The Cowshed Restaurant & Takeaway in Aberdeenshire

Best place to eat after Beast Race. Food and staff are amazing.

Simple menu, good food. We went mid week so not many people.

Good food with picturesque views from the enclosed patio. Food was fresh and servers were friendly. We were even able to order ice cream from the attached shop. I do appreciate that they carry local foods.

Had visitors over from Canada and they were treating us to Sunday lunch/birthday lunch. Choose Cowshed as previous experience was very good. The fish and chicken were good but the meat was extremely tough and one of our guests struggled even with the requested steak knife. We are not ones to complain but as barely a third of one dish wasn't eaten we did say the meat was extremely tough. They came back and said yes it was tough, likely as it was a particularly bad end of the meat ..... that was it, no apologies, no discount or substitute offered. Spoiled the event and left a bad taste. Not a good advert to visitors to Scotland. We are not the type to complain especially when you have foreign visitors and for the management to suggest our review inaccurate is discourtious. We complained after the meal about one meal that was beef only as others had fish, chicken and the sharing plate (where the meat was also tough but the gravy was nice). Don't worry, given your response I won't be back.

It's a hit or miss but fine most the time

Very disappointed when the young lad stated they DONT DO gluten free option anymore despite advertising it on the background. (“Purple background sign with white logo”) Fish supper definitely wasn’t haddock just look at the shape of it also over cooked. Chips weren’t the best however curry sauce was on point. Ordering online takes a longer wait compared to walking in and ordering plus ordering online takes a 40P service charge. Ordered online Staff friendly enough over the course of three visits. The take away section is outdated with Covid stickers on the floor and a social distance message. Just shows the front isn’t carefully looked at or cleaned regularly. The restaurant/ take away management takes no accountability for wrong orders taken away mistakenly which is stupid if they put in the wrong items or give the wrong order to the wrong person by mistake this should be in the take away not on the customer. Most customers ordering take away collection want to arrive place and collect their order as soon as possible and don’t check the order until they are at home. On my visit an elderly man missread one of my orders at 17 when it was 70 he got salt and vinegar put on my order before they noticed it wasn’t his order this just shows how easy it was to mistakenly give an order to the wrong customer. Full documented review posted on The Critic

Popped in here for a quick lunch. We hadn’t booked but managed to get a table just before a large tour bus arrived. The food was gorgeous, most of us had the fish and then some puddings. Lovely food, super quick service and yep wouldn’t hesitate to go back.

The fish & chips are excellent. I buy a takeaway away regularly. However whenever my gluten intolerant son-in-law visits there is ALWAYS an issue - either the staff member who does it is off, the fryer is broken or another reason I can't remember now. Very disappointing

Hands down the best fish and chips in Aberdeenshire. The batter is always lovely and crisp, never greasy, and the chips are always cooked perfectly.

Excellent roast meats for Sunday lunch ..

Popped in for Sunday lunch. Ordered the sharing roast dinner. It was delicious and well presented. Service was ok, but staff could be more attentive to the customers.

Poor service, no atmosphere, portion size poor

Lots of veggie options. Not to expensive.

Ate 1 very good fish and chips. Not greasy, very good. Haddock fish. To stop after visiting Crathes Castle.

Delicious meals, fresh food, local ingredients. A great place for an evening meal, and their variety of ice cream for dessert, along with some classic favourite puds, are way too tempting! The staff are first class - so polite, professional and attentive, without being intrusive. Our new favourite place to eat.

Atmosphere: kinda sparse Food quality: very good Food portion: good Service: mediocre Overall experience: good and recommended!

Food was good however cheeseburger only had some sauce, lettuce burger and cheese. Some more veg would be good. Also doesn't come with salad. Saying this, it was nice and portion was more than enough.

We have fish and chips every few months and tonight's fish was probably the best we've had for a long time. It was delicious... !!! 😋😋😋

Went to the cowshed on Sunday 10th March and the food was unbelievable. By far the BEST beef we have ever had and we are so glad we made a last minute reservation. It was busy as it was Mothering Sunday but it was still perfect service and great value for money. When we come back to Banchory we will be visiting again.

Takeaway and restaurant are my favourite food places in Aberdeenshire

A very welcoming restaurant with friendly staff, good service, and excellent food. It's definitely the best battered fish we had on our visit.

The food at the Cowshed is really brilliant! The beef with the Sunday dinner was so tender it just melted in your mouth and the rest of the trimmings were all tasty too. The fish and chips also ticked all the boxes - crispy fish with nice seasoned batter and fluffy chip shop style chips

It's a good chippy. Best chippy fish in Banchory. What more can I say!

Lovely lunch .Good choice and served by a very helpful friendly waitress.

Nice place, staff friendly but service a bit slow. Meal was nice enough but nothing to shout about.

Our go to chipper, but sadly our chips last night were hard and we didn’t eat them. Fish and chicken fillets were delicious though.

Brilliant food and service. The Sunday lunch sharing platter was amazing. Will definitely return next time we are in the area.

Unfortunately never got to try the food. Having been reccomended, I arranged a 50 mile bike ride to pass the Cowshed at about 35miles done. Arrived Friday evening to find a sign saying "no walkins 5.30-6.30". Checked and it was 6.30 exactly.Cool.Went in and was asked if I had a pre-order. Err, no. "Sorry, first slot is 7.20." "I'm on a bike ride and just want a fish supper to eat and be on my way" "Yes, but first slot is 7.20." Seems the service model doesn't work for those who can't predict their arrival time, or might want to drop by on a whim. Shame. I won't be back. My commendation to the staff member who was lovely, polite and apologetic, but hamstrung by the service system.

Very nice views, great food and very friendly staff.

The plant based burger was amazing. The staff were really friendly.

Got take away, food was good but expensive but everything is nowadays. My main gripe is that it's fast food at a snails pace, 30mins for fish and chips.

A hidden gem if you are a tourist. Good portions at fair prices. Fish & chips brilliant and Sunday roast lunches excellent.

Once again we had a Lunch of the Highest Quality served by friendly and very efficient staff.

Only have takeaway but it's amazing, friendly staff, highly recommend.

The breading of the fish and the chips tasted like “old” frying fat. The fish under the breading was very tasty.

Friendly staff a quality fish and chips. Gluten free batter very good.

Visited on Wednesday for the first time meal was great and the service was great to

We enjoyed tasty fish and chips, not greasy and with real fries.

We often order take aways n their service is excellent specially the girl Paige who always smiles and help out with putting the food in the bag ... specially when your child is on your arms

1st time here Will definitely return

Fantastic food and plenty of it! Struggled to finish it. Steak and haggis pie was just delicious. A little pricy but worth it for a treat.

Superb fish and chips, some of the best I've ever had. Service was fantastic would highly recommend. Again, the fish and chips were marvellous 🙌

Good food, service and atmosphere. Slightly pricey, £32 for a sirloin steak is cracking on. £38 for a steak at the Marcliffe which is another level.

Went here for a wedding ceremony. It was lovely

A beautiful place for lunch. The views are incredible and inside it’s immaculately decorated and clean. Lots of space between tables. The food was delicious - the tomato soup was fresh and the roast was amazing. The roast potatoes were some of the best I’ve ever had! All 3 of us loved our lunch. Service was perfect - couldn’t have asked for more, or less. Lovely location too - nice and quiet. No pavements leading up to it, if you’re walking, so wear sturdy shoes! Not the fault of the restaurant, of course. Looking forward to returning!

First time here and definitely won't be the last.......the staff were extremely friendly and helpful.......the food was totally amazing.....the restaurant had a lovely ambience.......

Went in to the Cowshed for a cup of tea after a long car journey. First issue was that extremely heavy door which seems would be a challenge for any customer with additional needs. We were greeted and told about the Sunday lunch menu, we explained we just wanted coffees but was given menus anyways, these were quickly taken away when another member of staff had to run out and say there was nothing left. We then ordered our drinks an apple juice , a cup of tea and a cappuccino. We were offered brownies and said yes for the waitress to return and tell us there was no brownies. Upon the arrival of our tea and coffee it was clear that it was not a cappuccino and simply a black coffee. The place seemed lovely but the overall lack of communication between kitchen and foh staff is shocking and clearly needs worked on.

Went in to get takeaway. Not one of the staff came over to attend or tell me they would be with me in a minute. Was completely ignored. Eventually decided it wasn't worth it and left. Definately won't be coming back.

Been in the chip shop many times fish and chips always to die for. Only thing I can say bad about is the cost. Far more expensive than other chip shops maybe worth it.

Had the best battered haddock and chips tonight. It's usually good but was excellent.

Nice open dining, food very pricey for portions. Too many local options to return.

Yesterday my sister, my friend and I stopped for an impromptu lunch and had the best meal we have had out in a very long time. The food was excellent, two of us had the special steak pie, best ever, succulent beef with amazing peppery gravy and the crispy pastry melted in your mouth. Beautifully cooked chips that were crispy on the outside and fluffy in the middle with buttery veg that was the perfect accompaniment. The other meal was chicken breast with onion marmalade and a delicious gravy with chips and veg. We all thoroughly enjoyed our meals, compliments to the chef. Our waiter whom I think was Spanish was just lovely, very attentive and nothing was too much trouble. It’s a lovely modern restaurant, super clean and boy the views of the surrounding area was stunning, I could have sat there all day. We finished off with an ice cream from their parlour, the choice was fantastic and the ice cream was the best I have had. If you are in the Banchory area I am happy to recommend this restaurant. First class food and service, we will definitely be back.

Went for lunch with my friend and sister, lovely decor, relaxing atmosphere and the views stunning! Waiter was attentive and polite, as for the food, well what can I say other than Scrumptious!! I cleaned my plate, so did my friends. I had the butter roasted chicken and stuffing, melt in your mouth chicken, my friends had the steak pie, very generous filling with a delicious gravy that was like a pepper sauce (will be stealing that idea) I am not a fan of chips but they were so tasty, I ate the lot. Then on exit we had a yummy ice cream from their parlour. I will definitely be returning, sooner rather than later.

Best place I've eaten in a long time fish was delicious mushy peas Best I've ever tasted

My favourite place in Banchory, the views are amazing and the place is really relaxing. Their duck is the best in the whole of Scotland, so delicious and beautifully presented. My husband loves their pie of the day. The portions are big and everything is just beautifully cooked.

Quality of food and the menu is incredible!

A lovely venue for a meal near Banchory. Good wholesome, freshly cooked, food. Definitely worth a visit.

On the off chance while driving around we thought we would give the cowshed a go for Sunday roast …..OMG the BEST roast beef we have had, the meat just melted in my mouth, roast potatoes perfect crispy on the outside and fluffy in the inside and gravy was perfect. Service was first class. We will be back.

Was a very pleasant meal and would highly recommend. The restaurant is well presented

Meal was lovely and would recommend.

Fabulous food and great service.

Had the dairy free menu which was great. Wide variety of options available, service was great, price was good. All-round a big thumbs up!

Fantastic experience. Beautiful view over the surroundings. Excellent service, such nice peoples. Great food! And the very best espresso we ever had in Scotland. Clean and modern space. And as an extra: One of the guys gave us advice for good walks in this area. Over all fantastic!

Overprices fast food served somehow in a fancy restaurant, the type of food that usually buy from iceland, unfriendly staff and a very ,, intricate" or plain odd opening hours. Food lovers must avoid this place. Order a fish and chips that came without any dressing or peas for £16.

Lovely restaurant and excellent food and service. First time there yesterday and we will be back!

Never again, poor service, poor food no atmosphere.

Excellent meal and very nice place with a great welcome

I had the roast beef and it was done to perfection, staff were lovely, restaurant was clean and lovely.

The presentation and flavour of the food was excellent. Service was efficient and the venue tastefully different. All in all a very enjoyable evening.

Very Friendly Staff And Wecoming Absolutley Amazing Food The Beef The Chicken And Chicken Burger Plus Incredible Eton Mess And Cheese Cake Thank You For Making An Amazing Fathers Day Meal We Will Be Back 💜💜

We have a cowshed takeaway every weekend as our treat of the week and it never fails to be yummy. Great online service, easy to order and then collection is down to a fine art.

Excellent food &service Great menu along with dairy free choices

Fabulous take away fish and chips.... best in the area. Easy to use ordering app... but please stop charging for payment online when it's the ONLY option!!

Beautiful restaurant. Lovely food well presented. Unable to find any faults. Would definitely recommend this restaurant for somewhere to dine. Very pleased. Thanks

My issue is the attitude of your staff and the lack of manners.

Made a bad choice for my lunch my dining companions had no complaints. My choice was pork however the gravy or soy sauce was so salty had there not been a fairly large crowd of us I would have sent it back. Salt marred the taste of pork veg and potatoes so best to ask for gravy/sauce separately.

Friendly staff, Delicious and well presented food and extremely clean restaurant. Good to see them sanitise the salt and pepper grinder etc. I would go as far as saying it was the best chicken burger I have ever eaten. Was perfect combination with the pepper sauce on the side as an extra.

First time here - Food was really good and ice cream was lovely too definitely be back again!

We really enjoyed the food here. We just had the light lunche of mugs of absolutely delicious soup then sandwiches. Everything prepared really well with high quality ingredients. The open sandwich with goats cheese and sunblush tomatoes was wonderful. The main courses looked excellent and we would definitely return to try them. Really good service as well. Recommended.

Took away fish n chips for lunch. Travelled 10 miles back home and the meal was still fresh, and chips and batter were still good and NOT a greasy mess at the bottom of the box. That's a sign of fresh produce and good cooking. Thanks Cow Shed. Will be back again.

First visit to the Cowshed takeaway. Told our food would be 10-15 minutes but was just over 25 minutes. Was around teatime on a Sunday. Obviously a busy time. Might be best to phone in your order and just collect. Glad to say it was worth the wait. Good size portions and reasonably priced. Definitely recommend.

Great food,lovely atmosphere good service

Hello there family friends travellers Barry Allan here again huge foodie and lover of writing about places that just get it right! And the cowshed I done my review on trust pilot accidentally please have a look five star! The staff,ambience,chef's waiters everything is just on the button excellent I won't go on please read my review of a recent visit to the shed just a truly great place many thanks Barry Allan

Visited for the first time tonight - absolutely FANTASTIC! Service was great, very friendly staff and the food was amazing! Will definitely be coming back

I travel up from the central belt to visit my father in Torphins every month. We always have fish and chips as a wee treat during my vists so I've been a regular at the Cow Shed for a good length of time, albeit not weekly. Storm Arwen left him without heating, light or the ability to cook so Sunday night I went to the Cow Shed. As expected it was reasonalby busy, but not crazily so and I was prepared to wait. I was asked for my order number, but I had no order number. I was told they could not serve walk-ins, it was pre-orders only. I asked how pre-orders were possible when I knew online connectivity had also been badly affected. "On the internet" was the sarcastic reply. I know the widespread internet outage (which they must have been aware of) had also affected card payments so stressed I had no internet access and could pay by cash, but no. It was pre-orders only. My father is 76 years old and badly stroke disabled. All I wanted to do was get him a hot meal and you would expect local businesses to be keen to help people when things were as tough as they were, but instead I was met with a degree of arrogance I was unwilling to accept. Instead, I went to the Ashvale who were more than happy to deal with me. Suffice to say the Cow Shed will not be seeing my business again. Re owners response. They must have me mistaken for someone else. The only person I spoke to was a man. I did not engage with any girls at all and was not rude, unlike the individual I did speak to.

Absolutely perfectly cooked food, with simply the best waitress service ever.

Great food efficient and friendly service

Poor service and over priced food the resteraunt was not busy But it took 20mins to get offered a drink and had ask the staff 3 times to take our order

Good food. Sour Staff. The staff resented having to serve us - not a smile or a pleasant word.

Consistently good. Efficient take away booking system means you dont have to wait too long. Generous tasty portions.

This must be the best chipper about, their fish is delicious with lovely crispy batter and flaky fish, the chips are crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Totally amazing!! 😋

Sunday dinner with my family there was 4 of us. Food was nice and service was fine. The reason I am giving it 3 is looking at my receipt I was charged £7 for 2 pints of soda and cordial which is a disgrace.

Had a super family meal today. Great service and food. 👍👍

Wow, thats it. Nothing more to add.

Best fish supper in ages. Will be back

We all had the soup,lovely, fish was fresh, would have been better with chunky chips, very good coffee, service was excellent, very clean, we had the lunch menu, we will be back 😋again 😋

Nice looking place. Quite quirky and original. Open views of fields and pasture from conservatory. Good homemade style food with very limited menu but quality produce. However our roast beef was very rare and when we told the waitress she just laughed and walked away!

Neat little eaterie in the hills above Banchory. Good menu covering most tastes, reasonably priced. Service is good, restaurant is clean and airy with big windows to let the light in. Staff are friendly and engaging.

Going downhill(the takeaway) not as good as it was past two visits are fish was overcooked and dry and very greasy there batter seems to hold a lot of oil making the food very greasy chips not that great anymore. Had a steak burger recently which was a sorry state of a dry overcooked frozen burger with a tiny bit of lettuce just looked a pathetic attempt at a burger I use to rate this place highly but not anymore.

Great food, fish , service and staff