Gord and I had a late lunch at The Ferry Tap. When you want something, you order at the bar and pay…read moreas you go. We both ordered steak pies. Mine was "classic" and Gord's was with haggis. They were good but interesting as they were deconstructed ... the insides were under a flakey pie crust. The steak was big and chunky.

Awesome!!! This place is simply awesome! It is probably the most realistic looking pub that we…read morehave seen in all of the British Isles. This service is outstanding the proprietor is extremely friendly and the selection of beer and alcohol is excellent. Excellent bar menu everything from Fish and chips to burgers as well as mac & cheese. Very fair price and everything tasted outstanding. The place is extremely clean and very well kept. They have videos playing on multiple screens of TVs. Also a couple of electronica pub games. And if you need they also have coffee. Wish this place was closer to the states. You have to stop in and say hello and try and paint.

Booked a table for 9 for lunch. Food and service was excellent. Only negative I would give this…read morerestaurant is allowing dogs in the restaurant, I am a huge animal lover but would prefer to not hear dogs barking during my entire lunch.

Not only a properly old traditional inn in a quaint market town, but also Camra Lanarkshire Pub of…read morethe Year 2016. Gerrin! Unfortunately I was in a lager mood, they have St Mungo on tap too though :) They do two-fers on pizzas, and a real carvery on Sunday, ie you can go up, and up, and up - I think I may have even bankrupted a couple of hotels in the past! We went for the main menu though, we all ordered the Highlander burger for a main, and two of us had meatballs (very similar to a tapas Albondigas as it turned out). Great, friendly service from the young waitresses. The meatballs were with us in no time. My father really liked his, I really liked mine as well, well except for the temperature, they were lukewarm at best. Unfortunately this only goes to prove they weren't cooked fresh, as my father's were hot. Tut tut! The flavours were great though, tight balls with a spiced tomato sauce with a cheesy layer, even the Spanish and Italians don't do them this good! And then the burgers, quite similar to the local legendary in HRC Glasgow, they had haggis and creamy whisky sauce on them, but also onions and mushrooms. Dare I say at least as good as the Hard Rock's in fact. The burger was tasty and held together well and the chips were nicely done. My only criticism would be the roll, it was a bit too quick to fall apart. A star off for the lukewarm starter and the roll integrity, but otherwise a great lunch!

The Cobbles has an iconic pub bar and cozy dining room. The weather was simply fantastic so we…read moredrank a round (or two) outside in their front patio. The menu includes thick cut filet steaks with wedge potatoes and salad. They also have haggis bon bons that were scrunchy and creamy in taste. Upstairs there is another dinning room, perfect for large parties or private events. A must-eat in Kelso!

This gastro-pub is tucked away in a corner off the main square in Kelso. It is cosy and inviting…read moreinside, with friendly staff. The menu is comprehensive, with something for everyone. I opted for a Thai red curry with jasmine rice, and was really impressed... one of the nicest Thai curries I have had (outside of a Thai restaurant in a long time). My other half went for a vegetarian option from the Daily Specials board - wild mushroom, spinach, and caramelised onion crepe, with ratatouille and fondant potato. This was presented beautifully and was so tasty. Definitely one of the best vegetarian options I have tried in a while. As for desserts, I would have liked to have seen a lighter, fruit-based option, so decided against a dessert. However, my dining companions all ordered desserts and were suitably impressed. If you are looking for somewhere to have a special meal, luck or evening, I don't think you could go wrong with The Cobbles, Kelso.

The clue is in the title! Tucked away on a small cobbled street near the historic Abbey, this pub…read moreis full of atmosphere and a fun place to take visitors. It is indeed wee (small) and by creepy, we mean dungeon decor with skeleton, chains and what not. Good range of drinks. Ideal for small groups and big chats.

Never imagined I'd have a chance to visit my favorite British-based brewery in person. I picked up…read morea four-pack of Belhaven's Scottish Ale on a whim one year, and it was love at first sip. Out of curiosity, I did a Google search on Belhaven Brewery and realized that they're located right outside of Edinburgh. More Googling, and I realized that there's a train from Edinburgh to Dunbar, Belhaven's city. I excitedly told my husband I'd sent an email to the brewery to ask if they had any tours available during our vacation, and almost immediately got a reply from Vicky confirming their open dates and asking if we'd be interested. Hell yeah, I was interested! She told me that they don't run the tour with less than four people, so she said she'd let me know if they had to cancel. With that, there was nothing more I could do than wait and hope others joined the tour. The morning of our tour, we took the train into Dunbar Railway Station and walked a mile to the brewery, following the incredibly detailed directions previously provided by Vicky. We got there early, so we took a few pictures of the sign at the gate, then walked around the neighborhood for a bit. When it was time to check in, we pushed the button and were immediately admitted. Vicky welcomed us with a warm smile, and introduced us to the one other person on the tour, a nice gentleman from Glasgow. Turned out the tour would be just the three of us, which was fantastic (and amazing they didn't cancel). Tom was our guide - Tom is *everyone's* guide - and he was phenomenal. I think he was tickled by the fact that it was me who had pushed for the tour, and that I was the huge Belhaven fan (instead of my husband). He took us out onto the grounds, gave us a bit of history of the land and the buildings, and then took us into one of the buildings. Turns out Tom and Vicky are really the only ones that run the tours, which is incredible, given how popular they seemed to be. Tom runs both the public and the private tours and has been with Belhaven for years. He was very obviously proud of the beer and the company and took the time to shore up our knowledge of Belhaven's history before moving us along to the kilns. There were three brewers working the kiln room when we walked in, and they each welcomed us. Tom talked to us a bit more about what we were seeing, then took us upstairs to peek at the vats. He stopped to give us time to admire the equipment, answered our questions, and then took us to the last stop of the tour: The Monk's Retreat. But before we could get to the Monk's Retreat (and all the wonderful brews awaiting us inside), we stood in front of a fun light-up educational board, where Tom showed us the flow of beer, and how Belhaven manages every step from brewing to production to distribution. Then, it was (finally!) on to the best part: access to all the things Belhaven brews. The Monk's Retreat (so named because a monastery once lived on the lands) is a large open area fronted by a bar, just off a deck and an open courtyard. It's beautiful inside, and we three were the only ones around. Tom gave us a chance to taste as many beers as we wanted, after first giving us a brief overview of the styles he had available. The wall behind the bar is a showcase of the brewery's output, and the taps and bottle beer display is a showcase of the beers available for consumption that day. We made our way through many (several) of the beers on tap and were hazily thinking about starting our walk back to the train station when Tom asked me if I'd be interested in trying the Speyside Oak Aged Blonde Ale. My immediate response was "yes, please!" (because you never turn down a free beer), but I then followed that up with, "...as long as we split it between the three of us!" Hey, I love a free beer, but I had no desire to have to worry about my faculties - or my stomach - on the train back to Edinburgh. Turns out the Speyside Blonde was my favorite of the day...and also not available in the United States. Of course. We left the Monk's Retreat, slightly wobbly on our feet, and headed back towards Vicky and reception. We bought a few shirts (their stock was a bit low that day, but we made do), and then Vicky gave us more excellent directions on how to get from the brewery to "The Bridge to Nowhere". She said it'd be a quick jaunt, so though we were cutting it close, we hightailed it over. (She was right - it was a quick jaunt, but we stil had to hoof it back to the train station, and by the time we got there, our buzz was gone.) At any rate, I'm so thrilled we got a chance to visit Belhaven, and that we were able to meet both Tom and Vicky. They are great people brewing fantastic beer, and I encourage any beer afficiando to book a tour. You won't be disappointed!

We visited Belhaven and went on a great tour! Our tour guide, Chris, was knowledgeable and…read moreinteresting and had a great sense of humor. We are from California, and it was fun to learn more about Scottish beer and folklore. At the end of the tour, you'll be invited to a cozy pub on site and given generous samples of several beers to taste and critique. I highly recommend visiting this beautiful historic brewery.

July 7, 2024 - party of 2…read more This was the first pub during my month-long trip in England & Scotland. I'm glad I got the mediocre one out of the way first. Volunteer Arms is located in tiny Dunbar, very close to the sea. It had a nice outdoor patio but no table service. I went inside to order a couple pints at the bar. I stood there for a long time, totally ignored by the two female bartenders. A man standing next to me asked what I wanted and I said a couple of beers. He called out to one of the bartenders who said "I see her standing there." Still ignored me for a bit more but she did see me. Finally got those pints. For the next round, I sent my partner inside who was waited on very quickly. She even gave him a bag of crisps (potato chips). The top 2 floors are their restaurant. Very dimly lit with chunky furniture. The restrooms are upstairs which was really different to me. Why does the UK put the bathrooms upstairs? Only a few choices of place to go in Dunbar. This isn't one I would return to.

A friendly and welcoming bar where conversation with the locals or other visitors is likely…read more Well kept ales and a good range of other alcohol. Good outdoor seating area as well.