**March 2024: Weekday Morning Visit** A couple of things to note -No reservations -Hours: Tues-Fri: 10am-4:30pm; Mon: Closed; Sat/Sun: 9:30am-4:30pm I saw this tearoom featured on a youtubers channel and thought it would be a great breakfast option as Clarinda's is known for their scones and baked goods. I came pretty close to the opening and was able to select my choice for seats. I picked a table near the window for natural lighting. They have a table of a lot of tasty treats and while I didn't get a chance to try them all, I can attest to the scone being very tasty! I ordered the Cream Tea (I think I ordered the Lemon and Elderflower) which comes with a freshly baked homemade scone (I chose a fruit one), and a cup of tea €6.80. I decided to upgrade to a pot of tea (€7.75) and added a bowl of porridge (€5.50) with jam as I usually prefer savory breakfasts. This was more than enough to eat for one, but I just enjoy trying different items - does anyone else have this problem? lol I thoroughly enjoyed my experience here as the ambiance, food and tea were homey and intimate. This would be such a fun place to converse with girlfriends for tea time! read more

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If you make it down to the bottom of Royal Mile you MUST stop at Clarinda's Tea Room, a small hole-in-the-wall place with so much personality. We had breakfast here on our first day in Edinburgh. It's cozy and the walls are covered with paintings, antique cups, and plates. To be honest the walls are quite chaotic but that's where the personality comes in. We ordered the eggs with toast and the full Scottish breakfast. Food was great, coffee hit the spot, and service was excellent. Even with the chaos they keep the place clean. Also, BEWARE they do not have hot sauce here LOL. I asked the server and she said "No, but it was worth a try to ask" Respect lol. We sat by the window and people watched and awed at the beautiful architecture of Edinburgh. It's a chill spot to rest and refuel. Would love to come back for their afternoon tea! read more

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Trash place. Inside it smells like the dumpster right outside the back door and the tea is terrible. The customer service is even worse and nonexistent. Places like this don't care about customer service because of all the tourists in the area. When expressed my distaste for the tea, the lady just said if you don't like it you can just leave then slammed the bill on the table and asked cash or card? A good place would offer resolution like perhaps something else or just to comp it out, instead she decided to lose a customer over 3 pounds LOL. Nice job, cheap ass. This place sucks read more

Fun. A bit of a wait to get in on a busy Royal Mile Friday tourist crush. When finally seated, we had prompt service . We ordered an orange tea (tea for 2) along with scones with crème and jams. Ambience is like your grandmother'a house from 1983. Was charming. Not so good: there was a Table of 3 girls with 2/3rds of them sleeping at the table. Super odd. All of this while folks lined up (queued for your UK folks who do t use Yelp) outside. Food good. Service good. Highly recommended while in Edinburgh. read more

One of the nicest tea rooms we've eaten at. All the baked goods looked delicious. We had the cream teas and it was perfect. It's small and gets busy very quickly, so be prepared to wait. It's worth the wait! read more

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Wonderful experience at Clarinda's tea room. Simple, lovely atmosphere with a down to earth, homey feel. great stop for tea! read more

Clarinda's Tea Room - Tea Rooms Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

I have been exploring the local tea room and cafe treasures when I found this place on Yelp. I tried to come yesterday only to discover that they're closed on Wednesdays so I came again this morning and I'm so glad I did! This tea room is incredibly cute inside with beautiful table settings and decor and a nice view outside through the back door. I ordered the cream tea set, which comes with your choice of a plain or fruit scone (today's fruit scone was with currants) with creme and jam, and a cup of their house tea, all for just 4.80 pounds, which is a pretty great deal around these parts. Milk and sugar are already on your table in pretty jugs and containers. The scone was delicious! It had the perfect texture and consistency- not too hard or too soft. Overall, I really enjoyed my experience here. And luckily I came before the influx of customers, since seating is a bit limited inside the somewhat small shop. One thing to note for tourists like myself: This place is CASH ONLY. Credit cards are no good here, at least not right now. read more

Clarinda's Tea Room - Cream Tea Set (scone & tea)- so cute! - Tea Rooms Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

It has amazing scones. That's what you should order. One also appreciates the quaint ambiance and very polite staff. Just go and help local businesses succeed. read more

What a charming little spot right on the Royal Mile! Delicious scones! Large menu of teas to choose from. Don't miss the bathroom! read more

Clarinda's Tea Room - Fruit scone with clotted cream and jam. Pot for one of Scottish breakfast tea - Tea Rooms Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

A take on an old worldly tea room, with proper home baking and light lunches. Service is friendly and the room is cosy. With redecorating over the years Clarindas hasn't changed too much. A read more

Excellent Old Town Royal Mile tea room meaning very limited selections (eg, lunch strictly 12-3 and only one soup and a few quiches) but everything first rate, especially the hot milk with honey and nutmeg, the pots of tea, the carrot cake (!) and the scones with cream and jam. Exemplifies the odd nature of a touristy street in Scotland. Yes totally tourist intensive yet unlike America (eg, Times Square) the shops and restaurants are NOT 'tourist traps' but authentic family-owned non-ripoff places that ordinary locals would confortably stop in. read more

Such a gem of a place. Very small but so cozy. I love tea so this was a wonderful experience. Even inspired me to have a tea of my own when I returned to usa. Recommend this place for sure. Try the scones read more

A quaint tea room crammed full of tea sets and dollies. It's a good place to stop by for a break or a quiet place to rest up, especially after walking all day in the nearby tourist areas. We each had the cream tea special (4.30 pounds), which included a homemade plain or fruit scone served with fresh cream, jam and butter with a cup of tea. The service was kinda meh, since our waitress spent more time hanging out in the kitchen (we could see her) than in the restaurant area. Still, we got what we came for so it was okay. read more

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Great experience, lovely staff. Wonderful breakfast! Decided to come as it was close by our place, and would recommend to anyone! read more

I have stopped by each visit to Edinburgh Scotland. Great ambiance and delicious scones and tea! Try this lovely tea house

Lovely place for healthy lunch with wonderful tea themed decor and of course tea. Daily specials, on the Royal mile. Not touristy,

Quaint spot and quiet restaurant for desserts, tea and soups and sandwiches. Hubby ordered lentil soup and it came out for n a large bowl. My smoked salmon and cucumber sandwich was very flavorful. Could have had more chips and slaw, though. Nice variety of teas and they come out in porcelain tea pots and cups with lace tablecloth. read more

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A delightful tearoom that is cozy and comfortable. We stumbled upon this place walking the royal mile and decided to stop for tea. For the record, I am not an afternoon tea person. My wife insisted. I cannot give a place a higher review than to say I left this place having enjoyed afternoon tea and look forward to visiting again. We had a pot of earl gray and a pot of darjeeling along with scones and a slice of carrot cake. The room is decorated like it would have looked in the 1950s. They do not rush you. The place has a picture of the Queen having tea but it is not pretentious at all like those fancy department stores or palace associated afternoon teas. It was a snowy windy day and the hot tea and snacks hit the spot. Five stars. read more

Cute. Yummy brunch . Love the scones and jam!!! . Should have been more evident that they accept cash only!! I'd recommend for tea/coffee and dessert or light meal. :) ( they display the scones and cakes for your drooling pleasure!!) read more

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The most lovely tea room experience and for a very reasonable price. I had the scones with clotted cream and tea and it was fantastic. The decor is delightful and transports you to a darling living room out of a novel. There isn't many options for food that would constitute a lunch beyond soup but the intention is not for lunch but an afternoon break. This spot is cash only so be aware of that. If you do tea in the city please do it here. read more

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Cute little tea house that lives up to its reviews. Definitely worth a visit if you're in Edinburgh. The decor is delightful from the door outside to the wash room. The staff was very friendly as well. The place inside (there is outdoor dining) is a bit small and tight; we waited for about 10 minutes before we were seated (and there isn't a lot of space to wait without encroaching on other guests) If you're in Edinburgh, definitely give it a shot! read more

Rick Steve's recommendation and we definitely enjoyed it. Mom got the mushroom soup with bread. Michael and I opted for the soup & sandwich combo. Mine was lentil soup with the smoked salmon, cucumber & cream cheese. Michael also got lentil soup but with the bacon, Brie & cranberry sandwich. Both fabulous combo. We topped it off with the fruit scone with Devonshire cream and raspberry jam. Our herbal tea flavors were rooibos & elderflower with lemon. Overall: absolutely delicious. When you visit Edinburgh, this place is a must. read more

I'd always wanted to visit Clarinda's tea room and today I did and it was lovely. Clarinda's is like stepping into your granny's house with flowered wallpaper, ornaments and pictures everywhere and soothing music playing in the back ground which creates the perfect atmosphere, no chance of Lady Gaga blasting in this tearoom, thankfully. Clarinda's offers hot and cold drinks, jacket potatoes, soup among other things and a selection of home baking, all very cheap. The only draw back is its cash only, no card payments which can be a little inconvenient but worth a visit, glad I finally made it there. read more

Clarinda's Tea Room - Tea Rooms Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

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One of my favorite stops in a recent visit. We had to wait about 15 minutes to get a table, but it was well worth it. The service was friendly and efficient. The tea was excellent, we had wonderful soup, and a great choice for desserts. read more

Highly recommended, we've had such a pleasure to eat a breakfast, even a lunch, and even a brunch. The service is nice, people are lovely there and the food is prepared on the go, they do deliveries and the place is so warm and welcoming! We've had some soup, haggis, breakfast, tea, cakes, and nothing wrong to say, I can't wait to go back to Edinburgh to eat in this place again! Not very busy, you feel like you're at your grandma's lounge and I loved it, this is everything you're looking for a tea party of a quiet lunch with your partner, of your mother. The price was totally fine, you have a large pot of Tea, your plate is full, even if sandwiches could be expansive, it's fresh food and really tasty, be sure that you're gonna be well served and happy. read more

I'm from a small rural Yorkshire village - I basically lived in an episode of Last of the Summer Wine for twelve years - so believe me when I say I KNOW tea shops. Chintzy, lacy, doily-laden tea shops. Shops where the clinking of translucent china cups and saucers rings like Christmas bells under the chatter of guests and the cold hiss of rain outside. I didn't expect to find this slap bang on one of the busiest streets in the middle of a city. I'll confess that I was mildly biased toward this from the off, simply because Clarinda is one of the names that people tend to come out with when they're flailing around desperately trying to remember what I'm called. But unless there are a lot more Cressidas, Clarissas, Cassandras and Clarabels out there than I thought, and some of them are male and over 60, that same reasoning doesn't explain the long line of people that materialised in hopeful tea-hunting shortly after our party filled the last table. What does explain it, and the fact that the place was already almost packed when we arrived, follows: Mighty fine quiche lorraine, warm and solid, served with crisps and a simple yet effective salad, for the un-wince-worthy sum of £5.50; tea for two, served in a cuddly bulbous teapot blooming with roses (I believe I have mentioned my love of roses in other reviews); dazzlingly swift service; cakes from just £1.75; cheery atmosphere. Explanation served! Alright, so it's a little kitschy, and the laminated menus are a little battered and budget, but if you're down on Canongate and looking for a cosy cuppa and bite, you could do a lot worse than hop through the door and into village-land. read more

Clarinda's Tea Room - Quichey goodness - Tea Rooms Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

Expectation and Experience changed........ ....Maybe it is because I am not coming to Edinburgh as a tourist anymore and have experienced other places, which offer so much more. It saddens me to cut down the stars from 5 to 3 and the reason being: 1. The place is overcrowded and feels claustrophobic. Lots of people (mainly tourists) queuing and you might need to share a table with people you have never met before. It might be cool if you are of chatty and adventurous nature, but not when you try and catch up stories with a friend you have not seen for ages! 2. The cream tea is simple and you are not getting much of it, just the spare minimum. nothing special. 1 scone, whipped cream, jam and tea. Ok the price is £3.60 for the cream tea, but if you I would have a choice, I would prefer a bit more creativity. 3. The cakes were laid out on a table for people to look at and choose from. No self service so. They looked a bit try to me. Not sure if its the fact that the items potentially might be displayed for a whole day. 4. My friend got additional goods she had not ordered, but still needed to pay for. I think they should get their orders straight! Overall, the interior is really cute with Victorian pictures and ornaments placed all over the room (yes, only 1 room), and provides the perfect experience for tourists on the Royal Mile getting a proper touristy taste of Victorian style tea room. read more

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Lovely place and I ordered the cream tea set and lunch sandwiches they both taste delicious read more

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I went twice!!!! The place is amazing! First time I just took tea and scone! The scone was the best one I had ever ate! Today I went for complete breakfast, it was perfect! The ladies are really nice and the food is perfect!!! read more

Clarinda's Tea Room - Perfect table for breakfast - Tea Rooms Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

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We came here on the recommendation of a friend living in Edinburgh. The recommendation was good! Clarinda's is a charming, quaint little place toward the bottom of the Royal Mile. It is floral and lovely inside with a warm and welcoming staff. We had great tea after a morning and early afternoon of exploration. Lunch was superb, great sandwich and soup special for only £5.95. The Brie and cranberry sandwich was delightful, and the honey roasted parsnip soup special cheerful and warming against the cold! We were told we had to try a scone so we split a currant one as our dessert with clotted cream and jam. Truly wonderful! Cakes and other sweets are displayed in the dining room; there are tons of options and all look scrumptious! Great for an afternoon treat. Our meal which consisted of tea for 2, 2 sandwich and soup specials, and a scone came out to just £14! Great spot! read more

Clarinda's Tea Room - Soup and sandwich special! - Tea Rooms Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

A really lovely tea room with an inexpensive array of tasty sandwiches. I had a corned beef and pickle sandwich with an iced tea, and while it's not corned beef in the American sense it was still really good. Besides, I'm a sucker for a good chutney! The iced tea was freshly made and perfect for a sunny afternoon. The whole affair was a painfully cheap £5.45, sans tip. read more

Clarinda's Tea Room - Corned beef and pickle sandwich with crisps - Tea Rooms Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

This is a very cute and small antique tea room near by the palace. We stopped by around 4pm and got a table for some tea and pastries. The tea was good however the pastries weren't that great. The scone was dry and hard. The lemon tart was way too sweet and dry as well. We felt a little rushed because they were closing at 4:30. It's a good place if you want to stop by and rest after exploring the palace. Cash only place! read more

Clarinda's Tea Room - Tea Rooms Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

This place was so great! The service was excellent food was great! Tea was great! I would definitely recommend anyone to come here that is in Scotland. It is so cute. read more

We arrived to find the hours were slightly different than what was posted on either TripAdvisor or Yelp (9-16:30 M-Sat, 10-16:30 Sun) but after a short wait we were able to order a quick and tasty breakfast. We got coffee, tea, the porridge w/ honey, scrambled eggs w/ toast, and scone with cream & jam. Everything tasted very good. The fruit scone was deliciously buttery! The service was great and the ambiance was delightful. Many locals stopped in while we were there on a Wednesday morning, which is also a good sign. Clarinda's made a perfect breakfast stop on our way to tour Holyrood Palace! Would definitely go back next time we're in town! read more

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What an adorable little spot! We walked over here from a good hike at Arthur's Seat, and were looking for a casual spot to grab some coffee/tea and little nibbles. Since it was early afternoon, there werent many people in the space, which was great for us since we were a group of five and were seated right away. We ordered a bunch of items, including the lentil soup and minestrone soup, which tasted heavenly from the bitter cold outside. They were hot and definitely tasted home-made, which was a welcome change from what we had been eating for so long. We also ordered grilled cheese sandwiches, rhubarb pie, and some other sweets, which were all great and went well with our LOVELY tea ;). The bill for five of us ladies was only £30, which is a steal and I will absolutely go again when I'm back in Edinburgh. Ah, I miss Scotland!! read more

If you're looking for a cute and wholesome tea experience, I reckon Clarinda's is the place for you. I'd noticed Clarinda's before and thought at a quick glance that it was my name, Clarissa, on the sign. Wishful thinking perhaps, but it did pique my interest. That said, when my American-as-apple-pie parents came into town, I began exploring my options for an afternoon tea for all of us (it seems the thing to do!). Because of the timing, and my inability to muster up the gumption to put on some proper "nice-ish" clothes and venture into a place like the Waldorf Astoria, I decided to take a chance and drag my folks to Clarinda's. I'm quite happy with that decision all around. While Clarinda's doesn't offer the whole afternoon tea per se, they do offer a cream tea, which is tea accompanied by a scone with jam and cream, which works just as well, so you're not stuffed to the rafters full of sweets by the end. The place itself is full of kitschy glory--china plates hung all around the wall, a portrait of Rabbie Burns (naturally), info on Clarinda, supposedly a lady love of his at one point, and all of the floral wallpapering you could ever hope to see in a lifetime. It's charmingly cozy inside and all the flowers on the tables are fresh and pretty, and we were able to be sat as soon as we arrived. Our service was almost a little too prompt--our server kept returning several times while we struggled to peruse one menu between all three of us, until I requested a second menu, and we finally managed to place our order accordingly. We all ended up ordering lunch along with cream tea for my parents, and a huge, gooey chocolate cake slice for me. I was impressed by the presentation of my parents simple sandwiches--it seriously kicks it up a notch when they look better than you've seen at some proper eatin' establishments. I'd give it a solid Clarissa seal of approval: the food and tea were nice; the service was good; the decor was lovely; the sweet treats were yum. All in all, Clarinda's is a lovely and laid-back tea experience. I could see myself returning as a treat to myself in the future for sure, but even if I don't, I know my parents definitely enjoyed the experience! read more

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Dreadful service and mediocre cream teas. The sign says to seat yourself, so we did. 10 minutes later, a woman popped her head out and saw us. She (the older woman) took our order without saying a single word. I said, "Two cream teas, please," and she just scooted off without any smile, greeting or acknowledgement of the order at all. Later I asked for some more clotted cream because the jars they give you are quite small in contrast to most other tea rooms. She did not inform me that there was extra charge for that. I wouldn't have minded paying for it, but certainly you should at least tell the customer that you charge extra. The scones didn't taste freshly baked and were just so-so. The jam was just out of a jar and so-so. On the good side, the place is pretty cheap. £3.65 for a cream tea. I'd recommend spending a little more and going to a nicer place. Also, this tea room does not take debit or credit cards, only cash. read more

Popped into Clarinda's enroute to the Scottish Parliament. If you are down the Royal Mile/Holyrood side of town then it is probably worth a visit - it is so cheap! The decor you will love or hate - all plates and chintz and a bit much for me, but cute vintage tea sets being used. Being GF then options are more limited - no ckaes but ask about soups and sandwiches and they also do baked potatoes. I only had tea but the girls all munched down on savouries and cakes which were well received. It is small so you may have to queue at the door to get a table... read more

Exceptional service, food and drinks. Sweet potato and chili soup is possibly the best soup I have ever had. Definitely recommend. read more

Clarinda's Tea Room - Amazing sweet potato and chili soup. - Tea Rooms Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

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We stumbled upon Clarinda's Cafe on the way to the Palace of Holyroodhouse. It is a very cute teahouse on the Royal Mile. This place is perfect for a quick lunch or afternoon tea. We had sandwiches with salad and chips on the side. They also had an assortment of fresh baked cakes and pastries. read more