the Balavoulin Reviews Summary

Food Quality

Pros:

• "Food very good, big portions."
• "The nachos were a huge portion at a reasonable price."
• "The food is very good and the service is excellent."
• "Breakfast in the morning excellent and the waiter was superb."
• "Great and fast service with nice warm and tasty food."
• "Chicken burger/fish and chips all tasted great, full of flavour and served in large portions."
• "The food was really fresh and the quality was high standard."
• "The burgers were amazing, like others say the chicken particularly good."

Cons:

• "Was not a peaceful meal due to the football crowd."
• "I wouldn't bother with the sharing nachos. Just a large basket full of standard nachos with cheese."
• "The food was okay but fish very salty."
• "Food was average at best, male drinks server could not get the order 100% right."
• "Service was good but food was awful and really overpriced. Plate of dry nachos with virtually no cheese £11."
• "The food quality is not worth it. I will not go back there."
• "Not good at all….way below par pub food! Limited knowledge on GF (staff)."
• "Food was just OK. It was fairly expensive for what it was."

Staff Service

Pros:

• "Serving staff excellent."
• "The best thing about the hotel is the staff."
• "Really enjoyed my starter but the drinks took so long to arrive the starter arrived first."
• "The waiter stroked our dog."
• "The waiter was very friendly and attentive, making our experience even better."
• "Staff very friendly and liked how we could bring our dog in."
• "Very friendly staff and while we didn't have a room here we did have food and drink for a couple of nights."
• "Staff were so lovely, even though we didn't have a booking they found us a space."

Cons:

• "We stood at the 'wait here sign' and it took several minutes to be served."
• "Service was friendly enough but the staff looked like they were short handed and the service was really poor as a result."
• "Service bad, food okay but overpriced."
• "Food was decent enough and large portions. The quality of the TV is terrible though."
• "Waited in excess of 10 minutes to get served at the bar even though 3 members of staff on duty."
• "Unfortunately could not get a table inside since it was very busy but did sit outside."
• "Staff didn't seem to want to be here and were abrupt."
• "Poor service, the young lad was more interested in getting the drinks for the girls than an older couple."

Ambiance and Environment

Pros:

• "The place was very busy for midweek."
• "Always a busy place and recommend booking to avoid disappointment."
• "Nice bustling atmosphere and the most dogs I've ever seen in a pub/restaurant."
• "If you're looking for good food with a great ambiance then The Balavoulin in Aviemore is the place to go."
• "Good atmosphere, nice to sit and have drinks in."
• "Very busy pub. Really enjoyed my starter."
• "Very nice atmosphere with polite, friendly and efficient staff."
• "The venue is stunning inside and dog friendly too!!"

Cons:

• "Had a really nice meal. We thought it was odd that we booked a table and then we were placed right beside the TV while a football match was on."
• "Was asked to use qr code and sign in which I did and we were told to have a seat and somebody would come and take our order in a few minutes, however 25 minutes later and after several attempts to order drinks from the bar staff with nobody taking our order we left in disgust."
• "The young staff were friendly and welcoming. The food was great, lovely fresh salad with ciabatta and a great tasting burger and chips! Pizza was really good too, lovely crispy base. Staff were accommodating, lovely place to have lunch in Aviemore."
• "Unfortunately the match between Chelsea and Liverpool was on the TV screens sound off. At a nearby table on scoring of goals or a near miss two men stood up and shouted very loudly looking around them."
• "The outside seating area is really good and the fact that it is pet-friendly is amazing. However service is slow and staff could be friendlier."
• "Decent food, but beware the veggie burger is spicy and this isn't noted on the menu. I wasn't able to eat it, but a friend who likes spicy food finished it off."
• "Family of 4 (kids 10 & 8), friendly and efficient staff. 4 of us shared nachos to start. Kids shared and adult pizza. On the whole lovely food and good quick service. Would recommend to anyone looking to dine out in Aviemore."
• "Food was nice enough though seemed quite pricey for what you got. Staff seemed a bit inexperienced, for example they sat us in front of the TV when there was a game on, meaning others couldn't see. The person serving us had to ask a few times what we'd ordered. All staff seemed lovely and we're doing their best."