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About
The Mains of Drum Garden Centre is situated in the heart of Royal Deeside, on the main tourist route to Braemar and Balmoral Castle. This family owned garden centre award winning shopping destination and Restaurant, surrounded by landscaped grounds and stunning views. It sells an extensive range of garden plants, gardening accessories, gifts and garden furniture. The Restaurant is open from 9.00am until 4.00pm daily serving breakfasts, lunches & afternoon teas. Fully licenced, so you can enjoy a glass of wine with lunch. Easily accessible by stairs or lift, disabled facilities, wheelchairs & highchairs. Can cater for large groups and coaches by arrangement.
Special Diets
Vegetarian Friendly, Vegan Options, Gluten Free Options
Meals
Breakfast, Lunch, Brunch
CUISINES
Cafe, British, Soups, Scottish
FEATURES
Serves Alcohol, Accepts Mastercard, Accepts Visa, Digital Payments, Reservations, Seating, Parking Available, Free off-street parking, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Free Wifi, Accepts Credit Cards, Gift Cards Available
Reviews (268)
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266 results
Traveller rating
132
65
32
18
19
Traveller type
Time of year
LanguageEnglish
Traveller rating
132
65
32
18
19
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All reviews scones cullen skink sandwich afternoon tea lovely food booked a table shop latte
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Reviewed 3 weeks ago

Went for a breakfast , at 9.15 , they opened at 9am , and the breakfast arrived cold , so I had to return it , and get another one which was not much better , felt it was over priced for what it was..., I won’t be having a breakfast here again , it is just fine for a plate of soup , or a coffee and cake . Staff was lovely .More

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Reviewed 4 weeks ago via mobile

We went to Mains of Drum to buy some garden stuff and decided to have lunch at the some time. Mains of Drum Hausa large restaurant with very decent food. It is self service, but the food is delivered to your table. We had a...couple of soups and a sandwich. Decent quality in a pleasant environment.More

Date of visit: February 2024
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Reviewed 12 February 2024

Perfect afternoon tea! Not the first time I’ve had afternoon tea here and delighted to say it never disappoints from the pretty china to the well filled sandwiches, the delicious scones with cream , jam and strawberries and a delicious array of miniature tarts and...tray bakes and if that’s not all an assortment of cakes ! Good to get a choice of teas too and no need to ask for a refill this was offered. Despite the restaurant being busy today as it was midterm the service was first class ! Excellent value afternoon tea !More

Date of visit: February 2024
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Reviewed 13 December 2023

The best Christmas turkey meal I’ve had in a restaurant! Went today with 2 friends we all had the turkey which was succulent and came with roast potatoes ,and all the trimmings along with 4 different vegetables all cooked perfectly and roast potatoes it was...served on a warm plate and was excellent value in comparison to some other local venues -well done to the all the restaurant and kitchen staff who looked very festive too ! 🎄More

Date of visit: December 2023
Helpful?1  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed 5 November 2023

First visit here for some time and had expectation of a nice meal. Stovies were sloppy, Cullen skink was not the quality of previous visits and my husband’s ham sandwich was the blandest he has had.

Date of visit: November 2023
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Reviewed 10 October 2023

We usually come here with my parents as the food is always tasty and hot and the staff are so pleasant and helpful and this visit was once again a good experience. The Cullen Skink and tasty bread is so good and a meal in...itself. The only small criticism is that we were all disappointed the meal deal of soup and a dessert is no longer available.More

Date of visit: September 2023
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Reviewed 18 September 2023 via mobile

Fancied a quick lunch and thought we would try drum garden Center. We ended up opting for fish and chips. OMG we were not disappointed. The fish was very light and crispy and a good potion size too. My daughter couldn’t finish hers so got...a box to take the rest home.More

Date of visit: September 2023
Helpful?1  
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Reviewed 4 September 2023

Fantastic service from Ann today in the restaurant. Will definitely be back.. All staff seam to take an interest in making sure your looked after.

Date of visit: September 2023
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Reviewed 1 August 2023

Why can't we do mass food in the UK Mains Of drum Garden Centre bit is fine but the food is terrible

Date of visit: April 2023
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Reviewed 27 April 2023

Weverymuchenjoyedourafternoonteaearliertoday.Highlyrecommendyouvisitthisgardencentre,youareinforatreat.

Date of visit: April 2023
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Reviewed 10 April 2023

Visited for afternoon tea. Staff all very nice and friendly, nothing was too much trouble. Although we enjoyed what was served, we did think it was quite boring for the price tag of £28 for 2 people. No savouries included such as sausage roll, quiche...etc, only a sandwich. Scones were light but nothing special, just plain or fruit. Sweet treats were quite bland, both in presentation and taste. Overall we were quite disappointed and probably wouldn't recommend to anyone.More

Date of visit: April 2023
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Reviewed 1 April 2023

Very disappointed with how we were treated going round the shop….it was obvious a member of staff or security followed us about it an experience we were not happy with so will not be back. Food and staff in restaurant are always very nice.More

Date of visit: March 2023
Helpful?1  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Craig Forbes, Owner at The Mains of Drum, responded to this reviewResponded 3 April 2023

Thank you for taking the time to place a review. We are obviously very sorry to hear that you did not enjoy your visit. Please do contact us on info@mainsofdrum.co.uk with details of the date and time of your visit so we so we can...More

Reviewed 30 January 2023

First time visit since covid. Busy place ordered coffee and pancakes. Coffee came but they forgot about the pancakes after waiting over 20 minutes. They replaced the coffee as the origionals was getting cold.all well in the end. Nice place.

Date of visit: January 2023
Helpful?
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The Mains of Drum, General Manager at The Mains of Drum, responded to this reviewResponded 4 February 2023

Thanks for taking the time to review The Mains of Drum. I'm sorry that we made a mistake on your order! I'm glad to hear it was sorted out.

Reviewed 22 January 2023 via mobile

Been here many a time but went out for an afternoon tea for a change. They will take bookings for this and it was changed last minute from 4 people to 5 and the table was all set up for us on arrival. Choose your...sandwich and your drink and they came with them after a few minutes (obviously freshly made) and with the scones and cakes and bakes. The food was fantastic and the bakery stuff was amazing and tasty. Selection was great and quantity for only £12.50 per head was brilliant value. Service was excellent and all in all a great experience so congrats to all involved.More

Date of visit: January 2023
Helpful?
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The Mains of Drum, General Manager at The Mains of Drum, responded to this reviewResponded 4 February 2023

Thank you for your great review Alan. We hope to see you again soon.

Reviewed 20 October 2022 via mobile

I came here Thursday morning. We had breakfast rolls and they were very tasty. Also had a latte/cappacino which were delicious. Service was very good. Prices are reasonable. The shop is also good for local produce. Would highly recommend.

Date of visit: October 2022
Helpful?1  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The M, General Manager at The Mains of Drum, responded to this reviewResponded 3 November 2022

Thank you for your review Gary. We hope to see you again soon.

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Questions & Answers
Ask a question
CalumM222
13 September 2017|
AnswerShow all 2 answers
Response from CraigAF76 | Property representative |
Yes, we welcome dogs in the garden centre. However for hygiene reasons we only allow guide dogs in the restaurant.
5
Votes
_annmariethompson10
22 April 2016|
Answer
Response from CraigAF76 | Property representative |
Hi, you can find our menus and prices from our webpage by selecting the heading Eating then restaurant. Hope this helps you. If you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact us on 01330811000.
0
Votes
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THE MAINS OF DRUM, Banchory - Updated 2024 Restaurant Reviews, Menu & Prices - Tripadvisor

Frequently Asked Questions about The Mains of Drum

The Mains of Drum is rated accordingly in the following categories by Tripadvisor travellers:
  • Food: 4
  • Service: 4
  • Value: 4
  • Atmosphere: 4.5