Kirkcudbright Bay Hotel in Dumfries & Galloway

2nd Visit - I stayed this time at Kirkcudbright Bay Hotel for three nights. A mixed experience. The best about the hotel is the food....exceptional, tasty. I had the fish and chips which was breaded in panco breadcrumbs which was super crispy and super delicious. Breakfast was hot tasty and traditional though the cereal selection was limited. The downside to my stay was my room (No.1).....comfortable and warm but very dated and had an alarmingly large amount of extensions. I'm a technical person so that was a bit concerning. Even though the website says the room are serviced daily you have to advise the staff prior which I missed the first night. Another slight thing even though I knew this prior, is they don't do evening meals on Tues/Wed which is a pain if your struggling to get booked in somewhere else. 9/10 for food, 6/10 for remainder. 1st Visit - I popped in for an evening meal and wasn't disappointed. Friendly staff, well cooked, tasty steak pie and a cracking pint of IPA. Will look at staying here in the future. A++++

Just called in for a quick pint, staff were lovely. Had a nice pint of Best Bitter. My boy (dog) was treated like Royalty 🐕 Thank you

Very helpful friendly staff, great food and drinks, good atmosphere.

Fantastic lunch with friends. What a transformation this hotel has gone through. Will be returning here soon. Cullen Skink was tasty. My sea trout with steam vegetables, accompanied by a home made tartar sauce was fab.

Good friends meeting for a Sunday lunch. Food was cooked to perfection. Staff were super friendly. Cosy, would definitely recommend at this time of year.

Fantastic meal would recommend to anyone.

Stopped in for a quick bite to eat. Food was fantastic. Dessert was bomb!! Server was super friendly. Would recommend to anyone visiting.

The place was spotless, and the staff were incredibly friendly, taking the time to explain everything in detail. If you’re after a quiet night, I recommend booking the rooms upstairs since some noise from the restaurant can be heard in the rooms below. It wasn’t an issue for us as we are heavy sleepers, but it’s something to keep in mind for lighter sleepers. Overall, we had a pleasant stay and appreciated the clean environment and warm hospitality! Also served breakfast.

Great little pub that got quite busy. Friendly staff and good selection of drinks. We only stayed for one drink, but worth a visit

Excellent bar and restaurant, very dog friendly. Food was excellent as was the service.

As a local I’ve visited the Bay many times over the years throughout the many different owners/chefs - but the current ones are top class. We stopped off for Sunday lunch with our 2 year old (never usually a fun experience to eat out with). The waitress was so friendly and extremely helpful, offering toddler cutlery (may not seem like a lot but little things like that are appreciated when eating out). The food was delicious. I had the chicken dish wrapped with bacon with a peppercorn sauce and veg. My partner the beef Sunday roast (beef is his least favourite roast and he even said he never chooses beef but thoroughly enjoyed it) and my 2 year old had a good old cheeseburger with some chips. (Also very tasty) Perfect sized portion for his age too so didn’t seem like too much waste when they came to clear the table. Would definitely recommend and return!

Nice pub big outside beer garden

Can't rate the rooms as we only had a meal. Quality food at a decent price. Service was fantastic, highly recommend

Booked the day before and we are pleased we did,because it was fully booked when we arrived. We had drinks in the snug before we were shown to our table by the friendly waitress. I had the steak pie and hubby had the beef burger, it was delicious and so tasty. And looking at the other tables everyone else thought the same about their meal. Empty plates all round. This place is a great find and we will definitely return couldn't fault it

Really nice meal the 2 girls who served us were very attentive..⁰

This is a fantastic spot! Great location, great food and lovely rooms. The building is older, but the charm and the service outweigh anything you might find to nitpick about the building. Also, there is a bar downstairs but it was only a little loud on Saturday night and only till 11, we didn’t find it a problem. Hot Breakfast was included and was very yummy. We had dinner all three nights at the restaurant and loved each night. The service was so phenomenal that we have no reservations giving this a very high recommendation. If you miss this place, you’ll definitely be missing out!!

Right in the centre of Kirkcudbright, this is a lovely hotel . Room was actually a suite with bedroom, sitting room ( both with smart tv's) tea/coffee making facilities. Nice addition was a fridge in sitting room. Lovely people, (staff and locals) Scottish breakfast was very nice too!

7 of us ate here for an evening meal whilst visiting Kirkcudbright for the weekend. Was a bit worried as restaurant was very quiet when we arrived although we were eating fairly early. Should not have been concerned, service from start to finish from the lovely smiling waitress could not have been better. Starters took a bit of time to come out but we were not in a hurry and were all delicious. 2 steaks, 2 chicken schnitzel, steak pie, and two fish dishes were all cooked to perfection. My sea trout from the specials board was visually so pleasing on my plate it seemed a shame to eat it!! It tasted every bit as good as it looked!! Some of us managed puddings - not quite sure how we did it. Restaurant was full by this time too and there was a nice buzz about the place. Bill for 7 plus wine and other drinks was very reasonable!! I rarely write reviews but felt compelled to do so on this occasion given the excellent food and service we received. Our compliments to the chef and waiting staff. This is exactly how Scottish hospitality should be.

Brilliant friendly staff and a nice meal. We would visit again

Food was great and service was fast. I did have an issue with a member of staff. The lady serving with the funny eyebrows was very rude. I asked when I arrived if there was a chair with a back rather then a stool and there wasn’t as the pub was full. This was understandable. However later on when considering to stay for desert I noticed the pub was very empty and there was many free chairs. Rather than helping myself I asked if it would be okay to grab a chair to sit on. The woman said no as she was ‘preparing for breakfast’ I have issues with my back and decided to get a chair anyway as I would put it back. She then picked up another with a face on, slammed it into the place of the one I had taken and was very rude . Extreemly disappointed

Lovely food, friendly staff, great service

Loved our room number one, very spacious, but with an old world charm, huge bed and huge TV !! Would definitely return if in area again. We found this particular town a delight.

Friendly and welcoming with good , reasonably priced food

We enjoyed a few drinks here in the beer garden and we had a beautiful meal also outside as our pet pooch Rosie comes with us every where the hot dog meal is to die for

Fantastic bar with super friendly barmaid. Good wine and very cozy.

Beautiful place to stay lovely atmosphere and great staff

Such a lovely discovery here tonight. First visit to this dog friendly pub and such a warm welcome! Three ladies behind the bar who looked after us( and our dogs) so well. I had Cullen Skink….delicious! Great local beer too. All in all, really impressed and will visit again on our next stay in D and G. A great little place this.

Went here for evening meal twice while on holiday near Kirkcudbright. Dog friendly, delicious food and really friendly service.

Nice friendly cosy pub on a wet afternoon

Fantastic food, great atmosphere and lovely people. Will be going back 🙂

We had a good meal here in a comfortable setting in the conservatory area at the rear of the hotel. We were made very welcome by the friendly owner, and Jenny’s sea bass and my spinach mushroom and pesto lasagne were both very tasty. We just had a little space left for a chocolate orange torte to share… A good place to eat, with straightforward quality food and conveniently right in the town centre. Deservedly popular.

Service was excellent. The food was very hit and miss. I’m not sure if they had kitchen shortages that night … but even so. My husband had nachos (what could go wrong?) … there was an overwhelming taste of smoked paprika … he could barely eat them. The cheese was the cheap squeezy cheese (like you’d get in a cinema) … not appropriate standard you’d expect if you’re eating out. How hard is it to melt some grated cheese?? I had bread with creamy mushrooms for a starter … the creamy mushrooms could be barely found in the sauce. The bread was cheap white bread toasted and cut into quarters and put on the plate. I had chicken schnitzel which came with a creamy mushroom sauce. The sauce was exactly what has been served in the starter. The chicken schnitzel was not a chicken schnitzel … it was (badly) breaded breast of chicken. These faults were all very basic faults … not what you expect when you eat out. The staff serving were very good … the food was nowhere near their standards.

we visited today for lunch. great welcome from staff who were also most kind to our dog. food was lovely with a good wide menu choice. would definitely recommend!!

had a lovely weekend here, staff were lovely and the breakfast was amazing. Lovely room and very friendly place to stay. would ot hesitate to go back.

Nice pint good crack with staff and other customers 👍

We love coming into The Bay, my partner and I regularly come in when we can and it's always a warm welcome. Lisa, Nish and the staff are fantastic. On the occasion we bring our dog in, she is always made very welcome too!

We visited the hotel bar a few times during our break in Kirkcudbright. We were always warmly welcomed by the proprietors and the other patrons. Great craic with some lovely down-to-earth people. Very reasonably priced drinks. Will definitely go back when we return to the town.

Called in just for drinks. Warm welcome good craic nice beers. Small rooms but space to accommodate you was easily done by staff and locals

Just had evening dinner ,steak pie lovely dinner ,staff was very friendly helpful Thankyou

We had a delicious meal with the family in this bar restaurant, staff friendly and helpful, facilities spotless, dogs are allowed but only in the snug, good choice of beers and wines, would definitely recommend, thanks for a lovely experience

Great hotel, Nish and Lisa are amazing hosts, made our stay fabulous . Beautiful area lots of fab tea rooms ..Breakfast and main meal in hotel outstanding...met lots of friendly people

One of only a few places in Kirkcudbright that has a restaurant, which is sad really. The service is ok, the food is good, reasonably priced. The staff are friendly and tentative. The restaurant is at the back of the hotel, which could do with some decoration improvements. 7/10

The first time we went here the staff were friendly and the meal was tasty... We went in again, during the week. What a let down! We had garlic mushrooms and Cullen Skink.... NO garlic in a wishy washy cream sauce. ( the same sauce (peppercorn) as what was on the steak the evening before!.. The soup again was the same sauce with halved new potatoes and a minute amount offish in). Then we had chicken breast stuffed with haggis, + wrapped in bacon. With yet MORE of the wishy washy sauce. The staffs attitude had changed as well, not friendly at all.

Excellent service and friendly staff located in the centre of town with an outdoor area to drink and eat.

Great food ,great prices, very friendly staff . Went here whilst on holiday ,the food was so nice we went back a second time

It was the first time we had been to The Bay since the new owners took over. The last time we were there we were not at all impressed!We were pleasantly surprised with the menu, even though it was reduced due to covid. The haggis fritters and black pudding bonn bonns starter was a meal in itself. The burger was thick and juicy, cooked perfectly with a basket of crispy chips. My wife enjoyed her macaroni cheese, albeit it was penne not macaroni!Staff were pleasant and covid procedures were in place. We will return shortly.

We passed by outside thinking this place looked like it would probably serve standard freezer-to-geezer breadcrumbed goujons but were forced back by necessity. It was our good fortune. The service was relaxed and friendly, even though they were under covid pressure from all angles. The food was really, really good. If a freezer was in any way involved it was very well concealed. The haggis fritters were freshly fried and delicious (unlike their miserable cousins we have“enjoyed” elsewhere in town). The mackerel with horseradish cream was a revelation. The steak was perfectly cooked. Honestly worth a visit. We will definitely go back. Thankyou to the staff for accommodating us at late notice and making us feel so welcome.

I've just had the best burger 🍔 ever and I'm not a burger person but will definitely get another. The staff are excellent very friendly well worth a visit

Called in on the off chance of sitting down and were lucky. This place didn't show up on Google Maps so were glad to walk past it. The owner recommended a locally produced beer which was really good. The restaurant looked busy and we would like to try it if we are in the area again.

good food and friendly staff, all covid rules adhered to, , clean relaxing , like the 1 way system that has been put in place .

This is a great place to visit for a drink. Very welcoming and very reasonably priced. The owners were doing much of the work themselves and deserve to be supported. Make sure you pop in if in the area

Had a wee cheeky night away, we're a wee bit nervous about covid 19 but found the whole stay, very professional, we stayed in room 1, huge modern, very comfortable. the evening meal was lovely, particularly the Cullen skink, a meal. In itself. I always lopk at the small details, had simple fish and chips, nicely presented,but so tasty, but the tartar sauce was fantastic, 10 out of 10 can't wait to go back

Disappointing visit. Menu very limited (understandable due to COVID-19 situation). All food was very bland - no seasoning at all. Inaccurate description of some dishes - ‘meat tacos’ was actually mince and tatties in a taco... no spice and very little flavour. Sweet chilli chicken was more like a sweet and sour sauce. Battered chicken tasted like fish - perhaps tainted by using the same oil?Overall did not meet expectations at all! Would not recommend. Only meal out of our trip and it was a waste.

A lovely place in the heart of Kirkcudbright, very welcoming, great service and the food! The Chicken Caledonian I had was amazing as were the chips. Dogs are allowed in the bar area and there is a bigger restaurant at the back.

Lovely little hotel. Warm clean and spacious rooms. Wonderful friendly staff who presented mum with a beautiful handmade birthday card when they realised it was her birthday trip away. (Thank you Shirley J!)

Very good food and good service too. The meal was very good value for money. There was a nice atmosphere and the bar staff were friendly and helpful.

4 Christmas lunches , 3 berry crumbles an a Baileys cheesecake. The Turkey lunch was delicious and plentiful, no complaints from anyone and clean plates all round. The berry crumble was delicious, slightly tart but definitely modish. The cheesecake was a picture in a plate and scrumptious.The waiting staff were lovely and polite.Well done Kirkcudbright Bay. I’ll certainly be back and will certainly recommend!

Had Christmas dinner there recently and it was delicious, clean plates had by us all! The food was tasty and plenty on the plate. The waitress was lovely and attentive. We decided just to have 2 courses as we wanted to enjoy the dessert and we weren't disappointed. We all had the mulled fruit crumble which was great too.Would definitely recommend this establishment and would go back to try more of their food.

Every time I come to Kirkcudbright we end up in here for food either dinner or lunch it's brilliant haggis bonbon to start is to die for steak Diane pie even better

We popped into the small, dog-friendly bar in the hope of a bar meal. We received a warm welcome from the bar staff, the locals were friendly and the waiting staff were smiley and friendly too. Our food was delicious; steak pie and slow-cooked belly pork with perfectly cooked vegetables and well-presented, so glad we came here.The exterior of the building does not do the rest of the place justice and in fact if we hadn't had a chat with a couple earlier in the day who told us how good the food was we may have passed by - to our detriment! Next time we visit Kirkcudbright we will definitely eat here. One other comment; I hope that the delightful waiting staff who brought our food washed their hands after fondling our dogs.

Had lunch in this place and went through Snug to restaurant. lovely choices, with light bites and choices for children. Steak Pie and chicken caledonia were chosen, with chicken goujons for kiddies freshly cooked. What a wonder memory of a grey day in Kirkcudbright.

Friendly staff definitely helped this restaurant but the smell of fat cooking and lack of ventilation in the conservatory restaurant detracted from the experience. The menu was basic and the fish tasteless which surprised us because of the fishing industry near at hand.

we enjoyed our visit here for dinner. Slightly long wait for our meals to arrive however big portions and very tasty food! Would definitely recommend a visit.

I have been to the Restaurant a few times recently and have never been disappointed. The hotel is a heritage building and has been well decorated considering the problems elderly buildings have. It is clean and well kept. Friendly staff and good choice of food . The lightbites are extremely tasty and chefs specials are great value as is all the food.

Myself and my partner visited the bay this evening for dinner. After placing our order, we were served our started of haggis balls which had obviously been cooked in the same fryer as fish was being cooked as it had a distinct fishy taste. The haggis was placed on a ‘mustard sauce’ which was essentially just wholegrain mustard dolloped on the plate, along with a side salad which was wilted.

Havng had a drink here and spoken to someone who had eaten here twice we thought we would try for food.Big mistake.No staff and had to ask for cutlery!

We had a nice meal, friendly, welcoming staff, with excellent company and very friendly locals. The price was reasonable and we will definitely visit again.

We went on sat for a meal just 4 of us. To start with we had to ask when they are taking our drink order, they then forgot one drink. Wr ordered food and after 1 hour 15 mins still waiting we asked what was the hold up and what seen to be the manager was rude and ignorant and never found out. We then heard others around complaining and asking for the food to be removed due to overcooked they offered no alternative or replacement. Food when arrived was average.If the guy is the manager he needs to go on a customer service course and we will not go back again.

We have been visiting this hotel for many years for lunch. We have always had a lovely, well cooked and generous meal. Sadly, when we visited last Tuesday the portion was very small, the chips were crispy and hard and looked to be the last ones fried (even though it was only 12:30) and the haddock goujons had very crispy batter and were over fried and dry on the inside. A real disappointment. After many years we will now have to look for somewhere new to visit for lunch !

We called with a small person and dogs wanting food. Dogs are allowed in the bar area but not children, children are allowed in the restaurant but not dogs. We opted to sit outside in the bar garden which offered no shelter from the rain when it started. Quick dash to the car with the dogs thankfully it wasn’t hot. The food was ok and the decor in the dining room is dated

We have just been on holiday to Kirkcudbright and had a few drinks in here. Dog friendly in the bar but it was lovely weather so we sat outside, good choice of seating areas, prices good and beer was lovely. Export on tap isn't something you see often! Lovely staff, would definitely recommend!

4 of us went for a meal the service and the meal were excellent if we visit Kirkudbright again this will be our first port of call.

Called in on 'spec' for dinner. At first they appeared to be full but they found us a table which I think had been reserved but maybe they hadn't turned up. All of the staff were very pleasant and helpful, and when I requested cream instead of ice cream with my chosen dessert, they were only too happy to oblige.

Chose to eat in the ´snug´ as it was cosier on a rainy evening. All three main dishes were very good with a trio of veg. cooked to perfection. Unfortunately for the beer drinkers the guest beer was off but, apart from that, there were no complaints. Pleasant service and great value.

Ate here three times during our weeks stay in a cottage in Kirkcudbright because we have eaten here in the past. All of the dishes are great and there is a good variety. Well done. The only reason I didn't give them an excellent score is because one of the waitresses was a but abrupt.

Amazing as always. The best place in town, the only place we go for family and friends meals and we are from the town

Doesn’t look much from outside and we almost walked past but was pleasantly surprised by the food, good local pub, had a very tasty Cullen skink and sandwich and my husband had a steak pie and chips which he said was very good, lots of chunks of beef and plenty of gravy, some nice things on the menu, definitely worth a visit.

lovely place. The bar is very tiny but the locals are very welcoming and involve you in their banter and chatter. Felt very much at ease and comfortable. The restaurant food was delicious and the staff extremely friendly and helpful.

First of all , service was excellent and very friendly. Fillet steaks were ordered medium well, turned out to be very, very well done....however quality of the meat was very good so steaks were not awfully dry. Portions are good size, not only ours but also the ones were carried to other tables. Dining room is quite dated, would need some renovation. But as I understood, they are going to do exactly that. All in all, pleasant dinner but no huge thrills either.

Visited on Spring Bank Holiday and it was busy. The staff coped very well with the surge of diners. Our scampi and chips was excellent and very freshly cooked. Don't tell anyone about the shortbread biscuits because they are to die for.

We had lunch there last Saturday. One of our party was in a wheelchair so I asked if they could provide a suitable table with easy access. This was done without difficulty or fuss. We were able to easily access the dinning room through the side/garden entrance.

Lovely little surprise of a restaurant. When we went the first time it was through the week so it was quiet. Meals were really tasty, good quality and very reasonably priced and the homemade fries were brilliant. A 2 course meal for 4 people with soft drinks came to approx £65. The sticky toffee pudding was light and airy so demolishing the whole plate was easy.

Light atmosphere and very clean room, the staff were very friendly and nothing was too much bother, I would not hesitate to recommend this hotel for its cleanliness and friendly staff

I meant to put this review on earlier, I always go to the 'Bay' whenever I come home, it was great to meet the new owners, very welcoming and as always had a great night, didn't eat on this occasion but I can honestly recommend the food and I'm admittedly a fussy eater but I have never had a bad meal. I just had the beer, hope to go back again this week before I head off back to work.

Dropped in here whilst visiting the area for the day and so glad we did. Even though it was after 2pm and the kitchen was closing we weren't turned away.

Looking forward to long slow roasted belly pork with mash and veg what I got was three large undercooked tough lumps of fat with meat,so tough I had to ask for a sharp knife....did not work left the lot..turnip was nice

I’ve been a regular at the bay for past few years but unfortunately the portion sizes have dropped that much it’s not worth traveling for. Today we came in for lunch and I would avoid ordering off the lite bite menu. My 1 year old still looked hungry after her macaroni. Staff are lovely as always but unfortunately not worth the money

Visited here with my boyfriend for my birthday after trying several restaurants in the local area to find they were all shut on a Tuesday.

Two friends and I had a really good midweek meal here. The restaurant was warm and cosy on a cold night, welcoming, spotless and relaxing. The pub fare food was both tasty and plentiful and the staff who served us were very professional. We will be going back and definitely recommend.

We’ve had two delicious meals here on our four day visit to Kirkcudbright and can’t recommend it enough. Staff so friendly and great food,.

Friendly service and good food. The selection was good and all our meals were delicious. You will neither leave hungry nor penniless. This was good food at an affordable price in a lovely no nonsense atmosphere. We loved it.

4 of us booked in for lunch, this was our first visit but it certainly wont be the last.

Great restaurant. Staff excellent and food the same. Quite large portions so beware having the soup for starters. All in all this is a place to return to. Great bar at the front.

Popped into the Bay Hotel for lunch on Sunday, in a nutshell good food well cooked piping hot, Good choice on the menu, specials board or light bites, well priced big helpings, table service quick and staff polite and helpful would have no hesitation to dine there again when passing the town

The Bay, formerly the Commercial, has kept its place as one of the best places for good, honest pub food in Kirkcudbright. The menu has plenty to choose from and the helpings are still enormous like they used to be! Next time I'm home, I know where I'll be going! Thank you.

Popped in with our 2 dogs made welcome in bar ,very social place. Lunch ordered as shared platter,superb selection and well presented.well recommended.

We visited this establishment for lunch today. We has fish and chips and their scallops en croute dish. Fish and chips were delightful. The scallops dish however was quite far off the mark. The pastry was not wholly cooked, the bisque was a distant relative of any proper fish bisque and the roasted veg were boiled and steamed and had lost their flavour. Potatoes are what they are, ok but the amount coupled with the veg were just not enjoy full.

Went to the Bay for a few pints and a meal, I'm very fussy about food but my word what a meal, what a portion well worth every penny I shall be returning next month, even though I live not very far from the establishment, unfortunately I work away so I can't get there as much as I would want to. If you are ever in Kirkcudbright and you require refreshments and food you won't go wrong here. By the way, the staff are very pleasant and welcoming, I can't wait to go back........

Popped into the Bay for some lunch during a recent holiday.

Had a wonderful lunch here, staff wonderful, extremely helpful as was everyone we met in Scotland. We had lite bites, which were a little larger than you would get in the area where we live, I had chicken goujons with lovely batter and salad.