Scottish Arms Bistro

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#6 of 59 Restaurants in BowralBar, Pub, $$ - $$$

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Scottish Arms Bistro

Review

At a glance

Closed now

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Website

+61 2 4861 4333Improve this listing

About

Features

CUISINES

Bar, Pub, Australian, Scottish

Meal types

Lunch, Dinner

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options

FEATURES

Accepts Credit Cards

Full Bar

Highchairs Available

Outdoor Seating

Parking Available

Private Dining

Reservations

Seating

Serves Alcohol

Table Service

Television

Wheelchair Accessible

Location

69 Boardman Rd, Bowral, New South Wales 2576 Australia

Parking Available

Does this restaurant offer table service?

Yes

Unsure

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Hours

Suggest an edit

Closed now

• Opens at 12:00 PM

Sunday

12:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Monday

12:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Tuesday

12:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Wednesday

12:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Thursday

12:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Friday

12:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Saturday

12:00 pm - 10:00 pm

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4.3

254 reviews

Excellent

126

Very good

Average

Poor

Terrible

Les C

Shellharbour60 contributions

Hidden Gem

Dec 2023 • couples

Booked for lunch with friends Warm welcome and great food with exceptional service. Menu had a good selection of all pub favourites as well as select items and daily specials. The Guinness beef and potato pot pie was exceptional. All meals were served together and so pleasing to note that no plates were removed until all of our party had finished their meals. A small thing but something I see as etiquette . Luke took great care of us with his dedicated service, sense of humour and ensuring we had plenty of time to make our choices. All staff looked like they were enjoying their work. Also noted the emphasis on cleaning tables and chairs as soon as patrons left. Thanks again for a wonderful pleasant and enjoyable lunch enhanced by the wonderful service and quality of food.

Written 12 December 2023

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.

Jacquie W

Canberra452 contributions

Friendly staff great food

Mar 2024 • couples

We droppedin hoping to get a table. Greeted by friendly staff, who found us a table. Obviously loved by locals. We ecen participated in the meat raffle! Didnt win but enjoyed watching those who did. Partner had the salmon - cooked beautifully, well seasoned with fesh vegetables. I had chicken schnitzel, salad, chips and Dianne sauce - yum!!! Food was great. It is mid range in cost - not cheap but we weren't disappointed. Place was full with couples, families and friends. We very much enjoyed!

Written 7 March 2024

StephenR285

Canberra775 contributions

The go to restaurant on a Sunday night

June 2021 • none

We arrived in Bowral on a Sunday for a few days sight seeing and had forgotten to book dinner for the first night. Around 6pm we started searching for options and found there were not many. The Scottish Arms was open so we set off. Its on the eastern side of Bowral and a little remote, but perhaps the paucity of choice meant that we arrived to be told that the restaurant component was booked out, but we could take a bar table, read the menu and order/pay at the counter. This is what we did and in no time at all we had selected and ordered the sausages with great accompaniments plus a glass of red wine. Nothing fancy but delicious and very filling with both the meal being large and the wine pour generous. The good size crowd was cherry and we enjoyed our time at the Arms.

Written 27 June 2021

Bobbie StClair

New South Wales5 contributions

Excellent service but chef needs to learn how to cook steak

July 2022 • none

Ordered a "rare, but not blue steak" this evening on a solo night out to support a local venue. Presented with a medium to well done steak. Definitely not what I ordered. Given the expense, I sent my very first meal EVER, back to the kitchen. In what I can only presume was a middle finger from the chef, my replacement was delivered to the table and announced by the waitstaff, as 'blue'. Definitely not what I had originally ordered. It was very blue and I was unable to eat it. What a waste of a good steak. Should have taken it home for the dogs in hindsight. I did pay full whack for my meal, because the staff were great and felt it unfair to penalise them – but was incensed enough to write a review here given the chef's reaction.

Written 25 July 2022

16830

Thirlmere65 contributions

Gone downhill

Mar 2022 • none

Have been there several times and had some good experiences. However, recently it has left something to be desired. Arrived at 1.30pm a couple of months ago to be told "we've set up for the evening, so we can't find you a table for one, you can sit at the bar" - this was not a good look given that the place was almost empty. After protests the woman finally offered a table for me, This was followed by a rubbish sirloin steak one evening a few weeks later for $42 (OK, beef prices have risen enormously, but here was a much lower quality than before at a much higher price). They need a decent butcher. So they have lost me, and as I live 50km away it probably doesn't matter, except that I know people 1km away from the Scottish Arms who are now saying "it wasn't what it was, don't go there". Their recommendation was how I found the Scottish Arms in the first place. They need to get their act together....shame really...

Written 13 April 2022

Robert G

Canberra1 contribution

People with allergies should be aware

Oct 2022 • family

People with allergies should be aware. We unfortunately had a bad experience at the Scottish Arms. It advertises itself as a family friendly restaurant. We let the wait staff know we had a 3 year old with a severe egg allergy. The waitress discussed with the kitchen and told us there was packet wheat only pasta available. We asked for that and a different waitress returned with a plate of pasta. Thankfully, my wife noticed the pasta looked fresh and we asked the waitress if this had egg in it. She said it did and then took the egg pasta away. She came back with the wheat pasta we had ordered. The two waitresses apologised. Nobody from the kitchen or management came to explain whether they’d be looking into what happened or changing processes. We were then charged for the meal (just the one pasta) and left. My wife later rang the pub (outside of peak times) to talk through the issue and the person she spoke to was largely indifferent to it. He attributed it to “human error” and offered us a meal (we live out of town). He gave no information about how this could be avoided in the future, even when asked. To be clear (and as my wife explained), we weren’t after a free meal. We wanted assurance that arrangements are in place to avoid this happening again. The child is severely allergic and, even though we carry an Epipen, his egg allergy has sent him to the ER in the past and almost killed him. We have tried to explain to the Scottish Arms that a repeat of this experience could result in a child dying. However, they apparently don’t consider this near miss warrants a review of their processes. This is our effort to let customers know (and remind management) of the risk. Otherwise, I found the schnitzel a little rubbery and can’t recommend the food is so great that you would ignore the risk above.

Written 3 October 2022

Reg B

Sydney17 contributions

A "quiet night"

May 2021 • none

Many thanks to the staff member at the Scottish Arms who answered the phone at 4.30pm on Tuesday, 4 May. Noting suggestions in reviews that a bistro booking was advisable there even on weekdays, I phoned to see if I could book for dinner for two that night. The man on the phone said that he would check with “floor staff”, and then: “You can have a high table at 5.30, otherwise just come at 7.30; it should have thinned out by then.” There was no offer of a booking except at 5.30 and no suggestion that any other time before 7.30 was available. I thanked him and said that 5.30 was too early. After cooling our heels as other local eateries filled, we went to the Scottish Arms at 7.30 only to be told that it had been a “quiet night” and that the kitchen had already closed. A “quiet night”? Yet the only booking time offered was 5.30? What happened, one wonders, to the throngs of people whose bookings after 5.30 had caused that to be the only available time slot when I phoned? This was an obvious case of casual indifference, simple incompetence or a combination of the two. The Scottish Arms must resist any temptation to arrange a chook raffle. It could only end in tears.

Written 4 May 2021

roey1955

Merrijig37 contributions

Fantastic Lunch

Apr 2023 • friends

We are from Melbourne and we were visiting friends who took us to the Bradman Museum in Bowral. We stopped here for lunch, and I have to say it was one of the best meals I have had. I had the grilled salmon which was cooked to perfection. The vegetables accompanying it were also cooked perfectly and the sauce was delicious. I would highly recommend having a meal here. All the meals were delicious. The service was also perfect. Having been a pub owner myself, I say we’ll done and keep up the good work .

Written 19 April 2023

Jeffrey Duque

3 contributions

Perfectly grilled steaks

Aug 2020 • none

Went there for some Scottish ales and steaks. We ordered the 500g Tomahawk Rib Eye and the 400g T-bone. They were perfectly cooked to our liking (on the rare side of medium rare). The salad was fresh, the chips were crispy and the peppercorn sauce complemented the steak quite well. The staff were friendly and the service was exceptional. Highly recommended.

Written 8 August 2020

aldavril

Wollongong1534 contributions

Well worth a visit!

Aug 2023 • friends

What a great find. The menu is so good something for everyone. Meat, chicken, pork, fish and the usual pub favourites as well. I settled for the pie. Absolutely fabulous what a generous serve. The meat and potatoes inside just melted in my mouth. Lots of desserts on offer as well all reasonably priced. The staff are so very friendly and helpful. We really enjoyed the visit and will certainly return.

Written 5 August 2023

Darcy M

57 contributions

Fantastic customer service

July 2022 • couples

We were really impressed with our night at Scottish Arms. The highlight of the experience were the wonderful staff. Upon arrival we were informed of the wait time, however the staff ensured we had our entree in a timely manner while we waited on mains. We originally sat at a high bar table which wasn’t ideal being 8 months pregnant, however staff cleared, made up, and informed us that a better table was ready for us as soon as one become available. Our meals were delicious and the environment was cosy and inviting.

Written 5 July 2022

gmai

Nowra Hill4 contributions

A very poor attempt to emulate Singapore Noodles.

Jan 2020 • none

The menu listed ' Authentic Singapore Noodles '. The dish was over spiced, greasy with a burnt fried egg on top. I lived in Singapore for years and never had this version of the classic dish. It would appear the chef is heavy handed and lacks basic culinary skills. It is what it is. A mediocre experience. The service staff have no idea how to respond to a problem dish.

Written 17 January 2020

Andy

Bowral12 contributions

Mixed Reviews

Sept 2020 • none

We came here for Father’s Day dinner and weren’t very impressed. Service was fantastic, my dad had the tomahawk steak which he thoroughly enjoyed but the ABC Schnitzel and Boscialla weren’t so good. The guac on the schnitzel tasted like 1 part avocado, 3 parts citrus and 15 parts pepper. Was disgusting ! And the chicken itself was more like a processed maccas chicken not fresh juicy nice chicken. The sauce of the pasta dish was also very bland and not all that great. I would rather go to an RSL over this place.

Written 6 September 2020

Rayma C

Bowral41 contributions

Well this was a nice surprise!

July 2020 • couples

Well this was a nice surprise! It’s a good old fashioned pub, with above average pub food. The manager was outstanding and helpful as was the rest of 5he staff. We had Panko crumbed snapper fillets with generous servings of excellent fresh salad and chips. A shared entree of salt & pepper calamari once again generous and great serve of salad and glass noodles. The wine list was good as was the Guinness on tap. I will definitely return and highly recommend.

Written 23 July 2020

valentinetyson

Bowral287 contributions

Late dinner decision.

May 2023 • family

We have been here many, many times. This was a late decision when a relative made a late decision to visit. We got a booking at a good time, which was lucky, and had a lovely experience. I love sausages and gravy, and I must admit, this serve was the best I have ever had. The Lamb Cutlets, and Chicken Balmoral were also very good. ( as reported) The portions were generous, and the food hot, fresh and tasty.

Written 18 May 2023