The best restaurants serving British food in Lowlands

Lovely setting ,unfortunately the meal was very poor 😢 gammon fatty chewy and very salty , chips over cooked and veg soggy ..nobody around to take sweet order so rang the reception bell to pay and leave ..disappointing .

Dinner was lovely, staff were extremely attentive, service was quick and slick. We came down to Dumfries for filming my university documentary, we always stay at the Cairndale hotel. Monday night after hard graft out filming myself and my girlfriend were knackered. We couldn’t face going into the town for dinner or just ordering a takeaway. Contacted reception for the set menu, which my girlfriend had. I ordered off the a la carte. We hadn’t booked as it was a last minute decision we were met by the manager, who told us not to worry, and we were sat quickly. Server came over with menus, (we had a good idea of what we were having but it was handy to just have another look) then manager came over to take our orders. My girlfriend ordered the soup and chicken bacon cheese burger. I ordered the goats cheese crostini (I felt quite embarrassed as I had to ask what the crostini was, but was pleased to know the manager had to go and double check himself. We shared a laugh about this later) I ordered the lamb shoulder for main. Draft options for soft drinks were plentiful, we were pleased to hear Pepsi max was an option my only bug bear was the price of the drinks, I feel £7 was slightly steep for 2 soft drinks, however I do understand there has to be a certain pricing within hotels. However it didn’t hinder our quality experience. Starters arrived promptly and the quality and service of food was really nice, the manager was over quickly to ask for feedback. Starters scuttled, time for the main, mg girlfriends cheeseburger was massive 3 breaded chicken fillets 2 rashers of bacon and a lovely amount of smothered cheese, I actually wish I’d ordered it myself. And her chips were plentiful too, I don’t know what it is about the quality of chip in Dumfries but it trumps anything in Glasgow. As I say we’re down to the Cairndale often and are always impressed with the quality. You get what you pay for and especially the £40pp per night brd and breakfast deal at the moment, you’re laughing. My lamb was absolutely beautiful, I’m t total myself so I always get concerned when there’s a red wine sauce however, I wasn’t to be worried here. The sauce was lovely and sweet and I’m not one for turnip but even ate that alongside the beautiful roasted potatoes. It was a lovely meal and we chatted away with the servers and manager who were all very accommodating, we look forward to coming down again in the next few weeks. Apologies I can’t remember the names of those who dealt with is, it was a very busy day and we were just so glad to have a lovely evening with some gorgeous food. All the best during the refit and we hope the Cairndale gets its deserved 4th star, we’ll continue to support the restraunt and hotel whenever we are down!

Friendly atmosphere excellent customer service food quality is excellent with a variety of options and the hot chocolates are amazing

We had a day out yesterday and ended up here for coffee. The sign at the entrance said the cafe was open until 4.30. As it was just before 4 when we parked round the back we thought we had plenty of time. However when we entered the cafe I approached the counter to order I was told in no uncertain terms that they were shut. When I pointed out that their sign had said it was open until 4.30 the rude assistant pointed to the sign on the counter which said last orders 4. I said it was 4 and we only wanted coffees she said 'well we're shut'. You would think that after 2 years of pandemic that businesses would be grateful for any money they could get, well that's not the case in this cafe. We had been going to buy some plants but left empty handed and on the way out told the assistant in the shop that we wouldn't be back. Their loss is someone else's gain

We call in regularly for a good, well-packed, well-priced sandwich; not a vast fancy choice, but fresh and tasty. Fish and Chips on a Thursday evening is also pretty decent! Service can vary depending who is working, from very friendly and helpful to downright indifferent.

A super bed and breakfast with a lovely vegan curry and home baked ecclefechan tart in the bar which had an open fire. Steve and Mary looked after us like a mum and a big brother. Could not do enough for us including a very welcome lift to and from hoddom Bridge as we were walking the annandale way. And a packed lunch to order. Will recommend to all, especially walkers.

We stopped by for an evening meal and the place looks tired food was lukewarm and not just our meal another table had the same experience suggest you look elsewhere...

With its dark wood furnishings, including a very large gantry, and most of the wall space covered in framed rugby strips, photos etc, the public bar in the Black Swan could almost be described as dark and old fashioned. It can also feel cramped at times as everyone tends to shun the other bar (and rightly so - ‘cos it’s horrible). The public bar is a place where you have a decent chance of meeting some wee, unintelligible drunk bloke (or two) in the corner, but it is also a place where it is easy to strike up conversation with locals at the bar. In many ways the Swan is like a pub from the past and is pretty unique in Kelso. Perhaps that’s why we always come in whenever we visit the town. It is an ordinary, no frills, traditional Scottish pub with good service and good lager and good banter. It suits us perfectly well.

on arrival Sally was helpful and polite after a mix up in orders thankyou for a positive experience Both coffees tasted really nice.

Thankyou to the lovely man who paid for my food today. Currently scoffing it at work..bless you thanks for making my day

Most awful experience I’ve ever had, never seen or tasted pakora so bad, chips burnt, and worst value ever, if I could leave a minus rating I guarantee I would have, AVOID AT ALL COSTS.

We booked this Hotel for the visit to the Lockerbie memorial garden and from the moment we arrived we were made so welcome and could not do enough for us. The Room was amazing and the view so picturesque, The whole hotel is spotless and our room was so clean and so comfortable we had the best nights sleep in a very long time. The bar is so friendly and everyone so welcoming. The Dining area is first class and the food (Evening and Breakfast Meals) were exceptional and high Quality, all the staff cannot do enough for you and so friendly. We have stayed in plenty 5 star hotels and none compared to this little Gem. We go as far as saying this is the best hotel we have ever stayed in so far. How this is only a 3 star I will never know. We will definitely be booking here again…. Thank-you to all staff…

So after reading a few rubbish reviews I was quite nervous to eat here. My other half had steak.and ale pie ,he said it was fabulous. I got a chase burger and it was great ,came with bacon onion rings coleslaw ,all of it perfectly cooked and hot. staff were helpful and polite. highly recommend

I had a hugely disappointing stay at Ednam house. It looks like a beautiful building on the website, as do the rooms and the food. The building itself is very pretty from the outside but it needs to be completely gutted and renovated. None of furniture should even be kept - throw everything out and start from zero. Everything was dirty and dusty, the lampshades stained, the shower mouldy, the carpets old and horrible. Black hairs in the room and the carpet clearly not hoovered. The food at the restaurant was so bad we didn’t touch it when it arrived. Do not order the cod dish as it is completely flavourless. We also ordered green beans and the waiter let us know 10 minutes after our other food arrived that “there is a problem with the green beans”. They never arrived which left us wonder what on earth this problem could have been… The staff were not great and often got our orders wrong or forgot things. This place is completely misrepresented online and it would be such a shame for people to use their well earned holidays at such a badly run establishment. They need to start from zero and close this hotel for months to make the fixes it desperately needs. The location and house from the outside are beautiful so all I can say is that it has nothing but potential. I feel truly catfished by this hotel so please think twice before booking

Absolutely fantastic, very friendly female staff member and friendly customers, felt very welcome and relaxed lovely place will definitely return