Despite its long history, back in 2023, the Kirkmichael Arms had to shut its doors and, with no social centre, the village too started to shut down. Two locals, however, were determined not to let that happen, even though they had no experience owning a pub. Their search for someone to revive and reinvent the place led them to contact Justin Galea.

Being an Aussie born and bred and cutting your teeth in restaurants in Melbourne (Lynch's and Shannon Bennett's Bistro Vue) might seem an unlikely apprenticeship for bringing the heart back to a village and its pub, but Justin had fallen in love with Scotland when he worked at Trump Turnberry so, even though he was in a jungle in Thailand when contacted, Justin knew immediately the Kirkmichael Arms was where he wanted to be. He said yes to taking on the pub, sight unseen.

It's that passion and belief that brings the reopened Kirkmichael Arms its strong sense of identity and determination to be a place for - and a part of - everything that is best about Scotland: its artisans and farmers, craftsmanship and creativity, simplicity and sincerity, natural wilderness and friendliness. The vision is a pub where you can take pride and pleasure in everything from a single drink to a simple meal to the dinner of a lifetime.