Oak Tree Inn

yes its pricy here for lunch. but at least the food is half decent for what you get on the west highland way.
they serve local microbrew here. i got their cider. great cider with awesome kick!
i also got the ultimate burger. its pulled pork, beef patty with onion rings. burger was well made. savory and sweet in a burger. meat was juicy. bun was crisped. the chips that came with the burger was also crispy.

A wee jaunt to Loch Lomond on a sunny day is a great idea. This time we went to the east, to Balmaha for a change. I’ve only eaten there once before and then the service was annoyingly slow, but I was happy to give it another go, sink a pint or two, and meet Tom Weir’s new statue.
I’d forgotten how busy Balmaha is. I used to come through here regularly, on the way to Rowardennan Hotel, Ben Lomond, the West Highland Way, or sometimes just on forest walks. It was stowed out and so was the Oak Tree Inn. There were no free tables outside, which was really why we were there, and no tables in the bar either. Then we noticed the sign for the restaurant, so we wandered through and were given a choice of tables, a couple of them were in what looks like a brand spanking new extension that is almost a conservatory so we sat down there… and then noticed there are a few sneaky outdoor tables at the back of the inn. A wee tip there!
Given how busy the place is the service was really pretty good, I was quaffing a pale ale in no time, and we were tucking into our local smokehouse fish platter in jig time too. Subtly-​smoked oily fish of different varieties and impressive quantities were consumed, along with a ramekin of prawn — and other fishy stuff — cocktail each. Pretty good. So far I was thinking a five may even be on the cards.
The «locally caught» haggis and clapshot was next. It certainly was a generous portion. The haggis though was very average, it wasn’t nearly spicy enough for my taste, and it was too fine-​textured and uniform, and a little dry. It was also very dark in colour. This is a subjective opinion, but the best haggis tend to be quite coarse and greyer in colour. It was accompanied by a mustard whisky sauce, which was not bad, but the clapshot simply didn’t have enough «neep» in it. I’m not totally convinced that it wasn’t entirely potato in fact. Still a satisfying lunch, but the Oak Tree Inn next to the boatyard in Balmaha had just shipped a couple of stars.

We ate here after an hiking to the conic hill.
The food was nice — not too fancy– our waiter was great and helped us to choose the dishes. Do not seat next to the outdoor door. It opens all the time…

The Oak tree inn is a quick forty minute drive from my flat (West end) but it feels like it’s a million miles away. Set on the eastern side of Loch Lomond, in the picturesque village of Balmaha, this place is a wee gem.
On a day out for a drive around Loch Lomond and beyond we stumbled across the Oak Tree Inn as we had stopped in the car park adjacent for a break and and decided all of a sudden we were hungry.
We arrived just after twelve and the main restaurant was heaving, so we walked through to the conservatory part, which we were glad we did as we got to sit right next to the huge windows and could see over the loch and woodlands.
Beautiful views of the Loch in fact, close to Conic Hill — good for a walking to, we were told (yawn)
Inside is kitsch meets twee meets godknowswhat; china cups and plates and saucers on the walls and fairy lights on the ceiling, you certainly never get bored looking around waiting for your grub.
Both being vegetarians it didn’t really take us long to look over the menu, not an abundance of veggie options. The menu won’t blow you away at first, it’s pretty much staple looking pub grub. But never judge a book by it’s cover and all that cliched nonsense, because It was a step above that.
Starters came out rapid style, beautifully presented, pear and stilton pâté for myself served in a wee ramekin with sides of oatcakes, toasts, chutneys and salad. She got mushrooms on toast which I regretted trying as they were amazing and I wanted them; creamy, garlicky on sourdough griddled toast.
For my main I went for Macaroni cheese with no bacon served with garlic bread. In retrospect probably not the best idea as I had a cheese starter. I can’t remember what other main was ordered which is strange, for when it comes to food I usually have an eidetic memory.
When my main came out it had bacon on it, this was rectified pretty quickly and apologies all round from two separate waitresses. When the server brought me my new food she went a bit mental and kind of ran towards me with my new dish. You know that bit in the trailer for Annable? (or if you’ve unfortunately like myself seen the whole film) when she runs through the door like a deranged mental patient. Was EXACTLY like that.
The macaroni was ok, nothing to write home about, the pasta a little over cooked and the cheese maybe not the highest quality. But again presented beautifully and because I’m a macaroni snob I was maybe overly critical
Next time I’m going to go for the pizza, it looked great. A group came in right after us and ordered three pizzas, and they looked smashin’ — I had pizza envy, which I think I’ve never said in Scotland before!
On the way out I also noticed they serve a ploughman’s lunch, which is a favourite of mine and will be sure to try.
The place was buzzing when we left and looked like it be fun to sit and have a drink while looking over the loch, can imagine in the summer it would be bouncing.
For all you internet lovers, the signal there is really poor, which I’m starting to see as a blessing on occasions, I think they have free wifi but we didn’t test it.
The Oak tree inn is literally a stone’s throw from the loch, which we sauntered down to, to feed the (evil) ducks and swans, it’s good that’s it’s close as I could barely move due to the twelve ton of cheese I had just consumed.
So, three stars for now, just because the macaroni wasn’t great, but I loved the place in general and I’ll be back soon to do an updated review and I’m positive they’ll be another star to add.
They also have a great selection of beer and cider, all local from the Balmaha Brewing Co, owned by them.
Never got the chance to partake as I was driving, but next time for sure.

With the sun creeping out from behind the clouds on Sunday we headed out for a drive with no real destination in mind. As we approached Drymen I remembered this cracking wee pub and turned left to head for Balmaha.
Sidenote: You can walk from Balmaha (up the Conic Hill first) then back to Drymen in an afternoon, mostly paths, a lovely wee walk!).
The Oak Tree Inn is right opposite a large car park at the base of the Conic Hill, so parking isn’t an issue. It’s a cosy wee place in the winter, low beamed ceiling, stuffed animals and other bric-​à-​brac adorn the walls and ceilings, and in the summer it has plenty of outdoor benches.
We grabbed a table, got some drinks and perused the menu. With a fair range of pub food, burgers, pizza, and more traditional dishes on offer we ended up choosing the Oak Tree Burger (for me) and the Giant Mince filled Yorkshire Pud for her.
Despite it being 4pm the kitchen was obviously still going full pelt as it didn’t take long for our meals to arrive. First impressions are very important and the towering burger that was placed in front of me looked delicious, if not a little imposing! Equally the Giant Yorkshire pudding was the size of the plate, filled with mince, mash and garden peas… had we bitten off more than we could chew?
The burger was quite a feat of engineering, with a lightly toasted bun, the usual lettuce red onion and tomato base, on top of which was placed a massive double onion ring, the 6oz cheeseburger, another large onion ring (within which lurked a generous dollop of sweet chilli sauce) before the top of the bun, all skewered through with pickle and tomato on top. The side order of chips looked positively puny in comparison!
Of course, all that engineering comes at a price, and for this was a few ingredients too far for the poor bun which struggled valiantly but ultimately was defeated, the bottom section giving up the ghost a few bites in. The burger itself was ok, I’m tempted to suggest it was bought in due to the shaping but it tasted good if a little over cooked and under seasoned. The downside was the onion rings. One onion ring would probably have been enough, especially given the size of them and the fact they weren’t quite as crispy as they could’ve been so I was left with quite a greasy plate. Thank goodness I didn’t ‘double up’ and get two burgers in mine (I was VERY hungry).
I ate it all mind you, the chips were pretty good as well, but it felt a little like the burger was more for show than for flavour, trying a little too hard.
Meanwhile, the Giant Yorkshire Pud to my left was being quietly devoured although Clare did pause long enough to tell me that whilst the mince was very tasty, the mash potato was a little too gloopy, I tried a bit and have to agree. Was it made from frozen perhaps?
Overall it was ok, the location is as much as selling point as the food though which maybe isn’t the best sign. A little less style over substance (or taste over towers!) and they’d be a recommendation for sure.

The other half and I (and a gaggle of friends) spent a day on part of the West Highland Way, walking the 8 miles from Drymen to Balmaha up and over Conic Hill. Twas a beautiful walk — tough, but totally worth it for the view at the top! The decent is always brutal on the knees. Needless to say, when we got down, after being drenched on the way down, we were so happy to see the Oak Tree Inn just beyond the Balmaha Visitors Centre.
On entering, we were struck by the lovely, rustic cosiness of the bar area, and traipsed muddy-​footed and soggy towards the lovely restaurant area which was decked out with teapots and teacups along the walls and hanging daintily from the beams. It was just so pretty!!! It was like a visiting nana’s cottage (I never had a nana who lived in a cottage, but this is so what it would have looked like if she did).
The staff were just lovely. I’m guessing they’re used to seeing dishevelled hikers plonk themselves down without waiting to be seated all the time! They even put up with our banter, bless and didn’t mind the bags and jackets piled high at the end of the table. They were also very accommodating bringing us water, water, and more water — hiking is thirsty work. Though a couple of us moved on to cider after our thirst was quenched.
There was a fantastic selection available on the menu. For myself, I ordered the spinach and goats cheese lasagne. It was beautiful… The goat’s cheese lends a very tart flavour, and there were some lovely aubergines in there as well. The plate looked small, but there was so much of it! By the time I was done, I was just stuffed. My other half ordered the bad boy bacon burger. It looked ever so mighty on the plate, and tasted great too! The rest of our group also ordered a pâté with toast, a cream of chicken soup, and a smoked salmon caesar salad — they were very generous with the smoked salmon! Everyone was very pleased with their meal.
And dessert… never have I beheld such sexy desserts. It was real life food porn! I was so full from the main meal that I wasn’t going to have dessert, but every time one whizzed by I was set to salivating. Then our friend John got himself a banoffee pie and my willpower broke, as did that of half the table! Harry and I ordered chocolate crunch cake with ferrero rocher ice cream to share, and our other friends got a strawberry sundae and am apple crumble with custard. Needless to say, there was much swapping and tasting. Everything looked as good as it looked — nay, better! I’ve tried ferrero rocher ice cream before and was disappointed, but this stuff was magical. I felt like pestering chef for the recipe.
All in, I think I’d walk another 8 miles over Conic Hill to go back again! If you’re in the area, you should check this place out. It won’t disappoint, and weary travellers are made to feel most welcome. :)

Wow, what a place! Having just spent the day walking the 8 miles from drymen to balmaha via conic hill this was a welcome site for foody goodness. The place looks splendid, very old cottage feel and its right on the banks of loch lomond so the views are spectacular!
So in we walked, muddy shoes, soggy and we plumped ourselves down and not an eyebrow was raised at the pile of bags and outer layers we had uncerimouniously dumped. The staff were very agreeable, funny and welcoming, and the menu was full of interesting sounding choices as well as daily extras and specials but between our group we had a smoked salmon ceaser salad, pâté and toast and such starter, one of the specials of cream of chicken and sweetcorn soup, the bad boy bacon burger and the sweet potato, spinich and goats cheese lasagne.
These were all fantastic, well sized, tasty and layered to perfection! Mine also came with chips which were crispy and soooo tasty with a sweet chilli relish. We then decided to be brave and go for dessert of which some was shared and mmmm so tasty. Again between the group we had apple crumble and custard, strawberry sunday and a special from the menu of chocolate crunch cake with ferrerro rocher ice cream. In the words of my other half these puddings looked so sexy!!! And i do have to agree, they tasted and looked great, well sized and filling with interesting takes on things such as chocolate cake and ice cream which i may add were all homemade.
Then came time to settle the bill and the staff laughed and joked with us while we faffed with expenses, varying reciepts and messing around without a hint of weary. Fantastic place, brilliant food, amiable staff and a great looking wee place!!!

Just returned from my honeymoon in Scotland, and we stayed at the Oak Tree Inn the first two nights. We loved it here! Perfect location for views of Loch Lomond, hiking Conic Hill and taking a boat ride across the loch to Luss. Our room was more «cabin-​like» than a regular hotel room, but no biggie. First of all, it’s literally in a cabin, so it’s kinda part of the experience. It had everything we needed and was very comfortable and quaint. (Plus, views of the loch out your back door are a bonus!)
The staff were friendly and accommodating, and it was always a relief to have the Inn to come back to for a pint after a long day of hiking in the rain. The décor of the restaurant and bar very much fit my idea of an «Inn.» The bar area is cozy with a working fireplace and the restaurant side is decorated like a tea room. The food was top-​notch in my opinion and included a host of traditional British favorites – think meat pies, haggis, curry, etc. Mmmmmm. A full Scottish breakfast was included with our accommodation plan, and it did not disappoint! I think I stuffed myself with haggis, roasted tomatoes and mushrooms both mornings. :)
The Oak Tree Inn was bustling with locals, hikers and tourists alike, and we felt very welcome there. Highly recommend for accommodations in Loch Lomond, or just to stop and have a bite and a pint!

My Clansman pizza, yes it does have haggis on top, was very good and very filling, so filling I got to take the remains away with me in a pizza box: however it was not worth the wait to get it.

Trundled along to Balmaha at the weekend for a trot up Conic Hill. On return to the bottom we were gasping for a coffee so popped over the road to the Oak Tree.
I’ve been in here before but didn’t actually realise they have a coffee and restaurant area right through at the back. The Bar area is always full but I suppose thats a good sign.
We sat out in the conservatory area which was really nice. We had Coffee, a scone with cream and jam and a massive slice of carrot cake… Mmmmmm! They do a right good latte, even by my standards :)

Stopped in for a bite after going wakeboarding on Loch Lomond.
Fairly typical pub fare. Large varied menu & a cozy fireplace to warm up after a long hike or a cold day.
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Excellent food
good choices for both adults and children, portions are large.
enjoyable
need to book though.

This is a great place to stop if you have been visiting loch lomond. It sells good food at decent prices and you can get a good pint of beer which is all important.
The staff are very friendly and even made us a roll on sausage after they had stopped serving breakfast in the morning. I think it was the long sad faces we had on after spending a night floating in our tents — gotta love Scottish weather.
They have a good selection of drinks and a lovely open fire which is just perfect for those cold wet nights.
Great place — worth a visit