The Muchalls Bistro in Aberdeenshire

This restaurant has excellent menu. Service was very good. Will defo use again. Nina our server for the night was excellent and answerrd all our questions with ease. The feeling of being the only customers in the room when she was only server was unbelievable. Cannot priase her enough, ph and food was excellent also.

I had the monkfish which was lovely, he had the langoustines which were heavenly. Good wine, huge choice of gins and beers, staff so nice, will return for sure. top marks ! oh and its dog friendly too :)

Great food and service from a super staff team. Excellent quality and wide selection of food all at a very reasonable price. Also great as a heat at home option

We got the Japanese Heat @home meal for our anniversary over the weekend. it was amazing. Every bit of it was delicious. My husband who isn't a Cauliflower fan, ate most of it. The steak was fab too actually there was no part of the meal that wasn't worth every mouth full, even my taste buds did a happy dance. I love the concept and it means my husband and I can have a date night and eat amazing food at home and don't have the stress of childcare. Service was great too. Thank you for making our lockdown anniversary amazing.

Definitely recommend The Stack. We had a wonderful meal tonight, which was ready for collection exactly when booked. Generous portions of delicious food, delivered to the car by helpful and friendly chef. Tonight was our first experience of his cooking, it won’t be our last!

Had our first and certainly not last take out meal tonight. Piping hot absolutely amazing standard of food. We have dined here many times and always enjoyed it. Tonight was no exception. Highly recommend.

A fantastic take away menu - the Burns Supper was superb and great value. Easy to follow ‘finish at home’ instructions and food was great quality and huge portions. Let’s hope they do a Valentines menu!

Great little hidden gem in Muchalls with super, quirky and interesting menu supported by good drinks / wine list. Great staff, efficient, friendly and Covid aware.

I feel very guilty here as I stay only a 2 minute walk from the establishment yet this was only my second visit in all the years it has been opened. My wife and I went for a anniversary meal, despite being under covid restrictions the overall experience from arrival, drink, meal etc was superb. We both had the rump steak and it was one of the best we have ever tasted. We will be back!

Myself and my partner decided to walk to the only restaurant within walking distance of our B&B, and we are glad we did. The food was very imaginative and diverse. We were well looked after by Andy the chef who obviously enjoys his job. A hidden gem worth a visit. Recommended.

Quite possibly the best restaurant I’ve ever been to! The scallops and pork belly for starter followed by the lamb tagine is without a doubt the best combo of food I’ve ever eaten, cooked to absolute perfection the food just melts in your mouth. 2 x 3 course meals and a bottle of wine along with 2 pints and a Black Russian for under £100 is a no brainer! People need to visit this place it’s out of this world!!!!

This was the first time at The Stack for my partner and I who have recently moved into the area. We love dining out and were keen to find somewhere that could be a convenient, regular haunt for us. We booked our table for 7pm on 21/08/2020 and upon arrival we were immediately told by the waitress to wait as our table was still occupied by another couple. We were asked to sit in the bar area were we would be given a drink and a menu so we could still at least proceed with the ordering process. We sat and waited but were not offered a drink or a menu. At 7.15 pm more diners attended and were shown straight to their table which was obviously available for them. The first waitress walked past us several times between the bar and restaurant area but we were just left unattended. The waitress did keep us updated regarding our table but no real effort was made to have us seated, we just waited indefinitely until the couple were finished. We were then served a drink but no menus were given. About 7.40pm we were shown to our table and noted that the 7.15pm diners still had not made their order. We saw one other waitress and one waiter the entire time, so 3 front of house staff in total. The restaurant had clearly been adapted to accommodate for social distancing measures and there were about 8 tables in total in the restaurant and about 4 in the bar. The second waitress brought us our menus and took our drinks order. We chose our meals before the drinks came but the waitress did not take our order. We sat and watched her clean the adjacent table and sterilize menus whilst we were waiting to place our order. We even used a popular pizza delivery app and created a backup order as we were closer to just leaving as we had waited so long. At 8.05pm the second waitress came and took our order. The starters arrived fairly promptly and the food itself was fantastic. The subsequent wait for the main course was also fairly acceptable and again the food was spot on. We decided against having a desert and coffee like we normally do, just because it was after 9pm by the time we had finished and we wanted to get home. Throughout the time in the Stack we were not overly impressed with the general style and décor within. It’s a lovely old cottage style building with character features within, but there were tacky canvas paintings, photos, and business cards on the woodchip walls which did not fit into the correct theme of the place. It was too brightly lit in our opinion and appeared more like a community centre coffee hall than an ambient restaurant. There were small candles on all the tables but none of them were lit and the window blinds were all open so the fading natural light outside just served to ruin the feel within. The music was a little too quiet and also could have been better themed to suit the style of restaurant. The two waitresses appeared slightly overworked but not to the point of rushing around constantly. They could have just broken up their attention to direct shorter spells of consideration to each table to prevent the feeling of being totally forgotten about. The waiter who took all the food from the kitchen to the tables used a grubby grey dish towel to hold the plates and it touched the food and just looked really unprofessional. The men’s toilets smelt strongly of urine and the floor was very wet, likely not with water. Overall the frustration was that the food produced in the kitchen was just not matched by any other aspect of the premises in respect of service, ambience, and cleanliness. We mentioned our disappointment to the first waitress when we paid and she apologised and advised that she agreed that the service was ‘a joke’!! We wanted to know if this was down to having less staff or was due to some other factor of change or an issue of sorts but we weren’t really given an answer which has deterred us from going back again if we aren’t to know if this is normal for them or not. We weren’t given any discount from the bill and felt frustrated as we would have given it a second chance had we felt like our custom was valued. If you’re all about the food and nothing else matters then I would recommend the Stack, but if like us you like the entire concept of a meal out and need the sense of occasion to justify not just getting a takeaway then this is not the place to go.

The food was totally incredible as was the service from a delightful young man who served us .. sorry can't remember his name but although he was busy he went out of his way to welcome us and made a good impression from the minute we walked through the door. The restaurant had a lovely atmosphere and the steak we ate was the best we had throughout the time we were in Scotland. The drinks menu is fab and the wine was excellent. One of the orders was wrong but we were happy as we got the chance to sample more than we ordered!!! We cannot wait to visit again sometime soon ...

The food is ace and always perfectly cooked . Chef Andy is defo on top of his game been here a fair few times and the standard of food is always the same .

A great little hidden gem Bistro that has a fantastic eclectic menu that meets every taste. Friendly staff and Covid aware - great gin list and a very fair wine list

Our first lockdown Takeaway and we were not disappointed. We are regular customers at the Stack and have really missed the food during lockdown. The portion sizes were fantastic, the food was a delight. We ordered one starter (Chicken Liver Parfait), two mains (Slow cooked Brisket & Cod Thai Curry), one pudding (sticky toffee). There was so much parfait we split it between two. The smooth, strong flavour parfait tasted amazing and was a huge portion, loads of lovely Rye Crackers, nice fresh salad and the chutney was so tasty. The Thai Curry came with a large portion of Jasmine Rice, huge piece of cod an extremely tasty curry sauce filled with Thai spices which had wee kick and some nice green vegetables. I had the beef. There were two large pieces of mouth watering beef. It fell apart and the bbq sauce was a great compliment. The veg were crunchy and pickled carrot mmmmm. Smoky mash soaked up the extra sauce. Delish!! Pudding wasn’t a sharing portion but “he” let me have a taste and it was lovely. Nice hint of rum in the toffee sauce wasn’t too overpowering and the sticky toffee pudding came with nice vanilla ice cream. One thing I would say is the plastic dishes are not oven proof (oops my fault) but we managed to save the cod just in time

2nd visit to this restaurant, couple o weekends ago went with friends the staff very friendly and happy and excellent food ; however went tonite with a voucher we received for Xmas ; service was certainly not the same , was like we was putting her out even asking for second round o drinks : no smiles asked for some sauce and mustard : even when we asked for the Diet Coke she forgot because she walked away before we finished our sentence ; food was good but On the service received tonite us 4 will not b returning

Went to the Stack Restaurant at the weekend for the first time and had a lovely time. The restaurant is quite small and all the tables were occupied so it was quite noisy with everyone chatting and laughing. The food was brilliant and the staff were really nice even though they were rushed off their feet! We will definitely be back!

The food here is 1st class,freshly made,amazing flavours,amazing dishes,Artisan bread very fresh,highly recommend the chorizo Scotch egg, the lamb medallions,the mussels with a curry flavoured sauce,presentaion of food 1st Class,like the idea of 2 small plates as a chouce rsther than a main meal,lovely welcome from a lovely young man Connor,very attentive,friendly and very professional,Owner/Chef is very talented to present food like he does,we were so impressed,spotlessly clean restaurant,highly recommend,will definitely return,absolutely worth a visit.

Quality food and service, food was amazing great selection of gins and spotless toilets. Our first trip to Aberdeen area and would return for the food here alone

We have visited twice now and found on both visits that the food was overall very good and the service friendly. Lovely restaurant in lovely village. In the main dining room would be nice to have lighting not so bright but this is only a personal opinion to make it a little more intimate and cosy.

Andy at The Stack, was very accomodating to our need for a late saturday afternoon lunch, to fit in family driving up from Lanarkshire, then most of the party heading to Dundee for football in the evening of my husband's 50th birthday, at the weekend. Fifteen of us, with very mixed tastes, carnivores, vegetarian's and just plain eaters were all catered for, by creating a menu to suit our varied tastes! The highlights were the delicious mussels in tomato & chorizo sauce, perfect stack burger and melt in your mouth roast beef! However, the big varety of accompanying bread was very popular too, waiting staff patiently brough seconds and thirds of bread! Puddings were equally delicious, any leftovers were donated to a 6 foot 7 inch nephew, who could not choose a favourite! I would HIGHLY recmmend The Stack and we will be back!

This was our third visit to this fab country restaurant, shame it was empty apart from us. Our server was a lovely local girl who recommended some of the dishes she’d tried. My hubby started with the special soup and I had the Stonehaven bay crab in burnt soy butter with flatbread, both absolutely amazing. Hubby’s main was roast fillet of halibut the best he’s ever eaten and I had the brisket which was full of flavour and very tender , stunning presentation and delish food. One small gripe was it was quite cold outside and inside, there was a log fire, I wish it had been lit for us was freezing. Can’t wait to go back.

Absolutely perfect meal. Top quality food, presentation and service! Great value too and fabulous gin menu.

Amazing food, Master Chef quality. I am vegan and this restaurant gave me the best food I have had in a restaurant. Excellent. My little granddaughter also are every scrap of her meal and she is not even 3 yet. Great selection of Gins too. All good.

My wife and I visited this restaurant for an anniversary meal. Wow, the meal, ambiance, and service was excellent. We had two lovely young people waiting on us, we could not fault them or the food. They were very attentive but not in your face. Definitely be going back when we are down that way again.

Went for lunch with a friend. We were the only people in the restaurant so would have thought the person serving us would have been glad to chat. Apart from taking our order not a word was spoken. Food was ok but nothing special. Doubt if we would return.

Been here a few times and never disappointed.

My husband and I visited The Stack yesterday evening for an early anniversary meal. Being Gluten free I find eating out sometimes a chore but this certainly was not the case. The menu was well labeled and the staff understanding. I had the mussels in tomato and chorizo to start served with a warm Gluten free roll and he had the soup with bread. Both dishes were of such a high standard with exceptionally fresh and well cleaned mussels. For mains I had the sea bass and King prawn Thai curry and he had the rump cap steak every detail on each dish wish cooked to perfection, seasoned well and bursting with flavour. For the quality of the food the price is very reasonable. The only down side was I was so full from my starter and main I didn't have room to try one of there delicious looking deserts but we will certainly return to do so.

We all love the food in this restaurant and the relaxed, friendly staff. Cullen Skink is the best we have ever had!

We had a super meal with 12 adults and 4 children. Everyone was happy with their choices,: food was exciting, looked great and tasted wonderful. Staff were young, pleasant and helpful. If you haven’t been to the Stack yet, you must go soon!

We were here the other night. I love mussels but I am totally wine intolerant (most mussels are in winy sauces) Bingo - two different mussel sauces neither with wine. Curry sauce and tomato and chorizo, both delicious. My wife had the curry sauce mussels starter (delicious). I had the crab starter which was excellent. I had the mussels and the chorizo sauce as a main, lovely but preferred the curry. Triple cooked chips were excellent. My wife's duck main was okay but a tad overdone. Others had steak (happy) and chicken. Previous review suggests slow service - they are right, very few staff, smallish kitchen but I love the food and we were served completely in turn with our fellow diners (if that makes sense!?). It was two hours for two courses but I didn't mind, I loved the food and the four of us talked lots!

We went here for a special occasion and, while most of the food was lovely when it came, we waited over an hour for our main courses. There was no acknowledgment of the wait from the staff and we ended up getting our own water because there was no-one to get us drinks. I think this place could be great, but we are unlikely to return based on today.

I got an itison voucher for two meals for the price of one and was not disappointed.

Eating here today was a real treat.The food was first class- compliments to a skilful chef.Clean warm comfortable dining area and excellent service.Easy parking and well worth the short journey to the south of Aberdeen.Great experience.

We had dinner here with family this week. We were all very pleasantly surprised. The menu had a lot of choices, and the food was very flavoursome. We agreed that it would give some of the better restaurants in Aberdeen a run for their money. The girl who served us was full of friendly banter, and helped make it a good night out for everyone. Service was prompt and there was a good selection in the drinks menu. The highlight for me was the Stonehaven crab quesadilla, and the mussels with tomato and chilli sauce. Even the ice cream was home made, and it had thin slivers of white chocolate through it. It was on a par with the ice cream we had in Italy earlier in the month.

We have been here twice now, it is absolutely fabulous could not fault a thing with the amazing food, the service is absolutely spot on, I would most definitely recommend to everyone, the atmosphere is very good, there is a wee pub at the front where you can eat,& also dog friendly, then the restaurant through the back, which is spotless clean, along with the toilets are immaculate, the first time my husband & myself went I purchased vouchers through social media, then swiftly booked for the next evening which was a Saturday, I didn’t realise at the time they dont exept the voucher for Saturday evening, so when i got a email explaining this i said how disappointed i was as it was a last minute meal for my husbands 60th birthday, to which i got a email back immediately from the owner saying I could book with the voucher for the Saturday evening which was just fabulous, and then on the evening he came over to ask if everything was ok, such a nice man & staff cant recommend enough

My wife and I have eaten here several times using the voucher deals which gives a reduced menu and the quality of food and service is consistently very good. Although the menu choice was less we always found a different dish to experience. I would have no hesitation in recommending this restaurant and giving it 5 stars.

Went here for a family lunch. We were all delighted with both the food and the service. I highly recommend this hidden gem!!! Will definitely be returning.

Myself and my family eat here regularly and have not been disappointed once! The food is always amazing and the menu is never boring! We love coming in here to be met with a new dish to try or an excellently done classic. All the staff are friendly, attentive and full of personality which really adds to the experience!!

Went for a birthday celebration. Good choice of gins. Has a wide menu, found difficult to choose.... Food and service was excellent! Chef is very enthusiastic and was happy to chat away and discuss ingredients. Will definitely return.

Spent a lovely meal with family at the Stack yesterday, and tried some of the vegan options on the menu and the vegan specials. All the courses were delicious and inventive, especially the dessert special - peach and fig poached in red wine with soya ice cream. I had the aubergine and lentil main which was very tasty. Staff were lovely and helpful.

My colleague sourced this restaurant and booked it, I had no prior knowledge of it. Small and cosy with a promising menu. There only appeared to be one young lad waiting on tables, so even though it was a mid week rainy evening there were more than 50% of tables occupied when we arrived. We ordered one starter - it could have been very ordinary, but it was evidently an exceptional tomato soup, which my colleague sent a message back to the kitchen to compliment the chef. We had two mains, my was excellent sea bass, and we both weakened and had deserts ! He had his favourite - sticky toffee pudding and he raved about that too, stopping just short of licking the plate ! A good meal all round and reasonably priced.

I visited this restaurant with my visiting family as it was well ranked and looked promising. The moment we walked the first reaction was that it was cold inside. We were greeted and seated promptly by a friendly waiter.

Fantastic meal. Family of four and all loved it. Meat and fish dishes all excellent, really interesting, thoughtfully combined flavours. The girls both had duck breast for main with cherries and a lovely smoked squash. I had a perfectly cooked cod steak with a rhubarb crumb. My husband’s lamb (combo of steak and braised) was delicious too. Nice, reasonably priced wines. Extensive gin menu. Superb french martini! Really friendly service, quickly tuned in to the fact we wanted a bit of banter. Would definitely recommend.

Tucked away in the small village of Muchalls this restaurant was a real treat. Very attentive service and really lovely food. Our hosts recommended the local specialty Cullen Skink Veloute (with hot smoked salmon) which was superb.

I overheard foul language coming from the chef in the kitchen, calling the customers “idiots” too my belief over an under cooked fillet steak! Service was incredible I will give the establishment benefit of the doubt over that! The food was not up to standard though for such a “high thought of place” the only thing I enjoyed was the large selection of drinks! (But they are extremely over priced), I enjoyed the waiters who were there to help but the chef should be given a word to due to his reaction to customer satisfaction, and blaming it on other people rather than himself, safe to say I most likely will not return

I had booked the Stack as our twin daughters were celebrating their birthday. Overall experience was very good. The food was excellent and the service was extremely pleasant, although with only 2 waiters on duty, they were rushed off their feet as the restaurant filled up. This did not affect the service in any way.Parking is quite limited but as the restaurant is a bit off the main drag, I can only surmise that only those in the know frequent the restaurant regularly. I would definitely return and recommend this restaurant.

Had a lovely meal at the stack. We had the scallops and crab quesida for starters, then the pork belly with a side of truffle and parmesan fries for the main, and a chocolate brownie with white flake ice cream for pudding. The service is good and the food arrived fast and hot. The food is very pretty and they pay attention to detail and taste. They have a large selection of gins and unusual tonic pairings which is a great touch. We ended the meal with an expresso martini which was by far the best one we have had.

We had an impromptu visit on a Thursday evening after a recommendation by my children. I couldn't fault the food or the service, the waitress was super attentive and very cheery. I had local crab quesadilla for starter which was very tasty and light, followed my a huge slab of slow cooked brisket that melted in the mouth. The Malbec wine was superb too. 2 x starters, 2 x mains, 2 x large glasses of wine and 2 x beers for £75 I thought was very reasonable too. My one small criticism would be that the décor is confused, if you address that I think this would create a better ambiance. Nevertheless, the food is the main event and rightly so, well done to the chef and the team there!

We visted the restaurant for dinner all was good initially drinks ordered main course ordered and meal lovely when it arrived so no complaints on quality of food. Then the waiter came and cleared our plates no mention was made of dessert menu. We sat for over half an hour trying to catch the eye of either of the 2 waiters that were working and not one of them approached our table to ask did we want another drink or dessert. We would have had both, the 2 tables either side of us were given desserts further drinks and coffees in this time. We have up waiting paid our bill and left I understand big tables mean bigger bills but please dont forget about couples while you serve them as it now means if we were part of a group coming to the area we wouldnt recommend the restaurant because of the service we received.

Had a wonderful lunch at Stack. It was a quiet Sunday lunch service, nevertheless the cooking was first class. 3 of us had the brisket with mash, which was packed with flavour and melt in mouth texture. Our daughter had mussels, again lovely,and my wife had the sea bass and tiger prawns which, with asparagus, broccoli and sugar snap peas, was an absolute gem. Can't recommend this place enough.

My family and I went here for a big family meal last Sunday. The service, food and drinks were all first-class. It's a great selection of food and drinks at a good price. I would highly recommend this place.

Booked the stack for a Sunday lunch with the family!

Nice relaxed fine dining. Fish courses excellent as always. Attentive staff without too being fussy. Great selection of ales

We had a wonderful meal today at The Stack restaurant in Muchalls near Newtonhill & the service was wonderful & th3 food was amazing - no one in our party of 14 had any complaints - food was beautiful served on time warm & unbelievably tasty - 100% perfect to the staff of The Stack xx

Can’t believe this was our first visit. From the moment we walked through the door the service was friendly and welcoming. The menu was varied and gave us a few minutes of deliberation which saw us ordering the calamari to share, lamb main and the burger. All of the food was absolutely delicious and we cleared our plates. One slight negative was that my lamb dish could have been warmer but that really did not really affect my enjoyment of the dish.

Having left it too late earlier in the week to book any restaurant we wanted in Aberdeen,came across The Stack on trip advisor. I'm so glad we did make the trip down to Muchalls. Surpassed all our expectations. The food was wonderful . I had a scallop starter that came with black pudding parcels and leek with ginger favouring , and my other half had duck and wood pigeon. Both generous portions for a starter and so full of flavour. I followed up with loin of venison and he had pork rib eye. Again both beautifully presented and so tasty. The restaurant was quite busy and the 2 young waiters coped admirably. They have an excellent gin selection and not overpriced. Will be back and recommend the quick trip down the road from Aberdeen.

Back again for dinner at the Stack on Saturday. Mussels in a creamy Thai curry sauce and slow cooked beef and mash for me both excellent. My wife had cauliflower, bean and celeriac soup followed by roast chicken with a mushroom ragu. All very tasty. Wasn't too busy but we were earlyish. The young man working the dining room was kept busy but he coped very well with all aspects of the food and drink whilst remaining perfectly amiable knowledgeable and polite.

Food and service were excellent and reasonably priced. Pleasant dining area and varied menu. Will definitely return.

Have been to the stack on a number of times and each time I’ve had an amazing meal. The menu regularly changes meaning I’m able to try something new each time and Ive never been disappointed with any new choice yet!

My wife, 6-year old daughter and I went here for lunch and had a great experience.

We had dinner here and the food and service were exceptional. Calamari, sea trout and brisket all highly recommended - will definitely be back.

Arrived back from travelling and headed here for some food with my wife. Nice decor in bar and restaurant was quiet. Our server was very pleasant and advised us of specials. We both decided on the brisket steak burger and it was very good. Will certainly return again and try some more of the menu. Parking outside was limited but we got a space due to being a week night. Great place for the romantic types.

Always love to go to this restaurant. Food excellent and staff always so kind and helpful. Highly recommended.

My husband and I went here for a meal. The food was fantastic and service brilliant. We both had the burger - very tasty and the onion rings delicious. A great venue for families, couples or a party. We will be back again.

This was our second 80th Birthday Lunch at The Stack. I contacted Andy the owner and together we put together a 2 course Lunch for 23 People . The meal was fantastic and the Staff made sure everything went smoothly. My Mum had one of the best days ever and I can’t thank Andy and his staff enough. I Highly recommend the stack .

We have visited The Stack with our friends for New Year's Eve dinner before the Fireball Festival. Despite our booking hasn't gone through they offered us a table and we had a great night. Food was delicious, service was friendly and welcoming.

Came on New Year’s Eve for dinner. It’s located a few miles north of Stonehaven but the restaurant was warm and welcoming. Throughly enjoyed our food and there was a decent choice at reasonable price. Also noticed a good selection of beers, wines and guns too. Definitely worth a visit if in the area.

We have eaten here for many years - when it was Muchalls Bistro, and now as The Stack. The decor is far more appealing and cosy now. There is a great menu, food is presented beautifully in perfect size portions. Service is always good, whether it is quiet or busy. Would really recommend a visit to this hidden gem just off the A92 between Aberdeen and Stonehaven.

Myself and 2 friends have just had a superb pre Christmas lunch at The Stack. We all chose different items from the menu and every course of our 3 course meal was excellent and beautifully presented. I have been many times before and have never been let down. It is a lovely ambient restaurant with a very talented chef proprietor who goes out of his way to please.

We were given a voucher for a meal here as a gift. We had been before when the venue had a 'different incarnation' and so were not expecting much. However, the decor was new and fresh and the service excellent. the food was superb - highly recommend it. I wasn't drinking as I was the driver [ the voucher was for my husbands birthday so felt he should have a drink!] He managed three courses the food was so good.

Excellent food, good service, and prices are good. We all thoroughly enjoyed our meal and will be back.

Met up with ex work colleagues for our annual meal. We always pick somewhere different and this year it was The Stack. What a good choice too, the food was very tasty a good selection of whiskeys and the staff were good fun.

As a group we ate at The Stack for a pre Christmas celebration. We had all previously chosen from a diverse menu. My starter was smoked salmon, prawns with a whisky, honey sauce which was absolutely delicious. To follow I had the roasted North Sea cod which was excellent. Others had the turkey & found it superb.

Took two friends for a meal. Fabulous food as per usual. Lamb dish delicious and the beef brisket just melts in the mouth. The sticky toffee pudding was great. Service was great and attentive. Lovely hot plum spiced cider. Wonderful

A menu with a preponderance of fish and shellfish, but also burgers, lamb, chicken, steak and vegetarian on offer. Some with a slightly unusual twist, but also standard favourites. As starters my husband chose Cullen Skink soup veloute with smoked salmon garnish and I had calamari with Japanese spices and miso mayonnaise. Both were very good, as were our main courses of burger brioche and hake with shellfish bisque and orzo. Perfectly cooked. Pleasant efficient service. Very reasonably priced for the high standard. Very good wines at low cost.

Bel locale, raffinato ma non troppo. Lo consiglio perché abbiamo mangiato bene, spendendo il giusto: due main courses (The Stack Burger e Stack Ale Battered Haddock with Triple Cooked Chips, Crushed Peas, Tartare Sauce), un menu bimbi e un dessert al prezzo di 43 sterline. Il servizio un po' lento, ma d'altronde la sera della nostra cena c'era un solo cameriere che forse dava anche una mano in cucina, dato che in sala lo si vedeva poco. Ma comunque, tutto sommato siamo stati soddisfatti.

I have been twice recently to eat here. It is what I call good honest cooking. Generous proportions with ample vegetables beautifully cooked. On both occasions I have enjoyed fish. Monk fish once and sea bass the second time. I love the risottos with generous vegetable portions cooked al dente. The wine selection is varied too, and prices are reasonable.

Just returned from a meal this evening to celebrate my FIL 60th birthday. We haven't been here for years and not while current owner has it. Got a pleasant surprise at the modern decor compared to last time. Was worried after reading some of the reviews but our meal was stunning. The triple cooked chips were not to our taste but that is a personal thing. The burger was one of the best my husband has had. My 4 yr old chic ken and chips came with fruit shoot and ice cream - a big hit!

After eating here yesterday I'm not sure I would go back, most of the food was good but a couple of items let it down.

After a disappointing experience on our last visit to The Stack, we returned to it with friends recently. We received a very cheerful welcome from the attentive staff and were swiftly served with our drinks from the huge range of gins on offer. The menu choice was excellent and everyone enjoyed their choice thoroughly Nothing was too much trouble here and the relaxed ambience was something rarely seen these days. We will certainly come back to this Village Bistro some time soon.

Looking for a last minute place for dinner we decided to pay our first visit to The Stack and managed to book the last table in the bar. Not a great table at the front door but it was very last minute. We had to wait for the table to be set up and spent this time deciding which gin to choose from the vast array. The three of us were very pleased when we read the menu as there seemed to be lots we liked. When our food arrived I was disappointed as my monkfish dish looked a bit insipid and sadly the taste was also lacking. Fortunately the other two dishes of Chicken Kiev and BBQ beef looked very tasty and I was assured they were. Large portions also satisfied hungry appetites. On finishing our meal we sat for a very long time without our plates being cleared away and eventually just asked for our bill. Usually we would order desserts but we were left sitting far too long and lost interest. The obvious problem for a busy, fully booked Saturday evening was that there only seemed to be two young lads working. Both of these lads were expected to take orders, serve meals and run the bar as well as welcome guests which was totally impossible. One of them did apologise for the poor service when we were leaving but it was far too late. More staff definitely required to bring the service up to scratch. Sadly I’m not sure I will be making a second visit.

Visited recently, it’s easy to find and has a small car park.

Waiters smart, welcoming and attentive throughout. Menu interesting - plenty choices and food chosen was excellent. The lay out and general atmosphere were disappointing. Wooden floors may be cost effective but straight away effect noise levels and gives the feeling of a pub rather than a restaurant as does the lay-out. So is the Stack trying to be an upmarket pub or a rated restaurant? The prices would suggest an upmarket restaurant which the food certainly warrants, but the surroundings must question this assumption at the present time. Only criticism at table was lack of a steak knife - could have asked of course.

We attended the cocktail night 29th June. It was superb value, incredible £50 for 4 cocktails, canapes & a 3 course meal.

We’ve been to the Shack before and again the food was superb. We took our three grand-daughters to this hidden little gem after checking out the extensive menu which has something for all palattes. It was very quiet, which is such a shame for a lunchtime. I had the pan fried scallops with apple glazed pork belly, with puréed carrot and ginger, delicious. Two of the others had charred tiger prawns with picked melon and house cocktail sauce, thumbs up for that too. The mains were smoked pork belly and morcilla (Spanish black pudding), parsnip purée and rainbow cream x2, monkfish tail and new season asparagus, grilled baby gem, and Parmesan cream. I had the bourbon & bbq braised feather blade & cheek of beef with smoked cheddar mash.1 kids meal and two sticky toffee puddings with banana and caramel sauce and salted ice cream later we were very happy diners. Fabulous restaurant, with amazing food, can’t wait to go back.

Had lovely burgers, too much to eat. Declan was very helpful and cheery. (Would change the background music.)

If you want excellent food, a good variety of interesting food, good service and time to relax go to The Stack. If you want a quick ordinary Bistro meal do not go. The choice of food is extensive with some unusual dishes which work very well and the surroundings are relaxing. Be adventurous, the chefs obviously are. Will definitely be back.

Having seen reviews of this place over a period of time, we decided to try it for lunch. It wasn't busy but it should have been based on the quality of the food which was very good for the price. It came over as being thoughtfully prepared, interesting and with some unexpected bonuses. Lunch for two was not too expensive and this place would have rated my five stars had it not been for the slightly disinterested attitude from the server. There was little fundamentally wrong with the attitude, and I don't want to become a server's best friend, but there was a hint of abruptness which we both picked up on.

Went here after having a walk around the cliffs (beautiful). The food was fantastic, from starter to finish. It was reasonably priced and a nice atmosphere. Would definitely go back for another meal!

Had the most beautiful family meal here this evening for the three of us ..... two starters, one being Cullen Skink Veloute with Hot Smoked Salmon, always a favourite with my Husband, looked a small portion but certainly did hit the spot, simply divine he said!! I had pan fried Scallops with Apple glazed Pork Belly on Sweetcorn Puree & three main courses two Stack Ale Battered Haddock with triple cooked chips, crushed peas & one Bourbon & BBQ braised Feather Blade & Cheek of Beef with smoked cheddar Mash with a bottle of Chilean Sauvignon Blanc for us non drivers!!! Service was impeccable, lovely young lad, very polite tone, well done we’ll be back, thank you!!

Unfortunately I had the misfortune of stumbling across The Stack. What looked from the outside to be a lovely little seaside restaurant was let down by the attitude of the server and quality of the food.

Stopped in by this place on the way back home from Stonehaven and I’m so glad I did. The food was excellent, with good sized portions. Would definitely recommend this restaurant 👍👍👍

The food was absolutely faultless, the service was shocking it’s a bad day when your food gets let down but shocking waiting staff! I have been wanting to try this place after seeing the food pics on social media, sadly my own excitement was as good as it got.The Stack is a lovely wee place. Beautiful decor and delicious food and I wish this was the end of it, it really gutted me that the only negative thing (and what ruined the meal) about our first visit was the poor poor service, we actually felt quite uncomfortable and that was just ordering soft drinks, I asked for ice and the look I received and the sigh, I Dare not ask for a straw, That welcome was not what I would expect as someone's first impression of a business, not one bit interested or even a bit of manners! the lady at the front of house was not very welcoming, yes we were 15 mins early however for our booking, we were grunted we don’t open until 12.30 then she disappeared and came back 5 mins later just leaving us standing, I said oh I didn’t realise why don’t we go have a drink outside. Had I not bought a itison voucher I would have walked out. Our food came and it was a distraction from that false start! Gold medal worthy! There was one other table seated not busy, we were not even asked if our food was ok nothing no interest whatsoever, this made us rush our food which we were enjoying so we could leave. My voucher allowed us two courses and I couldn’t even sit for it, we went to pay For our drinks and I said oh my voucher allows us two courses, can we take our pudding with us, honestly you would think I had asked her to go out the back a knock it together, oh We don’t have anything to put it in, maybe I’ll see if there is some tin foil! I just shook my head and said we would wait outside. She came out with two ice cream tubs wrapped in cling film with our pudding inside and said oh we found these laying about! I just said thanks and left! It’s a shame as I would say it's best fish and chips I have ever had, which is such a let down with such poor service, as everything else about it is lovely. I was so deflated afterwards. Let down!

Here with my husband. Had booked through the online system which is very handy.

I visited this restaurant with a group of friends on a Saturday night recently. It was busy, as expected but we were seated quite quickly. They appeared to be very short staffed for the amount of customers that were in the restaurant and our waitress looked and sounded exhausted. Our plates, when they arrived were just dropped unceremoniously on the table and when they were collected at the end, we weren’t asked if we had enjoyed the meal, they were just whisked away. We were asked if we wanted coffees but the lack of smile and the look on the waitresses face was hoping and praying that we wouldn’t. The restaurant was beginning to quieten down by the time we had finished eating and we had planned a nightcap to finish off the evening. Unfortunately, we were made to feel so uncomfortable that we decided to leave there and then. Obviously, the young waiter wanted to go home, so the music and fire were turned off and he made as much noise as possible while he was resetting the tables next to us, slamming glasses down etc...we were gobsmacked by his rudeness. I have to say that the food was absolutely first class and we all thoroughly enjoyed it but of course, it is the service that makes the experience memorable and sadly, it was memorable for all the wrong reasons. None of us would return.

Came here for lunch with my best friend and her husband. Great selection of things on the menu and locally sourced, freshly cooked. They do say to expect a wait which I really didn’t mind too much. The music being played was hardcore blues and it was quite loud. In the end when the other tables left it got even worse. It didn’t match the decor, food or the atmosphere that you would expect. Try for yourself.

My girlfriend researched the restaurant looking a little south of Aberdeen and with excellent food. The stack exceeded our expectations!

I have been living in Kincardineshire for 14 years, and in that time The Stack has undergone several changes of name and ownership. To be honest - many of the former incarnations have rather missed the boat, often falling into the trap of being too pretentious and at the same time disorganized... That that was the past...