The Tullie Inn

This saddens me, but I really didn’t have a great experience here. After a couple of days away in a nice remote lodge, we decided a wee jaunt out for dinner on the last evening was much needed — and The Tullie Inn was where we settled on.
At first glance it looks like a lovely pub grub kind of establishment, and it was REALLY busy. It was the 2^nd of January and had obviously been mobbed all day, as when we arrived and got seated we were immediately presented with a long list of things which weren’t available on the menu — honestly it was hard to keep track of what was left to order.
Drinks first — I asked for a large pinot grigio blush rose, which they assured me they had. Turns out they don’t have it, but the manager (possibly) sorted it all out really well: she brought me their selection of rose wines for me to choose so problem solved.
I ordered the beef and chorizo pie which came with seasonal veg & mashed potato — and when it arrived it looked pretty good. However, after a bit of a delve it turns out it was steak and kidney pie instead (pretty much a nightmare food-​wise for me). After the slight wine issue I was loathe to complain but I couldn’t eat it, so after a bit of to-​ing and fro-​ing to the kitchen I was asked if I wanted something else — apparently the pie I ordered wasn’t available. I opted for fish & chips in the end, and ended up eating way after my companions had finished.
When the bill came it was wrong too — but by that point we were pretty much just wanting to get out of there. The food I did have — when it was correct — was actually really nice. The fish was lovely and fresh, a huge portion too. Just a shame that the service doesn’t seem to live up to the food they have on offer.

Came here after walking around the loch for a few drinks. Very nice atmosphere — bright and happy feeling with lots of windows, tables and comfy benches. They offer quite a large selection of food and drinks. Cool place if you are in the area.

A few years ago I ventured from my favourite Balloch haunt, the inventively named Balloch House Hotel, crossed the bridge and took a punt on the Tullie Inn. It wasn’t that good, so I went back across the bridge and never looked back, until last weekend that is.
The Tullie Inn has apparently had a recent revamp so I crossed that bridge again and found myself in the large beer garden round the back. The first thing to say is that unlike the other hotel you don’t have quaint views of the river, or of the loch, just of a lot of fence and tree. Even though it’s big you feel a bit caged, the ground is covered in a grush that is just the right size to be strangely annoying to walk on, and the uniformity of the view is actually really boring. Sit in the more attractive side-​garden if you can, near the grill bar!
It started badly, you have to have the grill bar menu if you’re outside and that doesn’t have any starters on it, and is really pretty basic. I walked to the grill bar and realised it hadn’t opened yet, so I went inside, grabbed our drinks and ordered our Classic Burgers. The bar looked pretty much exactly as I remembered, it’s nice enough though, quite slick and modern. I had a quick look at the main menu and it was nothing exciting.
The burger boards came quickly enough, and they looked not too bad so I opened the burger to put some relish on and there was my first foodie disappointment. There was a distinct paucity of Monterey Jack, it just wasn’t cheesy enough. Hmm! I also mused that the burger, although decent-​sized, had the look of being bought in a shop — it being flat and perfectly round. Hmm! I picked the bun up and bit on it, next disappointment was the burger inside was bland and lukewarm at best, some people would have complained but I persevered. On the positive side, and it really is the only thing that was good, the chips were crisp and fluffy — and hot!
Sorry Tullie, but a less than average lunch, I won’t cross that bridge again for a while!

Tried this place out after the refurb having never been before and was very impressed. The food was delicious, especially the fresh seafood platter. The pulled pork was delicious and the brownies were a huge hit!
I don’t know what it was like before but have heard it was very dark with dark wood panelling. It has also been extended and you can tell they’ve spent a lot of money on it. It is now a pale blue colour and lovely and bright. It has a sort of American pier restaurant style inside with maps on the walls and ceilings and booths in the main part of the restaurant area.
There were a few Scottish influences dotted around, tartan cushions, loch lomond on the ceiling and a stag on the wall by the corner table where we sat.
The menu is very varied with plenty of different options from sausage and mash to vegetable pad thai. I love the sound of the wild boar pâté starter (£5.50) and would also go back to try the chicken risotto with chorizo, cherry tomatoes and parmesan (£10.25). They also do some very nice sounding breakfasts until noon and gourmet sandwiches (£5.50) and loaded potatoes (£6.00) for lunch. I was impressed with the kids menu which had pretty healthy choices including a vegetable stir fry (all options £5, puddings £2).
There is also DJ entertainment on Fridays and Saturdays with cocktails for £5.50. They also have rooms so it could be a lovely place to stay for a weekend by the loch. There is free WiFi so we could tweet away about the yummy food too!
We were treated to, among others, Prosecco (£3.95), Kir Royales and Pimms, including the new Blackberry & Elderflower which was delicious!
We ended up sampling the seafood, Italian meat and vegetarian platters and they were all lovely. My favourite was the seafood, although I’m not keen on cold mussels, closely followed by the meat platter. The only thing which would improve them is the bread, some nice flat bread (which we did receive on a separate platter) or nicer crusty bread would have been better than the slices of brown and white bread served with big lumps of butter on top.
I love tomato and mozzarella and the beef tomato salad version sounds lovely, served with fresh basil & pesto dressing (£4.95). The cherry tomato skewers were nice once I dipped them in the olive oil and balsamic from the platters.
Chicken goujons (£5.50) and potato skins (£4.95)
The chicken goujons were delicious once I added some salt & pepper, although they were quite greasy with tempura style batter. The potato skins were lovely (again, once seasoned) and much nicer than usual wedges. Both of the above would probably have been much better if served with the sweet chilli dip and aioli they usually come with, according to the menu.
The teriyaki chicken was delicious but very mild tasting. Usually served with wilted pak choi and fresh coriander rice (£12.95).
We all loved the Moroccan stew wraps, they were full of flavour and I would definitely order one of these for lunch! On the menu though, it comes served as stew with herb couscous and warm flatbread (£11.95). Definitely worth a try.
The mini burgers were very well seasoned and delicious, the full sized version with sour dough bun is £9.95 and comes with bacon and cheese, onion rings, chunky chips, burger sauce and house slaw. We ordered some more drinks and saw the waitress using a tablet which she explained was hooked up to the wireless system so the order went straight through.
The next thing we tried was the pulled pork which was served on slices of grilled apple. It was lovely, full of flavour and not too smokey which I find can often be the overwhelming flavour of pulled pork. (£13.50 served with BBQ sauce, potato skins and grilled apple.)
Then it was time for dessert! This was definitely the highlight for me and I’m not usually that bothered about dessert. We were treated to brownies, profiteroles and meringues.
Brownies (£4.95 served warm with ice cream), Meringues (£4.95) and Profiteroles (£4.95)
They were all fabulous and had the meringue been chewy it might have been my favourite but I loved the brownie, it had a sort of ganache-​like layer on top and was so rich, chewy and delicious. As the brownie was so rich, one was plenty, despite being my favourite. I did snaffle some more of the little profiteroles though! ;)
For people like me who find it difficult to choose, there’s a sharing sweet plate for £12 with tasters of sticky toffee pudding, vanilla cheesecake and profiteroles with vanilla ice cream.
After seeing the fantastic coffee station, I ordered a latte (£2.25) which came with a home-​baked biscuit. Both were very tasty and the perfect way to finish off the evening.
Even though it’s about 40 minutes from Glasgow, the Tullie Inn would be a lovely place to stop for lunch or dinner or even coffee if you’re out for the day by Loch Lomond.

This establishment has been through several changes, I remember drinking in it years ago when it was a dark dingy old place. Today it’s a modern gastropub, well appointed, well staffed and with a solid menu.
The last refurb added a nice extension and beer garden but last night we were in the restaurant in the new glass frontage. The staff are efficient and friendly, once seated, our drinks and food orders were taken promptly, and it didn’t take long for the food to arrive all piping hot and smelling delicious!
As for the food itself it was all good, well cooked and tasty. Nothing surprising, but this is a gastropub that plays to easy strengths. Good, tasty, well cooked food from a fairly run of the mill menu, which has plenty of choice.
The burger my partner had was well cooked, although not in the sourdough bun advertised, and accompanied with some properly crispy onion rings (not the limp soggy type that some places offer up), my father had the pull porked had a nice tangy sauce and was a very generous portion which he struggled to finish (no mean feat!), the fish and chips my mother ordered was good with a crispy batter and some nice chunky chips, my sister had the moules frites featuring some nice plump mussels in a delicious sauce, and my sausage and mash was great with a thick onion gravy over three very tasty sausages (with a nice peppery kick) and good handmade mash.
Desserts were scarce but the profiteroles went down well, as did the sticky toffee pudding. I plumped for a hot chocolate which was made from a well known brand which was a little disappointing.
Overall the meal was good, the service was good and, as I’ve eaten and drank here a few times in the past year, I can heartily recommend it as a dependable, if not stellar, eatery.

I spend a fair amount of time in Argyll, so I pass Loch Lomond on the way — generally not really thinking to stop for food as I have my ‘go-​to’ options already in mind. I remember a few years ago finding myself in Balloch and noticing The Tullie Inn. I just kept driving. Last week I heard that they had recently spent a small fortune on a massive refurbishment, and I took a look at their photographs and new menu. I was impressed!
I booked a table and as I booked I asked about a gluten free menu and she primed me off a very detailed menu to give to my father in law. Excellent! I love restaurants that have this covered in advance.
A massive ‘well done’ to all involved in the new Tullie Inn! The restaurant is gorgeous, the food is gorgeous and… oh all right, the staff are gorgeous too. If you’re going to/​past or be near Loch Lomond then pop in for a meal! I highly recommend it! Our meal was absolutely delicious with generous portions and their prices are so, so reasonable. I ordered the moules frites and it was absolutely to die for!

I visited this wee gem after a recommendation from one of the girls I work with and I’m really glad we popped in. It’s just as you come in to Balloch before the bridge on the right hand side.
We were on our way up to Oban for the weekend from Glasgow but decided to break up the journey with some lunch on the way. I’ve been to this pub before and it was a bit dark and unloved, but wow what a change. The interiors look very New England, pale blues, greys, lovely little half-​circle booths, fresh furniture, even the staff look super smart in their grey aprons. Also, special mention for the sparkling clean bathrooms and funky bathroom taps!
We had the mixed seafood platter (£14.95) with sides of chips, onion rings and house salad between two. My boyf is allergic to mussels so all the more for me and he tucked in to the smoked mackerel as I’m not so keen. The dish also had crayfish tails and smoked salmon as well as two pots of tartare sauce and mayo. It was really lovely and perfect for lunch.
We went on a Saturday afternoon and there was a steady queue of people waiting to eat however the turnaround was relatively quick. The staff were really lovely too, genuine, friendly and happy to help.

Situated in the scenic town of Balloch on the banks of Loch Lomond, The Tullie in is a tourist magnet. The prices on the extensive food menu reflect this. I plumped for the stilton and apple tart which was a bit dry.
However, the location and traditional décor ensures The Tullie will always be popular with visitors.