The Watchman - Restaurant in East Lothian

Das Restaurant liegt direkt im The Mallard Hotel. Sehr freundliche Gastgeber und eine gute Auswahl an Speisen und Weinen rundeten den Abend ab. Sehr zu empfehlen!

This was our first visit to the restaurant. We were warmly greeted on arrival by Liam. We ordered a couple of drinks in advance of being shown into the restaurant. The restaurant is at the back of the hotel and is a lovely room. The menu has a good choice and each course we had was beautiful. Nothing was too much trouble for any of the waiters or waitresses.. The food is reasonably priced as is the wine. We will certainly be back again and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone.

We often pop in for a drink but this was the second time in a month we have visited for dinner, two weeks ago for my grandsons 18th birthday celebration and today for a family dinner. The food was lovely but credit must be given to the young staff who work in the Watchman. Everyone of them, without exception, was polite and welcoming and a credit to this lovely local establishment.

We’d enjoyed a couple of drinks in the Watchman when visiting Gullane but never eaten there. We decided to try an early Sunday lunch. Crisp and cold in Gullane, warm and welcoming in the Watchman! Nice menu with good choices, along with a few specials . My wife ordered the hake special, which she pronounced as good a fish dish as she has had. I very much enjoyed the pork schnitzel with lovely potato salad and red cabbage. We shared a blackberry cheesecake off the specials which was a delightful end to the meal. Service was friendly and unobtrusive, we will be eating and drinking here again this week!

Terrible experience. My friend had a garlic allergy but we were told that the starters all had garlic but not to worry as ‘she wouldn’t be able to taste it’! The sweetcorn chowder was disgusting and the so-called fish and chips were smaller than a child’s portion. I have had to make a complaint to ITISON. We would not recommend and will not be back. Such a shame as lovely location and one of my favourite places.

Lovely evening having dinner. The food was great and the service from Iona was absolutely fantastic. Thanks for a great dinner.

Delightful restaurant, haddock was cooked to perfection, perfect end to the day, great atmosphere and very nice to see the head chef out chatting to customers very rare and most welcomed! Service was fast and very friendly. Hotel was fully booked tonight but this is now on my list. I will be back Warm regards Alexander

Came here for a birthday lunch with family. First visit here and it did not disappoint. The food was beautiful, I had the new pasta dish on the menu which was lovely. Family members had the Sunday roast - the meat was cooked to perfection. We had chocolate brownie and sticky toffee pudding for dessert - nice size portions and again delicious. The staff deserve a mention as well, so attentive, friendly and helpful. I was given a complimentary glass of champagne for my birthday and a slice of brownie complete with candle and Happy Birthday sung to me. After lunch we sat out the front with a drink. Lovely seating area outside, so quiet and peaceful and lovely views. There is a lovely mature garden out the back as well with lots of seating areas. Overall a lovely place, with lovely staff in a beautiful setting. May have been our first visit but it won’t be our last.

Had a great catch up with our friends here. The sitting area outside to the front of the Watchman there’s beautiful views across the golf course. It’s a great way to chill out and pass the day away. The food was beautiful as it’s always has been. The only downside now is the change and condensing of the menu. We live local so unfortunately with this being said we can no longer go as often as we did due to this change. Now there isn’t enough variety like before so we won’t be going as much as before which is really sad. But should the menus be improved with more decent choices then we would for sure be as regular as before. Great couple of days first night, Friday, just for drinks and the second was lunch with our friends. Fingers crossed the menus get more additional choices. The Watchman is wheelchair accessible so it is great for all to enjoy.

Fast becoming a favourite in the area for us for the cosy and inviting welcome. Our second visit for food and it didn’t disappoint! Incredible burgers and Sunday roast! Staff are always warm and friendly, a great family friendly find. I have a serious nut allergy and they were very helpful in checking the meals I could eat were allergen free and didn’t make me feel like I was an inconvenience as can sadly often happen when eating out. Excellent wine and local beer selection. Looking forward to our next visit!

Due to one of our daughters performing voluntary work nearby, we've had on occasion had drinks and/or dinner across most of the local bars and restaurants in Gullane over the last year. Out of all these in the village, The Watchman is, by far, our favourite. The recently refurbished hotel is very welcoming with good facilities in the summer and winter. In the warmer weather we could sit outside in the beer garden overlooking the Gullane links (blankets are provided for any late chill) whilst, in the winter, the main bar area and dining room are cosy and comfortable. Drink selection is impressive (I recommend their own lager) and prices very fair given the difficulties the industry has faced in recent years. It must have been especially hard for The Watchman given it's relaunch post CV19 and the established competition already in the area. After visiting for drinks various times recently, we had our first meal last night from their new winter offer menu which is excellent value for money. It's worth noting, my wife is vegan so, even in this day and age, we have to do our homework before visiting most places but were well catered for here with clear vegan options on the menu with a reasonable variety of choice. Something a nearby competitor let us down badly with despite contacting them in advance. The food we had last night was very well cooked and presented. From the wonderful, warming soup to the huge battered haddock, our choices were unfussy but still cooked very well. Handcut chips were actually freshly handcut chips and the vegan pasta main tasty and well seasoned. A special word for the fish batter - lovely and golden and neither greasy or soggy. All this with attentive, polite and efficient service! The bar/restaurant was fairly quiet last night but I'm sure the festive rush will commence soon enough. As such, we heartily recommend The Watchman as our pick of the Gullane options so make sure you visit if you can! We won't be going anywhere else when we return again next year.

First time visiting - unfortunately the hotel was full, so we just came for dinner. Friendly, prompt & attentive service from all the staff; great setting - in the bar & dining area. Excellent wine list & the food was exquisite; the quality of the ingredients really shone through & it wasn’t the same old dishes on the menu. If we lived closer we would be regulars!

Great stopping off place for snacks, drinks, lunches etc and particularly nice sitting outside opposite the green. Worth a visit!

during a 5 day golf trip we had 3 dinners here which was very convenient as we also stayed in the hotel. As from the first evening we were positivey surprised by the quality of the food. We really enjoyed the scallops starter, the main dish with cod and the mussels dishes. Very friendly service

Eaten here a few times since it was renovated. Restaurant is bright, airy and nicely decorated. Menu offers good variety of dishes … we were impressed with our choices, all tasty and reasonably priced. Overall good value with nice ambience. Would return in future.

As a local we have visited many times for a drink but tonight was the first time we have had a meal. 5 stars all round. Service from arrival until we left was first class. The young staff should be proud of themselves, they are great ambassadors for Gullane. The food was superb in both taste to presentation, compliments to chef and kitchen staff. A lovely garden to enjoy our after dinner drink. A treat for my birthday was beyond my expectations. Thank you

Been a few times whilst playing golf in the area and always really good. Family friendly menu and great wine list. Cullen skink was fantastic and thanks to the serving staff for recommending it. Added bonus great views across Gullane golf course.

Travelling down the coast we googled dog friendly places to stop for lunch, and found The Watchman. The food and service were both excellent. We both had the West Coast Cod with amazing roasted new potatoes and broccoli, followed by stunning desserts. The staff were...

Very nice setting for this restaurant inside and out. 7 of us were there for an early evening meal. The food was, unfortunately, a bit overcooked, I wonder if they find co-ordination a challenge when busy? Other than that the menu itself is good and...

We had a family lunch here earlier today. My wife had the cod (served with carrots, samphire and a curry broth) which although tasty and beautifully cooked was a rather small portion and didn't come with any side of potatoes or veg (no sides were...

We had a great lunch yesterday at the recently refurbished Watchman - great service, fantastic food (crispy haddock and chips and sticky toffee pudding were highlights) and a lovely setting overlooking the golf course. Looking forward to returning and there’s a nice beer garden for...

Family dinner for my mums birthday. We were the first table in but waited 45 mins for our starter. Rolls for soup came 2/3 mins after the starters arrived and we had to ask for soup spoons. Butter with the rolls would have been nice....

This restaurant should be avoided if you have any vegetarian/non gluten requirements, no starter or desert non gluten options available on the day we dined, 31st December, the only vegetarian gluten free main course was a vegan burger which is a poor unimaginative option that...

Fantastic takeaway from The Watchman. Plenty of food for eight of us, well cooked and tasted great. Sad that we had to cancel our table booking (covid), but the takeaway was a great substitute. V highly recommend,

We so enjoyed our meal at The Watchman. It was our first visit and we took our dog so ate in the bar. We liked the decor and the atmosphere and the service was great. The food was so delicious that we asked to speak...

It was meant to be a lunch date and couple of drinks that went on through lunch, dinner then supper!! This is a late post that should have gone in a couple months ago but time slipped by so here we are now. Two staff...

Visited on a Tuesday night in November, so quite quiet. Staff were friendly and efficient. Menu choice was interesting and food was well prepared, presented and of high quality. Barman said they’ve been open only 7 weeks after their refurb. Something slightly sterile about the...

We were very fortunate to dine at the Watchman. (We have stayed at the hotel many times in the past. The renovation is incredible. ) Our dinner was delicious. The main meal was great but the dessert was world class. We had a vanilla soufflé....

Excellent Location, Excellent Accommodation and First Class Food! From arrival to departure we had a wonderful experience; clearly a lot of work has been done to bring The Watchman ‘on line’ all to the benefit of guests. The rooms are warm and comfortable, excellent wifi...