What are the opening hours?

Wednesday 5pm - 10pm Thursday 12pm - 11pm Friday 12pm - 1am Saturday 12pm - 11pm Sunday 12pm - 6pm

Nick's

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Independent, family-friendly restaurant by the Lake of Menteith.
(1206)

24/09/2026

🚧 THE ROAD IS CLOSED! (Except when it isn’t…)

We’re beginning to think someone really enjoys putting up road closure signs around the Port of Menteith.

By our reckoning, there hasn’t been a single month in 2026 when our little country road hasn’t been closed at some point — planned works, unplanned works, emergency works… we’ve had the full collection.

And we completely understand that roads/bridges need repaired and emergencies happen. Our problem isn’t the work. It’s the signs.

Nick’s sits on a country road which can be accessed from both ends. So if works are taking place on one side of us, we can generally still be reached easily from the other side.

Unfortunately, the signage rarely tells you that.

Instead, big ROAD CLOSED signs appear at both ends, giving the impression that Nick’s is inaccessible.

We’re not. We’re open. And we’d really quite like some customers. 😂

It sounds like a small thing, but for an independent rural business it really isn’t. Every time those signs go up, our bookings go
down — and this week they are horribly down.

So this isn’t a pity post, and we’re certainly not suggesting essential work shouldn’t happen. We’d just love the signage to accurately tell people where the road is actually closed and that businesses remain accessible.

After this much practice at closing our road in 2026, we feel it’s not unreasonable to hope the contractors might have mastered the signage by now. 😉

In the meantime, please don’t be put off by a ROAD CLOSED sign. Nick’s is very much OPEN — and if there are works happening, give us a call and we’ll happily tell you which way to come.

And with three months of 2026 still to go, who knows what excitement our road has in store… 🚧😂

OPEN AS USUAL. PLEASE COME AND SEE US. ❤️

29/08/2026

Five years ago today, we got a phone call that changed everything.

Nick and I were working at Port of Menteith when Robyn called. Our restaurant in Bridge of Allan was on fire.

We ran.

What followed was two years of rebuilding, uncertainty, hard work and bucket loads of stress. While Bridge of Allan was closed, we brought the team to Port of Menteith, reworked what we were doing here and kept going.

Bridge of Allan eventually reopened in 2023. We gave it everything, but after such a long closure, it simply didn’t work. A year later, we made the difficult decision to close it.

Meanwhile, something rather good had happened at Port of Menteith.

We’d kept the team together. We’d redefined the restaurant. We’d grown the garden, the outdoor dining and the cook school. We’d worked out what this slightly unconventional place in the middle of nowhere could really be.

And five years on, we’ve just had our best year yet. We’re No. 8 in Scotland in the Good Food Guide’s Best Local Restaurants, the restaurant is thriving, the team is brilliant and the place has probably never looked, or felt better.

I just wish we could have told ourselves, five years ago this weekend, that eventually, everything was going to be all right - Julia ❤️

19/08/2026

WE’RE HIRING | FRONT OF HOUSE

Great hospitality starts with great people.

Nick’s at Port of Menteith is looking for brilliant Front of House people to join our friendly, experienced team. Recently recognised by The Good Food Guide as #8 in Scotland and #47 in the UK’s 100 Best local Restaurants, Nick’s is a busy, independent, family run restaurant with a passion for great food and warm, genuine hospitality.

What you'll get from us
⭐A great working environment, surrounded by people who care about what they do, serving award wining food you can be genuinely proud of.
⭐Training, mentoring and opportunities to broaden your skills - the chance to learn from experienced people, develop your knowledge and progress as you're ready.
⭐No two weeks are quite the same. Alongside regular restaurant service, the calendar includes special dinners, guest chef events, outside catering, cook school annual Foodie Festival.

What we're looking for
⭐Whilst experience is always welcome, it’s not essential. For us, a great attitude and a willingness to learn matter just as much.
⭐Warmth, personality and strong people skills are really important to us.
⭐You'll need to be reliable, enthusiastic and comfortable working as part of a busy team, with flexibility to work a mixture of daytime, evening and weekend shifts.

You'll be part of a great team where people are respected, supported and encouraged to have a voice — and you'll be serving fantastic food in a place we're all proud to be part of.

Full-time and part-time opportunities available.
If you're looking for more than just your next hospitality job, we'd love to hear from you. Contact [email protected]

📍 Nick’s at Port of Menteith, Stirlingshire

13/08/2026

Four decades after opening Braeval, Nick Nairn is bringing some of the chefs who helped shape its story back around the same table.

On Friday, September 11, Nick will be joined by Martin Wishart, Stephen Terry, Neil Forbes and Jeremy Wares for Braeval to Now: 40 Years at the Table at Nick’s at Port of Menteith.

The one-off dinner will revisit dishes from across Nick’s career while celebrating the friendships, careers and legacy that grew from the restaurant he opened in 1986 with no formal culinary training — before going on to earn a Michelin star in 1991.

“It’s a chance to reflect on where it all began, celebrate how far we’ve come, and look forward with optimism to the future.”

Read the full story here: https://bit.ly/4xzDkd9

08/08/2026

Team Nick's

We work hard together - and thankfully, we rather like spending time together too.

A little celebration for our Good Food Guide recognition, and a chance to get the Team together - past and present. Some of this lot first joined us as students seven years ago, they've since gone on to other things. But they're still in the group chat, still keep in touch, still come back to help when we need them - and, most importantly, still come back to celebrate with us.

Laser quest, a beautiful lunch at Cafe Calton and very well earned Team Nick's day out

30/07/2026

Do this 👇and come visit us 😍

29/07/2026

Summer on a plate at Nick's

Last weekend's Outdoor Summer Kitchen featured half smoked chicken with runner beans and chard from the kitchen garden, served with harrissa and garlic mayonnaise and Orkney scallops roasted in the shell with our own garden pesto, peas and broadbeans harvested just hours before service.

Simple, seasonal cooking at its best. And we're doing it all again this Saturday from 12 noon. See you there?

To book https://nicknairn.co.uk/restaurants/nicks-at-port-of-menteith/

24/07/2026

Chef Andy is firing up the outdoor kitchen once again this Saturday, cooking over the flames and serving up some of our favourite summer dishes.

If you're planning a countryside escape, lazy lunch or just fancy soaking up the atmosphere with great food, Nick's is the place to be.

Take a look at the menu below 👇

Outdoor Kitchen MENU - 25 July 2026

Smoked salmon and trout pate, pickled garden cucumber, sourdough crisps

Beef tartare, ponzu, crispy chilli and garlic oil, shrimp crackers

BBQ watermelon and feta salad, olive, shallots, garden basil, extra virgin olive oil

BBQ corn ribs, miso butter, crisps onions

Orkney scallop roasted in the shell, garden pesto, peas and broad bean salad

Wood fired razor clams garlic butter, salsa verdi, lemon

Wood fired langoustines, garlic butter, gardem salad, lemon

Half smoked chicken, garden runner bean and chard salad, harissa and garlic mayo

(dishes are starter sized and perfect for sharing)

To book https://nicknairn.co.uk/restaurants/nicks-at-port-of-menteith/

21/07/2026

"We're incredibly proud to receive this recognition, especially in a year that means so much to me personally"

19/07/2026

You know you’ve had a good week when someone leaves their shoes in the sandpit… 👣☀️

A trip to London’s Theatre Royal, Drury Lane to celebrate being included in the Good Food Guide’s 100 Best Local Restaurants.

A brilliant weekend at Back Doune The Rabbit Hole, where Team Nick’s served up mountains of loaded nachos (and fully embraced the sombreros 🌮).

Busy services, a beautiful wedding beneath blue skies, Nyetimber on the terrace, plenty of sunshine, and a restaurant full of lovely people enjoying summer at Port of Menteith.

And, as the weekend came to a close, one final glass Nyetimber Wines raised to the people who make it all happen every single day.

To our chefs, front of house, kitchen porters, gardeners, pot washers, festival crew and everyone behind the scenes… thank you. We couldn’t ask for a better team.

Now… who’s claiming the sandals? ❤️

Address

Nick Nairn Cook School
Port Of Menteith
FK83JZ

Opening Hours

Wednesday	5pm - 10pm
Thursday	12pm - 11pm
Friday	12pm - 1am
Saturday	12pm - 11pm
Sunday	12pm - 6pm

Website

http://www.nicknairn.com/

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