Attracted by the many favorable YELP reviews ( and a friendly tip from a fellow traveler at our hotel), we felt we had to give Howies a try. Both the digital and human assessments were on the money! Howies is a must stop for the weary traveler in search of authentic Scottish fare. Our meal was delightful and delicious. Don't be afraid of the haggis, It tastes like meatloaf, bu a bit grainier! If you want a more thorough review, check out Sandy J's 12/28/2106 review. She said it all! read more

Howies - Scottish Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

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I so rarely send food back...risotto should not crunch and not seasoned correctly...should have ordered something else Still waiting for dessert... read more

Based on our tour guide, we came here for lunch. I had the skink soup (similar to clam chowder but with skink instead of clam). The skink (smoked haddock) held up well in the cream based soup. It was delicious. Then I had the haggis with neeps and tatties (turnip and potatoes). Now I really don't know what the heck is in haggis (in theory it's heart, lung, liver, oatmeal, onion, spices and pepper), but it I like it. It's earthy, peppery and oddly tasty. When in Scotland, you have to try the haggis. You have the option of ordering as an app and not as an entree. Overall, the place is bright and lively. Although I think they are short staffed, we were served promptly. read more

We luckily stumbled upon this little gem while walking around Old Town in desperate need of some lunch. I'm quite fussy when it comes to food largely due to food intolerances but also because I refuse to eat meat that isn't at least free range. When I saw Howies sources their produce locally and that their chicken was free range I was sold. Even better the chicken dish was gluten and onion free! Despite the restaurant being busy, we were quickly shown to a table and the service was very prompt and friendly. Our food took around 10 -15 minutes to come out. It was delicious! The chicken was cooked the perfection, the chicken jus was tasty and the potatoes and beans rounded off the dish beautifully. I would have loved to have stayed and tried the dessert however as we were in a rush we had to go! I wouldn't hesitate to return. read more

Howies - The chicken dish, delicious! - Scottish Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

More than just a big pile of yum, and helped along by a very good value meal deal. We did book a table which I think is a must if coming here on a Friday or Saturday. I will get the food out of the way although to be fair it as expected is the main event and was more than a little tasty. Starter: Warm salad of seared wood pigeon breast with bacon, croutons & sherry vinegar dressing Main: Fillet of Shetland Salmon with a scallop beignet , crispy herb polenta & caponata sauce Pudding: Duo of Sorbet (blackcurrant and Lemon for me). I have to say the food was excellent with one minor floor with my starter, the croutons were more like stale bread rather than their description but all in all I really enjoyed the entire meal. The staff were polite and knew there stuff, even the one who needs to speak a little slower in order to be understood (but still charming). I certainly would recommend this place to people if you are visiting Edinburgh. read more

Howies - Salmon with polenta chips and roasted vegetables - Scottish Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

Such a great experience! Friendly service, quick food preparation, and some of the best flavors in all of the UK! The chicken was absolutely delicious. It was packed, but our server was so attentive and kind. Also, their bread is...otherworldly. And their olive oil. I don't know how it's so goddamn special, but it really, really is. read more

Howies - The chicken, prepared with spinach and scalloped potatoes. ORDER THIS IF IT'S STILL ON THE MENU! - Scottish Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

The food was tasty and the dessert really stood out. Though the service was quick and friendly, my friend and I felt rushed, not in the most comfortable way. They couldn't wait to take away our plates 40 min before my reserved slot ended. And about 20 min later they offered to do so and gave the bill before we finished our drinks. Interesting that during the whole time at least three tables were empty, and we walked out only to surprisingly find nobody was queuing. Idk if it would be a better experience without reservations. read more

My wife and I chose to go to Howies for our 'fancy' dinner during our trip to Edinburgh and we had a lovely time. Part of the reason we chose Howies was because it had a reputation for making really good haggis, which neither of us had tried before. So, as you can imagine, we started off the meal with the haggis, neeps, and tatties appetizer! Overall, it was quite good, though I should mention that it is a bit spicy. It's not much spice in an individual bite, but it does build as you eat. For dinner, I got a fish course from their specials menu which was fantastic! And for dessert, my wife and I shared a chocolate and beetroot tart which was also quite good. Overall, I recommend Howies. They've got a great selection of high quality Scottish food! read more

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Howies beautifully presents delicious flavours of Scotland in generous portions served by smiley happy staff at reasonable prices in a warm, minimalistic setting. I had a trio of salmon to start - locally hot smoked salmon paté, single malt whisky cured salmon gravadlax, seared smoked salmon with a fennel & citrus dressing; main of grilled fillet of locally smoked hake with sautéed new potatoes, chorizo & spinach and dessert of chocolate truffle and Oloroso whiskey torte with summer berry compote. I don't eat in Scottish restaurants enough and Howies is reason to do so more often! read more

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Decent food. Well prepared and presented. The salmon was of great quality but was a bit bland. Had to add salt. Portions are fairly small so order a lot. Calamari appetizer had literally 5-6 rings. My wife ordered the lobster special with champagne. Tastes great, but the half lobster was on the smaller size compared to the ones in USA. Quality of the food was great. They have a kids menu which is awesome. Soup, main and desert. read more

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This a proper Restaurant, not pub, on the dopest street in Old Town. Classy interior, refined servers and hostess. Tasty options for the prix fixe lunch menu. Swanky and deelish. This place is definitely for moi. read more

Howies - A real swank resto. Not a pub. A proper resto. - Scottish Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

Lovely little local producing consistently good food at reasonable prices for the city centre. Staff are friendly & helpful. Chef does a good range of specials. We had the sea bass with crushed potatoes and the lamb casserole for mains. Both decent sized portions and full of flavour. If you want a decent meal you won't go wrong here. Solid 3.5 stars read more

Howies - Quite witty - Scottish Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

In my opinion this is a five star restaurant. I ate here twice: lunch and supper. I took advantage of the early bird special pricing. For supper I ordered mussels for my starter and the it were luscious; prepared to perfection. I had the Cullen Skink (fish chowder) and it is the only chowder I have eaten in the past 50 years that is comparable to the clam chowder served at San Francisco's Normandy restaurant. It's velvety smooth with potatoes, onions and fish cooked exactly as anticipated. The next day I returned for lunch and again mussels for the starter and again, perfectly prepared. For my main course I had the Scottish dish everyone dares another to try; haggis. It was served with mashed potatoes and a mashed orange colored squash in a smattering of brown gravy. All I could taste was the spices used in the haggis, especially the pepper. Haggis is mostly Scottish oats and that's the texture. Supposely, finely chopped or ground beef "innards". Now many people of my generation (my assumption) grew up eating most of an animal's organs but younger Americans not so much. Nonetheless, the plate was tasty and very filling. The service was excellent and cordial. The atmosphere is comfortable and unpretentious. I can highly recommend this restaurant. read more

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Happened across this gem by chance and took advantage of their lunch special - 2 courses for £11.95. Ordered the haggis starter with neeps and tatties (which was the first time I ever tried haggis), it was absolutely delicious! My husband ordered the Cullen Skink which was also very delicious! I had the Scottish salmon for a main and it was cooked to perfection, seared perfectly on the outside and deliciously succulent on the inside. The mash was super flavourful and creamy...don't want to know the calories in the plate but it doesn't even matter, it was so good! My husband ordered the casserole of the day and he said it was delicious. Even their bread was tasty...fluffy but crispy on top with the flavour of olive oil. I highly recommend stopping here if you find yourself on the royal mile! read more

I'm all for paying the right price for meals. With promise of locally sourced, gourmet prepared dishes- I was very willing to fork out. While the food was decent, but a couple of things really threw me for a spin and I felt jibbed by my £35 meal; - there is a balance between attentive serving, and passive aggressively rushing. Yes, I walked in off the street and obviously a tourist... But I should not have been rushed. Case in point: there was a server standing next to me watching me take my last bite- for all 3 courses! - so they can take the plates away immediately - £3.95 for two half slices of bread and a pad of butter? Seriously? That better have been Himalayan pink salt on the butter, otherwise I call it a hidden service charge - the waitress working my table, I suspect, has English as her second language. Well guess what, me too. I guessed it was language/ cultural barrier but in hospitality there is no reason to open the dialogue with "are you ready to order". Really- the very first thing she said to me was that. No hello/ good evening/ how are you - there was not a lick of green vegetable in both my Cullen Skink, or my lamb roast. Maybe some chopped herb garnishes. Meal was all starch and protein. The end. - dessert menu was boring. If you've ever spoke to an executive chef with no experience or interest in pastry, they will always put simple faithful a like fruit crumble, panna cotta and cheesecake on a dessert menu. This is what Howie's offered Well it's not all doomed. Their meat dish and the lamb gravy was divine. Wish there was more gravy though. read more

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I ate here on my first night in Edinburgh. It was Sunday night around 8 and the place was packed, perhaps due to Monday being a bank holiday. The atmosphere was nice and upscale casual. The service was not-so-great. The food was just pretty good. For a starter we got the haggis spring rolls. I was unimpressed, as were my dining companions. I would have preferred more than those two little rolls. The haggis itself wasn't that flavorful, and the chili-jam was sweet but didn't really have much heat. The mushroom-kidney bean pate was quite nice, however the oat-cakes were mysteriously missing from the plate. The soup of the day was quite nice. For mains we got the salmon, pork steak, and aubergine pine nut involtini. For the most part these were just OK. The salmon was tasty but there was barely any of the red chili creme fraiche. The pork steak was average, however the shallots with it were delicious. I enjoyed the involtini. For dessert we tried the citrus-ginger cheesecake. I loved the concept of this, as I am a huge ginger fan and a huge cheesecake fan. It was good but it didn't blow me away. The presentations on the food were all very nice. I'd give this 3.5 stars but I'll round down to three for Yelp purposes because I was hoping for a little more. read more

Scottish food is not for me. I wanted to experience real Scottish food so I ordered a whisky sampler and gnocchi. But, I actually really dislike whisky and gnocchi. I still wanted to give these items a chance and hoped that Howies, a highly ranked Scottish restaurant, would change my opinion of the country's food. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. I regret ordering the items I had chosen because I'm sure the restaurant offers food that I would've enjoyed. -- taste / 1 aesthetics / 5 vibe / 5 service / 3 price for quality / 2 OVERALL / 3 read more

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Of Edinburgh's four 'branches' of Howie's, (they dislike being referred to as a chain, as each restaurant attempts to have its own identity and creates its own menu ) this is my favourite to come to for dinner. It has a sense of intimacy and romantic atmosphere that the other 'branches' haven't quite managed to cultivate. The menu is based around Scottish produce (Shetland salmon, Stornoway black pudding) and changes seasonally. They use organic bread from local baker Breadwinner, which is always fresh and delicious, and your first bowl is complimentary which I think is a nice touch. It would be fair to say that I've never had a bad meal here. The restaurant is located in one of the city's prettiest streets and is perfectly situated for heading out into town after your meal, although I'd recommend that you nip across the road to the Bow Bar for a digestif first. read more

Howies - Scottish Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

We were very fortunate to get a table here, with many thanks to the desk staff at the Radisson Hotel! Our party of four had a terrific dinner - Cullen Skink, delicious - sun choke arancini, excellent - gnocchi, superb - and some of the most luscious desserts - banofree pie, stewed rhubarb and apples and the chocolate brownie! All were very good and the price was reasonable. The staff and service was also great! All in all a terrific place to eat! read more

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Awesome vibrant place. Highly recommend this place for service and great food. Scottish accent doesn't hurt either! read more

Cute bistro with some great options on the menu. Their set lunches were the perfect amount of food for a good price. I had the vegan options - mushroom soup and a salad. The soup was nice and hot and very satisfying. Also to note was the vegan bread - very yummy!! read more

I recommend you don't order their lobster menu because it's quite small in portion. It tasted amazing but was all gone after four bites lol. The ribeye was quite big in size and I loved their apppetizer bread+olive oil. Good ambience with a nice view of the streets. read more

Howies - Ribeye - Scottish Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

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We ordered two venison dishes and they were great but what really blew me away was the TOFFEE PUDDING. Best I've ever had! Also, make sure to order the fresh bread. It was soft and warm and so perfect for a chilly, rainy night. read more

Howies - Scottish Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

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This is a cute restaurant in downtown Edinburgh that has classic Scottish dishes with an eclectic flair. I had a vegan haggis and the vegetarian risotto, both which were good. The consistency of the haggis was slightly off; it was more mushy than a sausage. The ambience of the restaurant is great, and the service is wonderful! read more

Food is excellent. Nice atmosphere. The manager helped us pick a good whisky. Can't go wrong with this place. read more

Howies - Relaxing dinner in Scotland - Scottish Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

Howie's has an elegant interior and very friendly service, and was a lovely place for a big group of us to have dinner. I'd make a reservation as we arrived at 5:30 on a Saturday, and by 6:30 it was really filling up. They were very accommodating with my friend's 4 year old son, as well! They had Nanny State low-alcohol beer, my very favorite, so I applaud them for having something so tasty for preggos and non-drinkers. I ended up getting their half lobster special - £14.95 for a half lobster in garlic butter, fries, and salad. First, my husband and I shared the pigeon breast with black pudding, which was very good, all the other ingredients like golden raisins and pickled carrots played off each other beautifully. The fresh-baked bread with olive oil and balsamic was a lovely thing to start with as well. You do have to pay for it, but it's cheap, so you aren't being ripped off by the bread basket. Some of our friend started with the mussels and were really unhappy with them, and said they tasted fishy and weren't fresh. They ended up exchanging for the haggis which everyone thought was delicious and loved. Staff were very accommodating and quick about this. My lobster wasn't particularly hot, just warm, or particularly big, but the meat was tender and lovely, and I got big flavor from the garlic butter. I just wanted more of it, and wanted it to feel a bit more piping hot. The salad alongside was just some lightly dressed rocket, but the fries were golden and crisp and came in a big pile - as the lobster portion was small, I inhaled them all! I tasted my husband's catch of the day (hake with chorizo and kale) which was good, but not as good as I hoped it would be, although beautifully presented. Our sticky toffee pudding with ice cream was a classic example of the dish - a small portion, but extremely good and just the right temperature. They were also very accommodating when 2 of us had to leave in a flash to make a train, letting us pay our part of the bill first and even bringing some shortbread cookies for everyone along with the bill. We had a wonderful evening here with friends, but the food didn't stand out as exceptional. It all looked beautiful, and some dishes were certainly better than others, but overall the presentation was superior to the preparation. read more

This was the best meal we had in Edinburgh by a mile. I was surprised by these things: -The prices are totally reasonable -The food is DELICIOUS -And all this is in a super touristy, busy restaurant. (We were there during Fringe, so maybe it was busier than normal) You wouldn't expect these 3 things to go together! We got the prix fixe menu. My soup starter and salmon entree were delicious and thoughtfully prepared. For dessert we had sticky toffee pudding and banoffee pie--both were INCREDIBLE. Overall we were extremely pleased!! We had to wait about 30 minutes for a table but it was worth it. Definitely make a reservation! read more

This was by far my favorite restaurant in Edinburgh, my family came out for a vacation and we were looking for a good restaurant for a nice family dinner. Needless to say we weren't disappointed I had a starter, main course, and dessert. For my starter I ordered cured duck it came out beautifully plated before I even got to try it I was drooling haha! The duck was amazing it had a perfect balance of sauces and veggies to go along with it. Dessert was even more lovely we asked for our servers recommendation and she pointed us towards a sticky toffee pudding that was truly incredible, overall great service good prices and a truly amazing meal. If you're in Edinburgh I highly recommend it read more

Howies - Cured duck, this picture doesn't do it justice it was seriously beautiful plating and you could tell they'd put a lot of work into it. - Scottish Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

Went to this place for lunch based on a recommendation by our tour guide. It was around 1:30 on a weekday but it was still fairly full which is always a good sign. Server was pleasant and friendly. They had a nice deal where you can get 2 dishes for around 9 pounds. I had the Haggis with nips and tatties(that's turnips and potatoes for those of you who are scratching your heads) and the salmon with potatoes served with a tomato based sauce. The bread served was decent, I just don't like when they serve the almost frozen butter. Anyway... Food came pretty quick. The Haggis dish was delish the salmon I didn't like that much because the tomato base sauce didn't really work for me. The check was served with a couple of cookies. I asked the server to add a 20% tip to the bill but she said there's an optional service charge of 10% which covers the tip. So no need. So it was a great deal for pretty decent food and fast, good service. read more

Howies - Salmon with potatoes and a tomato vinegar base sauce - Scottish Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

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Wow....this place is amazing! I came here for lunch with new friends that I had made while in Scotland. First off, they have an amazing lunch special! 2 courses at lunch £10.95 and 3 courses for £13.95. I opted for the 3 course lunch special. For appetizer, I had to try something that was traditional scottish food and ordered the Haggis, neeps & tatties. For the second course, I ordered the catch of the day, which was a pan fried hake fish. For dessert, I had Howies famous banofee pie. The biscuit base, toffee, banana & whipped cream with toasted almonds was amazing!!!! DELICIOUS food here for an affordable price. Also, customer service was great! read more

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This is a great restaurant with many vegan and vegetarian options. The menu is interesting and varied. Such a lovely oasis among many overly touristy places. Great wines as well as whisky flights. I arrived jet lagged and hungry and left feeling great. Super wait staff. They actually asked if I was ok with the 10 service charge. After paying 20 percent in the US as a matter of course, it was refreshing and obvious that I wasn't home! Enjoy this place! read more

We loved our experience at Howies! We arrived at 6pm and benefitted from their Early Dinner special - 2 courses for £14.99 between 5:30-6:30pm. We loved every dish we ordered! The seared pigeon breast was served medium with pink center, delicate flavor on a bed of herbs & sprouts. The Haggis was moist, delicious and served with mashed potato & rutabaga! For our mains, we tried the daily catch (hake) and venison haunch- the venison was slightly tough, but gamey and flavorful with brown gravy! Definitely try the Whisky Flight if you are a whisky fan! Our waitresses were amazing - highly attentive and checked in with us for every course. We hope to be back again soon :) read more

Such a lovely experience here to end our time in Scotland. The mabience of this place is spacious with the tall ceilings, elegant and bright with natural light. We were sat at a nice table near the window. We ordered the lobster and the lamb. Both were cooked perfectly and paired well with our Happy Hour champagne. Our server was sweet and took good care of us. The bread was fresh and we left happily after some tea. Thank you for a lovely time. read more

Couldn't leave Edinburgh without one last haggis. We came to Howies for the super affordable lunch specials (£10.95 for 2 courses, £13.95 for 3). I did the two courses. I had the haggis as my starter, and the poached salmon as my main. If I had to do it all over again, I'd do the haggis as my main, because it was damn good. Portions were a bit tiny, but that's to be expected. The salmon was good, but nothing to write home about. Would definitely recommend stopping in for lunch! read more

I'm not a fan of haggis overall, but I liked it here. I even had multiple bites of it. I think the haggis was a good flavor and texture combo with the neeps and tatties. We also had the salmon dish, and also the buttery roasted vegetables which were also very good. In addition, we had a flight of whisky. It was nice to dine in a non-pub setting for variety. We showed up just in time for their early diner special. Get there before 6:30pm to get a deal on a 2-course or 3-course menu. We were too stuffed to try the banoffee pie. We saw a couple next devour it in a matter of minutes, so it must be good. read more

I was looking for a light lunch on our last day in Scotland, and wasn't disappointed with Howies. The placards they have outside look a bit too official and corporate, which gave me pause, but it was close to where we were staying and they had a lunch special on offer. Luckily the style of adverts outside don't define the dining experience inside. I had the cullen skink and split the super salad with salmon, which was just the right amount of food so that I would be able to handle a big dinner later in the night. The service was really friendly and quick, no complaints whatsoever in that department. The food was also very good as well. Cullen skink, as I'm given to understand it, is a very heavy, hearty soup, but it was delicious without weighing me down too much. It had a really nice combination of flavors. The salad was also delicious, with the salmon being perfectly cooked. The dressing was interesting - it could have used a bit of salt - but overall I was very satisfied. Would definitely come back if I'm back in Edinburgh! read more

Our plane landed about 7:15p into Edinburgh and we knew we might start running out of dining options. Fortunately, Howies was open until "late". Even better the food was great! We decided to the "Haggus, snippies & tatties" and Pigeon breast for appetizers. Both were delicious. I had the beef casserole - it was perfectly a spiced and cooked stew. Two folks had chicken and one of our party had the lamb. We ended sharing bites because everyone loved there meals. Incredibly tasty and fresh. We shared a couple of the poached rhubarb deserts with apple sorbet. It was a great end to a great meal. We are only here for a short time, so I doubt we will make it back, but would all definitely recommend it. read more

Great lunch with the family after the Scotch experience. I had the salmon, wife had the soup and salad while my daughter had the beef casserole special. All were very good. Lots of places to sit and a very friendly staff. read more

Howies - Scottish Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

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Howies was awesome!! Make it a stop while in Edinburgh! The Cullen Skink was amazing!! Homemade bread a daily baked casserole was incredible. Wine and beer selection was perfect. The service was spot And the added gratuity was much deserved! Loved it read more

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Amazing salmon salad and entree with catch of the day. Also their kids 3 course meal is amazing: mushroom soup followed by fish. We loved the ambience as well. read more