Just an awesome, rockin' final meal in Edinburgh - fantastic food, good service and energized local…read morevibe! Absolute must to get reservations! We tried on our first week in Edinburgh and failed, but were able to make reservations 3 weeks out for our last night in Scotland, and we are glad we did. Pork cracklins were a bit hard and crunchy, but everything else was perfect. We had fresh bread and langostinis for starters, along with a smokey whiskey cocktail, the Smoked Indiscretion! For mains we enjoyed the poached Cod, and the Pork with Barley. Service was very good, and wine selection was extensive. Atmosphere was loud with music and locals' chatter in the bar below, but dark tables and heavy wood panels made it a perfect place for a couple celebrating 3 weeks of travel. Highly recommend a visit to the Devil's Advocate, if you can book a table in advance.

The Devil's Advocate is undoubtedly a treasure to find in Old Town Edinburgh, especially if you…read moreaccidentally take the News Steps to get there, only to realize you should have simply taken the steps up Advocate's Close from Cockburn Street. But they call these lessons, "character building," apparently. No matter, the Devil's Advocate is worth the search. Located in an old Victorian pump house halfway up (or down) Advocate's Close, the Devil's Advocate is known for a killer whisky shelf of more than 300 different bottles from various distilleries across the Highlands, Lowlands, Speyside, Campbelltown, the Islands, and Islay. I finally sipped on a 15-year Tamdu that has convinced me to keep a bottle at home. Then there's the Clydeside 2024 Limited Edition Cask Strength that was wicked impressive. The bartenders are class at making and serving seasonal and regular cocktails that have their spin and character. My wife enjoyed gin-based cocktails such as the Clean Slate (with St-Germain, citrus, and sugar), Rose Garden (with Yellow Chartreuse, Cocchi Rosa, apple, lemon, and mint), and Bee's Knees (honey and lemon). I went full speed ahead with the scotch cocktails, which are essentially classics with a scotch-substituted twist. The Double Shot is an Espresso Martini with Dalmore 12 in addition to Kahlua, espresso, and demerara -- quite smooth without being too sweet. The Scotzia is a Negroni with Fettercairn 12, while the Boxcar is a Sidecar only with Aberfeldy 12. We enjoyed the bar for a few hours, watching the bartenders make magic while sipping on cocktails, while listening to 80s pop tunes. A great evening indeed.

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 stuck in a week of snow in Edinburgh a few years ago and found this gem just a few blocks…read moredown from my hotel. I have eaten in many fine establishments all over the world and back home in the USA and I must admit that this was the best plate of fish and chips I have EVER had. I still think of it to this day. The kind people of Edinburgh, the beauty of the snowfall at that time of year and the amazing fish n chips made the time spent well worth it.

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.

With so may average pubs in Edinburgh, this one really stood out. Best off so far. I had the…read moreShepards pie which was fantastic and mostly meat. Veggies were perfectly cooked and seasoned. My daughter had the duck, and it was the best meal on our trip for her. Generous portion perfectly cooked and seasoned. Very impressed and I would come back in a heart beat. Very few pubs were as good as this one.

Well, we had dinner on one of our last nights in Edinburgh, and it did not disappoint! Get your…read morereservations! The upstairs dining room (bar side) is absolutely charming and welcoming, and the staff could not have been better, or friendlier. The food? Come ON! Really grand! We started with the chips and dip (fries with Sriracha Mayo) - they were crisp and the mayo was just spicy enough. My husband had a sizeable portion of fish and chips, which was perfectly cooked, and had a light batter. I had the most delicious burger, with bacon and cheddar; mash on the side. All the food was hot; well seasoned; and quickly served. The Doric has their own GF beer on draft, which is quite good, and a selection of regular beer for those of you who don't need GF. Great selection of scotch, as well. Make your reservation ahead of time, and don't miss the oldest pub in Edinburgh!

I've been to Edinburgh quite a few times and always avoided this restaurant because I thought it…read morewas touristy. During my recent visit my friend and I ended up here for dinner and I'm so glad we did! The food was amazing especially the scallops. The portions were really generous. The service was so friendly and attentive. I definitely recommend and look forward to dining here again.

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!

Three of us stumbled upon The Outsider while out looking for a place for dinner. It was so good we…read morewent back with 2 more friends a few nights later. Nice pleasant room with good size tables and very helpful, friendly courteous wait persons. Very good steaks, and fish, and affogato for dessert. Go to read the creative food descriptions on the menu!

My wife has been following The Outsider on the socials for a bit. So as we find ourselves in…read moreEdinburgh, this was a must. Tonight's dinner destination. We got here at 6 with no reservation. We were able to be seated upstairs. This place is busy (much busier when we were finished for sure). So if you can, I'd suggest reserving a spot. It's a bit loud in here. Not out of the ordinary for a busy place. We started with the pressed pork belly app. Perfect crisp. Could've used more of the celeriac puree bed. The confit shallots were so good and nicely sweet. Black pudding cubes (small. More of these!). Candied pears. Mmm. Great start. Wife got the char grilled venison on a butternut squash purée and spicy daikon planks (I didn't find the heat, she did tho!). It was excellent and perfectly prepared. Not gamey at all. I got the 35 day aged hangar steak. This is hands down one of the best steaks I have had out in a very long time. So well seasoned! Which was such a pleasant surprise as it left me wanting for nothing to add flavor. The hand cut fries were good but did need some salt. No dessert as, well, our server was scattered a bit all night. We asked for the dessert menu. She brought us dinner menus and we didn't see her for 10 minutes. So we opted to leave, a bit disappointed at the end. We would come back tho. Thats for sure.