The story
Knockinaam Lodge is a Classic French fine dining restaurant in Stranraer, set at Portpatrick, Dumfries & Galloway, DG9 9AD. The kitchen holds 3 AA Rosettes for culinary excellence (2026), and the dinner menu is a daily changing set of seven courses.
Veteran chef Tony Pierce leads the kitchen. His approach is to limit the ingredients in each dish so the main component stands out. Much of the produce is sourced locally, and the hotel grows some of its own vegetables.
The Good Food Guide's review described a chilled vichyssoise served in a teacup, a feather-light omelette with mushroom and a Madeira and truffle broth, and Isle of Gigha halibut with a saffron and Champagne emulsion. Strawberry soufflé with passion fruit sorbet closed that meal. Menus change with the season, so your courses may differ. Dislikes, allergies and dietary needs are planned for in advance, and vegan guests need a little more notice.
The lodge keeps its Victorian character with tartan armchairs, open fireplaces and panelled walls. The dining room is laid with linen and displays china in cabinets, and background music keeps the mood relaxed. Window tables look across a sloping lawn to the sea. The wine list draws on many regions, and a Coravin system lets guests sample several wines by the glass.
Recognition
Details
History
There's something deeply reassuring about this grand lodge in a remote but spectacular spot overlooking the Irish Sea. It’s probably all down to the traditional decor – the tartan armchairs, the floral swagged windows, the open fireplaces, panelled walls and slightly faded paintwork – yet in the elegant dining room (all linen napery and china display cabinets) any stuffiness is offset by cool background tunes and informal, young staff. And if you're lucky enough to get the window table, your view across the gently sloping lawn to the sea and (on a good day) Ireland, is well worth the price of admission. Veteran chef Tony Pierce’s set five-course dinner menu might begin with a teacup of chilled vichyssoise (‘perfect in blistering summer temperatures’) followed by a 'delicate chicken and egg sausage' – actually a tiny feather-light omelette with a wafer-thin slice of mushroom and a subtle Madeira and truffle broth. Next up, a simple but delicious Galloway beef consommé with a touch of sherry, the perfect precursor to a beautifully judged serving of Isle of Gigha halibut with chard, garden beans, peas and an exquisite saffron and Champagne emulsion – ‘a riot of high-summer colour and flavours'. To finish, we suggest the textbook strawberry soufflé served with passion fruit sorbet. The ‘brilliantly put together’ wine list roams the globe, and the Coravin system allows you to sample widely (and well) by the glass.
3 Rosette Award for Culinary Excellence
Location
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