This is a Scottish themed restaurant, just downstairs from the pub, Teuchters…read more Vibrantly painted, yet still quite traditional - it's warm, comfortable and welcoming. 'Tables for two' tend to be placed in tiny little alcoves. Very intimate. But not so ideal if you're not particularly hoping for an 'intimate' dinner. I've felt rather uncomfortable when I've been put in an alcove with a 'date' that I didn't know very well at allI felt completely separated from the rest of the restaurant and wished I was sitting up at a normal table with the rest of the clientele! But it made for comedy value later anyway. The food is delicious. And even better is the fact that Vegetarian Haggis usually finds its way onto the menu in some form or anotherwhether as a starter or a main course. Definitely a favourite of mine! The restaurant is licensed, but feel free to take along a bottle of your own wine if you like. The corkage is rather reasonable too. Lunch deals are rather excellentbut expect to pay more if you go in the evening. Well worth it though. A lovely restaurant and one of my favourites in Edinburgh!

I brought two irish friends here for dinner for a Scottish experience and they certainly got one!…read moreThe restaurant is under Teuchters bar and you can get drinks from there to have with your meal. The bar has a very extensive drinks menu so we tried some different ales and whiskeys. The food was delicious, I had a really nice chowder to start and then pollock wrapped in parma ham, it was great. The winner at the table was the chorizo and pidgeon salad, very tasty. The desserts were good, not amazing, my friends were unsure what was in their creme brulee but it turned out to be cranachan, an odd combination! The table was split 50:50 on whether it was good or not so the verdict is still out! Overall we had a fantastic meal. Oh yea it is BYOB too which is always good ; )

We were a group of 6 and waiting time was less than an hour on a busy Monday at 2pm. Notification…read morewas via text or through a link which you can monitor your table's availability. We had a lovely meal here at Makars Mash Bar (technically called The Makar's Rest) We ordered the following: - Coke & Ginger Kombucha - Free Range Gourmet Scotch Egg (deliciousness to share and a great way to begin a meal) - Home Grown Lion's Mane pan-fried bites, served with vegan aioli wasn't a hit with the group but I really liked it. - Slow Cooked Lamb (rich and full of flavor) - Crown Of Slow Cooked Beef Shoulder (incredibly tender and literally fell apart) - Makars Wild Boar Sausage With Beef Dripping Gravy (got a bite in and it didn't taste gamey) - Sides of Black pudding mash and Scottish cheddar cheese & onion mash which we really enjoyed. - Sticky Toffee Pudding was a perfect end to the meal. Great comfort food, generous portions, and a really enjoyable experience overall. Would definitely recommend. Atmosphere outside in the chilly air was a challenge at first. Outdoor heaters would have been a plus. At least we were seated.

Makars Mash is one of those places that is always at the top of folks recommendation lists for…read moreEdinburgh. I found this to be for good reason. At the door, parties of 2+ had around an hour wait. I was lucky enough to be dining solo, so was immediately seated to a small high-top area by the door. Service was very kind. I ordered the Lamb and Classic Mash. The side pickles were tasty and refreshing. The mash was truly good. I ended up wishing I picked a different protein because the lamb came on the bone, wish was hard to eat around for me. Since it was my first day in Scotland, the conversion between pounds and dollars hadn't yet processed for me. As a heads up, ordering the 23.00 pound classic entree came out to be $32.50.

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.

Such a friendly and beautifully set restaurant. The food is picturesque and top notch. Everything…read morewe had, from the large portions of bread paired with roasted red pepper humus to the flaky and flavorful cod, was exceptional. The wait staff is helpful as well as friendly. They prepared a table for us even amidst a packed house. Know that this is not just a restaurant, it's a date night restaurant. We brought the kids, which was perfectly okay, but the setting and price is more date night worthy. This place is terrific! Enjoy!

Good haggis, but overall underseasoned and underwhelming…read more My fiancé and I visited Howie's and had a mixed experience. We started with the haggis appetizer, which was genuinely delicious hearty, comforting, and reminded me of a Salisbury steak with gravy and potatoes. If you're going, I'd absolutely recommend starting there. Unfortunately, the rest of the meal didn't live up to that strong start. My fiancé ordered the ribeye with fries, and once again I have to say: Edinburgh really struggles with fries. These were bland, oily, and needed a serious dose of salt. The ribeye itself had no seasoning, which was disappointing. While the peppercorn sauce was good, a quality ribeye should be flavorful on its own without having to rely on sauce. I ordered the salmon with beets and potatoes. It was decent, but, like much of the food we've had in Edinburgh so far, it could have used more seasoning. The ingredients seem fresh, but the flavors just don't sing. For dessert, we shared the banoffee pie. It was light and not overly sweet which I appreciated but it was just okay. Not memorable. Service was another weak point. Our server wasn't rude, but we were largely forgotten because there was a large party seated behind us. At this price point, you expect attentive service. I understand Scotland doesn't operate on a tipping culture, but when restaurants are charging higher prices (and often more than comparable U.S. restaurants once converted from GBP), the quality and attentiveness should match. Overall, Howie's wasn't terrible, but it wasn't great. Amazing haggis, decent dishes, mediocre seasoning, and slow service. For locals who prefer milder flavors, this might be a solid choice but for visitors used to more robust seasoning and higher service standards, it may fall short.

The food was absolutely incredible. By far the best meal we had while in Edinburgh, and while there…read morewas a wait, it was worth it. The only minus is that people are packed in, so if you're lucky enough to be seated next to someone who has the typing noises on their phone set to 500 dB and is typing all throughout the meal, it's going to take some shine off the experience.

Thanks to something that went viral, the whole world knows about, and is seeking out, Makars Mash…read morein Edinburgh now. What does this mean for you? MAKE A RESERVATION. And make it sooooooooo, so, so much further in advance than you think you need to. Bookings open 90 days in advance; there's no bookings taken in August; and while they always "welcome walk-ins and do their best to accommodate folks on a first-come, first-serve basis", you should still expect an hour (or, let's be honest, more) wait no matter what time of day it is. Is it worth it though? Yes! I've sat inside and outside over the past decade, and have loved both experiences/atmospheres (the inside is very intimate, cozy, and bustling; the outside feels a little more relaxed, like you're sitting on a friend's patio). The staff (minus the host who - no matter who it is - is always super surly) is friendly and engaging. And the food? SO GOOD. You want that haggis, neeps, and tatties experience? Come here. There is literally something for everyone regardless of your dietary restrictions. The plant-based options are delish, and I can't recommend the Roasted Chestnut & Carrot Haggis with Whisky, Peppercorn, and Cream Sauce (make sure to ask for it vegan, I think it has something to do with the sauce). Also, just because it's a cute note from their menu: "For the haggis purists, the mixing of spices, tree nuts, seeds, lentils and pulses is something that has happened for centuries, meat was extremely rare in Scottish cooking." So there, stop saying veggie haggis isn't real haggis. LOADS of mash options: if you're vegan I'd go with the Wholegrain Mustard first, Olive Oil (if they have it) as a second option, or the Chilli Smoked Bean Medley as a third option (just because there's already a lot of other flavors going on). Now I just wish they had more vegan dessert options (sorbet is boring, give me a vegan sticky toffee pudding option please)!

I'm going to swim against the current on this one, but Usquabae ([ooh-ska-bay], n. aqua vitae,…read morewater of life, whisky) just didn't do it for me. We came in around 3 or 4pm and asked if we could get a drink; the host asked us if we had made a reservation. We hadn't, and they made a bit of a fuss about "squeezing us in" (at this point there was only one other person in the entire place - a man drinking at the bar). As long as we "weren't there for food" they could accommodate us. For the record: we were here for an hour, and no one else came in during that time. The whisky options were impressive featuring something from all the regions of Scotland, and we also appreciated their cider and cocktail options. In the end we each had one drink, but genuinely felt a bit disinterested and disappointed by the place on the whole after the hype we had read/heard. We just didn't get what made it THE place to go to in Edinburgh according to so many. We found much more interesting, down to earth, genuine places elsewhere in the city. The cold reception didn't help, but -- really -- what are we missing about this place?

I absolutely LOVED this "Whisky Bar and Larder". It is no surprise it won, "Whisky Bar of the Year…read more2018." I chose this place from a Yelp search and we are so glad! We almost didn't find it - it's downstairs from Ryan's. We arrived early so we had the choice is any seat. It is a beautiful place. I appreciated the thistle in a glass on our table. I ordered (with help from our amazing server, Angelique) the Chicken Balmoral. I am mostly a vegetarian here at home. So I would have a problem eating haggis on the regular - but holy delicious. Dan's Smoked Haddock Risotto was good. The star of the night, though, was the Sticky Toffee Pudding. I closed my eyes in absolutely bliss with every bite. It. Was. So. Good. What a way to end our trip to Scotland! It started to pick up as we were leaving. Definitely recommend.

food: we think it's the best scottish can get. authentic flavors but definitely elevated past the…read morenormal. my favorite parts were the haggis and the sticky toffee pudding service: nice staff ambiance: cozy, seems to be more of a local spot, didn't see many other tourists

We had a really nice evening at Scran & Scallie. We…read morethoroughly enjoyed the scallops and trout pate to start and mains of fish pie and steak pie. Service was friendly and efficient, the cocktails tasty and the atmosphere comfy. Recommended !

Excellent food and service. Try their scallop starter and then also their roast chicken. The decor…read moreis relaxed sophistication. Good selection of alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages, too. I could eat here every day. 5/5 highly recommended.

Such tasty food, staff and food wonderful. A small local restaurant. Booking advised…read more We are often drop in and still haven't been disappointed for seating

What a great hotel restaurant. We need these in a pinch. Peacock Alley is inside the opulent…read moreWaldorf Astoria in Edinburgh. She's sophisticated and elegant with her rich teal decor. The atmosphere of Peacock Alley is reminiscent of a bygone era. Her clock is beautiful. I tried the burrata salad. The dish was light and zesty. A perfect quick dinner for me.

Absolutely gorgeous. A beautiful ambience amazing drinks and David, who works the front entry, I…read morereal was so delightful and charming. Thank you so much for a wonderful time.