I usually avoid restaurants in touristy areas, and despite being on the tourist-congested Victoria…read moreStreet, I had to stop into Bertie's on a friend's recommendation (and was surprised by how much I liked it!). The Lemon & Herb Baked Fish was so flavorful and juicy. I tried a Deep Fried Mars Bar for the first time and loved it (I don't know what it reminds me of, but it's crispy on the outside, gooey on the inside, and hot enough to burn the top of your mouth). The star was definitely the Breaded Haddock. I've had fish and chips around the UK for much cheaper, but at a slightly higher price point you get a perfectly crispy piece of fish with double-fried chips. It's really more about the experience of being in a posh fish shop. It's packed with tourists, so you'll be handed a map of the city at the end -- which I found to be pretty funny given I was living in Edinburgh at the time and came with another local. But it's charming and certainly worth a visit.

i could rave about this place for hours. stumbled into here with my friends on our week long trip…read more we were jet lagged and tired from a day of walking. this first thing was that they are three floors tall and include an elevator for accessibility. the second was that they had fully closed bathroom stalls, each equipped with a sink and were very clean. they also had an accessible AND gender neutral toilet. the overall vibe of the place was fun and they had a lot of space with many tables. for the food, they had a key with all possible allergens, and showed which foods included them or not. the first thing we were asked was if there were any allergies in the party. as someone with many allergies, this was amazing. the wait staff was wonderful and very friendly. the food came quick and was so delicious. we had a few drinks, i got the cider, and they were all so good. we have since then gone again during our week in edinburgh and i am so glad we did.

Walking in to The Devil's Advocate in Advocate Close, just above Market St, the large bar greets…read moreyou. We chose the Scottish Road trip whiskey flight. As someone who truly loved little about Scotch, it was a wonderful way to taste and compare smoky vs peaty whiskeys. Fun. Our table was upstairs and we sat next to an open door which allows for fresh cool air. It was a warm day in Edinburgh. Our server was wonderful, patient and really helpful. Our choices were truly delicious. We started with the fish board, olives, and mushroom skewer. We loved them all. I enjoyed the cod main dish, while my wife finished the starters. The side of asparagus was also excellent. The mouse dessert was delicious but very rich, it's enough for 4 people. The cost of dinner was also totally reasonable. I recommend this place highly.

Great drinks and a killer location. We got a cheeseboard that was actually quite nice and large,…read morewhich we were very pleased with. The one weird thing -- we were unsure when we arrived how hungry we would be, and the menu is a bit limited. We decided to order just the cheese board and see where we were after that. We were told that once we placed an order, we would not be permitted to put in any more food due to a "small kitchen." I have never heard this rule worded in quite this way. I have been to places that prefer you place everything at once, but not that you would absolutely not be allowed to order more food if you found yourself hungry. We witnessed another table leave because of this rule. The server communicated this rule quite gruffly. The restaurant was also not very busy at all, so couldn't have been crowding concerns. I would definetly recommend for drinks and apps, but, for dinner, perhaps elsewhere.

It was very hot made to order, very crisp. Not bad but have had better. Batter had a tendency to…read morefall off the fish. Chips were good.

I stumbled upon Benes while searching for the best chippy to get my deep-fried fix in. In good ol'…read moreScottish fashion, they deep-fry just about anything you can imagine: fish, chicken nuggets, pies, haggis, sausage, ribs, pizza, and so on. You get the point. One item that's not listed on their menu, although it really ought to be, is the deep-fried Mars bar. According to MyFitnessPal, this tiny snack will tax your body a whopping 600 calories! Worth only £2.50 a piece, it probably deserves a medal for such a stellar calorie-to-price ratio.

The guys who work here are a DELIGHT. I'm American, and they were very supportive of my journey…read moretrying my first ever pizza crunch supper, offering me every possible sauce in the shop and patiently explaining what they all were. It was delicious with their garlic sauce! I also LOVED my deep-fried Mars Bar (we used to have those candy bars in the US, but I think they stopped selling them, so I haven't had one since Halloween when I was a kid). Highly recommend!

A convenient place along Grassmarket that advertises late hours. We visited in the evening. It took…read moreabout 5 minutes for them to heat up a big piece of fish. That tasted fine. Unfortunately, the chips were mushy, like they'd been sitting in a warmer for hours. Not a place we'd visit again.

I was so excited to try this place after seeing good reviews but our experience was terrible. There…read morewere gnats everywhere that we were killing at our dusty booth. When our food arrived we finally asked to move spots but the back of the restaurant was just as bad. I can't believe other families weren't complaining. We also found a hair in our appetizer and the mains were subpar. My husband complained about his fries and burger and the manager was combative. They comped us for one whiskey and we left as quickly as possible. The shepherds pie was very salty and the side of veggies was very clearly from frozen.

**RACIST & DISCRIMINATORY** The young blonde hair girl in…read moreher maybe late-20s hostess, bartender or server (not sure which) was super rude! We came in excited about this place, and the restaurant had open tables at about 6:50pm on a Friday ... we had just walked all day and were starving with a 2-year old and an elderly after walking all over town and sightseeing all day long. However, was told by this girl that they didn't have a seat for us. Although there was no wait, no one ahead of us and empty tables. I told her she could seat us in that booth, we didn't mind since our 2 year old wouldn't be eating. However, she cut me off and said that would not work. I thought that was weird but that should have been That it would take them about 30 minutes to get us a table. We walk around in the cold, come back to the restaurant ... there are plenty of open tables. My husband takes my 2-year old inside to wait so she is not in the freezing rainy cold (especially since she was sniffling). The hostess then says it's going to take longer and that we must wait outside the restaurant. We tell her it's cold, and we've been waiting. She then says ... "This isn't going to work, I'm not serving you. You guys can leave." She did not want to serve of us this entire time! She could have told us when we first walked in, but made us wait and walk around outside in the cold rain with a 2-year old and an 88-year old ... then decides she doesn't want to serve us. We walked in at 6:50pm, came back at 7:30pm, waited until 7:45pm when she told us she wouldn't serve us. By this time all the other restaurants were fully reserved or with 1-2 hour waits. We ended up not able to have dinner that night, and got snacks from the grocery store. DO NOT COME HERE UNLESS YOU WANT HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE! NEVER TREATED THIS BADLY BY A RESTAURANT!

While my mother and I were in Edinburgh earlier this year, we were getting hungry walking around…read morethe city and we stumbled across this restaurant. We walk in and were seated upstairs, which gave us a great view of the busy street next to the restaurant. I ordered the fish and chips, a glass of scotch, and the sticky toffee pudding.......all were awesome. The hostess and waitress were really nice and accommodating. The food came out hot and fresh. Overall, it was a great experience and I wouldn't definitely eat here again.

Conveniently located near many Edinburgh Festival Fringe venues. Perfect for traditional British…read morefood that isn't too fancy. Seems to be able to give you a quick turnaround, if you're in a rush. Battered Fish & Chips - Haddock: A classic and seems to be their specialty. Big flaky fish and nice fluffy batter. Lots of thick crispy chips. Plus mushy peas, if you're into that kind of thing. Only issue is that sometimes they neglect to give you tartare sauce. Breaded Fish & Chips - Haddock: Maybe even better than the battered fish. The panko on top of the batter gives it a nice hearty crunch. Perhaps not traditional, but I'm a fan. Fish Cakes: The two crispy cakes are a much smaller portion than the regular fish. However, they definitely bursting with more flavor from the smoked fish and all the nice herbs. Could work if you split this and a regular fish & chips with someone. Curry Sauce: Took a few reminders to my waitress, but finally got my side sauce. A good helping. Kinda closer to Japanese curry than an Indian curry. Dipping the fries in this is purely amazing, much nicer than malt vinegar. Eton Mess: Save room for dessert! The pairing of smooth Scottish ice cream against crunchy airy meringue is perfect. Plus the raspberry sauce and whipped cream. A great way to end the meal on a sweet note.

This place is no longer open. And for some reason google maps shows it down the ally way behind…read morewhere it looks like it used to be. So don't bother going looking for it. It's not there.

So this is actually one of my favorite places to eat dinner in Edinburgh. I know that the city is…read morefull of incredible restaurants, but I've just got a soft spot in my heart for this one (probably because it was the very first place I ever ate at my first visit to Scotland). I've sat inside (which has a really cozy pub feel) and outside (taking in all the sights and sounds of the Royal Mile). I've made a reservation, I've also just walked in. I've had good service, great service, and really exceptional service. But one thing remains the same: I *always* get the Vegetarian Haggis Tower with mash, turnip, and whiskey sauce (it's probably my favorite veggie haggis in Edinburgh; and that cream whiskey sauce? could drink it!), a side of garlicky chips, sticky toffee pudding, whisky, Irn Bru, and a cider. It's a must meal for me anytime in the city.

What an amazing experience. Great historic establishment…read more I got my first taste of Haggis and it was grand. You have to go here !

A short distance off the Royal Mile, this tavern and restaurant has historical charm and is quaint…read more Service was a little slow but the food and beverages were good and it wasn't touristy.

It's has such an unassuming look to it when you first walk in. There's just one big round booth in…read morethe back with only a few tables to the side and back of the bar. There is an outdoor space that sits on the West Bow bend of Grassmarket, but nothing was set up for that when we were there for a late lunch. Perhaps it's a seasonal thing. All first impressions aside, it turned out to be a very good lunch. We were greeted immediately upon entering. We were fortunate to get a table without a reservation. You will definitely need one here during peak times. The service was warm & friendly. Artur was very helpful in answering all of our questions. The lunch menu is limited, but you can also order from the higher priced dinner menu as well. I was mostly amazed by the fact that you get complimentary oysters delivered to your table. My husband is not a seafood fan, so I was fortunate enough to enjoy both of them. These are large & tasty Pacific oysters grown at a farm in Loch Fyne. Delicious! It was such a great starter. I couldn't pass up the half kilo pot (lunch portion) of steamed mussels. These are Scottish rope-grown mussels. I should have ordered a kilo. They were so addicting. The white wine sauce with shallots was perfect. However, I did have a difficult time deciding which sauce to choose. The whisky with smoked bacon also sounded amazing. If I had to say anything negative, it would be to maybe add more bread to soak up the sauce. I probably could have asked for more, but I didn't. That's on me. I really wanted to return to try the Surf & Turf. We just didn't have enough time to do it all. I would go back in a heartbeat. It ended up being a great find. A great experience!

Great place! Started strong with complimentary oysters as we sat down. We ordered platter of…read moregrilled scallops they were so delicious we ordered a second platter. Perfectly cooked and absolutely delicious. Ordered bucket of mussels they were good not great. More on the smaller size but generous in serving Also shared a filet mignon steak which was excellent. Also enjoyed their fish and chips which was haddock very good nice serving size. Service was great. Definitely would return and get their seafood platter. Looked amazing and would definitely serve the four of us.

I wandered in off the street and loved it. A modern setting with an amazing view, and amazing…read moreafternoon lighting through its large windows. Great service in its modern space, the outsider serves tasty modern food and has a solid wine list I had a simple gnocchi with pesto, one of their lunch specials (the others were sold out after 3 or so hours). Each part of it was great, but combining the pesto, feta and tomato with gnocchi was amazing. I followed it with a chocolate and orange pave. Normally I don't like chocolate desserts since they are too rich for me, but it was delicious with the light sorbet. Both tasted as good as they looked

Decent food but service was bad. Part of going out is having decent waiter service. The waiter…read moreacted like we were bothering them being there. Very non attentive. They never came to ask how things were constantly reached across your plate when you were eating. Not a good vibe.