EDIT:I've been contacted by the venue and was politely told that there are actually 2 places with the same name in the same building - one a pub, which I've ended up in, and one a restaurant, which has a different entrance. I've looked it up on maps and I couldn't figure out where it was until noticing a sign on the side of the pub pointing towards it. This is entirely insufficient because:1. The restaurant has the exact same name as the pub with 2 different entrances, which is evidently rare, confusing and unexpected.2. The pub entrance has "restaurant bar" written over it, and the entrance to the bar says "great food", both of which suggest that's the entrance for the restaurant.3. There is nothing online when booking or on Maps mentioning there are actually 2 places.4. The sign for the restaurant is on the left side of the pub entrance so if you are coming from the other side, there's no chance you can see it. And who even stops to read all the signage around the outside of a building, especially when it's dark and rainy?5. The restaurant entrance looks more like an entrance for deliveries than the entrance for the restaurant so even if we did walk past it, we might have not realised we should go through there.Solutions?A. Make the pub signage not mention food or restaurant and improve the signage to clarify that the restaurant is somewhere else, as well as noting that in the booking system. ORB. Name the restaurant or pub as something else and market them as 2 different businesses.So, I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt and updated the review to 3 stars, as this still resulted in an unpleasant experience and there are improvements to be made by them.Original comment:We made a booking for Saturday evening here as TripAdvisor recommended it, pictures looked good and so did the menu. When we arrived, it was instantly obvious this is not a restaurant at all, but a very loud sports bar! There was no one to speak to without queueing to speak to a bartender and no table with a reserved sign on it at all so we just gave up and left. We ended up having to find a table on a rainy Saturday night which was a pain but we did end up at BrewDog which surprisingly felt a lot more like a restaurant and less like a pub than this place! If you're looking to have dinner, absolutely avoid this place.
JANET WALKER
Not the usual excellent food. Food cold, veg cold, few people as well as us complained, waitress apologised but still charged in full.Parking: Parking on side of building
Hannah Gunn
Went as a family to celebrate grandparents birthdays. Had 8 of us squashed into an uncomfortable 6 person table. It felt cramped and claustrophobic. They wouldn’t accommodate us elsewhere. Waited an hour for food, meanwhile tables that came in after us got their food before us. Asked for a soft drinks menu, said they don’t have one. We’re unhelpful with offering what they do have. Very young waitresses, lacking customer service skills. Had 5 small pieces of vegetables on my plate. Asked for extra. After waiting through half of my meal I asked if it was coming as if like to have it with my main, told “I’m not sure the chefs are very busy right now”!Dietary restrictions: They were helpful with one of our guests who was unwell and needing something plain and customised.
Ann Roy
Happy
Flash Wilson
Food is fantastic, best pub grub you will get .Especially recommended the haddock, as good as you can get.Place is let down however by a pair of complete neanderthal doormen who are aggressive and confrontational, they clearly haven't completed any sort of training and are rude and ignorant and are likely to land the Drouthy Laird in some serious trouble.If you relish ego driven so called bouncer steroid heads assaulting people then this place is for you.
Susan MacLellan
Lovely place. Food was fine, nothing special. Staff were polite.
Henry Y
Fantastic dinner out with the family! Service and food was great! Was good to see somewhere so busy. Even with how busy they were the service was still very attentive and the food came out in good time. Special thanks go out to Debbie and Natalie for looking after us and managing to get us a table!!
GolfingladyScotland
O dear. What can I say? Nothing good I’m afraid. Service abysmally slow. Food mediocre. Turkey came on cold plates, so was only warm, hard tasteless carrots, tasteless sprouts, very little stuffing. Poorly presented. Cranberry sauce came after nearly finished.. coffees came eventually - cold. What a lengthy drawn out occasion & not entirely wowed by staff either. No smiles in sight. Very disappointed.
Audrey251059
We had our College 45th year reunion everyone though the room was ideal for our group, Sunday lunch was delicious the meat melted in our mouths great value for money too The service was excellent such a friendly lass & meal was served so well Thank you again
keepexploring0
Inside this unassuming building is a bustling business. We went for dinner on a Saturday night and were seated in the upstairs restaurant. The larger room downstairs was hosting an event. The service from the young staff was on point - especially considering how busy the whole place was. Laird himself was serving too - the family are always about and their passion for good food & service obviously filters through the team. The food was lovely. Downstairs the bar was also thriving but this does not affect dining in any way. If you are after good food in Inverurie, The Drouthy won’t disappoint.
Visited for a family gathering, sat in the upstaires restaurant. Great food and service. Friendly staff, relaxed atmosphere.
alex Robinson
Lovely meal, good service and enjoyable dessert!
mary pops
After pre ordering food a week earlier for our party of 11 we waited 55 minutes for the starter for 4 of the party then a further 40 minutes for the mains to come out .2 had ordered fish which they said was lovely but that was the only compliment of the meal .The bill when it came was wrong as we had agreed to do the bar menu but was charged off another menu and of the 3 seperate bills they all had to be amended as 1 lady was charged 3 times for 1 item .The place was not busy at all with about another dozen people there .We read the reviews hence that venue choice but wont be back to that award winning place
John and Kate Hagenbuch
Outstanding experience for lunch at The Drouthy Laird. Half our party was gluten-free (Celiac), and half were not. Delicious options were available for both. The kitchen easily ensured our food safety for the allergies. Highly recommend the fish and chips! Our server was attentive and knowledgeable. Would visit again!Dietary restrictions: Kitchen was fully capable of managing gluten free food with no cross contamination issues. They also have a dedicated fryer.
Michelle Ryan
I think another visit is in order, just need to make sure I'm suitably ?? first ?? lively and friendly vibe✅
EDIT:I've been contacted by the venue and was politely told that there are actually 2 places with the same name in the same building - one a pub, which I've ended up in, and one a restaurant, which has a different entrance. I've looked it up on maps and I couldn't figure out where it was until noticing a sign on the side of the pub pointing towards it. This is entirely insufficient because:1. The restaurant has the exact same name as the pub with 2 different entrances, which is evidently rare, confusing and unexpected.2. The pub entrance has "restaurant bar" written over it, and the entrance to the bar says "great food", both of which suggest that's the entrance for the restaurant.3. There is nothing online when booking or on Maps mentioning there are actually 2 places.4. The sign for the restaurant is on the left side of the pub entrance so if you are coming from the other side, there's no chance you can see it. And who even stops to read all the signage around the outside of a building, especially when it's dark and rainy?5. The restaurant entrance looks more like an entrance for deliveries than the entrance for the restaurant so even if we did walk past it, we might have not realised we should go through there.Solutions?A. Make the pub signage not mention food or restaurant and improve the signage to clarify that the restaurant is somewhere else, as well as noting that in the booking system. ORB. Name the restaurant or pub as something else and market them as 2 different businesses.So, I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt and updated the review to 3 stars, as this still resulted in an unpleasant experience and there are improvements to be made by them.Original comment:We made a booking for Saturday evening here as TripAdvisor recommended it, pictures looked good and so did the menu. When we arrived, it was instantly obvious this is not a restaurant at all, but a very loud sports bar! There was no one to speak to without queueing to speak to a bartender and no table with a reserved sign on it at all so we just gave up and left. We ended up having to find a table on a rainy Saturday night which was a pain but we did end up at BrewDog which surprisingly felt a lot more like a restaurant and less like a pub than this place! If you're looking to have dinner, absolutely avoid this place.
Not the usual excellent food. Food cold, veg cold, few people as well as us complained, waitress apologised but still charged in full.Parking: Parking on side of building
Went as a family to celebrate grandparents birthdays. Had 8 of us squashed into an uncomfortable 6 person table. It felt cramped and claustrophobic. They wouldn’t accommodate us elsewhere. Waited an hour for food, meanwhile tables that came in after us got their food before us. Asked for a soft drinks menu, said they don’t have one. We’re unhelpful with offering what they do have. Very young waitresses, lacking customer service skills. Had 5 small pieces of vegetables on my plate. Asked for extra. After waiting through half of my meal I asked if it was coming as if like to have it with my main, told “I’m not sure the chefs are very busy right now”!Dietary restrictions: They were helpful with one of our guests who was unwell and needing something plain and customised.
Happy
Food is fantastic, best pub grub you will get .Especially recommended the haddock, as good as you can get.Place is let down however by a pair of complete neanderthal doormen who are aggressive and confrontational, they clearly haven't completed any sort of training and are rude and ignorant and are likely to land the Drouthy Laird in some serious trouble.If you relish ego driven so called bouncer steroid heads assaulting people then this place is for you.
Lovely place. Food was fine, nothing special. Staff were polite.
Fantastic dinner out with the family! Service and food was great! Was good to see somewhere so busy. Even with how busy they were the service was still very attentive and the food came out in good time. Special thanks go out to Debbie and Natalie for looking after us and managing to get us a table!!
O dear. What can I say? Nothing good I’m afraid. Service abysmally slow. Food mediocre. Turkey came on cold plates, so was only warm, hard tasteless carrots, tasteless sprouts, very little stuffing. Poorly presented. Cranberry sauce came after nearly finished.. coffees came eventually - cold. What a lengthy drawn out occasion & not entirely wowed by staff either. No smiles in sight. Very disappointed.
We had our College 45th year reunion everyone though the room was ideal for our group, Sunday lunch was delicious the meat melted in our mouths great value for money too The service was excellent such a friendly lass & meal was served so well Thank you again
Inside this unassuming building is a bustling business. We went for dinner on a Saturday night and were seated in the upstairs restaurant. The larger room downstairs was hosting an event. The service from the young staff was on point - especially considering how busy the whole place was. Laird himself was serving too - the family are always about and their passion for good food & service obviously filters through the team. The food was lovely. Downstairs the bar was also thriving but this does not affect dining in any way. If you are after good food in Inverurie, The Drouthy won’t disappoint.
Restaurantji Recommends
Visited for a family gathering, sat in the upstaires restaurant. Great food and service. Friendly staff, relaxed atmosphere.
Lovely meal, good service and enjoyable dessert!
After pre ordering food a week earlier for our party of 11 we waited 55 minutes for the starter for 4 of the party then a further 40 minutes for the mains to come out .2 had ordered fish which they said was lovely but that was the only compliment of the meal .The bill when it came was wrong as we had agreed to do the bar menu but was charged off another menu and of the 3 seperate bills they all had to be amended as 1 lady was charged 3 times for 1 item .The place was not busy at all with about another dozen people there .We read the reviews hence that venue choice but wont be back to that award winning place
Outstanding experience for lunch at The Drouthy Laird. Half our party was gluten-free (Celiac), and half were not. Delicious options were available for both. The kitchen easily ensured our food safety for the allergies. Highly recommend the fish and chips! Our server was attentive and knowledgeable. Would visit again!Dietary restrictions: Kitchen was fully capable of managing gluten free food with no cross contamination issues. They also have a dedicated fryer.
I think another visit is in order, just need to make sure I'm suitably ?? first ?? lively and friendly vibe✅