutely knew that Balmakewan would have all necessary precautions in place and of course they did. So easy to follow the well marked routes in the building which mean you never meet anyone. Food and service was, as always, fantastic. The only issue we had...

An excellent breakfast with everything thst a good breakfast should have eggs, sausages, bacon, tomato, black pudding haggis pudding, mushrooms, beans, potato scone and toast. Sets one up for the day.

We Google'd somewhere to find a nice breakfast after leaving Banchory Caravan park and the 'chief navigator' found Balmakewan. We were mega impressed with the Covid procedures, but not half as much as their full breakfast. It was absolutely delicious with quality food items and...

Our first visit to Balmakewan Farm Shop since the start of the pandemic and the cafe has all the necessary procedures in place. The eating area is now upstairs and the quality of the coffee and chocolate torte was superb.

Family lunch offering a good selection of food for all tastes with friendly staff in a great setting

This is about the 4th time we have visited this lovely place. Had breakfast every time and it was absolutely delicious. Staff are lovely and food great. Highly recommended.

I've had afternoon tea here a few times and the food and the service never disappoint, today was no different, everything was perfect. You have to book few days in advance, but if you look at my photos you can see why. Everything is made to perfection, little mini versions of all the best treats. There's always a warm welcome, I love the atmosphere in here, it's really relaxed and I always feel welcome to sit for as long as we want to. We started with mini cups of richly flavoured soup, and mini black pudding balls, delicious with a nice crispy coating. The savoury plate had a generous variety of sausage rolls, scotch eggs, tiny oatcakes with hot smoked salmon and open sandwiches. Everything was super fresh, perfectly made and presented and packed with flavour. The best part has to be their cake stand. Mini fruit scones, freshly baked with butter and jam, tiny empire biscuits, cream profiteroles with a rich chocolate topping, marshmallow and meringue toad stools, tiny banoffee tarts, I can't even list everything. Beautifully presented and perfectly made, what a treat. Everything is of course served with plenty of really good tea or coffee.It's a real treat to go here, its perfect for a special occasion, or as we did just for a nice relaxing catch up with a friend. The staff leave you in peace, but are always around when you need them. Five star doesn't seem high enough.

We stopped here for coffee and cake while driving North. It was fairly busy with customers having lunch. I’ve noticed a few places tend not to put prices on their cakes now - a bit sneaky as not many people will ask first. A little pricey but at least the coffee and cake were both nice.

Popped in for lunch after a lovely walk with the dog, quite busy but still served quickly. Staff are always super friendly and helpful and the food is always fantastic. I have been here several times and have always been delighted. The owners are lovely. Can't be faulted. Cheesy garlic bread is one of my favourites

We visited here on Saturday on the way from Aberdeen to Dundee. Saw the sign at the side of the road and decided to check it out, and we are so glad that we did.What a friendly welcome in such a lovely building with a great range of refreshments on offer. There is great shopping too.If we are ever in the area again, we will certainly visit them again. Can highly recommend.

My husband and I visited last Sunday and had two wonderful cups of Americano plus a chocolate brownie which was chocolatey and gooey with little nuggets of white chocolate for extra enjoyment! Beautiful building with a great deli and shop as well. Sooo impressed.

Looking for a stopover restaurant on a drive from Aberdeen to Edinburgh we saw the sign for this farm shop and cafe just after Laurencekirk. Short drive off the main road this place is delightful. Very nicely decorated with old church pews as seats. Food was excellent and very quick service. Very pleasant staff. Nice walk for the dog as well so a very good place to stop on a long drive.

Visited for tea while passing. Quite near the main road. Easy parking, good access. Friendly service, some nice cake options. Level access to clean toilets. Nice shop and food store too

Food was excellent, staff helpful and friendly. We ate at a very large oak table which seated about 20.

First visit to this lovely place. Breakfast is served from 10-1130. Menu is varied from toast to full Scottish breakfast, we all went for the full breakfast which was amazing. Huge plate of delicious food for £9. Pancakes and bagels also looked good. Lovely place for food and some lovely gifts. Cakes look great but we all could not eat another thing. Will definitely be back.

Stopped for a comfort break on our journey home it is a lovely place with good fresh baking and a lovely farm shop so i stocked up on some pies and a selection of cheeses the coffee was nice but a bit cold it done the trick though there are lovely walks you can go on if your fit enough but we just paid up and left would stop again 08/10 rating

This place is just wonderful. I’ve stopped here twice in the last few weeks.

Came for lunch on a sunny September day. Ask about sitting in the courtyard if it’s sunny, it’s a nice space. The waiting staff were all very friendly and attentive and food we had was really nice, fresh and delivered quickly. Haven’t been here in a while, but will definitely visit more regularly.

My goodness what a hidden gem this is, popped in for a quick bite to eat one lunchtime and will definitely be going back. The platters (fish and meat) were so tasty all fresh ingredients - a welcome treat for sure. Totally recommend a visit

Stopped here for lunch. Friendly staff invited us to take our dogs round to the courtyard where we enjoyed an excellent lunch in the sun. Good choice of freshly prepared snacks and mains and excellent home baking. Shop is great. Highly recommend this place.

I strongly feel that the prices charged do not reflect the quality of the food provided. They should be reduced by at least 20%.

I was looking for somewhere to have brunch on the way to Aberdeen and trip advisor came up trumps. Lovely farm shop and tea room hidden away off the busy main road, the food and service was great and I will definitely return.

I had the mac & cheese which was rich and creamy. I could tell it was fresh. Service was good and polite.

Party of 5 , all had different choice of breakfasts and all thoroghly enjoyed. The full cooked breakfast is a belly buster! The breakfast sandwiches are also very filling and tasty (choose 2 from sausage/egg/bacon/black pudding / haggis) and they don't skimp on the fillings!

Stopped in past on our way home from our holidays. This farm shop has a superb deli counter, lovely coffee shop / restaurant and shop.

Sehr schönes Haus mit Selbermachen Kleinigkeiten zum Kaffee

Found this hidden gem at end of farm track. Food and staff great. Lots of gifts etc at reasonable prices. Will be back. We had lovely food outside in courtyard. Well worth a visit

Lovely selection of food, unusual gifts and very friendly staff. Worth booking if going for lunch as it got busy very quickly. Will go back soon

What a lovely place, with such nice staff. The pancakes were lovely and the coffee just as good. Would highly recommend this. The outside area is lovely and looks to have some nice areas for a walk.

Fantastic find, lots of lovely home bakes. Nice surroundings lovely farm shop if you want to browse afterwards and also do lunches which looked great too, definitely worth a visit

Stopped off for lunch not knowing what to expect. What a delight! Recommend this for lunch - very friendly and food was delicious.

First time visit for lunch and presented with a varied menu. Delicious food, well presented and served by pleasant and attentive staff. Recommend booking !

Hidden gem, in a fab setting. Large place but lots of nooks and crannies to have private area, of various sizes. Menu offers a good range at decent prices. We had to put 1 dish back but it was dealt with quickly and no issues. Overall, we would meet here again, and with more time to explore the outside area, as a few signposts to various things. Plus lots of dog walkers, so assume a decent walk is nearby. The dhop area has lots if different nik naks to buy.

I have now been at this venue on 4 occasions. Each time I have been more and more impressed. The lady who owns Balmakewan is a gem and is always on hand for advice and talk through the menu.

Found this excellent restaurant and farm shop quite by chance and thanks to the good signage. We enjoyed a most excellent lunch which was served by charming staff. From the friendly welcome to the cheerful goodbye, Balmakewan will be remembered by my wife and I for a long time. We just wish it was situated near our home!

Gorgeous food and selection of cakes on offer and good walks nearby. Staff also very nice and welcoming.

Visited this excellent place today having passed the sign for it on many occasions but a friend recommended we visit.

This has to be my favourite place to go locally, we're never disappointed. Today we had a rather good chicken breast in a bun and a beef burger, both were piled high with tomato, lettuce, cheese and excellent burger relish. They both also came with their homemade fruity red cabbage coleslaw and amazing thin, crispy fries. We were warned they would take about 15mins but the wait passed quickly and was well worth it.

We have just had a week in the gorgeous cottage next door to the Balmakewan Farm Shop. We can’t fault the staff, or the service in the Farm Shop. Fabulous breakfasts and a delicious Sunday Lunch too. We had breakfast just twice, but it was very tempting to do more as it was so good. The staff are really efficient, friendly and very attentive. An excellent setting for breakfast, coffee, cakes and lunches. Great walks in the grounds to enjoy too. We will return.

Was recommended by friend. Nice setting. Just had a quick lunch but service was quick and friendly. Went for a walk in grounds afterwards. Only complaint road in is full of potholes and just a farm track-not good for car suspension.

We visit here quite regularly although not as often as we’d like more recently. The food here has always been excellent and the service both efficient and friendly. This time we had the new big mak burger, a steak burger and goujons from the children’s menu. We then had the pecan pie, plum crumble and custard and ice cream from the children’s menu. All tasted great. We’d highly recommend balmakewan and suggest booking in advance at busier times as they are popular. They also have some nice things in the shop - gifts and food items and there are some walks nearby so you feel less guilty after lunch. We can honestly say we’ve never had any cause for complaint after many years visiting.

Brilliant start to a special birthday night away with superb lunch here! Friendly staff, tasteful and characterful surroundings and amazing food and coffee! Both had big mak burger which was extremely delicious and well presented! Will definitely be back.

Popped in on chance and was delighted with what we found. Friendly folk. Nice surroundings, great food. Will certainly be back again and again. Nice shop items. Highly recommend a visit. Nice for a walk too

Nice wee establishment tucked away up a farm road. Staff were really pleasant and efficient. The cakes were all presented very well and the coffee was great. Good pit-stop.

Not the first visit, won’t be the last.

Lovely food and great service. A lovely start to the day. Would recommend eggs portobello. We had a wee one with us and he was made to feel really welcome.

On our way to Dundee we wanted to stop and have a coffee somewhere, we ended up here and I'm glad we did. On arrival we were greeted with the warmest welcome and the venue is beautiful, I highly suggest getting the pancakes with maple syrup... Amazing. They have a lovely selection of gifts and a deli with the most delicious pies also! Going again this weekend and I am really looking forward to it.

We arrived on Saturday lunchtime and there was no tables available in their main area. No problem as they showed us to the upstairs room which was lovely and warm with lovely views over the surrounding countryside. Food was great and all homemade. The lemon drizzle cake was to die for! Staff very welcoming and couldn't do enough for us. Most beautiful toilets I have ever seen!!! Spotlessly clean. Will definitely be back.

We were looking for somewhere for lunch on our way home to Aberdeen and found this hidden gem by browsing for restaurants near Laurencekirk

We have visited on several occasions, sometimes as a couple of with family and have never been disappointed. The staff are very polite and friendly as well as providing an excellent service to go with the delicious food.

Farm shop with excellent service and a five star restaurant feel to it. Not the easiest to find but well worth finding.

I visited with two friends for lunch. The food was great, full of flavour and large portions (my macaroni cheese was the cheesiest ever!) and though there weren’t many others lunching, the atmosphere was friendly and relaxing.

Our friends had recommended this lovely well laid out and airy restaurant.

Having lived near Laurencekirk for the past 15 years, I'm disappointed we hadn't found this sooner. Lovely wee tea room with plenty filling choices including burgers, baguettes and quiches. And a lovely selection of cakes. Always busy when we go so definitely best to reserve a table.

We found this tearoom by chance and we were very pleased that we did, it was superb. My husband had a quiche with potato wedges and he said the quiche is one of the nicest he’s had. I had a scone which was equally delicious. We would definitely recommend this place.

A modern well laid out cafe, excellent cakes and coffee, but the roads are horrendous, I would be wary of taking anything low along them, the pot holes could swallow a small car and certainly remove your spoiler! Shame as it spoils the experience.

My friends & family love it here. The staff are fantastic & accommodating. The menu is varied, the breakfasts are fabulous, the cakes even better. I will admit it's a little more expensive than many other places but you get what you pay for. The produce is locally sourced (which is always more expensive) but it's all worth it. I've had breakfast, lunch, coffee & cake (not all in 1 day of course) & I've never been disappointed. There is also a small Deli & some nice gifts on sale too.

First time visiting Balmakewan, based on a recommendation. Beautiful place in the countryside just of the A.90 South of Laurencekirk. Warm friendly surroundings the restaurant / shop. Great menu, fantastic food with the most professional presentation. Staff wonderful, great value for money ..... what more can you say. We'll certainly be returning soonest.

Heading home from Aberdeen we found this wonderful oasis of calm for breakfast. Lovely surroundings clean and bright and full of character with wooden pews and tables. The food was faultless I had the granola with rich creamy yoghurt and delicious fruit (mainly strawberries and blackcurrants). My husband had the big bagel which was a full Scottish breakfast in disguise. Washed down with good quality tea for two (we got 6 cups from the pot) from. Amazing quality food and good value. They also do larger meals and had rib of beef on the sunday lunch menu and a fabulous array of cakes and ucecreams. Lovely riverside walks nearby if you want to take a leisurely stroll from the farm and a well stocked deli with jams and preserves and lots of high quality cards, candles and other gifts.