The Elbow Room

I used this place for years, but I won't return, and neither will my family or friends. The owner treated me vilely, called me a liar and hung up instead of offering a solution. The owner needs to work on customer service. It's shameful for Scotland, and it's ruining what used to be the best place for food. My salad was wrong and incomplete. It had no cheese, coleslaw or chips, and a separate portion of chips was missing too. The tatties have never been part of the salad, and you know that. They were yellow inside. For just under £15, I expected a correct, full salad. I was also charged £4.50 for the missing chips. Whoever the chef is needs a talking to if this is what you think is acceptable to serve. Reviews must have been from when Muriel owned it, so don't be fooled. AVOID.

Nearly £400 for a round of drinks and some lentil soup. Our Christmas dinner was ruined, and we'll never return. We were six adults and two kids. The staff seemed flustered, rude and unprofessional when we arrived. One woman pointed and said, “that table down there,” which wasn't welcoming. The soup came quickly but was lukewarm and very bland. There was confusion over some orders too, and the menu hadn't said the haggis bon bons came with Branston pickle. The mains were mostly inedible. Three people had steak pie and said it was okay, but very bland. Three others wouldn't eat the turkey dinner: the vegetables were undercooked, the turkey was like processed cold meat, and the stuffing was mushy and the worst I've tasted. We gave up and left without dessert. We explained our dissatisfaction to the manager, but she didn't seem interested and still charged us for two courses. She said she couldn't do anything because it was Christmas Day. We knew that, and they still ruined our Christmas dinner. The lack of customer service is why I'm writing this. Absolutely scandalous.

The turkey was delicious, and the food came piping hot, tasted great and felt worth every penny. We go out for Christmas dinner each year, and this was easily our best meal yet. The staff were polite and professional. We've already asked to book again for next year. Thank you, the elbow room, and thank you Lorraine Wishart, for a lovely day.

We eat here most weeks and it's always a great experience. For Christmas dinner, the three of us chose different dishes and everything was top standard for quality, portion size and service. Well done to everyone. See you next week.