The best restaurants in Lowlands

Friendly staff well cooked food, always busy

As it’s a small popular place booking in advance is probably recommended. We were looking for a table on a Saturday night during the Spring Fling event in the region so left a message with the restaurant whilst traveling to Kirkcudbright. The owner returned the call and fortunately, thanks to a cancellation, was able to arrange our reservation for dinner the following night - a promising start. On the evening of our visit the bistro was busy however there was still a relaxed ambiance about the place. The sole waitress taking orders and attending to the tables was pleasant and seemed knowledgeable about the menu and the only other member of staff appeared to be the owner/chef. He popped out and chatted with us towards the end of service to allow the waitress to get home as a few diners like us were finishing off drinks and still to receive their desserts and settle their bills. He seemed sociable and relaxed and clearly hadn’t adopted the Gordon Ramsay approach to the restaurant business. Being a small place we were not surprised at the outset that the menu was limited to about half a dozen items per course including specials however it gave a decent choice in our view. We both ordered a “special” for starters - Tempura Battered Prawns (£7.95). As was the case throughout the evening, the dish was served up to the table in good time. Six king prawns each with a sweet chilli sauce with a salad garnish and balsamic. It was a tasty start. For mains my wife ordered the Seabass, served with king prawns, a white wine & tomato sauce and fresh vegetables (£21.00). I had Duck a L’Orange (£21.95) which was another item from the specials board. Neither of the mains dishes would be winning prizes for presentation however most importantly they both tasted good. The fish was nicely cooked and my wife enjoyed the other parts of the dish. The duck was also good albeit the chef was later surprised I’d left the fat on the plate. I queried if people normally ate the fat and he commented that they often do and that he rendered it to make it more appealing. Thankfully this was not an overly fatty duck breast in any case but I was quite happy to leave the small amount I did on the plate. For dessert my wife had Sticky Toffee Pudding with ice cream and I had a Citrus Tart served with a small selection of fresh berries and cream. The puddings were £6.50 each and both enjoyable. Overall we liked our experience at the bistro and with our three course meal for two costing just under £72 we thought it was reasonable value for money. We had added a bottle of NZ Yealands Sauvignon Blanc wine for £25 only just keeping the bill under £100. A walk to the harbour to watch the sunset as we headed back to our accommodation rounded off the evening well.

Popped in for light lunch and decided on the field mushroom filled with haggis smoked cheese together with crispy potatoe and fresh mixed and dressed salad which was off the starter menu. All I can say is what a stunning clever dish. Wonderful and priced well. Thank you.

Cant rate atmosphere as we had a deliver tonight. But have been to restaurant lots. It's to be recommend-definitely Our take away was Delivered on time everything really hot and fresh. So tasty, lovely. Would highly recommend

Lovely food you won't be disappointed .

I had read good reviews online about this restaurant and it did not disappoint. I had the soup of the day (butternut and sweet potato) to start (delicious), baked hand made pasta tubes with the most delicious filling, topped with a creamy tomato sauce and for dessert a coconut panacotta with chocolate soil served with gooseberries and smooth vanilla ice cream! My husband had the baked handmade pizza dough, filled with cheese and topped with a tomato sauce followed by a venison and beef ragu with tagliatelle. He had coffee then envied my dessert but was too full to order one! This was the best restaurant meal we had on our break. The staff were lovely including Morag who owns the restaurant with Andre, her husband and chef.

One of our favourite places to eat in Castle Douglas, if not our outright one. Proper authentic Italian food of really high quality, and they know how to entertain our 4 year old every time he's in. The fact they remember him is even better. Cannot recommend more highly.

Stayed here the night in our motorhome lovely place. Lovely food thank guys

Really friendly staff, and the locals. Reminisced over a lovely local stout and a cheeky whisky 🥃 after a lovely hike at Mabie Forest

A fantastic place, absolute shame it's closed now. Best wishes to the team in their new endeavours.

Loved this place. We were recommended by Kelso Antique Centre just across the road, glad we asked. Good food, lovely helpful staff and a good atmosphere. Very busy little place , we were lucky to get a table, worth being patient or pre-book. Prices were competitive. All in all a nice experience. Would definitely go again.

I find it difficult to believe the inaccuracies in your response. At no point did any of us sit down in your area, nor were we shown a menu. If there are any photos or evidence to support your claims, I encourage you to provide them. I am genuinely surprised by the misrepresentation of the events that occurred.

Beautiful community run tearoom which serve a delicious full Scottish breakfast. Staff friendly and there is seating outside overlooking the harbour or inside in the spacious seating area.

Superb meal, excellent service, great staff

A warm, friendly welcome walking into a tastefully decorated hotel was nice. The room was spacious, well decorated and immaculate, as was the rest of the hotel. Evening meal was plentiful and well cooked in a pleasant dining room. Breakfast had plenty of options and very tasty. The staff really make sure you are well looked after in this lovely hotel. Mansfield house certainly lives up to its 4 star rating and we would happily stay here again.