Provender in Scottish Borders

A friend who lives in the Borders recommended this fantastic restaurant in Melrose. It’s a bit tricky to find as it’s tucked away right beside the Coop. But what a find! Top class food at reasonable prices and friendly service. The food is locally sourced and the Venison was simply outstanding.Will definitely be going back to try more of their delicious food.

Nice place with friendly service, but on the pricey side

My review is a complaint about our recent experience at Provender Melrose restaurant, when my son experienced an anaphylactic reaction to ice cream served to him. I had booked a table for lunch for 5 people on Sunday 26th November, as a birthday celebration. When I phoned to book, I mentioned that my son had a nut allergy and was assured by the person who took my booking that this would be noted for both menu choices and potential cross contamination. When we arrived on the 26th, I again asked the staff whether they were aware of my son’s allergy and was assured by front of house staff that they were. As our plates from the main course were cleared, the waitress asked if we wanted dessert and mentioned specifically the ice-cream sundae to my son. As I was about to enquire if this was a nut free option, I was interrupted to be, again told, the restaurant would obviously make sure it was nut free. My son ordered one scoop of vanilla ice cream. Almost immediately after eating his ice cream, he started showing signs of an anaphylactic reaction. When we asked to see the ice-cream for allergens, we were shown a tub which had in unmissable, bold letters “may contain nuts”. Obviously, in the circumstance, our priority was to get our son to A&E. We took him to A&E, leaving one of our party behind who paid the bill. While the waitress was apologetic, I did not feel that your staff fully understood the enormity of this error – that, in fact, it could have been a fatal one. When it was pointed out to her that allergic reactions are life or death situations, the waitress said that the restaurant did take it seriously and that our son’s allergy had been noted and was on “all of the paper work”. It beggars belief that, not only can this error have been made, but that staff reserved the right to be indignant that all protocol had been followed – the only one which hadn’t was ensuring that nothing that potentially had nuts on it, was on my son’s plate. As an establishment, you clearly need to re-evaluate your systems so that the “paper work” and communication between front of house and kitchen staff, ensures that any allergy sufferer is kept safe – with no danger of being exposed to any allergen. I understand that Provender have now offered to fully refund the cost of the meal and have accepted responsibility for the incident – chiefly, that this ice cream should never have been served to my son. Unfortunately, however, the incident has ruined a family celebration and left us feeling a sense of trauma and fear about eating out. The fact that this mistake took place at all, and the blasé reaction of staff mean that I feel unsure whether I could trust Provender Melrose in the future, without reassurances of what steps will be taken to improve these issues. It appears clear that staff do not have adequate training in how seriously they need to take food allergies – if a product says it “may contain nuts”, it should be in no circumstances given to someone who is allergic to nuts – regardless of how “precautionary” the head chef feels these messages are, the labelling is there to make clear that nuts have been present in the production line and it is not safe for anyone who is allergic to them. The fact that this was initially used as a ‘get out’ from responsibility in a previous email response, is even more infuriating and makes clear that you and your staff are not taking allergies as seriously as you should be. Anyone who has lived with an allergy all their life should not need to be reminded of this. Since our experience the restaurant are now displaying a notice asking costumers to inform them of any allergies and food intolerance they have. We did this and still ended up at A&E.

Amazing food! We ate off of the set menu and the dishes were beautiful! Definitely recommend!

Just been for our second visit to this restaurant and once again thoroughly enjoyed our visit. Lovely welcome and service from staff, lovely relaxed atmosphere in the restaurant with a varied menu and delicious food. I would highly recommend a meal here.

Amazing food. Definitely worth a visit. I had the pear, blue cheese, beetroot and pecan winter salad for my starter. Incredible - the combo of the dressing and the pecans which were somehow caramelised/toasted in such a way that a simple salad was taken to another level. Every course was wonderful. My husband had the truffle burger and said it was the best burger he's ever had. If you're in the area don't hesitate, I'd give six stars if I could! Lovely service too.

We had a quality breakfast here, very nice surroundings and attentive staff.

A true gem, exceptionally good, thoughtful, masterfully assembled, immaculately presented food and friendly, welcoming and unintrusive service. Honestly priced. Highly recommended especially to the foodies out there...worth the journey. Well done!

Great food, staff and fresh food Fantastic.

Beautiful food and great service with smiles 😃

Wonderful food, great service, lovely spot for lunch. Wine was excellent, cocktails very good. Wee hidden gem in Melrose. Will be back!

Visited Provendor for lunch with friends. Excellent selection of food cooked to perfection. Service was first class.

Always a fantastic meal. Wonderful staff and wonderful Food !

Delicious, friendly, accommodating, what a gem!

The menu was really varied, there were also GF dishes available for one of our party which was wonderful. The food itself was fantastic to the point I booked our next visit while paying the bill.

Great food, great service... and a Michelin Star. Superb.

beautiful place food was delicious and staff were excellent

Had lunch with my wife here and the food, atmosphere and service was exeptional. The flavours were amazing. Hats off to the chefs and I can see how they received their award. Very much deserved. Highly recommend the steaks. Thank you for a great meal and day.

Incredible experience start to finish . Would highly recommend 👌. Go back regularly

Great food. 👍 highly recommend.

This is such a lovely restaurant great atmosphere very relaxed staff are amazing and food fantastic will definitely be back

Beautiful restaurant, service, food and value.

Warm welcome and a good menu to choose from. Our martinis to start were lukewarm so need to be served cold to hit the mark. The sourdough tasted lovely but was a bit dry as if it had been cut a while before. Starters (scallops and croquettes) were good if under seasoned for our taste. Fish and chips was good but my halibut was served on the bone with an undercooked centre and the inedible skin which was something I’ve never had served up before. Too full for dessert, we had espresso martinis and asked for them to be cold, which they were and delicious!

It's been a few years now since we have been here. Can't remember what I had previously however my gut feeling is that the food now is ok but not quite what it was. Still a pleasant venue and attentive staff. 7pm on a Friday seems to be the time when folks dine out in Melrose.

Genuinely lovely experience. Ate here on Saturday evening as an anniversary celebration. Very relaxed decor and ambience, the kind of place where you can happily dress up or stay as casual as you like. Tables spaced nicely apart - not crowded at all! We ordered bread, olives and oysters from the nibbles selection - enough bread to see us through to our starters, very generous portion. The Dexter short rib croquettes are one of the best meat dishes I've ever tasted; again, a very good portion. Rare sirloin steak for my main was perfectly cooked. I must mention the service as this was really excellent - every single member of staff was polite, knowledgeable and efficient. Three courses for two, an aperitif each and a bottle of wine to share came just under £200 (including tip) but was worth every penny for a special occasion.

A lovely special lunch with our friends from the midlands. Warm welcome and well looked after.

Wonderful evening, some of the most delicious food we've had in a long time! Thank you x

Very tasty cuisine. Good atmosphere and service. Pleasant prices. I recommend 👍

Everything is at a very high level. Delicious Christmas menu, professional and very friendly staff. Thank you.

Great atmosphere and staff are brilliant. Always an excellent choice.

Great food and friendly waiter. Surprisingly good music too which my and I enjoyed listening too.

We had a wonderful meal and drinks from start to finish! Everything was delicious and the service was excellent. Our favorite restaurant so far in the U.K. We will definitely be back.

During our stop at lunch time we had been looking for some nice fish and chips. As we four persons were a bit on the rush, belonging to a tour group, we first asked for the time it would take. We were served immediately a delicious fish and chips with a very good local beer. Next time we hope to have the time to order a complete menu and enjoy the great stay at provender restaurant. Thank you very much and we will come back.

It is very good. Set menu is unbelievable value for the quality.

A great spot for lunch or dinner - welcoming and professional front of have make it a pleasure to be there. Our table looking over to the semi open kitchen was a lovely one, I wanted every meal that was coming from the kitchen. Needless to say food was well cooked and of a generous portion! Looking forward to our next trip.

We chose the restaurant based on Google map's rating, and it was really correct! We've chosen a three course menu. The dishes were amazingly tasty. The only thing which was disappointing a bit, was a service - after the main dish we waited at least 15 minutes to the waiters to take the plates, while the restaurant is mostly empty.

I give 4 generous stars because even though they have very interesting dishes, they are not all refined. My tuna dish was tasty but off balance. The caviar was too much and the texture of the jelly was weird. My partner's steak was unseasoned and super garlicky. However, my John Dory fillet dish was to die for. Some refinement on some dishes could do justice on the place that has a great potential. Overall happy, I would come back.

Excellent food and wonderful staff. The menu has something for everyone. Plus cocktails! I began with the scallops, kimchi and XO sauce which were delicious and spicy. Hubby enjoyed the pigeon and haggis croustillant with pear and fig. Then he went for the lemon sole special served with brown butter, capers, salad and the best, crispiest skinny fries I think I've had (yes, I had to steal a few!) My main was the partridge, expertly wrapped in smoked pancetta and stuffed with black pudding, almonds and spinach. This was surrounded with diced celeriac, pears and chestnuts in a wonderful, rich sauce. Definitely the best main course I've had for quite some time. I just had room for an affogato while hubby somehow managed to put away the triple chocolate gateau with burnt banana and honeycomb ice-cream. He's glad he did though because he loved it! Wonderful food and great service in light, spacious, comfortable surroundings, this was an excellent holiday find!

Provender is definitely one of the best restaurants I've had the pleasure of visiting in the UK. Set in lovely Melrose, Provender is a charming wee restaurant with extremely professional staff, good ambience, and a great menu. I must specifically commend Provender for having a consistently great vegan menu. Many restaurants have vegan options as an afterthought, yet at Provender, over a series of five visits, the vegan menu has had options that beat even dedicated vegan-only restaurants. Rest assured, my pescetarian friends were thoroughly impressed with the fish options. I can't recommend Provender enough.

Food was delicious. Service paced extremely well allowing each course to be appreciated. Starter & pudding were especially outstanding.

Excellent food and friendly service

Just had a fantastic meal at Provender.The atmosphere is very relaxed,the staff attentive friendly yet unobtrusive.The food was exceptional,courgette flower,venison and chocolate gateau to finish, one of the best meals I have had,anywhere.I cant recommend this establishment more highly.

We stop here on our way to Edinburgh and it is such a gem. The mussels dish was so delicious, the fish and chips was also great, very nice wine list and good services.

Recommended by friends. Food & service was great. Restrooms are spacious and clean. At lunchtime they already ran out of cider, but that was the only disappointment.

Made me an iced coffee off menu, and great service

Went in for coffee and ended up having breakfast. I am coeliac but diet was catered for, no problem. Food, by the way, was superb.

Delicious food, relaxed, good and well cared for. Book in advance. It was a good thing because they have a good Michelin rating since this year and they are well worth it. By the way, the town of Melrose is also a cute English village.

Highly recommend eating here the food was stunning we had a lovely family evening here, thank you

4 friends 4 good meals, excellent staff and a really nice ambience. Will go back again and again.

Beautiful food well presented and sensibly sized served by friendly staff. Looks very ordinary from the outside but well worth taking a step inside. Great preparation for St Cuthbert's Way!

My wife and I treat ourselves to a night out and decided to visit the provender, staff where lovely, food was exceptional, and the atmosphere was comfortable and relaxing. We are planning to return in fortnights time.

Great food , a very nice evening had here

Food and menu nothing special, nice venue, well designed, no rush to return

I love this place. Perfect foods & drinks. Lovely staff.

Great place - stopped for lunch after a walk round the eildons Staff are v good

First time visitors. Would recommend and come again.

Really nice restaurant. Had an excellent meal here with family. It's popular in the early evening as there's a fixed price menu up to 6pm. The main menu is a bit more but the food and service are well worth it. 😎 👍

Had a delicious meal and very attentive service from Provender when my wife and I celebrated an important milestone. Great food, very pleasant staff and very good value.

Fabulous restaurant, great food, amazing atmosphere & we were never hurried into ordering. Catch up for a friend & myself.

First time here and what a delight , choice of set menu or a la carte - we had fantastic tempura haddock and chips - and lemon sole was beautifully cooked - worth the drive to Melrose . Staff were friendly and wines were fab too .

Fabulous lunch and drinks a couple of days ago. Lovely decor with the living wall. Clean. Top service. Worth a mention that tea and coffee better than some.

Lovely lunch today, set menu was full of lovely dishes and our meal was beautifully cooked, add good service and you've got a gem! Well done Provender.

My wife said the king prawn bisque was the best she's ever had. From the set menu our main courses were good and dessert: well, delicious apple crumble, if a little too sweet for me, and she liked her panacotta. Service was friendly, quick, attentive. Nice ambience, not too noisy for Saturday lunch. Price reasonable and good value. It's a pity we don't live closer.

Great Melrose find. The staff are very friendly and welcoming. The prices reflect the quality of food. The burger was outstanding. I would highly recommend.

As a veggie it's one of the best places I've eaten. Great service, atmosphere and setting

Lovely little gem of a restaurant. Excellent service, lovely setting and beautiful food...what's not to like! Will be back!

Fabulous food in a really relaxed, informal setting. Really friendly staff and very reasonably priced considering the quality of the food. Will definitely be planning another trip considering I could have ordered the entire menu. Highly recommended if you're in amd around Melrose.

great service cocktails,food,shame about the awkward customer who felt the need to walk about with no mask on sneezing everywhere!!! But theres always one .....isnt there ????? 🙄🙄poor staff .....

Lovely relaxed lunch with friends food was delicious and set lunch menu very good value.

We had an exceptional meal here. Provender is taking itself less seriously these days, and is all the better for it. Attractive happy staff, a really good menu that ranges from 'interesting' to great comfort food. Something for every palate. Well worth a visit!

Terrine excellent, cod good enough but the squid with the cod is exquisite and worth a stand alone dish.

First class on every level. I will be making a beeline to this establishment when next in Melrose. Fabulous

Called in today for Brunch excellent service and food was great disappointed that we weren't stopping overnight in Melrose otherwise would have tried to book a table for dinner

Delicious food and friendly staff who were very good with our toddler.

Amazing every time I eat here. Service and just the way the dish presented is almost enough. Then you taste the dish and start wondering why this restaurant isn't holding Michelin stars.

This was a truly wonderful restaurant. Food was exceptional. I ordered the starter from the fixed menu and then others off the a la carte - no fuss at all and not charged an arm and a leg for the starter! Staff were attentive and great to chat too. Food genuinely exceptional. Ideal table for wheelchair user. Can't fault it - if I lived closer I would absolutely be a regular!

Mixed menu ranging from cheeseburger to venison in a modern setting. Good service and value. Just let down a star on overpowering chilli sauce in pan fried cod dish and slightly burnt coffee.

Very good food. Slightly slow service.

Fantastic value set lunch. £12 for vegetarian, £17 for non vegetarian. Lovely food. Friendly service in a nice environment. Absolutely recommended.

Nicely decorated with a modern style. Really good menu with plenty of choices including veggie. Offered gluten and lactose free options for my daughter. Service was very good - efficient but unintrusive. Overall highly recommended

Me and my son went for the 3course set menu for lunch and at£17 each it was one of the best I've ever had,my son even ate the salad 👍👍

Good peas according to the 1 year old.

We are regulars at the caravan park in Melrose, although have not been much due to the restrictions, so we managed to book up for the weekend and decided to book Provender as a treat - what a treat it was!The food was excellent and the service was great - very attentive but without being too much or hanging around/over you.Well spaced tables and very Covid conscious.Would very much consider going again the next time we visit Melrose.

Delicious food, delightful and helpful staff

Sunday lunchtime, service very good, bit of a wait for the pudding. Why are beef burgers the new most popular choice? I was sitting near the kitchen and could see them flying out, the roast beef looked pink and delicious, worth £19? Not sure. I had hake and it was delicious but I felt a bit hungry after I’d finished, should have had a starter. Other diner had pigeon with beetroot, very tasty, steak to follow I thought it looked a bit thin and overcooked but no complaint from the recipient so presume it was ok.

Only stopped for a quick snack and a drive nk. Quite limited menu but food was good and service was polite.

Excellent food and service, well furnished restaurant, check out the living plant wall, incredible attention to detail!

Really flavorful food looking lovely on the plate 🤩

Service food and atmosphere was all top class defo be back

Superb food, beautifully presented and utterly delicious. A wonderful mix of flavours in each dish and a cleverly crafted, thoughtful menu. One of the best restaurants we’ve been to in years. If a visitor to Melrose does not eat at Provender they are missing a treat.Such a shame it’s over 6 hours from home!

Very enjoyable, good friendly service excellent food. Would go again and will recommend

Excellent food and experienced attentive staff!

We only wanted coffee so cannot comment on food but it was a lovely place with spotless loos. Would definitely be interested in returning to sample the brunch menu.

Great Meal n Great Service.Food excellent .Will return soon

Atmosphere, welcome, space, drinks, food and hospitality were all spot on.I would struggle to fault this place other than they don't accept AMEX. Loads of scallop dishes and the food was cooked very well and presented nicely too. Quite possibly the best place to eat in Melrose and surrounding areas. I highly recommend.

Lovely lunch in pleasant surroundings with friendly staff. All we needed was a glass of wine to go with the meal!

Always excellent. The takeaway lamb dish with the layered crispy potato and haggis was the best lamb I've had!

I found the food to be average, we got the roast beef and it was sliced so thin, when looking at other tables they had nice thick slices!? The maitre d was incredibly rude (and does not look good to see him smoking outside the restaurant when walking in) the restaurant is freezing as the door opens and stays open for a minute (so wear a thick cardigan) 100% not Michelin!! I will say however that the waitress’s were lovely and very polite.

We have just had the most amazing Sunday lunch takeaway. We booked online, collection time sorted. The food was absolutely fabulous.

Superb in all regards. Exemplary cooking, brilliant service. See you again post lockdown !!