The Flying Stag in Aberdeenshire

We booked in for lunch at The Flying Stag as a birthday treat for my toddler and father in law while he was up visiting. Waiting staff were lovely with my toddler and so helpful with information about a food intolerance. They were so kind and engaging and also made suggestions about places we could explore locally and encouraged us to look at the art in the hotel, which is amazing. My little one enjoyed colouring in at the table and seeing people in the bar with dogs. Food was out of this world. Father in law had steak, I had mussels and my little one had fish. Loved how many local and Scottish ingredients were used including wild garlic. Afterward we had a cheese board and sticky toffee pudding. Atmosphere in the bar was great: a mix of family, couples and dogs. We enjoy looking at the art later on too.

We went in after walking in the local area for a few pints. Great selection of local beers and great atmosphere. Perfect place to wile away hours with a pint, the historical setting was really picturesque and the pub is clearly at the heart of the community. We were there for several hours in the late afternoon and met lots of staff all who could not do more for us. We ordered at the bar and each time they insisted on bringing the drinks themselves. All young lads who were really kind and welcoming. One was very kind and explained to me exactly where all their hunting displays are (I had explained to him I have a slight phobia of them) which was HUGELY appreciated. Another was very nice and enquired about our holiday - he was thrilled when I told him we were on honeymoon and was clearly proud of his local community and wanted to give us more suggestions of what to do and see. Really great pub for experiencing the Highlands. Don't forget to say hello the Jonathan - the REAL flying stag.

It is our third time at the Flying Stag (we stay at a hotel near Blairgowrie for fishing ) , the Tay was unfishable so we headed to Braemar. Great place, nice uncomplicated but delicious food and the décor is superb. Nice staff, busy as bees. I think the people who leave bad reviews are most probably a bit envious sad souls as we can’t fault it. Yes it is not cheap but why would it be, they use premium ingredients and the building is fantastic. Well done guys, if we can’t fish the Tay tomorrow we will be back (maybe for skiing by the look of it, love Scotland in April 🤣).

The waiter who met up was so rude and unfriendly… and the waiter who delivered our drinks was equally rude and unfriendly. Avoid. The high standard we expected was defiantly not met

Met friends for lunch as an easy hour’s drive for all of us . The location and the interior of the restaurant and hotel were excellent. We had a window seat for our meal and then moved to a sitting room at the back for coffee. The log fire was lit and very cosy . Staff all very friendly and helpful. Food was piping hot and very tasty . Only adverse comments were that the hake bites for starters were a bit overdone and we could have done with more sauce and salad to improve the plates of venison burgers.

As guests at the hotel , we chose to try the Flying Stag for dinner .. we had great wine , ( you can choose from the pub list or the main hotel list as we did ) .. we had pre dinner cocktails at Elsa’s , a couple of bottles of red wine , great food and it was a couple of hundred quid .. fabulous value .. Our waiter was a very friendly young man from Dewsbury near Leeds , he was courteous and attentive . The food was exactly what we wanted .. there’s a good choice of “ Gastropub “ staples .. Don’t be intimidated that the restaurant is in a fancy expensive hotel , it’s very regular , reasonable value .. and accessible to all .. highly recommended

We walked into the main reception area at the Fife arms and we were asked by a young man what we wanted so we said we would like tea, he said we should go to the Flying stag bar for that, we found a table and sat down we waited a while and eventually our order was taken, there was no menu for afternoon tea so we just ordered 2 coffees and a hot chocolate. Went out drinks were brought to the table we asked if there was any cake in which we were informed there was no cake we also enquired on biscuits which we were told they were out of stock. This isn’t the most friendly venue and £12.00 for 3 hot drinks was a bit steep. Plenty of other friendly venues in the area who do stock cake and biscuits.

We decided that we had to visit this bar due to its interior decor. We walked in the main entrance and were guided to the bar by a smart chap in tartan plus fours, via the shop! The bar is interestingly decorated and the staff uniforms make them look very smart. There was a wide selection of drinks and the barman was happy to help and give you a taste. The only downside was the price, my choice was £7.50 a pint. The only time I recall paying more was in the Shard in London! but there were plenty of people drinking, so it obviously works for them.

Great food and lovely, friendly staff in a remarkable building. A wonderful experience all round. Highly recommended

Popped in for a quick bite to eat on the passing so we didn’t have a reservation but we managed to get a seat at one of the barrel tables which we appreciated. Our drink and food order was taken quickly ( the gentleman gave the impression he is perhaps the supervisor/manager) who although was not rude he certainly wasn’t friendly , in fact we found the staff with the exception of the cheerful woman who brought out our soups , to be very disinterested in us or any of the diners .

Went to this pub for Hogmanay. Having travelled many thousands of kilometres to get there, the experience, sadly, fell short of expectations. The pub, while warm and reasonably well appointed, seemed a little forced, almost formula if that is the right word. There was a clear demarcation (at least that was the vibe) between regular patrons and the rich guests at a function in another part of the pub. As an example, live music was scheduled in the main bar area but this was re-located when the band for the posh event failed to show up. It just felt like a bit of a “screw you” to the ordinary punters but a good example. This, I fear, is a management problem, which leads me to the next point. Staff in the main bar were extremely good. Friendly and genial, with no pretensions. Ready to engage with customers, they lifted the experience. The food, also, was quite good and the haggis, tatters and neeps are definitely worth a try. Portions could be a little bigger. I did hear from some of the locals in the district that the Flying Stag had become too commercial and had “priced itself out” of the local market at least. Maybe something for management to consider.

Wonderful atmosphere, beautifully decorated for Christmas. Pub staff were very friendly and helpful and the fish pie was sensational…best I’ve ever had! Compliments to the chef! But…we were there for Hogmanay, visiting from Australia, and expecting so much more. The lunch service was very busy and we were glad we had booked well in advance, although communications regarding our booking were sketchy. After lunch the atmosphere completely died off. We had been led to believe there would be a band…which never appeared. The staff seemed to be really pushed (despite how quiet it was) and had no real idea of what was going on. There was a BIG NYE function going on in the Fife Arms that seemed to take priority, and we were left feeling that if you weren’t part of that function it would have been better to just go home. Which in the end we did. Feeling rather disappointed. We did however return for the midnight fireworks and stood on the village bridge to watch them…and they were wonderful!

What an experience - visiting the area and had to visit the Fife Arms and we are so glad we did. Stunning venue and such a wonderful experience. We booked a table in the dog friendly Flying Stag, fabulous atmosphere and surroundings. The food was amazing, we tried and can recommend several dishes - black pudding Bon Bon’s and hake scampi to start along with the tasty sourdough bread. Followed by the venison burger and fish & chips. Decent portions of all the dishes and value for money. The Flying Stag has a really relaxed and welcoming vibe. We will be back in area soon so will definitely be booking a table

Drink and food excellent. Great atmosphere. We would definitely go again. Well worth a visit. Thanks.

We dined on Friday night, hadn't booked but the team found us a table very quickly. Live musicians were great and there was a real bustle about the pub. The waiting staff were fantastic with my dairy allergy, we had the haggis and they changed the dish so I could enjoy too. They even did a dairy free sticky toffee pudding! We'll definitely be back!

Went with family for an evening meal the service was excellent we ordered drinks and where given the menu the waiter gave us time to choose then took our order. We all had fish and chips, the portions were very generous and we all enjoyed them. Would definitely return when visiting Braemar again highly recommend.

We just popped in for drinks. It's a great bar - friendly staff, relaxing ambience and lovely decor, including the Christmas decs. We spent a very relaxing couple of hours there and will return for food next time.

Over the last 2 years the bar staff have gone to being 100 % helpful to blatantly rude. I rather believe if you don't come across as being very wealthy or in their eyes of importance they are not prepared to show you any respect, just not on or a very nice way to treat people. Best to avoid & go to the pub on the corner where you get a warm welcome there.

Went for lunch as our daughter had recommended it very highly. Well can I just say I have had better. Ordered two large fish and chips. One was large and the other was tiny. I mentioned to the uninterested waitress that I had ordered a large. She said yes that’s a large. The chef chooses the fish. I would have thought the fish should been the same size. Not even close. I asked if she would mention it to the chef. She said “yep” and walked away. I’m assuming this is not the first time she had heard the complaint. Shocking. Won’t be back.

We also hade lunch on Tuesday the 12th October and found the three young men uninterested in their work. I had to go up to the bar and remind them that we had ordered wine which we would like to drink with our meal. The...

The Fife arms used to be an amazing place to visit, we used to go regularly. Since covid restrictions lifted, the service in the has steadily gone downhill, the last few visits have been subpar, but today was the worst so far and we won't...

This is the ‘gastro-pub’ part of the Fife Arms which is an amazing hotel in Braemar which is absolutely worth a visit. Its walls are hung with a variety of art interspersed with antlers and stuffed animals. But sadly the food we had did not...

Perhaps we were looking forward to this too much, but from the moment we arrived, the welcome was underwhelming, tables were dirty and food was stodgy. The only deviation from this was there was one waiter (chap with a pony tail) who was engaged and...

We stopped here on the off chance on the way through Braemar. Whilst busy we were shown to a table where we could wait in comfort until a table was available. Once seated we were served by a very attentive member of staff who was...

Loved our dinner at the Flying stag. Delicious burger, great service and wonderful vibe. Loved my highland Heather drink too!

Arrived for lunch last Tuesday, we were shown to our table in the bar area and then totally ignored ! No offer of menus or drinks - totally disinterested staff wandering around so after nearly 15 minutes we left. Perhaps send your staff down to...

We were nervous having seen a lot of poor reviews on TripAdvisor and Google before our trip, but everything was wonderful. The host and waiting staff were very smartly presented and friendly and knowledgeable about the menu. They greeted us by name and had heeded...

The food was great and service was too, at first. But then as soon as we had our main, my partner and I felt a bit forgotten about. We were sat at the far end behind a glass cabinet so weren't as visible as other...

Having booked in advance, four of us visited the Flying Stag for lunch on Thursday. This was a special visit for three generations of our family and we were keen to show the youngest the best hospitality and food Scotland has to offer. Unfortunately, from...

I was honestly surprised when I came on TripAdvisor and saw some less than stellar reviews, as we had a lovely meal here. We were a walk in on a stop from a tour and found the decor whimsical and yet had old world charm....

Lunch while waiting to check in. Haddock scotch egg was delicious but lacked salad, fortunately my wife had plenty of that on her fish finger sandwich. Good selection of ales and fabulous surroundings. Friendly efficient staff. Dog friendly but not dog smelly.

Lacking in atmosphere . Service left a lot to be desired. Saved from a “terrible” rating by the food which was delicious.

We made a booking at what we thought was one of the best hotels in town. We had been driving all day and needed to leave the booking until about 8.30pm to unpack and freshen up. The pub was full when we booked and the...

VERY disappointing meal! Booked the Flying Stag bar for its atmosphere and usually very good food. We were seated in a dining room with residents staying in the hotel. Food was very poor - undercooked chicken, poor presentation and overpriced for what was actually served...

We stopped by the Flying Stag for lunch and it was a great disappointment. The day was cold so we were looking forward to a nice hot bowl of tomato soup. When it came, the soup was COLD. We couldn't figure out if it was...

We were turned down for an evening meal at 7.30pm due to the restaurant being ‘fully booked’ although most tables were empty. Decided to stay for a drink. We would have stayed for more but at £16.90 for a small wine and a draft beer...

Dubious decorated bar attended by un-motivated and dull lads (one lass was good) though they were smart and nicely attired. Prices for drinks ridiculously expensive. Bar menu poor and un-inspired. Floor had remnants of food (but this was after lunch service). Booked for 2 nights....

I should have known after my awful visit last year to The Cuny Restaruant in the same hotel that the bar would not be much better. For the past three years we could not get a table in The Flying Stag, but this year it...

Welcomed in for dinner without any issues, and well served by Dave. This is now a place without frills with rustic tables and chairs. Food was good, tasty, with a fair selection of mains , and a wee bit more expensive than Farquarsons nearby. Allow...

First visit since the place had been done up and really impressed. Good range of food for lunch, prompt and polite service. All so good with no complaints with full bellies all round after lunch.

What a wonderful experience! We were in the area and had to visit and we are so glad that we did. The venue is stunning absolutely stunning, the staff were really friendly and the food was on another level. An added bonus to us is...

Stopped off here for a meal while travelling. Food was nice and the dining rooms are lovely and very traditional. Service was good. Dog friendly.

Visiting friends in nearby Ballater and went here for lunch with them. Very impressive hotel and Flying Stag was very welcoming. Friendly efficient staff and a reasonably priced menu. Lovely atmosphere and pretty busy when we were there. Food was delicious, well cooked and piping...

We were a group of 5, 3 adults and 2 children, and sat outside, so we bought our drinks from the bar and took them to the table ourselves. The beer and cider were excellent! Staff were also friendly and easy to talk to. The...

Booked table for dinner with friends. The food was overpriced for what was provided. Definitely not value for money.

Went in for a drink and bite to eat. We were made very unwelcome and in spite of being virtually empty, the staff made a song and dance about 'fitting us in'. We were asked to move seats 3 times! At this point, I explained...

Sorry! quite disappointed, first time here for lunch at the Flying Stag and really looking forward to it. We had a £100 voucher to use. We ordered the Bavette steak and chips which was really tough and really struggled to cut through it with our...

Having read the previous reviews I almost cancelled our booking, but very glad we decided to go. Staff from the get go were very attentive and service was great., Becca especially made us very welcome. Burger, sausage and mash and also the sticky toffee pudding...

We had a beautiful meal, don’t understand the previous negative comments Lovely dinner served by friendly helpful staff.

Well what can I say. A late lunch. Was poor overall. Very disappointed. Steak and Ale very dry. Asked for gravy. Gravy came. Stone cold. They did heat it up but the smallest jug on the planet. Fish and chips poor I’d say. A long...

There were a few significant issues with service but these were appropriately corrected when we raised them. Food was excellent. Despite on this occasion a less than expected experience, we would still return.

We’d been here before on a trip a few years ago & had enjoyed it so returned. Sadly this was a very different experience. We waited over an hour from ordering our food before it was delivered - with no explanation or apology. It wasn’t...

NOT a public bar!!!! "Please take a sear sir, we will bring your drinks to you" I mean, I had ordered 2 pints, just pull them, charge me and I will sort the rest out myself...... Anyway, we took a seat, the bar tender then...

We just had lunch there, and the bar staff were very friendly and helpful. The food was good, apart from several grizzly bits in the haggis. We didn't like the fact that the (resident)? dog sniffed and begged at everyone's table while you were eating,...

We were driving over the Cairngorm mountains to Blairgowie to meet relatives and decided to book lunch at the famous Fife Arms Hotel in Braemar. To be honest expectations were high, however the experience was poor and very disappointing. We entered the bar lounge called...

Used to frequent this pub a lot in our younger years and was always great for a bar meal and a few drinks after a day on the hills. We popped in for a drink one evening with the intention of returning for food but...

Booked 2 weeks in advance for a table for 2 in the Flying Stag. Booking was confirmed by restaurant via email. Arrived and was promptly seated at a lovely table by the window and a drinks order was taken. First impressions of the bar/restaurant were...

13 of us tried to book a meal in the Flying Stag but the person answering the phone said she'd have to "refer it to corporate" due to the size of our party. So we booked at Farquarsons instead and called at the Flying Stag...

Set in the beautiful Fife Arms, this is a very warm and inviting bar for drinks and food. Don’t be put off by how luxurious the hotel is. It really is a welcoming facility. Food was decent with a traditional but interesting menu choice. I’d...

Two pino grigio, one sheep staggers beer and a large whisky of the month. £70 .... must be having a laugh.

Service is just too slow. It's always very slow. Just fed up with it now. Menu requires updating. Blackpudding balls and chips are good but many other items are average or worse. The beer is good and it's a great pub setting (though often chilly)....

Went for lunch here at the flying stag. The service was good Rebecca was a great waitress. However the food was style over substance and the burger was one of the worst I’ve ever had and was so over priced for what it was.

We are regular visitors to Braemar and watched the whole process of the rebuild of the Fife...once we discovered the Flying Stg had such great food it was a tradition to eat there at least twice each week of our stay...very busy and does need...

Only called in for a brew staff were busy and lots of people eating had a wander around nice place bar was impressive but if I’m honest no personal touch no chat with anyone just missing that little finishing touch which busy place miss and...

We stopped by for a quick lunch and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The restaurant has a very quaint mountain atmosphere with wood burning scents. Service was good and the food was delicious. We would visit again.

The experience was The worst I have experienced I am in the same industry and if one of our staff treated customers this way I would be appalled We waited 10 minuets at a wait here sign when a manager finally arrived he asked if...

Disappointing Drinks mega expensive, seating not comfortable. Slightly unfriendly service apart from one waitress. Enjoyed the quirky decor. Very nice Hendricks and tonic but pricey. Weren’t allowed to sit where we wanted as were told residents only , but then other people came in and...

We popped in here as we were staying in Braemar in our camper van. What a warm welcome and a cosy place. The front of house manager and barman couldn’t do enough for us and gave our dog lots of fuss (and treats)! We will...

A very expensive meal for what was presented. Sausages and mash, plain and tasteless, not even a vegetable or a garnish. The burghul salad meagre and plain- a few small pieces of tomato and a bit of capsicum. Unwelcoming staff and seating poor…Try a cafe...

I popped into the Flying stag on the second day of our week long break in Breamar for lunch. It was a busy afternoon, we had to wait at the bar till a table became available, after a long walk in the morning we were...

Unfortunately can’t review the food as we didn’t get the chance to sample it. At least in seeing other reviews our group wasn’t alone in the feeling given our faces (or clothing) didn’t fit. Customer service skills are decidedly lacking in the greeting staff. We...

We had a delicious meal at lunchtime. Very welcoming and attentive staff. Lovely atmosphere and delicious food. I had fish and chips and the batter was so crisp and the fish lovely!

What’s all this negative comments about Walked in with the dog they made fuss of the dog gave us great service I watched the team work a well oiled professional team of guys never missed a customer Would definitely come back

We decided to have a pre dinner drink at the Flying Stag as it was recommended by relatives who had previously stayed at the Fife Arms. On arrival the receptionist was cheerful and directed us to the bar. Once in the bar (at 6.40pm) there...

We dropped into the flying stag after a recommendation from friends! We were met at the main door by a very welcoming man who directed us to the public bar . At the door we waited as a sign indicated we were to be seated...

We attempted to go for one drink before going elsewhere for a meal in the bar area. Lots of empty tables (about 6) and no signs of reservation. We were abruptly greeted by a member of bar staff who told us in no uncertain terms,...

This bar restaurant is attached to the very expensive Fife Arms. The main components of your dish are nicely cooked and very tasty, however there is not much more than that on your plate, if you want chips your ok but if you want boiled...

We booked in for a late lunch to mark the end of our holiday on Deeside. The Fife arms is a wonderful old establishment steeped in highland culture. You don’t have to be a resident to eat in either the Michelin restaurant or the flying...

We decided to go in for a drink. Spoke to reception, directed us to the bar. Spoke to another lady who pointed us to the door and at the entrance to the bar, said just in for a couple of drinks (no problem) then sat...

We booked in advance on friends recommendation and were not disappointed. Fantastic atmosphere with live music on the Friday night. Pricey food but worth it, best burgers we have had in a long time and big portions, just what we needed after a big hike....

Had a very nice plate of fish and chips for lunch here.. the batter on the fish was excellent and everything perfectly cooked. Staff were great and made to feel very welcome. Had a nice table by the window so could watch the world go...

I’m not quite understanding the bad reviews of this place. We booked a table for 1pm for lunch. We were instantly met with a happy and helpful member of staff who guided us to a nice table for our party of 5. The food and...

Randomly stopped off for a lunch time meal. No problem getting a table. The staff were very friendly and welcoming. We had gluten free fish and chips with minted mushy peas and tartar sauce. The food was piping hot and delicious. We also had our...

Stunning location and perfect for a quick stop off on our road trip of Scotland. Gent at the door perfectly polite and professional. Walked into the bar, as directed for a coffee and hopefully light meal, I honestly thought I had walked something in on...

We were looking for a coffee, snack, early lunch even. It was Sunday morning at 11.40am, pouring rain, everywhere looking closed, asked the young man at the entrance door if the bar was open, no he said, opens at 12pm, could we have a coffee...

We arrived for lunch at approximately 12 o' clock in the bar, but were told that our table would be needed again at 1:30p.m. We agreed to this as we felt an hour and a half would give us more than enough time to finish...

My partner and I have been looking to visit this hotel for a long time now. We decided a trip to Braemar with a roast at The Fife Arms would be a Sunday well spent. I could not have been more disappointed. For £25 (which...

Visited here today for a bite to eat, only to be told at 2.30 that the kitchen was closed, website states food served 12-3pm, so only option was to have a drink, sat down to £3.50 double espresso, £5.50 for a pint of lager, and...

We came here for a drink whilst on holiday. We hadn’t booked a table for food, so weren’t expecting to eat, but as art lovers were excited to have a relaxing g&t and perhaps a bowl of chips in this stunning setting. We were welcomed...

Service slow and disorganised. Arrived 7.30pm for food. Told by staff we’d have to leave within 5 mins as large group coming. No group arrived but still no food even for snacks.Restaurant staff unfriendly lacking ability to handle covers.

We went me and wife to have a quick lunch to this so called 5 stars hotel Food shameful : -Quality of the salmon is below average , smelly salmon , lemon slice old ( not to mention the parsley on top as garnish !!!!!!!)...

We had a great lunch today as a family of 4 plus 3 additional well behaved dogs. The service was excellent throughout our meal and they even provided treats for the dogs and a bowl of water for them. A great experience for all of...

We have visited the Fife Arms before and enjoyed the service and food. However on this occasion we booked for lunch and all four of us ordered Cullen Skink, which was watery, had little fish content, and was mainly potatoes and leeks. Very tasteless. Not...

This a lovely hotel in Braemar and we have had nice meals in the past. However booked for lunch on 11 January with all four of us ordering the Cullen skink. The Cullen skink was disappointing to say the least. It was watery and full...

We turned up a few days ago for coffee and were turned away by the pretentious and rude little boy at the door who looked his nose down on us and said there was no availability. This individual would be better working in a different...

No response to e-mails or phone messages attempting to book a table in the Flying Stag. On the day we were trying to book for we travelled to Braemar and on attempting to enter the hotel to see if there was a table, we were...

Dear Sirs Please take me off of your mailing list. I travelled from Somerset this week to Aviemore, made a specific trip to Braemar this last Tuesday to visit your hotel and have a coffee before returning, only to be rudely turned away. Allegedly you...

During our stay we had always planned to eat in the Flying Stag bar which given the standard of food and concomitant unrealistic cost of the more formal restaurant may have been a wise move. Unfortunately this did not materialise. It too had a very...

We drove 60 miles to visit the Fife Arms for lunch - unfortunately the lovely Clunie Restaurant is not open for lunch so we had to reserve a table in The Stag Bar. We loved the quirkiness of the public rooms in the hotel with...

We’ve stayed in this hotel several times after its refurbishment and visited on mny occassions for food and/or drinks. The best part of all of that was the wonderful welcome and feeling part of the local community. It was gret to chat to locls, ghillies,...