Cavens Arms in Dumfries & Galloway

Visited on Thursday with my finance and dog Was visiting Dumfries for family memories when I came across the cavern Got a table for 2 and a blanket for my dog The waiter and waitress were amazing nothing was too much trouble , they even offered my dog a sausage As a chef of 20years I was in Scotland I wanted the full Scottish experience for my tastebuds I had the prawn chill and garlic starter which was really tasty and had a great caramelisation flavour too it For mains I had haggis nips and tatties with whisky sauce and all I can say is wow it was so pleasing and and a generous portion , I was struggling to eat it but I had to finish it All of this was washed down with 2 pints of tennants which was a perfect end to a delicious lunch , id visit this location Regularly If I could been 240 miles away I can't You guys really made my week in Scotland Thank you

Great selection of real ale. Good, well cooked food.

This establishment is one of the best in Dumfries for a hearty meal. Ales are of good quality always have Timothy Taylor landlord on answer a couple of guest beers. The staff are always so helpful. Disabled friendly and well behaved dogs are welcome. A great place to meet up with friends. Visitors and locals are always welcome.

Not my favourite place, but I was invited for lunch. Had the pork loin, which was tough, and from previous experiences, it wasn't worth complaining about as nobody is ever interested. My friend had a chicken dish, which was just passable. Prices were horrendously high for a lunchtime meal. It's not worth the money. It was also very cold in the place.

Nice bar restaurant, only stayed for one drink as we were waiting for a table in indian restaurant. Wish we hadn't bothered as the food in here looked fantastic. Next time in Dumfries will definitely book a table.

Lovely staff and food, comfortable place to eat

Paid £50 for 2 meals and 2 pints! Absolutely disgusting meal at disgusting prices!!! Place is dirty and run down . Kids size plate for almost £20 ! Home made chippy chips that were brick hard . Steak bits were like leather!! Girl that served us was pleasant but this place needs a reality check!! The food is worse than school dinners and the prices are ridiculous!! Been twice for food once for a breakfast many years ago and swore I wouldn’t eat there again !! Wish I’d learned my lesson the first time!! Do yourself a favour and avoid like the plague!! Never again .

Had a cracking T-Bone steak here today … cooked as asked for and staff were lovely … perfect wee meal, place was cosy as it was freezing outside.

Always enjoy the food and atmosphere of this pub.

Always good food and great service.

Empty in a Sunday afternoon. Possibly something to do with the ridiculous prices. This place used to be the place to go. Clearly the pricing g structure isn't working.

Lovely friendly pub,/restaurant. Sport on the TV. Various seating areas. Drinks choice really good. Table service. Although we didn't eat, we checked the menu, could see others eating and the food looks fab, good pub choices, good portion sizes and great smell.

Unexpected delight on a cold November Monday to find lovely lunch and open fire.

Visited Cavens Arms whilst visiting Dumfries. I ordered a cajun chicken wrap with chips and my partner ordered the lasagne and chips. Food was AMAZING! One of the best pub lunches I've had - the chips were so good. Cozy pub with relaxed atmosphere. Highly recommended and will definitely return.

First class service and excellent food

Lovely friendly pub with a wide choice of well kept ales in the centre of Dumfries. Make it your base. We did and didn't regret it.

Best ales in Dumfries and always excellent food and service.

Food was delicious and I would definitely recommend the food. Really nice home cooked food with a varied menu. However, I found a large piece of plastic in my Haggis. I told them and they should have really taken it off the bill. I would have left a nice tip if they did that. I could have choked on it-not good!

Dumfries. Was invite with Scots friend Good food, hearty service & variety of fresh, enough Chioces. Love the scot.. Ish atmosphere.. enjoyed it all. Thanks all staff.. Appreciate. Chxx. ❤️🙏💛

Had a lovely birthday meal with friends great menu I had macaroni one had steak pie .one had fish and one vegi lasagna cleared our plates .great friendly staff .well done to all defo be back.

Initial greeting a bit blasé but service, food, cleanliness, staff and experience phenomenal! Well done to all staff, busy place...speaks volumes. Will definitely be back.

A really good menu and choice of drinks, especially the craft beers, with brilliant staff who were efficient, helpful and polite. The food was excellent value and tasted great. Well worth visiting if you are in the area.

Great pub, great food, even better staff. We had a great night here. Thanks to all at the Cavendish Arms.

Delicious food with great portion sizes!

Polite service Nice drinks options. Great atmosphere. Would visit again.

We booked in for 6.15 pm and the place was really busy, this did not stop great service and wonderful food, hubby had the Hake and said it was amazing.

Absolutely fantastic selection of real ales and a great friendly atmosphere.

We had delicious fish goujons very fresh and Crispy. Delicious . Also had a bottle of pinot grigio for £18.50 which we thought was very competitive x staff made us very welcome.

Great food and service. Five stars👌

A great bar in the centre of Dumfries.

Very good and friendly service. Interior is comfortable and atmospheric. Recommended for a visit.

A great pub that we always visit when in the area can’t find any faults with it

Just one dish for lunch - chose a beef Madras curry at £19.95 ,thinking it must be great, as it is approximately double what the local Indian curry houses will charge. Boy, was I right - best ever curry in a UK restaurant by far. The beef was of superb quality [melted in the mouth] and the quantity was 3 times what you will get in another place. A poppadum, plus a flat bread and mango chutney were also in the dish. The wines were great too, as I ordered the house red before discovering they had a Primitivo on the list, so I had a small one [125ml] of that one, and both were excellent. The staff were very busy, but very kind, when I knocked over my wine glass, and they were very quick to clean up the spillage too.

This was an excellent establishment.Food was delicious and service was great.Dog friendly and we were offered a sausage and water for our furbaby. Highly recommend that you try.

Heerlijk gegeten, 2 avonden achter elkaar. Is er altijd druk, vriendelijk personeel. Echt een aanrader om heen te gaan.

Good food but a bit over priced

Was in for lunch today 30th August'24 with friends, can't say enough about this experience. Food was brilliant, service was brilliant, even our dog was well looked after. I asked for a pot of tea and it is the only place where I was given a pot of tea and also a pot of boiling water, great attention to detail. If you are in Dumfries this is the perfect place to go for a meal and the prices were also very reasonable. Well done to all the staff, I hope the owners appreciate you all.

Bloody fantastic and the managers n staff and food. Ffs, fantastic 👏 👌 🙌

Arrived in Dumfries for a short stay. And TA suggested this place. What a gem. 7 cask ales and 9 others on tap. Plus an extensive range of wines and spirits. The list of 'Today's Specials' complemented the main menu. Highland chicken was huge and came on a wide plate to carry the special mash and veg. We also sampled the Haggis and Leek Cheese Melt. Both of these were brilliantly tasty and defeated our appetites. I strongly recommend that you book for your meal. Whilst the venue is large, every table and booth was full. The atmosphere was great, and the staff were excellent even if rushed off their feet.

Two visits and I cannot praise enough....the atmosphere was convivial and buzzing (but not OTT). The food, service and staff were fantastic. Just fabulous😀😀😀👏👏👏

Booked this following previous reviews on trip advisor and was not disappointed. The staff were friendly and the food was divine, especially the haggis - best haggis ever tasted not too peppery but full of flavour. Lasagne and steak pie were also highly recommended. Seems to be very popular so definitely need to book in advance

Great pub food. Interesting selections - haggis cheee melt, for example - and a good selection of beers and other drinks including alcohol free.

It's quite expensive but did offer lunch on a weekday which is rare in dumfries

Good food at sensible prices. Really friendly service.

A lovely traditional pub that has good service. We popped in as a walk in, but we’re unable to get a table, so I recommend booking. The front of house kindly found us a seat at the bar.

Had 2 lovely meals here. Good service.

Always excellent food, friendly service. Highly recommend

My daughter and I had lunch in this dog friendly establishment where my little Frenchie was also furnished with a towel and water too. We were even able to sit inside. The fish and chips we selected were freshly cooked and battered and the chips were almost certainly chipped in the kitchen and tasted delicious. The crumble and custard we found room for was amazing and the portions of everything ample. If we are anywhere near in the future we will definitely return. A big thanks to all the staff who were attentive without being intrusive

Really nice place with goof food and service

Wonderful place for dinner. Only in Dumfries for one night and booked the day before. Family business with Great staff. Ample portions of food and Lowland Chicken was superb, as was the warm Chicken & Bacon Salad.

Only went in for food a it was recommended to me. I thoroughly enjoyed the Haggis with tatties'n' neeps with whisky sauce, it was delicious.

Fantastic traditional pub/restaurant

Had a lovely meal, the pub was busy, but we didn't wait long for our food.

Amazing pub with friendly staff, had a lovely time

Great restaurant. The food was hot and tasty and the staff were friendly and efficient. Highly recommend.

Top marks, a great friendly experience, food great, lot's of drinks to choose from, staff all amazing, very clean.

Very nice. Our second visit. Friendly staff, tasty roast beef dinner, good value. Definitely go back.

Had a lads dinner here on our Scottish Trip. We booked for the following evening but our holiday company screwed up our hotel. It meant we had to find a hotel in England, so cancelled the booking. We were disappointed, and they weren't pleased!

Excellent food and beer, very efficient and excellent service. The kitchen was due to close shortly when we walked in but they managed to accomodate 11 of us.

Always good food/atmosphere here. Friendly staff.

Lovely people, lovely food, 'nuff said

Cavens lovely night with friends meal and staff lovely

Excellent food, service, and atmosphere a must visit, we will be going again 👍.

Excellent as always. Apart from being asked too many times if everything was alright!

This place was amazing, the staff have been great, very accomadating to walk in on a very busy Saturday night. Food was excellent would recommend coming here if in Dumfries, I for one will definitely visit again

Waited 45 minutes for food after ordering it,people who came in after us were finished their meal before ours came,the food was not that great, on the upside the manager took money of our bill

Food great, very large menu, spoiled for choice. Great staff extremely friendly and helpful. Very big portions. Will definitely go back and would highly recommend.

Die Veganen Würste mir Sauce waren sehr lecker Criffle Chicken war sehr gut die Chips bei dem Chicken rochen sehr stark nach Fisch sehr wahrscheinlich werden sie im gleichen Öl gemacht wie die Fische von Fish and Chips

I was so impressed by the Caven's Arms, it was recommended to me as one of the best places to get quality "pub food" and it really delivered on this! We visited twice for evening meals on a recent visit to Dumfries. The menu offers a range of delicious classic meals, such as fish and chips, burgers, macaroni cheese, vegetable lasagne, vegan sausages . . .there was an impressive range of daily specials and desserts such as banoffee pie, sponge pudding with custard, strawberry and apple crumble, cheesecake and vegan options. The quality of the food meant that it was great value for money too. The portions were generous and the chips were divine! Staff were helpful, busy at work but they did not neglect any table and all of our fellow customers looked contented, relaxed and cheerful. This meant that there was a lovely atmosphere and the decor is traditional (in a good way!) and welcoming. I would gladly return and recommend the Caven's Arms to anyone.

Recommended by our taxi driver John. What recommendation the food and service we had was excellent. Staff very attentive and the haggis superb. Lovely cooked fresh food.

Excellent pub food at a reasonable prices Excellent real ale Very obliging and accommodating, friendly staff especially as a single traveller

Really excellent “home-cooked” food. Service could have been more attentive but I would definitely dine here again 👌🏽

Great food welding friendly staff lovely treat whilst catching up with friends

Lovely meal excellent service. Very busy but still managed to keep everyone fed in reasonable time.

We arrived and asked for a table, although we hadn't booked we were able to get seated with a small wait so it was nice of the staff to accommodate us. The service was really good although a bit strange that we had 4 or 5 different staff check on us, everyone was really nice, helpful and polite. Food and atmosphere was very typical of what you expect from a decent pub, no complaints but nothing special. We did come for Sunday roast but it had sold out by the time we got there, our own fault really as we probably arrived around 5.15pm but was still a little disappointed. All in all, not a bad place to eat out.

Recommended by a very helpful assistant in the B&M store, and they were not wrong. Could not have asked for better service and food even when they were rushed off their feet with a full pub of customers. Thanks to all in the Craven Arms.

Can't fault this great bar, great food and also a fantastic choice of beers, fantastic menu and food as stated. We were recommended to try this restaurant and were happy to find it lived up to the reviews we were given, the staff are very friendly and very attentive and helpful and more than happy to go that extra mile no matter how busy the bar gets. Well done guys.

Fish,chips mushy peas bread & butter just the best.

The haggis, neeps and tatties here were delicious and they have some great ales on tap too.

The portions are massive. If you are having a starter, you're not having a dessert! Overall the food is fantastic and to top it off, Belhaven Best on draught! Look at my other reviews to see where I've been!

Every time I come to the caverns for a meal the food is fantastic the service is amazing. I had the mozzarella omelette and my friends both had the Sunday lunch. We all agreed the foods excellent and we all enjoyed the experience. Great value well worth a visit I highly recommend the caverns. Just perfect

Every time I come to the caverns, I am always impressed with the quality and freshess of the food, tastes amazing the staff are fantastic. Well worth a visit I don't think you will be disappointed 🙂

Outstanding food. The food was fantastic quality and excellently cooked in generous portions. The staff were friendly in this cosy family run establishment. All areas were clean and well maintained. This is good quality for money. I highly recommend this establishment and I will be visiting again.

The service was good despite being busy, with a great selection of tasty food.

Great for food. Serves a range of classic pub dishes which are nicely done with a few quirky specials. Range of steaks, burgers but also good lasagna, fish etc. Some veggie and vegan options,Generous portions (don't have a starter if you even want to contemplate pudding and you may struggle with to get there even if you just have a main). Reasonably priced cost only a few quid more than the 'Spoons up the road but better quality and bigger portions. Great choice of real ales (worthy CAMRA best pub in Dumfries in the past) but more a pub for eating than drinking in. On-line booking for tables I'd recommend especially for weekend as this is very popular place to eat

Really tasty home cooked food. Well worth diverting off route on our way home from Glasgow for. Good selection of whisky and real ale. Spotlessly clean.

Well where do I start with this company....so they employed my daughter & when she was due to return after maternity had no job suitable for her to return too but had the cheek to ask her to hand in a letter of resignation or she wouldn't get the 23 days holiday pay she was legally entitled too, citizens advice were contacted & she eventually got her money, we later found out she's not the only person this has happened too, they seem to like withholding other peoples money & as if that's not bad enough they are now slating a decent reliable employee to customers, staff & even taxi drivers and in a small town like Dumfries it gets back to you eventually, so this is a word of warning to think twice when applying for a job here in the future, I would upload pictures of the text messages but I'll leave it for now

Great place with fabby staff, Michelle should be promoted just for her warmth and professional service, a great barperson and really good member of staff. A joy to speak to and great at her job!!

Lovey big portions of tasty food

Friendly staff, great tasty food

Really enjoyed our meal here - best gammon steak I'd had for a long time and great range of other meals veggie or otherwise. Large range of cask ale too, some very rare in that part of Scotland. Great atmosphere - helped very much by Gary's excellent choice in selecting the gentle background music (which we enjoyed). Not expecting to return to Dunfries but if we did would certainly go here. Good value too. Don't miss it.

Presentation was poor having to pay indefidule items.

Lovely place, and the mac cheese is something else 😋 good value for money. Really liked it...

As a vegetarian it was good to see more choices on the menu would like it if there was some on the Specials menu too only thing was with being in a wheelchair and the table was sat at there was such a cold draft.

Whilst in Dumfries we thought we would have some lunch, The Caven Arms was rated so in we went, good welcome from friendly staff, the pub was warm and cosy, the food was fabulous and plentiful, the main course was enough. Food was fresh tasty and plentiful, my ribeye was cooked to perfection, the chips were a welcome surprise and very tasty. The chicken chiffel was tasty with just the right amount of spice. All staff were helpful and friendly, we will definitely be back

Lovely food and amazing service. Will definitely be back! The staff were constantly checking if we had enough drinks and the food was to die for.

Good food good service and good atmosphere

Really busy and noisy, seated opposite the bar. Men shouting and noisy, not a friendly atmosphere. Food was ok but overpriced.

Lovely place to eat. They do small portions, which was great for me today.

Excellent venue, nice bit of space for private conversation, food was good, service good. I will visit here again, the veggie menu was good as well.