Chainmail Restaurant in Dumfries & Galloway

This restaurant is part of Smiths hotel at Gretna Green. We were in the final days of our holiday in Scotland and wanted to have a special meal. We were staying at the hotel and saw this had good reviews. Well it didn’t disappoint. It was good that you could pick and mix from the a la carte menu and the bar menu. Every course was very good. Because we had courses from both menus I didn’t think it was too expensive. The service was good although it was very busy with other events going on. The staff were kept busy but were still attentive to our needs. Would recommend if you want something special or just for an evening meal.

Great food, lovely fresh and not too expensive. Dined here on our 2 night stay, pity hotel wasn't that good

Had 2 meals here in the restaurant and both were excellent. Food hot and really good choice of dishes. Prices were reasonable and the service from staff was excellent. Highly recommend.

My husband and I were looking forward to returning for a meal here, 10 years on from the day we married, as our steaks on that night were of the best we have ever eaten! The food was still excellent, though sorry to say, not quite as top notch as before, but that is typical of steak I guess! Service was excellent and nothing to fault at all. Would highly recommend to eat here, pricey, but quality :-)

Nice restaurant in the Smith's Hotel. Food was very good and the service was friendly and prompt. Unsurprisingly there was a wedding party in when we visited but the place is quite upmarket and it wasn't at all rowdy

The menu in The Chainmail Restaurant is amazing, lots to choose from. The food is cooked to perfection and delicious. Highly recommended

Food is good - just have a lot of patience when ordering. Waited for over 1 hour for dinner to be served at 6 in the evening.

It was out 4th anniversary so we decided to head back up to where it all took place!! A lovely meal was had in this resturant, garlic and cheese bread to share for start, hubs had the Punjab chicken tikka , which he loved.. and I had the rump steak. All were very nice.. Great selection of drinks at the bar, would recomend.

Positives:-Staff were / are magnificent, very polite and seem to genuinely care about the product and service that goes with it-Lovely setting, very cosy and welcoming-CleanNegatives:-The A la Carte was way overpriced for what it was-Food well cooked, but not hot enoughWe would come again, but stick to the bar menu. As stated, the staff are great, thank you to them.

We stayed here because it was convenient for us getting married the following day across the road. It is just an average hotel that. The room we had was tired with scuff marks and a well used feel to it. In my opinion the hotel does try very hard, but I think service and quality is being missed. We ate in the chainmail restaurant only to be faced with 4 or 5 menus! Each with a vast range on offer, we had lasagne and sausage and mash, neither were that exciting or tasty, hot plate but lukewarm food. I’m in business myself and would hate to receive a poor review but I hope this review is taken as helpful.

We went for our wedding blessing meal the food and service were second to npne we were made to feel so special i had the sea bream which was amazing and presented so beautifully my husband had steak and haggis pie which he said was fantastic we would recomend this restaurant to anyone

We had a lovely meal for our 1st Wedding Anniversary on the 27th August. 2017 Staff were excellent. The only downside was a loud mouthed guest in the dining room you could only hear him even when we walked from the dining room to the front door he could still be heard goodness knows what he must be like on an aeroplane did complain to staff who said they would address it ?

Family and I stayed the night before my wedding. The food was great and staff very attentive. Would recommend.

Lovely staff and brilliant food. we were able to choose from two menus and mix between the two. Everything tasted good and was beautifully presented. The noodle meal was unusual and so tasty as was the rhubarb and ginger dessert. would fully recommend.

Went to try the new menu tonight (24th April) and was certainly not disappointed, the food was absolutely first class IMO,

Food was fantastic and a warm and friendly atmosphere. The meals were good and reasonably priced, clean and well served.

Si te gusta comer bien o simples comidas entonces no te decepcionará. Comimos de menú a la carta y la comida era excelente y a un precio razonable para la calidad que sirvieron, real principal estándar chef. El personal era muy atento, sin ser una molestia. Bueno no encontrar defectos en cualquier campo y que si alojarme en el hotel o cerca.

Realmente disfrutamos de nuestras comidas en el día de la boda, menú y la comida fabulosa que recibimos fue fuera de este mundo, mi favorito era el amuse. Obviamente chefs muy talentoso como cada campo estaba cocinado a la perfección y absolutamente deliciosa. No puedo...

We both enjoyed the meal we had, it was hot and beautifully presented. Staff very Curtiss and helpful

we had rebooked a table as our BandB host thought the restaurant may be busy. we arrived early and were shown to a seat in the bar for a drink while we looked at the menu. Order was taken in the bar and after a few minutes we were shown to our table and served rolls and olive oil and condiments. our main courses ( no starters) arrived 40 minutes after ordering ( thank goodness for the rolls!!) The steaks were served exactly as stated on the menu, with mushrooms (2) and salad and a small stack of homemade chips. All very nice and tasty. Disappointingly , no one came to the table to see if our meal was ok ( it was !) but our drink glasses remained empty and no staff were around in the quiet restaurant, (only 4 other tables occupied) ( other rooms with weeding parties were busy though) After we had finished waited a while before being attended to and we ordered coffee which was well made..A nice meal, but table attention was poor and service slow.

Had a fantastic meal last night - we started with nachos to share - simple dish you may say but they were really really nice and a huge plateful - we then had fish and chips which is another easy dish Presentation was excellent and well worth it for £11 each - chips were hand cut and the band battered fish was thick and tasty . Everything served was high quality and couldn't be faulted - even the Merlot was perfect - only niggle was husband ordered a heavy shandy and got a pint of heavy ! That's a small niggle though .We both enjoyed our meal

Brilliant service, warm atmosphere - sumptuous sofas to snuggle in - everything including the food of course was lovely

Visited here for dinner on the evening of 16th October and was very impressed on the whole. A classy affair and a decent price overall for this quality of food (£31.50 for my starter, main and dessert). Decent surroundings and attentive staff, who looked after me throughout my meal. To begin with I was provided a very tasty amuse bouche of asparagus mousse together with being brought one of my best breads I have ever eaten before a meal with a choice of dips. This really set me up for my meal.The reason for giving a four rating rather than a five was down to my choice of starter, which was a twice-baked cheese souffle with butternut squash terrine. It tasted good, but I felt rather ripped off when I seen the size of the souffle (which was a small bob on a plate). When I order a souffle I expect one the size of the bread that I received as a starter, overflowing out of the pot and not a blob. I felt slightly cheated by this.However, the main and the dessert was outstanding. A chicken and haggis main course with haggis mousse, forest mushrooms and Diable sauce was executed well and hit the spot after the starter. The quality of the dessert was on the same level with an apple tarte tatin and an orange and cardomom ice cream.On the whole I was very impressed by the surroundings, quality of food, service and value, but the cheese souffle as a starter really needs to be worked upon. Don't scrimp and make it as big as it should be.

Great restaurant, lovely atmosphere and very friendly staff, I feel that the only downside was the menu, another restaurant that feels that it will impress you if they have a very up market menu, it would be nice if they just stuck with basic meals.

Had dinner in restaurant menu was the same as bar menu had to ask for the side dish of sauces that was supposed to arrive with meal Staff could do with some training as you would expect better service in Dining Room

The food here used to be better but has slowly been slipping, the potatoes were under cooked and everything was just okay, we were seated next to a draughty door in the chainmail restaurant with a loud wedding party coming in and out every 2 minutes for a smoke.

We dined at the Chainmail Restaurant in the evening after witnessing my best friends wedding. The A la Carte menu was very good albeit we did do little mixing and matching from the set menu also. The food was very good as was the atmosphere and ambiance. Well worth a visit.

Got married here last week, me the wife and two,kids and ate here both nights (there is no where else in Gretna Green at all!) have to say the food really is fantastic! Scallops are slightly on the pricey side but the mussels were plentiful and great, I had Moroccan goat- simply stunning! The only shame is there is no competition - you would think there would be a restaurant or two in Gretna.

We stayed at the hotel for 3 nights had breakfast each morning & an evening meals too. This was our third visit to the hotel.You have an excellent selection to chose from for breakfast & it all tastes good too.The food on an evening is a taste sensation, it looks beautiful & tastes even better than it looks if that was possible. We all loved everything & it certainly had the wow factor. They only thing I could say negative wise is the service was not as good as on previous visits, we had to wait on 2 nights at the entrance of the restaurant for over ten minutes no one seemed to be in charge looking after guests arriving. Also on 2 night we would of had a least one more bottle of wine with not be able to get anyone's attention. However the staff are very friendly & more that make up for the comment I have just made. It will not put us off returning as we do like the hotel & as I have mentioned the food is some of the best you will have the pleasure of eating, We have eaten at other 4 star & 5 star restaurants but none of them have beaten the food here they only place that has equalled it was on the Queen Mary 2.

From breakfast, through lunch and on to dinner, the food was truly amazing. Service in the, restaurant was quick and efficient as well. Quite expensive but well worth it. Best food I have had in a long time.

We ate here for 3 days & we could not fault a thing, breakfast, bar food, evening dinner & wedding meal - all delicious, hot & presented beautifully. Thank you to all involved & keep making that amazing Scottish tablet!

This restaurant is part of the Smiths hotel and we ate here for 2 days.Breakfasts were fantastic and possibly one of the best I have had for quality and great variety.The Ala carte food is typical small portions and my wife was not impressed with her choice of main although she loved her starter. The better option on this menu is the ribeye.The bar menu offers more normal meals and portion sizes

food was exceptional and varied served quickly and very attentive staff in a pleasant area and next to the bar for drinks after

Breakfast is buffet style and has a good range of food but not the best I have had, toaster seems to have either anaemic or burnt as settings and coffee not great so would opt for tea next time, pretty dark in the chainmail restaurant so could do with a little more lighting for the breakfast shift, but nice for evenings, service very good though. Worth taking the breakfast option if staying here as little better on offer nearby.

We went to Smiths on our last day in Gretna following our renewal of wedding vowsMy wife is a coeliac and after telling the waitress my wife's dietary requirements there was no problem in addressing her needs.I could go on ad infinitum praising the staff but will just say that they are a credit to the establishment.Keep up the good work guys and thanks.

Smith's need to seriously look at their bar menu! Very disappointing! Never changes! Decor also a bit grubby! Suggest a wee peek at some gastro pub menus for inspiration!!!

My wife had the pork terrine starter which had a delightful depth of flavours that worked very well, I had the smoked mackerel starter that was different to what I expected but very enjoyable all the same. Our mains were very good indeed. The John Dory was beautiful and the Duck dish sublime. The service was attentive and friendly. Our only mini gripes were the choice of music that was piped into the Restuarant and the lack of peanut butter in my peanut butter based pudding. Thank you

As A start to the first day of the New Year we Visited to enjoy the"Brunch".It was very good plenty goodies to choose from , you could start off with Full Scottish Breakfast, than go onto a roast dinner, would have to have a good appetite to accomplish all that, especially as there was desserts & cheese & Biscuits. we really enjoyed it, the staff could have been more welcoming, & looked a bit happier.

Sunday 05/10/2014We arrived at the restaurant and asked for a table of 4 in the Chainmail restaurant. The man at front of house pointed us to the lounge and we felt we had to comply as we had two children (older) with us and we weren't perhaps as smartly dressed as we should have been.It wasn't very busy at all, but we waited for 20 minutes before we were even brought a menu, and that was because my son asked for one. It was 35 minutes before we got our wine, which we had to confirm what we asked for because the waiter forgot, and when it arrived it was room temperature. It wasn't so bad because it came with a bucket of ice so it did improve with time.The melon and parma ham can without the parma ham and the bread came without butter. Nobody came to ask if everything was ok, not could we catch anyone's eye.The Sunday lunch was beautiful but there was just not enough gravy, nor was there an opportunity to ask for more.When you're spending about £100 on a meal and wine, you expect to be looked after, and that we did feel that we were not. It's such a shame because the food we did get was really really nice, but not the 4* experience we are used to and have had before at Smith's.

We booked here for a special meal following renewing our vows at the famous blacksmiths shop. The meal was a joke from start to finish we were first given the bar menu and a tea time menu and were told this was what was on offer as we were in between sittings I wasn't told this when I rang to book but we chose something from the tea time menu I ordered the soup which was leek and potato it was terribly bland and not seasoned whatsoever. My husband and myself had ordered steaks for our main course and were asked how we wanted them cooked we both said medium rare, when they came they were both well done to which I told the waiter he took them away apologised and said they would rectify it within five minutes two more steaks came out and they were blue and still cold in the middle! The waiter was again told they were now severely undercooked again he apologised and told us it would be sorted out we then waited and waited and waited our children had finished their meals ages ago and we were so fed up of the wait which was at least 30 minutes that we were just about to walk out and forget about the meal altogether the steak was finally cooked medium rare but the meat was fatty and of poor quality and the peppercorn sauce was nothing more than gravy with peppercorns thrown in! The chips were also hard and undercooked and the plates were cold. The whole experience put a dampner on our special day and it was later brought to our attention that the chef that obtained the two AA rosette status for the restaurant hadn't worked there in two years! It doesn't deserve it's ranking when they can't even cook a simple steak especially when it wasn't even busy I would not recommend this restaurant nor return here again

food and wine and service great! have had nicer puddings. Also had breakfast I here, great selection and all well cooked.

We stayed at the hotel and booked into the restaurant we are so pleased we did.From the moment we went into the lounge the service was first class with nothing being too much trouble for the staff. We had cocktails before our meal which started the evening off well. Before our starters arrived we was treated with a treat from the chef amuse bouche and fresh baked bread board, which was just delightful. When our starters arrived wow what a delight in presentation and taste, we all enjoyed every mouthful. The mains again looked and tasted fantas , my mother and father in law had the beef cooked 3 ways with each one tasting differen , my partner had the sea bass which he loved, I had a steak it was cooked to perfection. We all had a deserts another taste sensation.To give the food 10 out of 10 just doesn't do it justice , this was one of the best meals we all have ever had the pleasure of eating and we all have been to some top restaurants around the world.Excellent food, wine and service dont pass the opportunity to eat here.

We ate here last night after reviewing our wedding vows - to be honest I was disappointed - the venue is lovely - modern and elegant - we had booked a booth - £30 but it was a special occasion and that's about as exciting as it got really. The food was okay - I had - I've actually forgotten it was that memorable - I do remember that my chicken was very dry and tough and my husband thought it had a 'tang' - I left most of it. No one asked us how the food was through out the whole evening, in fact we were probably ignored for most of it!! I know no one else thought it was special but we did and considering it cost £140 I should have been more special than it was !!!

All very well presented and exciting. I had beef inside my sprout! And we saw someones meal go out with a huge bubble on top. So random, lovely for a wedding day

We popped by Smiths Hotel for something to eat. We glanced at the menu and swiftly changed our mind. It is very pricey (£16 for risotto etc) go a couple of miles down the road to Kirkpatrick-Fleming to a place called The Mill and eat in the Mill Forge..... it's so much better!!

Fabulous food, great service. Not cheap but definitely get what you pay for. Fabulous steak one night and great lamb another. No complaints.

We got married at the Old Blacksmith's Shop and stayed at Smith's Hotel. The hotel restaurant is wrapped around a central bar and lounge area, so we got a private dining area for the two of us, but still got the atmosphere from the rest of the lounge and restaurant without it being obtrusive. The food and service were both excellent and really contributed to our wedding day. I couldn't fault anything really, and I'm a fussy restaurant diner! Gretna is the wedding capital of Scotland and you could be forgiven for thinking that you might find yourself on a 'wedding conveyor belt', nothing could be further from the truth. They've got the balance just right here.

The food was simply out of this world. Don't expect fast food and don't expect it to be cheap but do expect it expect great food.

My partner and I ate in the main restaurant once and then went back for a bar meal a few nights later.In both the food was excellent - as good as I have had in many fine dining establishments around Europe - I had an excellent haddock and squid to stat followed by the superb venison with cherries and chocolate .... then an excellent cheese trolley served up to our table and very good. My partner had the beef and then a chocolate dessert which I struggled to get a sample of as it was "too good to share".......The staff were attentive and knowledgeable about the menu - my request for extra crackers with my cheese being no trouble at all which is not always the reaction one gets - our thanks to Molly and her colleagues for an excellent evening which is why we returned for a bar meal.the bar menu was equally good - I had a burger which I "almost" could not finish - and certainly could not fit into my mouth as it was so big, my partner had the homemade lasagne which was certainly that - all served while we sat in sumptuous sofas and a lovely ambience.Very - VERY - good and if you are in Gretna and hungry I urge you to go.........

This restaurant inside Smiths Hotel is brilliant. I have eaten here twice now and the quality of the food and wines is exceptional.Dinner for 2 came out at £60 without wine last time. Not to be missed

A friend and I visited for an evening meal and the service was spot on, the food was very good, with little extras (such as different types of bread) being offered in a genuine attempt to make it very special. The menu is extensive and there's a stromng link with the local community by offering local food. As there was a large wedding going on at the same time (or possibly two weddings) I feared we might get slow service but no such thing it was fast, the food was hot and I cant fault it. Yes its on the expensive side but it was well worth it.

I would never ever reccomend this place to anyone food was cold and awful to put near my mouth staff were rude... Bad move

food very good top quality,but fine dining is expensive and small portions,ideal for a special occasion

visited this hotel for lunch on Monday 17th Feb 13.Asked the girl behind the bar for a table for two and was told to take a seat in the lounge area and she would get to me when she when she was free.Lighting very dim in the lounge area and without my glasses found it difficult to see the menu so i ventured closer to the bar for some extra light and was reminded that i was told to take a seat and she would assist me when free. We waited and watched while she chatted to some other staff members and folded some napkins and finally left without lunch.My advice to anyone using this hotel for any function is don't.Find somewhere else that employs staff that care about their job !!!