The Ken Bridge Hotel in Dumfries & Galloway

Well after almost 12 months of planning the Veteran Vespa Club late summer rally was upon us. We had booked the whole place and had 39 members attending from all over the UK and Ireland. We were given a warm welcome by Alistair and Tatiana and very well looked after for the entire visit. Everything was perfect, including the weather which was warm and sunny for the full rally. A great place to hold such an event. We can't wait to return. Thanks.

Stayed for one night on the campsite with our camper van. We booked two pitches on the Sunday morning. We had food and drinks in the bar. Food and drinks were very reasonably priced and food was very tasty. What made it for us were the hosts, they were so super friendly making us feel very welcome. Really lovely couple. We will definitely be returning.

Alistair and his son Owen made us so welcome. We stayed in Christmas Cottage in the village for a week and the Kenbridge hotel was the only bar open for food and drink hence we were in every night. The food was excellent as was the service and by the end of our holiday we have made friends for life. Highly recommend this hotel.

Came in to see how the meals were as there’s new owners. Wasn’t disappointed - food was good - mum had fish and chips and the portion size was huge, hubby had chicken curry, he said this was tasty, I had vegetarian lasagne which was very nice. Good portion sizes. Husband had apple pie and sis it was rustic and flavoursome. Service with a smile, enjoyed our dining experience and will be returning as mum lives in New Galloway. Whisky selection is very appealing to me!

Old fashioned quirky old pub run by a lovely couple. This place will not be right for everyone but we loved our short break there. Limited menu but food excellent. Our room was small but clean and comfortable. Lots of stairs though. Fishing on the river outside a bit tricky to acces but I caught dozens of dace in a short time.

Just spent 2 nights here .. not a bad word to be said . It was lovely - clean & friendly . Nothing too much trouble. Reduced menu but still lots of choice and all fresh and tasty. Would absolutely go back ♥️

We stayed for 5 nights now that the travel restrictions are less. Unfortunately our Glasgow based friends couldn't join us, but Dave and Sue made us welcome. We stayed last September and were happy to return on our way to a family visit. Our double room was well appointed and even though the shower room was small it worked well. The food is varied, generous and delicious and as we stayed after 17th of May we could even have a alcoholic drink inside. Would recommend the Ken bridge as a great base to spend time in this beautiful area.

Had a good few hours one evening sat on the terrace drinking beer. (Belhaven best) The evening sun was shining, and the view terrific (over the ken water) we had walked there from New galloway (just under a mile) Current restrictions in May 2021 are you can drink alcoholic drinks, but outside only. There was waitress service. Owner/Landlord friendly & attentive. Apparently has a good selection of whiskies too (someone else tried) Food looked good, and you can eat inside, but only non alcoholic drinks with it.

Very friendly staff. Clean spacious family bedroom. lovely food and beautiful setting and reasonably priced.

he service is excellent friendly staff and always has a good real ale, in this oldy worldly hotel, do try it

very good menu and all meals fantastic, tried different dishes each night. Breakfast was equally as good

We ventured to the hotel on a sunny Friday evening. There was a notice outside saying they were fully booked. As we were quite early we ventured in to check, and yes, they could fit us in. The dining room was light and spacious with a great view over the river. The young man who served us was friendly and helpful. The food was excellent too. I had the chicken balmoral, which was excellent. The fresh veg were nicely cooked (not too soft) and the portion of chicken was huge. My husband's choice of lamb tagine was also excellent, both fruity and spicy. We're looking forward to going back, but we'll book next time.

Never had a bad meal in here, the chef is excellent. Sunday lunch is so good, but don’t expect to get a table without booking!

Definitely a place to visit if you are in the area. Warm and welcoming restaurant great food 3meat choices fresh veg etc. Onions in mustard sauce was a first try for us but so tasty. Fantastic scenery on the river Ken. Advise booking.

Nice stay, friendly staff, good food and a nice comfortable room. Ease of parking. Nice place to stay if you are in the Castle Douglas area, it’s about 15 miles away from the town but you will receive all of the above.

The food was over priced for the quality. Beef stroganoff that hurts your teeth... Lasange that was a plate of mushed vegetables... Shame as the location of the pub is great... beautiful sunsets across the river.

We had a great meal. Five totally different dishes all cooked well and polished off at speed. One down side was speed of service, we were lucky to have superb weather so didn’t mind the wait but on others days with hungry children could be problematic.

We stayed here for three days and the food was excellent. Nice views from the restaurant and the bar attached was nice also, if small.

This is one of two local restaurants and always provides excellent food and great service at a reasonable price. The very best place to eat on a sunny evening with the river ambling past. Nothing is too much trouble. Draught beers very good too.

I have often over looked this establishment as I have driven past. Peasantly surprised by my first visit with my husband. A warm welcome. Great selection of home cooked food. Lovely service. The apple sponge pudding was amazing - in fact I would love the recipe for this!

Myself & my two teenagers ate here in the early evening. We prefer to eat early and the restaurant opens about 5.15pm.

Stopped here with my husband and daughter for sunday lunch. I think they are on winter timetable so if your going mid week check with the owners food is being served in the dining room. All the dishes that passed us looked good however we settled for the carvery which was filling. Couldn't eat desert as we were full but again these looked good. when we go back we will try from the menu.

Good food. Burgers particularly good. Friendly service. A little more expensive than I would expect but good value for money in terms of portions and quality. Children's menu decent value. Nice restaurant, not too formal.

Heerlijk gegeten met z'n 2-en. Het was best druk, maar ook het enige restaurant dat open was. Vriendelijk personeel, inrichting wat oud bollig, plek mooi gelegen aan rivier.

There is a great choice of food and the tast is amazing. If you are looking for a place to eat then this is a most place! P.S Keep up the good work!

Nous nous y sommes arrêtés juste pour prendre un verre. L'ambiance est typique et très familiale. Grand choix de bières et de whiskies. L'environnement et la rivière qui y coule sont pittoresques à souhaits.

Nice little pub for our afternoon pints. Dining room looks out over river Ken. Good sound British fare, especially the roast beef and meat pies. Homemade soups are excellent.

Good choice of starters, main courses and a couple of home made deserts, cash and bottled ales, and spot on service, staff very professional.

Gran variedad de platos vegetarianos. Comida deliciosa y abundante. Servicio excelente y amable. El desayuno también era preciosa

Situado idealmente para ampliar las zonas de los alrededores en un entorno tranquilo y idílicas montañas a orillas del río con la pesca, nuestra habitación estaba bien equipada, pero nos decepcionó un pequeño cuarto de ducha adjunto que sólo necesitaba ser un poco más grande...

Nos alojamos aquí el fin, mientras que el ciclismo de montaña en la zona. Lugar tranquilo e impresionante paisaje alrededor. Todo el personal era muy amable y acogedor. Las habitaciones estaban limpias y la ducha era realmente genial, especialmente después de un largo día! Había...

He estado aquí anteriormente como huésped al bar que siempre ha sido muy cálido y acogedor. También hay una mesa de billar disponible, que es bastante raro en la mayoría de los pubs de Nueva Galloway.

Nos alojamos aquí el sábado por la noche con mi pareja para celebrar mi cumpleaños. Esperábamos poder conseguir algo serio de estrellas en el hecho Galloway Forest Park. Por desgracia, estaba muy nublado para ver cualquier cielo pero este estupendo pequeño hotel compensaron por mi decepción.

Very hospitable waiter and waitress nothing was too much trouble. Food was very good and the portions are huge as one man on another table said when his fish and chips arrived " I thought I'd ordered a fish not a whale". Very good value

So bacon is ham in Scotland. Huge portions-I had to ask them not to bring me everything that came with my meal-too much good food for one meal. Lots of local game choices which my husband enjoyed.

Had a lovely Sunday dinner here on the Bank Holiday weekend.Pleasant , friendly efficient staff. Scottish music playing in the background.Lovely outlook over the river and an outdoor seating area.Familiar traditional pub food on the menu .

Visited a bit too early on Thursday evening with husband, sister in law and brother in law. Met at the door by the lovely landlady who welcomed us into the bar where we ordered drinks and asked if we could sit out by the river while we waited the 40 minutes till service time.Wet chairs wiped for us by the friendly staff and we had a pleasant wait with the fantastic view from the terrace.On to the meal. Lots of reserved tables but we were shown to an available one and chose from the menu which had just enough choice to please everyone without being so extensive as to overface.My burger with haggis and chips was well presented and delicious and hot. Others chose the chicken and haggis and the beef in ale pie. All tasty and faultless as were the desserts after! A bit of a wait was explained by the waiting staff as everything being freshly prepared. Excellent service to the table, even from the younger staff. Obviously well trained!

Visited twice for meals. Recommend this. Pleasant staff, good service and food fresh and very nice. Worth stopping if passing through. Probably could do with a coat of paint to freshen it up and make it brighter and lighter. Is quite old fashioned but didn't take away from the good food.

This is a lovely little hotel. The room was small but very comfortable and the shower was lovely. We had an evening meal and a few beers . The food was was very nice and hot . The bar area was quaint but quiet . The staff were very helpful and friendly and service was good . Would recommend this for couples. The view from the resteraunt over the river is lovely.

Late evening visit for food, small car park so difficult to park, nice food but the pub lacks atmosphere, staff friendly and attentive. Did the job but nothing special. £40 for 2 main meals and drinks.

Very nice hotel, charming and clean. Great service, great food and the staff lovely. Thank you owner Dave for everything The Banoffee pie alone is worth a trip from Iceland.

An excellent menu selection with well produced fare. Breakfasts will set you on your way wherever you are headed and waiting staff are friendly and helpful.

I am sure restaurants must dread customers like us. Specific dietary needs (gluten free, no yeast) and a deadline (pre-theatre dinner). So when one of the party doesn't turn up, and another member drives to pick them up after a bus connection has been missed, and the specific needs person adds a third intolerance (lactose) at the last moment, you could forgive the staff for slamming three small plates of salad in front of us .... but no. The chef re-jiggled her menu (two choices for each course that met the forwarned intolerances), so that all three could be met, the food was served promptly, and we made it to the theatre on time, feeling that we would be welcome back at any point. Highly recommended.

the staff are really pleasent, and a good choice of food, especially thre burgers. very good prices.on one side of the restaurant there is a great view that over looks the river and bridge

And the meat dishes are apparently very good too. Great range of veggie dishes. Had the veggie burger as I was hungry and it was super tasty. Partner had steak pie.

Stayed for a couple of nights, room was lovely and large, very clean with all the essentials. Shower was great! The living room for guests is a lovely touch too. Food was fab we had breakfast, lunch and dinner during our stay and all were excellent and reasonably priced. Owners were lovely and helpful and their service was fantastic. The location is beautiful! Highly recommend if you are in the area.

excellent food cooked by people who care, with a good understanding of flavours. Pheasant was superb, as was creme brulee and sticky butterscotch pudding

We ate here after being et down by another pub as they were not child friendly but so glad there was five of us two being children, the food was excellent and we had great service all the girls had smiley faces and the wifi (free) was a great bonus for the two boys we had steak and ale pie which was full of tender steak, one had a tower burger which was like a tower and the two boys had chicken nuggets and fish and chips but the best bit was the desserts there was a massive fruit pavolva and banoffi pie all home made and very tasty a great find and will be back and very reasonable priced £83.00 for five

We called in for a meal on our way to the Scottish Dark Sky Observatory and very pleased we did. My husband enjoyed chicken with haggis whilst I had the Galloway steak and ale pie which was really delicious. Good location, good food, good service.

Best pub food I've ever eaten. Absolutely gorgeous. Also two extremely polite and stunning waitresses!

Went here not expecting much as read some negative reviews here on trip advisor, but, were were hungry and staying nearby.I can only describe it as Scottish Pub Grub at its best, truely delicious, all very homemade, belly warming food. Huge portions!Childrens menu pretty much limited selection of smalller portions of adult meals... Oh but with ice cream!The service wasn't gushy, but efficient and friendly enough. The restuarant was bright clean and spacious.Would recommend and return.

eve meal . fantastic meal as always . steak ale pie more than you can eat very tender meat and nice gravy . also came with chips and veg . and the mrs had fish and chips all freshly cooked . good food at a good price and plenty of it . good home made scottish food will call again thankyou

A good hotel and restaurant in a beautiful location. A true loch side idyll! The location is gorgeous, but on our visit so were the staff and the food. We were recommended to this venue by our son and son in law who call in here when camping in the area and they were spot on with this one!

What a disappointment. Zero customer service!Today me and my boyfriend decided to go on a long walk, we were celebrating his 31st birthday today and decided to stop and have lunch here. The hotel is in a lovely location next to the bridge. We ordered a veggie burger and a meat burger - the food was average. With our food we ordered water and fizzy drink. After I ordered tea which was nice. As we were leaving merrily on our way the female manager (or owner?) stopped me, I was quite taken aback by what she had to say… she accused me of brining my own water in to the pub to sneakily drink it (Yes, I had a bottle of water with me because we were on a 4 hour walk - but I didn’t drink it in the pub) I informed the manager that we hadn’t drank it in the pub - why would we order water and drinks with our meal if what she was accused us of was true. Instead of realising her error and apologising she went on and on. I left the pub quite shocked at the lack of customer service, especially on what was supposed to be a special birthday lunch for my boyfriend.

on holiday with my family went into hotel for dinner , burger was from the freezer and not a nice taste at all my husband had fish which was nice but the batter not good .Service very slow no atmosphere at all !Overall very very disappointing dinner.

If you're in the area and have the good fortune to be enjoying a sunny day, I'd recommend eating outside at the Ken Bridge overlooking the river, a lovely setting.The food was great, big portions. Good friendly service, and free wifi as an added bonus for anyone travelling on business etc.

Lovely place, friendly staff, great food served over looking the most beautiful view of the river...

The food was amazing, plentiful and well presented. The service was excellent and would reccomend it to anyone

I have eaten here on several occasions with family and am always impressed with the food on offer. The menu has a good selection of pub food at reasonable prices. I had the chicken and haggis in a whiskey sauce and it was very good indeed. There is a good selection of drinks at the bar and the ales are well kept. On a sunny day the seating area on the bank of the River Ken is a fantastic place to sit.

This hotel is on the banks of the Ken, but sometimes its doors are open and sometimes not, and there never (to an outsider anyway) seems to be any rhyme or reason for the state of its openness. It is terrific on a hot day to sit outside by the beautiful river. Apart from rooms, I think they also cater to caravans and etc. The bar is quite snug, with a billiards table at one end and a large restaurant running off it. Locals eat here as well as residents and passing hikers. Sunday lunch at the Ken Bridge is a big local 'thing', and this comprises a hot carvery with several different roasts from which to choose. I personally really just didn't like the sight of so much food piled high on a plate, but it always seems to me that most Scots prefer quantity to quality. The Ken Bridge is rounded off by having these two terrific little wired-haired dogs, who for years I took to be mother and child (due to their sizes), but who in fact are siblings....they are always ready to give you a warm welcome.

We have frequently visited this picturesque inn on the river for a warm welcome and excellent Carvery lunch. The meat is always good and the vegetables varied and tasty. Delicious gravy. In our latest visit we thought the service was particularly professional and courteous. It is good to see such high standards in D&G. A lovely area for walking too.

Just been up to the Ken Bridge for a midweek treat. And what a treat. The winter menus is on. My husband had a double burger WOW, he said that his eyes were bigger than his belly ( don't believe it)There is a great choice on the menu, duck, venison , chicken, roast, fish plus a veggy choice.Very nice indeed

Trip to the Dark Skies Park with young kids. Referred here by another establishment that was catering for a function. Good food with local ingredients. Friendly service. Ate in the bar. Unpressured service which was great with the kids. Will return when we return to the Dark Skies Park.

We eat here often when we visit the New Galloway area and always have a good meal. It is always good value for money. Highly recommend the chicken and haggis. Very rarely have space for a dessert.

We ate here as a change from the Clachan Inn in St Johns of Dalry. The menu has a more "hearty" character than the Clachan, just the job for hillwalkers. I had haunch of venison stuffed with haggis and wrapped in bacon in a port and cranberry sauce. It was delicious, as was my partner's chicken. I hope the proprietor doesn't reduce the portions in response to the visitor who said they were too large, as although generous we had no trouble finishing them. The restaurant was a bit lacking in atmosphere, perhaps because there were few customers - however this was preferable to having a coach party, which the hotel welcomes. The location is excellent and the place would probably come more to life in high season when the beer garden would be pleasant on summer evenings.

We went for Sunday lunch we ordered 4 prawn cocktails at £6.95 each we were horrified of the amount on the plate we asked about the portions and they said that's what they were so we never eat and left we certainly will not be back

Pleasant staff and surroundings. Lovely view of river. Service good as was the food. Hotel could save money and the environment by cutting down on portion sizes of accompaniments. There was double the amount that anyone could reasonable eat and eating is something I am pretty good at. Would certainly go back.

We were staying in the small town nearby for a week and am afraid we overlooked this restaurant as it had not appeared in any of the advertising for eating places we had looked at before our holiday. We did try one or two other places which seemed to have rave reviews but were disppointed and found the 'hype' wanting. Our last night we decided to give it a try as we were passing it and had spent the afternoon walking - we thought we'd drop in for a drink anyway. We had a drink outside in the pleasant sitting area beside the river and heard comments about how great the food was from other customers so decided to stay for a meal. Inside was light and tables were well spaced apart, staff were friendly and welcoming and the food was delicious. I tasted the best steak and ale pie ever, pastry was light and melt in your mouth and we had pavlova with summer berries to finish...delicious. The food was understated homely food ... prices were very fair and the whole experience is one that we were surprisingly delighted with and would definitely return

The location has a real sense of history, beer garden overlooking the river and food wasn't as bad as the usual pub frozen reheat type but it also wasn't anything special. Chips were bland frozen kind every middle of the road pub does. Staff were very friendly.

Enjoyed an excellent meal here last weekend. The menu offered a good variety of dishes with additional daily specials. Portions are generous with a home cooked feel. I had the steak pie which was lovely and tender with just the right amount of gravy. The bannofee pie that I had for dessert was just as tasty. Service was attentive without being overbearing and the atmosphere was relaxed. Will be back and would thoroughly recommend.

Food is good, atmosphere is relaxed and friendly with lovely natural light in the restaurant. Seafood and fish were really nice and prices reasonable

We've been to the Ken Bridge many times and dropped by on our way back from Prestwick Airport hoping for something to eat. It was 8.40pm, 14 June, mid Summer, the World Cup was on and everywhere was busy. We were told the kitchen closed at 8.30pm and when I asked if they could perhaps provide something simple was firmly told that no, sorry, the kitchen was closed. We come across this kind of attitude all the time in Dumfries & Galloway all the time and it really infuriates me. Places to eat here are few and far between, the standard of food is generally very average and many have a 'couldn't care less' attitude to locals in Summer and then moan that they struggle to survive through the winter months when there are no tourists. Sorry, but we won't be back.

We arrived without a booking and despite the number of guests they found us a table. Good food, good service and very pleasant atmospher

Attractive building in a scenic riverside location. Dave, Sue and staff are friendly and attentive. Bar has a nice cosy ambience, and restaurant is nice and spacious, with nice views over the river. We've stayed three or four times and all the bedrooms we've been in have very well and tastefully furnished. Lovely thick duvets in wintertime as well! Nice to wind down in the bar of an evening, and enjoy a drink (the guinness is good! ) To summarise, this is a great hotel to visit whether it's a base for your outdoor pursuits or you just want to unwind. We can't find anything to complain about so that probably explains why we can't help returning again and again

Got a little bit lost heading towards Galloway park and stumbled across this little place. Always concerned when you see no cars in the car park however upon going into the place I noticed we was there before it opened (around 20 minutes early). When speaking with the barman I was surprised to be told they would serve us. We had the place to ourselves inside is like a a dining hall from the olden days. Feed was great and service was normal speed and cheaply priced for the area. I would highly recommend.

We ate here on the last night of a very enjoyable week in the area. Big mistake. Having booked a table in the afternoon we arrived promptly at 6.45pm. Unfortunately we did not get served with a meal until 8.10pm. We were 4 adults and 2 young children. The table service was non existent we tried to order drinks from the waitress on at least 3 occasions the resteraunts bar was largely unattended and when the meals were served one was missing...and served 15mins later with no apology. On asking the waitress what was wrong she was clearly embarrassed and only forthcoming with a vague excuse that the 'normal chef was off' .....I requested the children's ice cream...it never arrived. I went to pay up...it still hadn't arrived by this time ...so I complained. The waitress reacted as though this was nothing new...I said I was not happy to pay the full bill she pointed me in the direction of the 'proprietor' ..who at this point was serving the full resteraunt who also had been waiting as long as us...and were complaining as we were. He seemed unphased and disinterested in my comment and despite reducing the bill it all seemed nothing new to him. Overall extremely dissapointing experience. Poor service, poor communication between staff, clearly disorganised and disinterested in the customer. Absolutely not recommended, unless the place gets a Gordon Ramsey facelift I would never recommend or go back. Spoilt the end of our holiday. Staff clearly mortified by the whole set up here. Embarrassing experience for all.