Reservation for 3, seated immediately at the table against the front window. We ordered appetizers,…read morea bottle of wine, and three plates of pasta. Service was very good, they kept our glasses of water topped up and there was plenty of extra parm for those who wanted it on their pasta. And surprise, they brought a beautiful complimentary dessert for the table because they overheard it was my birthday. A lovely and memorable meal.

We were seeking Italian in Old Town and saw this restaurant on Yelp. Small place with open kitchen…read more Sadly, online menu did not reflect their current offerings.i came for the promise of authentic Carbonara, which they couldn't provide. Basic pasta dishes with limited quality wines.

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.

Terribly disappointing. We made reservations and we're excited upon walking in. Upon arrival, it…read morewas awkward. At least four people said they'll be right with us. We just stood there waiting, waiting, waiting, and waiting. We were seated at the bar and were assured we would get full service and menu. Given it was NYE, we didn't have many options even though we made a resy. It was a while before anyone took our order. The drink came and we were still waiting to place our dinner order. The person who took our drink order is consumed by other tables. Finally, someone comes and takes our dinner order. As we wait, they load the dishwasher and place dirty dishes near us. Not cool. Food comes and we are tempted to scoot to the right away from dirty plates, but they move another couple from their bar area table to the bar. Lost opportunity. Food wise, it was okay. My salmon was fine, nothing to rave about. The vegetable was on the undercooked side. The portion left hubs and I looking for more food that evening. Very disappointing experience given the price point.

This was recommended by our amazing Air BnB host and he wasn't wrong. The setting is in a cellar…read moreand matches Edinburgh perfectly. The mushroom side dish was absolutely amazing and could be a meal alone. I had the lamb, which was cooked to perfection. The staff were friendly and engaging and never rushed but were attentive. Definitely worth checking out.

Vino at the Arches is like a dream - part wine bar, part bottle shop and amazing little snacks,…read moretoo. The weather was ok so people were sitting out the front drinking as well as inside the shop and this place just totally won me over straight away. I was just after a bottle of wine to take back to Glasgow so I just picked something from the fridge. Prices are quite high but it's not your standard supermarket wines so you'll get something a bit different. I also got a packet of locally made cheese sablé biscuits which were AMAZING and I scoffed the whole lot in one go (woops). I'll definitely be back here for a classy drinking spot next time I'm in Edinburgh. What a great addition to the Arches area.

Woah, this place is AWESOME! I visited recently with a group of colleagues. We were quite a big…read moregroup, and the chap couldn't have been more helpful, swiftly re-arranging many tables so we could all sit together. And he was just brilliant really, explaining the drinks to us and such like. Vino is kinda like a combination between a wine bar and an off-license. So you can buy wine etc to drink, as you would normally. You can also buy products from the shelves, and pay 'corkage' to drink it in-house. They have an impressive range of craft beers for example. They also have a particularly good range of gin, and there were also a few dark rums which caught my eye. I'm not sure if you can buy the spirits and drink them there and then, I'd missed that part of the explanation, but you probably wouldn't want to do that anyway. They have great products that you don't often see elsewhere, for example the new Eden Mill 'mixology project'. We tried the 'basil smash hop gin' and the 'berry bramble love gin'. I also lingered over some Chocolate Tree chocolate bars, but decided against it as I wouldn't have been able to resist trying them and that would have spoiled me for my imminent dinner. We were sat inside the main shop area, and there is also outside area where you can have your drinks. Maybe not so much in winter, but nice during the 'summer'. It was a quick visit as we were heading off for dinner, but I would definitely like to return to Vino, for a more leisurely visit (you could while away many hours here) and to browse their wide range of spirits and craft beers. And obviously wines. Cool place, and the main man was just brilliant, very welcoming,

Given that this place is in an extremely touristy part of town, surrounded by souvenir shops and…read morefamous landmarks, you kind of have to appreciate the effort they put into their food presentation and service. Most places survive on knowing they can serve terrible food and still bring in the tourist crowd. These guys are serving up some healthy and hearty cuisine with a nod to their Scottish roots, but with a more sophisticated take. Everything packs amazing flavour. I came in just a few minutes after they opened for lunch, so snagging a seat was easy; however it filled up in record time, so reservations are highly recommended. The menu offers everything from light seafood salads to hearty steak dishes, to a few veggies options that leave nothing to be desired. Yes, they serve haggis, too, and I have to say, it wasn't bad, even for my first-timer's palate. They fry it up and serve it in ball form, so the taste is mild and appealing. My BBQ Lentils and Vegetables dish was beautifully presented and so tasty, I didn't miss the meat. Cocktails, wine, and beer are also available, so pick your poison.

My brother and I had the chicken, which was delicious but was a small portion which left my brother…read morefeeling hungry as we left. My husband and I ordered the burrata, but it didn't come with bread as listed on the menu. The service was quite slow so we gave up on requesting the bread. I was pleased that they allowed for multiple side sauces to my husband's Denver steak. Ambiance was lovely, allowed for casual dress.

Friendly warm atmosphere. Good wine. Terrific starters. Good dinner. Excellent desserts.read more

They were able to accommodate our party of 14 at the last minute and they were SO amazing about it…read more I'm usually nervous about going to a restaurant with a large party, but they didn't lapse in their excellence in any capacity. The food was outstanding, the service was excellent, and the overall experience was memorable and delicious. I really enjoyed the ham hock terrine and their selection of bubbly appertifs was unique and delicious.

We were doing our regular research, hoping to find the perfect anniversary restaurant, when we…read morestumbled upon Pickles on a map. A quick Google search later, we decided to add this to our "must visit while in Edinburgh" list. This wasn't our anniversary restaurant, of course, but we knew we needed to dine here at least once. It was a long walk from our hotel, but it was a nice way to see parts of the city that we wouldn't normally have gotten to. The restaurant itself is nestled in the basement (or downstairs) of a cute building. It's small in there, but they're very good at maximizing the space they're given. We settled in at a teeny-tiny table off to the side and swiftly ordered a couple of pints. The menu is very straightforward: you're either getting a meat and cheese plate, just a cheese plate, or pates. We decided to share the Mixed Meat & Cheese platter. We figured that we'd snack and drink some Scottish beer, then head off into the night to find our "real" dinner. Thing is, though, that combo platter filled us the heck up. The waitress came out with the meat and cheese plate and a box of bread, oatcakes and crackers, and my husband and I had a "where is all this going?" moment. But our pro-waitress dropped the plate on the table and popped the bread box into a shelf on the wall next to us - a shelf that neither of us ever even noticed, to be honest. The meat and cheese selections were delicious and paired really well together. Kind of hidden away on that shelf (holding the bread and oatcakes) were a couple chutney jars. That chutney - lots of fruit pieces and complex flavors - brought a lot to the cheeses. We really did love the food, the surroundings, the beer and the staff. I wish we had something like this back home.

Comforting environment, food and drink. It's like being in your own home, warm with friends. Staff…read moreare helpful and friendly. Enjoy yourselves.

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.

Great, cozy vibe, and relatively easy to walk in without a reservation if you have a small group…read more Charcuterie boards here are absolute class -- lots of variety and great quality.The wine, however... is just okay. Lots of no-name stuff of middling quality. Overall, an enjoyable experience, but the name would make it seem like a better wine destination than it actually is.

This is a PERFECT little hideaway spot for a relaxing dinner. The restaurant is intimate but allows…read morefor a casual evening at the same time. Our server, Alex did an AMAZING job in introducing himself and the menu. He went over every item thoroughly and was able to recommend some favorites. We ended up getting the grande meat and cheese plate and EVERYTHING was on point. He was also accompanied by Luke and he did an excellent job as well. We ordered a bottle of the fruity stuff as well as a couple glasses of prosecco. Food wise we got the lasagna alla bolognese, one of the mozzarella pizzas, the spaghetti alla carbonara and the tagliatelle al ragu. For desert we had the cannoli and the tiramisu as well. 10/5 stars would 100% come back.

Amazing, amazing bar staff. Friendly and very welcoming to visitors from countries…read more The drinks, chats and atmosphere were lovely. absolutely recommend and a must stop when in this lovely city.

Perfection. The best meal I've had in Edinburgh. Can't wait to go back…read more It really was the finest Paloma I've had and I can't recommend the duck salad enough. The upstairs was booked but the basement was a delight.