The Boarding House in Renfrewshire

Ate in here today for the first time. Oh my God what a place! We were greeted by the loveliest friendliest staff member Susan who was a great host and full of great chat...our kind of person. We ordered cocktails (great recommendations from Susan) and was served by Leanne who was an absolute joy!!! We knew we were in for a great experience as we always say it's the staff that make us come back to a place and these girls deserve all the compliments in the world as they make the place. The food was beautiful as was the cakes and pumpkin lattes. Can't wait to return x

Food was good, including gluten free options for my wife. They accommodated my 7 month old and made her a bit of mushed up fruit to eat, which was lovely of them and everyone made a fuss of her. There is nothing bad to say about the place, I just don’t think the food wowed me enough to give it 5 stars.

Went for my Dads 90th Birthday, staff and food excellent. Would highly recommend. Staff went out of their way to make us all feel comfortable and welcome.

Went to the comedy night on Friday 23rd August with friends. The ticket ordered from Eventbrite said to be there from 6.30pm, however being a Friday this wasn't an option as we all work. We got there at 7.15pm and were ushered into a side bar to wait until they were ready upstairs. The comedy acts were good, interacting with the crowd which was really funny. The only female act lost her way and her comedy was totally embarrassing and completely inappropriate. Would go to another night, however they need to vet their acts prior. Drinks expensive.

Been here a lot over past few years but tonight’s service was really poor. All young servers with no experienced supervisor watching over them. Staff had to be prompted to take drinks orders multiple times and we had to go up to the bar several times to organise drinks. Food was delivered without cutlery etc., tables not cleared whilst staff watch the football on the screen, no attempt at cleaning tables between customers etc, Food was alright, could have been warmer but hey ho. They lost a fortune on drinks as we would have had more if we could have got attentive staff. Shame as it’s a nice place but its service badly lets it down.

This is my “local”, where I eat several times a month. The welcome is always warm and sincere, the food is always warm and well served, the staff are very friendly and accommodating! It is a great establishment to have at the heart of the village!

Visited with my wife and friends about 4 times over past three months. The menu lists Gluten Free (GF) alternative fish and chips, however every time we have asked for this, we are told that the fryer is broken and not available. After contacting the manager, Chris previously - he apoligised and said there was no reason it couldnt be prepared in a separate pot of oil, and when revisiting to ask for him. However on our recent visit, we were told he had left - and as suspected the GF fryer was still broken and it was not availabe. Why keep this on the menu, when not available - and absolutey no effort being made to rectify. The food is always good - however on most recent visit, the service was shocking - we waited at least forty five minutes from ordering to receiving food. Also, the only GF sweet on the menu wasn't available. So disappointing for my wife who suffers from Coelic Disease. Could be a great eatery if they could get their act together ☹

We ate here with our dog and the staff were brilliant, great service and so good with our dog. The food was excellent too and very reasonably priced. Highly recommend, with or without your dog!

First impressions were ok, not a very warm welcome initially & not much guidance on where to go for to wait for seating. Lovely interior but overall ambiance seemed to be lacking. We had arrived 10 minutes early for our booking as it is best to be early rather than late. Once my partner and I were shown to our table, the waitress came back 2 minutes after & very abruptly told “your order won’t be taken until your actual time of booking as we have a couple of larger parties in”. My partner and I both thought this was very strange as it wasn’t even that busy for a Saturday when we arrived & surely when working in hospitality it’s kind of expected to be busy so have to prepare and have the proper staffing levels on shift to accommodate bigger parties? A lot of young staff as expected who seemed like they haven’t been given the proper training. A couple of young chaps who served our drinks & food though were great and we couldn’t fault their service. Shame we didn’t catch their names because they deserve to be mentioned due to their politeness and overall mannerisms. The young staff seemed like they’d rather be somewhere else, along with management who was in charge of the shift. For food, the soup which my partner had for his starter was nice but had clearly been sitting out for a while as it had a skin on it when he stirred it. I had the mozzarella sticks which were lovely but cold. Main course, my partner had the steak & ale pie which he thought was tasty. However, I had the crispy buffalo chicken burger with salt and chilli chips. The chicken was burnt around the edges and could taste this throughout. Once we were both finished, we sat with empty plates for at least 10 minutes, if not longer. We both felt invisible majority of the time. Not one member of staff asked us if our meal was ok or if we needed anymore drinks. All of the other tables that were in the restaurant at the time were asked, but not us. Whilst in the restaurant, the lady who we both assume was the manageress, who was dressed all in black, was talking to the young chap who looked like a manager of some sort as well about other staff as we could tell with the way she was talking to him and with her facial and body expressions. We both felt this one young girl was getting picked due to what we seen with our own eyes. This should have been a private matter as well as everything else they were both discussing. Also, I think both of these managers clocked on that we had noticed this, as they kept looking over at us and saying things. From here on, we both felt really uncomfortable, and just wanted to eat our dinner and get out. I feel that there is a few things that need worked on within this establishment if returning customers is what you want. There are other restaurants within the area that value their customers with a bit more care & attention.

We loved our first visit to the Boarding House last night.The food was five star as were the staff who were outstanding.Every single member of staff was so helpful,engaging,friendly and welcoming.Top notch place in all areas.Huge thanks to Chris, Logan, and Michael for making our evening special.You made our visit the best experience we have had in a restaurant in long time.

Particularly enjoyed two for the price of one burgers (excellent ones too) on a Tuesday night! And when I asked for a taste of the local beer I was offered a half pint of it for free! Friendly staff. Highly recommended.

This restaurant was extremely disappointing. Cannot fault the service from the young waiters but the food was really very poor. My husband came off worse as it was his starter of pil pil prawns which he has had many times in the past, here and abroad. They were as much like pil pil as fly in the air. 6 prawns floating in some oil. He then ordered the thai skewers, but tasted the green Thai sauce first and asked me to taste it. The salt content in it would have given you a heart attack. It was totally inedible. So that went back. He then shared my burger as he was past ordering anything else. My vegetarian daughter had to go for a plate of penne pasta in sort sort of sauce as the option on the menu were so limilted, unlike the menu on the website! This was a birthday dinner for my 86 year old mother-in-law so was so disappointing for her. They did deduct my husband's main and starter but the whole night was a bit of a farce to be honest. We live in Edinburgh and even by Edinburgh standards this place is overpriced.

Brilliant service from start to finish, exceptional friendly staff and lovely food. Would definitely recommend as very reliable service every time we have visited

Thanks to everyone at the Boarding House for a wonderful New Year's Eve experience. Food,service and entertainment from Martin James was excellent.

Myself and my family visited for Christmas Eve Dinner and cannot recommend it enough. Nicest turkey dinner I’ve ever had, services was amazing too. Will defo becoming a regular.

Visited with relatives for Christmas Dinner food, service and staff were excellent certainly on ca do for next year

Great meal and drinks before heading upstairs to superb, intimate gig (Richard Jobson and Martin Metcalfe). Gambas Pil Pil and haddock mornay were superb. My friend also enjoyed the cheddar glazed mushrooms and chicken Milanese. Good sized portions, excellent quality and service from friendly staff. Will definitely be back.

We had booked the £250 function package for my 50th Birthday, and it was one of the best experiences I've ever had regarding the setup and running of a function. The package included hire of the upstairs function suite (holds about 75), a fabulous buffet of sausage rolls, sandwiches, chicken skewers/pakora, and more available at a cost, and a superb DJ (one who had to takeover at the last minute due to the booked one taking ill) The Boarding House team, from front of house, to the bar staff, to the duty managers helping us before, during, and after Saturday night were exemplary.  So many of our guests commented on how amazing a venue it was.  We felt so well looked after every step of the way.  Nothing was too much trouble, everyone was always willing to help. Special mention has to go to the bar staff down in the main bar area as well, who helped make one of the, if not, the best Old Fashioned cocktails I have ever had! Then to finish it off, we returned the next morning for a wonderful full Scottish breakfast, looked after by the same management team who were there until late on the Saturday night. An amazing job from start to finish and I could not recommend the team, the venue, and the food, highly enough.

Had my big birthday bash in their upstairs function suite . Was a great night with attentive staff , in house dj and bar manger went over and above to help with decs, cake , getting extra chairs . Etc . Brilliant intimate venue . And the buffet was amazing handmade Sausage rolls , chicken skewers and sandwiches went down a treat. Thanks again team boarding house . Will be back again for food and recommend this venue to friends .

We booked a table online after attending the funeral of a very close friend. We were emotional and desperately needed something to eat. When we arrived we were told that there was a glitch with the booking system and it shouldn't have accepted our booking. We thought we were going to be turned away, but the staff opened the kitchen again just for us so that we could eat. Outstanding service which was hugely appreciated at such a difficult time - and the food was also very good. Big thanks to the staff here, we would definitely recommend and will visit again when we are in the area.

Table booked for 1pm. Place was quite busy by that time but we were shown to our table after standing at the sign for a short time. Menus were given out and we were asked what dinks we would like. As driving, these were non alcoholic and included a bottle of sparking water which we were advice only came in ‘big’ sizes not individual. Hardly any staff to cope with number of persons so it was 1.45 before anyone came to take our order and inform us that there was no sparking water available! but she had brought a bottle of tap water for us! It took to 2.20 before our starters arrived and waited another 20 mins for mains! Who serves Chicken Milanese in a bowl with the butter sauce on top of the spaghetti not the chicken! Chicken was so dry and overdone that it was hard to cut. Left most of it and was never asked if everything was ok. Had to ask twice for coffee orders and that still didn’t alert server to clearing away finished plates. He continued to spray clean tables that were already cleared! If your not in any hurry, then you’ll be ok here but service is really bad and food nothing outstanding. We shall avoid this place in the future.

I visited the Boarding House with my husband for date night. It was our first visit but definitely not our last. The staff were warm and welcoming. The ambience was relaxed and friendly with relaxed music. The meal was delicious. My husband had the steak pie and I had the salmon. The salmon was the best I’ve ever had and we eat out a lot. My husband ordered a side of onion rings and they were massive and crunchy. We enjoyed our meal so much we are returning this week with friends. The staff were all warm and friendly but the lady with the glasses (apologies I forgot her name) went over and above our expectations. On the way out we were looking at the cake selection and she again helped us choose some take away cakes as we were too full for pudding. We will definitely return frequently as the meals are delicious but the service makes it extra special.

we went for lunch back in august and it was not great, a quiet wednesday lunch but service seemed to take forever with unattentive staff and food luke warm, not great. will give another try as i believe it has been bought over

I've been going to this restaurant for many years and always loved the experience we had a starter table booked 7.15pm starter finished by 7.40pm.and waited until 8.30pm.fir our main which was a pasta dish and a cauliflower dish, we had to ask if our mains were nearly ready told two mins no sorry for your wait which is a bit rude. When we arrived the server lady dark hair glasses asked if we wanted water we each had a soft drink as driving and we said no it's okay to the water she stood fir about quite a bit of time looking astounded we did t want water I mean it's not the law thought that was a bit strange. Just say okay and walk away. I've never had a bad experience in your restaurant before , so what was going on tonight I don't know.

Lovely lunch .. good service warm welcome .. goats cheese and pear n walnut starter is yummy. Monkfish was great .. steak pie tasty … duck noodles v nice too .

Thought we were invisible to staff as staff continuously bypassed our table There were so many items. Sold out hardly worth ordering but we’re there for birthday celebration Totally wasted our night

Nice food, nice environment, service very lacklustre. Loads of new young staff, who seem to be training on the job. Hopefully when they are up to speed will be better, however they seem to be wandering about like lemmings waiting on the supervisor telling them...

We visited as a party of five family members. The team had been helpful at arranging our meal. There was plenty of parking space and when we went inside it was like going into an oasis. Open, airy with a whole welcoming team. There wide...

basic food, overpriced for what it is and the staff are very unintrested, drinks are also expensive. this place is trying to be something it is not. Avoid

Food was great and the staff were excellent! We were there for a family birthday and nothing was too much hassle, thanks for looking after us all!

Happy to give this place 5 stars. I ordered from the set menu which is available Sunday to Friday, two courses for £15.95 plus optional dessert at £4.95. Highly recommend the pear and goat's cheese starter which was delicious. Chicken curry was very nice and...

I’m a diabetic and absolutely nothing was a problem for staff to discuss dining options with the chef. My husband & I both really enjoyed our delicious food (credit to the kitchen) that was served by a very delightful waitress. The food and service was...

Happy unexpected stopoff at the Boarding House for a midweek early dinner. 1 vegetarian, 1 nonveggie. Food was lovely. The spicy battered cauliflower was delicious, the fish and chips were delicious (especially the chips - what magical tasty potatoes does this place use?) and an...

Friendly and attentive staff, food was delicious. The steak was amazing, cooked to perfection. Highly recommend.

This was our second visit , we'd been earlier this year which had been a good experience. The meal we had this visit was marred by shockingly slow service from the start. When we eventually received and finished our starters it was nearly a hour...

I booked a retirement dinner for my parents in the function suite upstairs and we had about 40 guests. From the initial booking the communication was fantastic from Leeane with no stone left unturned. On the night Rebecca & Susan (there was another lady but...

Why have I not been to this restaurant before is the question I'm asking myself right now. The food was absolutely delicious. I had the South Indian Garlic and Chilli chicken. I can only describe it as wonderful. Him indoors had the cod. According to...

Came for an afternoon tea as part of a baby shower party and to say it was disappointing is an understatement. We were told its one afternoon tea between two but when two afternoon teas come out for 8 people it's just unacceptable and there...

Went here last night. Four adults for my husbands birthday. We have the cut and creel steak and lobster. Wow the food was amazing. But even more amazing were the staff. You are made to feel special from the minute you walk in the door....

We booked this restaurant as I read earlier on in the week it had won an award, the restaurant is very nice , comfortable although a bit dark in areas , we ordered our meal , my starter was haggis bon bons, the haggis bon...

Really disappointing and won't be back. Table booked for 12:30pm for Mothers Day Lunch. Arrived in plenty of time and taken to our table where my sister, partner, nephew and mother were already sitting. Drinks orders where taken and then food order's were taken. Out...

My husband and I dined here using a gift voucher we received at Christmas from family, we were not disappointed one bit, when I called to book the girl was polite on the phone, when we arrived we were shown to our seats and given...

Four of us including a person in an electric wheel chair went for lunch. Very welcoming as we weaved through the being to get to the resteraunt. Good menu. We were advised not to bother with the set menu as everything was 50% off. Their...

I visited the boarding house on Sun 19/2/23 with a three members of my family I have been a lots of time and always have great service we arrived at two pm two of the party came at 2.10 we never received our first course...

Lovely decor, great food, attentive staff & really dog friendly! Fab lunch was had today by 2 humans & dog! Totally recommend!

Excellent food in relaxed friendly atmosphere with great normal fare and some unusual delicious dishes. Bargain 50% off during Jan & Feb (except steaks) A great night.

Beautiful venue that is well designed and has lots of character. The menu is well defined and doesn't fog your brain with too much choice. Even though it was only a quick lunch it was the best meal our family had out in a while....

Great food, great service as always. Haven’t visited in a while and we booked last minute on Sunday for my husbands birthday (we’re a family of 6) I wish I knew the name of the girl who served us. She has been there for a...

We had an absolutely fabulous Girls Christmas Lunch. Leeanne and her time provided amazing service, and the food was outstanding. Group of 7 and nothing was a problem. Cocktails flowed all day.

Thank You for making our lunch post graduation so special, our waitress was so lovely and couldn't do enough for us, the food was perfect, this is my fourth visit to the boarding house and I've never been dissapointed but yesterday was extra special

I came to the boarding house for the first time with my kids and my partner for her birthday and they bent over backwards to make my partners day special especially Shanna. Will become a regular

This month's visit took us to Howwood and this really great restaurant. Warm friendly welcome from the staff as we arrived in dribs and drabs. Drinks orders taken while we waited for one lost member. Lots to choose from on the Lunchtime menu. The restaurant...

Food was good but service very slow. Soft drinks very expensive. £3.50 for a Coke that came in an opened Coke bottle but had been, I suspect, filled from a Coke dispenser tap. I could be wrong but as a long-time Coke drinker I’ve learned...

I personally use this restaurant as a get together with family and friends. I even had My own big birthday meal in there last December. On going with family last month where we had experienced bad attitude and total lack of service. Today our overall...

Had an excellent night with 13 other family members celebrating my sons 30th birthday. The staff were amazing from the time of the booking till the end of the night. We had a family member with severe allergies to nuts and other foods and they...

Haven’t been in here since the old days of The Howood Inn and didn’t realise it had changed to The Boarding House and was very impressed. Lovely environment, warm friendly welcome from the staff and loads to choose from on the menu. Service was relaxed...

We had a wonderful evening at the Boardinghouse last night. The only reason I haven’t given 5 stars is the menu is all standard food and I like to have something a wee bit different when I go out to eat. However the food we...

I would highly recommend The Boarding House as the food was absolutely amazing, we had the 2 course lunch well worth the money! Staff were very friendly, and very nice warm and welcoming, we will definitely be back 1 day as we are from the...

Our experience was overly okay until you bring in what appeared to be some kind of rodent run from outside into the dinning area prompting who seemed to be the manager and another customer to remove the vermin from the building. The boarding house has...

Fabulous food High quality And Lovely service Delicious Balmoral Chicken and super desserts Definitely worth a visit ! Coffee is great too

Chose to go here for a special family dinner, we were all left sorely disappointed. The food was ok, pretty average, but quite expensive for what it was. Our biggest disappointment was the service. Staff were pleasant enough but just had no initiative and weren’t...

Called in late Sunday afternoon, ordered the roast beef dinner. Looked good when arrived, however, meat was tough and took a steak knife to cut it. Gave up and ate the veg instead. Mentioned it to male server when bill arived, said he would let...

Birthday lunch for my mum was somewhat disappointing. Haven’t been for a while and wondered if management had changed as all different staff from previous visits, all very young and although pleasant enough appeared inexperienced. We were shown to an inside table, I explained I...

Had a great lunch today, lovely weather in the beer garden, excellent service would recommend. Will be returning.

visiting the area and found this amazing restaurant, the decor is fabulous and the food amazing, I had ham Hock with home made piccalilli and warm bread for starters and Balmoral Chicken for mains, ( 2 courses for £18.95) I tried a spiced apple cocktail...

Delicious food, attentive staff and cozy atmosphere. We had a gathering here today and all of us loved it! The burger, fries, wings and desserts were very nicely made, portions are generous and reasonably priced. Wish that they include the millionaire sundae in the lunch...

the macaroni is far too cheesy for the liking of such a sophisticated being such as myself. as i plunged the fork into my mouth i tasted the cheesiest macaroni i have ever tasted.

Well what can I say, turned up with no booking, we were chancing our luck, sooo busy. But the reception received was just lovely. staff settled us into a table for drinks to await a free table. Table service for drinks fast and really high...

I am a befriender and took my superstar back for coffee as we lunched her previously. Oh my goodness. The stains on the upholstery made you want to wash. Very poor. Staff pleasant though. Charging £3.20 + for a glass of juice is excessive given...

Staff members are lovely. I didn’t catch the name of the one of them but she had blonde hair and she was so nice!!

Nice food, good ambience, shame about the service. 3 of us, waited ages for meal, when it arrived 2 came out, 3rd was almost 5 minutes later. Same with dessert, waited a very long time (it was not particularly busy) then 2 came out, no...

Absolutely fantastic service Good portion sizes Fantastic good honest menu of British and Scottish favourites A huge beer,wine,gin&whiskey List Wheelchair access friendly I would definitely recommend and come again myself

Had a lovely meal at the Boarding House, Howwood along with a few very nice cocktails in comfortable surroundings. Steak pie tasted lovely, was full of very tender meat but the gravy was a bit too thick making the meat a little dry. Highland burger...

One of my fav eating places .Nice food .pleasant staff and nice surroundings. Down side on this visit I asked for a can of Irn Bru .waitress brought a small bottle and I was charged £3.15 for this where as last visit I got a...

My self and daughter had lunch today I had the steak pie and mash soooo tasty and my daughter had fish and chips it was the best she’s had and the portion sizes were amazing, food was delicious, atmosphere and staff warm welcoming and relaxing...

First time visiting the Boarding House and we will certainly be back. Friendly service from our server, Zoe and the lady bringing the food from the kitchen. Great menu with reasonable prices. We had the macaroni which was freshly made and the cod fillet risotto....

The food is overpriced and rather average could do with a menu update with less fish/meat dishes. £8.95 for a Cesear salad (lettuce /croutons)and an addition £3 for the chicken just a bit excessive.Also £9 for starter prawn cocktail think ill think twice about going...

Out for dinner for tw and well impressed by the starters. I had an amazing prawn cocktail and Janice had the Tempura Mushrooms both very filling portions and very tasty. Main course was nice , just too much sauce over the food.

Food hot and tasty. Service attentive and friendly. Ambience good. Music not too loud. Didn’t feel rushed to consume meal, but it was after 9pm

First visit since complete refit and huge extension, and it is unrecognisable from the old Howood Inn, well done! The atmosphere was brilliant and the staff very attentive, and yes, it was good no, excellent. Our food was from the a la carte menu and...

Fantastic food at great prices. Would recommend the duck, cooked to perfection it tasted amazing. The 25% January discount is a great offer. Will definitely be back.

Would highly recommend eating out here. Food was excellent and the staff were extremely helpful and friendly. Definitely be dining out here again.

Myself and husband dined here 28.12.21 and ordered from the Festive Menu. We were shown our table straight away and asked what drinks we wanted. We were given a good amount of time to order our food, not rushed, but not too long either just...

We had a beautiful meal here, cooked to perfection. The set menu was Great value too at £12 for 2 courses. Our waitress was so lovely, very friendly and helpful and advised us that one of the dishes had a lot of chilli & might...

This was our first visit to the Boarding House and we will definitely be back . We enjoyed a fabulous lunch served by friendly staff. The quality of the food was excellent . We both loved the white chocolate cheesecake . Our starter and main...

We reserved the upstairs function suite for a dinner party for our daughter’s 30th birthday. We invited 32 friends and family to celebrate with us and had an amazing evening. From start to finish Sarah was so friendly and very helpful while trying to organise...

My grandsons meal was finished before our starters had arrived. My daughter choked on a chilli flake and we waited 4 mins for a glass or water to clear her throat. Ordered ice cream for my grandson, thinking it would have came with our mains,...

I made a reservation through the app for my family for 3 myself, son and granddaughter on Sunday 31st was amazing from start to finish, lovely young lady Leanne looked after us food was amazing we had cauliflower bang bang , soup, pate and 2...

We booked a family lunch, a rare occassion to get all the family together for lunch and a catch up. My daughter booked the Boarding House, I didn't want to tell her we'd been disappointed with the food on the last couple of occassions we'd...

Huge credit to chef for a beautiful meal, which unfortunately doesn’t represent the low score. Upon arrival we were greeted with the warmest welcome and attentive waiting staff offering recommended cocktails etc. Unfortunately that’s where it went south. The wine glasses were dirty and were...

Starter King prawns Pil Pil is superb, all the food was delicious and the service excellent! Beef stake pie was amazing and you can tell every meal is made with care and the best ingredients.

Visited on the 2nd October and loved the amazing decor and comfortable restaurant, the service was good but the food was disappointing. In a company of 4, 2 of the mains were average but 2 were very poor; steak pie with very little steak and...

My partner Michael Cassidy took me to the boarding house for our monthly date night first time here as we have recently moved from England.. the food was amazing really enjoyed it ... the staff were friendly and helpful couldn't have done any more asking...

We visited the boarding house a few weeks ago and received fantastic service from a young boy called Logan. He had excellent knowledge of both food and wine and was extremely professional and friendly with our table.

On Sunday 29.08.21 our family went to dinner at the Boardinghouse.The staff were all very friendly and attentive, the atmosphere and surroundings were good. However, the meal was, to say the least disappointing. I had a prawn cocktail, although a huge portion the dish was...

Lovely visit just for drinks, very welcoming and well served. Logan’s Primavera Collins was a particular highlight!

Great food and the staff are very friendly and efficient. Not far from train station so visit here instead of going to Glasgow! Would highly recommend 👌

Thank you to the staff at the Boarding House. I was suitably impressed to learn that inspite of Covid, vouchers which had passed their expiry date, were still being accepted. My husband and his friend had a super lunch on Saturday, the cheeseboard was fab....

Visited the boarding house on Sunday 15/8/21 for my nephew 40th birthday the service we received was excellent everyone enjoyed their meal when they brought the birthday cake out they even sliced it for us the staff were excellent and very friendly nothing was a...

Fantastic food,excellent service,lovely surroundings plenty of parking definitely come back again soon .