Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Maxies Bistro

    3.1 (52 reviews)
    Open Open 24 hours

    Maxies Bistro Photos

    MAXIES BISTRO ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Quiet
    Good for groups
    Good for kids
    Outdoor seating

    Recommended Reviews - Maxies Bistro

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Ana S.

    I was traveling in Edinburgh for first time with my dad and brother. Honestly this could be the worst experience we had in our all trip. The service was an absolute disaster, we order 2 main dishes, one starter and a dessert to be served all together. We had to wait long time to eat and they never brought the dessert. We tried calling the waitress attention several times and she kept saying that she will be with us later (how disrespectful) and don't get me started with her attitude. At the end, we had to go to the cashier to pay the bill (since no one bother to help us) and when they saw us waiting to pay, they decided to take the dessert to the table and leave it there. We didn't pay for it and leave. The food was ok but what a horrible service. Won't recommend this place to anyone.

    Drink Menu
    Natalie M.

    Delightful hole in the wall for moderately priced Scottish specialities. Haggis was great, the fish and chips were outstanding.

    Amazing lunch.  Seafood platter was to die for!  The lamb chops in haggis was excellent.
    Teddi P.

    The seafood platter and lamb chops on haggis was terrific. Wait staff was helpful, friendly, and very efficient. Cost was appropriate for the meal.

    Lauren G.

    Maxies doesn't look much from the outside, and to be honest, it isn't up to all that much inside either. Situated just round the corner from the Royal Mile, Maxies is right behind Edinburgh Castle and so it ought to be a great restaurant for all the tourists to go, but unfortunately it is not up to much. The restaurant has quite a cosy feel inside with padded seats covered in cushions, with a pretty lively atmosphere. The menu in Maxies is pretty much seafood orientated, with lots of fish and seafood dishes, but there are also steaks, stir fry's, chicken and haggis dishes on the menu too. I had the sole cooked in a creamy sauce, which was OK. The sauce was pretty thick and gloopy and lacked proper taste, but the fish was perfectly cooked. My friend had a pasta dish which they really didn't like, she said the pasta was still hard and that the sauce was tepid - not nice. The service was pretty average too, the waiter's weren't that attentive and only seemed to show some life when we asked for the bill. There are much better restaurants in Edinburgh which are more deserving of the custom than Maxies.

    Don B.

    Very nice quiet friendly ambiance Nice spot for quiet lunch or dinner. Nice wine. Our mushroom soup excellent. Fish and chips good. Not the very best. Chips excellent.

    Tower of Haggis, Neeps and Tatties
    Lawrence L.

    I went to Maxies Bistro - with so many options, I went there because of their cleverly placed sign at the bottom of the steps on Victoria St which lured me upwards. It was open late one night in Edinburgh. It was too cold to eat in the Terrace but at the time the Terrace looked too lonely to be eating out from. I sat at a cushy table near the bar - that part of the restaurant makes me think of Persia in its glory, but the food is quite decidedly Scottish. I had the Tower of Haggis - an arrangement of Haggis, Neeps and Tatties fancifully arranged as a tower. It was quiet at the time - just me and the bartender so I sat back and relaxed and paired it with some mulled wine and finished with a great Berry Crumble dessert. Good value. Hurray for free wi-fi access as well!

    Haggis in whisky sauce
    Joy R.

    I was on holiday with my boyfriend. We were at Edinburgh for a couple of days doing tours. We stumbled upon this place, what a happy surprise! First time we came, the place was packed. The server told us it would be about 10 or 15 minutes, she was closing a ticket and they should be leaving soon. No problem. She recommended that we go two doors down at Castle Arms for a drink and we thought why not. We returned and the table was ready for us. Now the food. My boyfriend had the haggis for appetizer and supper. I had oyster for starter and fish for supper. I tried the haggis for the first time. It was creamy and good. Delish! We ordered a bottle of wine and shared a pudding for desert. The owner came by our table to serve us the food. Server says he's a hard worker. I can tell he takes pride in his restaurant. We were happy with the first visit, we came returned the next day! The only con i could think of is the toilet. There is only 1 ladies room, and on the second night, someone took their time. If I'm ever in Edinburg again, I will definitely come back for another haggis.

    That's all I could stomach
    Antoine D.

    Worst steak of my life!!!! Tasted like it was made 2 weeks ago then microwaved a week ago then boiled in bath water today. Cold as hell. Garlic Sauce tasted like watered shit. Never again. The garlic bread was microwaved too! The nice waitress earned their one star for refunding my money

    Excellent with outdoor seating!  The wait staff was very friendly and we had the Haggis starter (which was fantastic!) and fish and chips.

    See all

    17 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    11 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of B S.
    0
    9
    0

    11 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    14 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of C Z.
    2
    121
    2

    10 years ago

    Bland overcooked overpriced.. The overall 3 rating is too generous. I should have checked first before I wandered into this dump.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    18 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    17 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    Page 2 of 2

    Maxies Bistro Reviews in Other Languages

    Review Highlights - Maxies Bistro

    I had the Tower of Haggis - an arrangement of Haggis, Neeps and Tatties fancifully arranged as a tower.

    Mentioned in 8 reviews

    Read more highlights

    Verify this business for free

    People searched for British 357 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

    Verify this business

    The Outsider

    The Outsider

    4.1(275 reviews)
    0.1 miGrassmarket, Old Town
    ££

    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.

    Photos
    The Outsider
    The Outsider - Char grilled Venison, black pepper polenta cake, butternut squash purée, daikon, fine beans, whiskey and passion fruit dressing.

    Char grilled Venison, black pepper polenta cake, butternut squash purée, daikon, fine beans, whiskey and passion fruit dressing.

    The Outsider

    See all

    The Table - One of the night's stand out dishes, plus wine pairing

    The Table

    4.8(4 reviews)
    0.5 miNew Town
    ££££

    Truly a memorable experience. We attended as a party or 4 (including one 11 year old proto-foodie)…read moreand each of us had a delightful time, and took away from the evening our own favorite dish of the night. Sean did a fantastic job highlighting the best of the fresh ingredients he served us, often in surprisingly formats. Highly recommend you make time in your Edinburgh schedule for The Table!

    If you have an open minded approach to eating and you can actually book a seat for this place, then…read moreI highly recommend going! At £60 per person, it's not for the faint hearted. We ate a 7 course tasting menu and they DO NOT cater to dietary requirements. You CAN however book the entire place if you have 9 other like minded people who are happy to eat to your dietary restrictions. I think we ended up having 9 plates of food including a little amuse bouche at the start and petit fours at the end and also a mini pre dessert. The portions are well sized. I managed to finish every course and left full but not stuffed. Each plate is beautifully presented and they talk you through each plate before you eat it. As it's an open kitchen and there's only 10 seats, there is the chance to ask questions and speak to the chefs which I really liked. There were some interesting things like freeze dried powdered foie gras which my palate was a bit confused by, but as a whole dish, it did come together if at first I wasn't quite sure. This is not a place for the non food adventurous! I love that they're making fine dining casual, there was great banter between courses and throughout the evening. Other reviews have deemed it worthy of two Michelin stars, I've personally never eaten at a '2 star' establishment so I can't comment about that, but the food was definitely as good if not better than some of the '1 star' establishments that I've eaten at in town. It's also BYOB with no corkage fee, so you can spend as much or as little as you like on booze. They do have soft drinks/tea/coffee/sparkling water for sale as well but serve tap water as standard. This place definitely is not for everyone. But if you're a foodie and have the budget, try and get booked ASAP! (I've been debating between 4 and 5 stars as the food was excellent, and I totally understand with only two people cooking, it's very difficult to cater to dietary requirements & especially for coeliacs they can't guarantee no contamination but it seems unfair that so many people can't enjoy their food!)

    Photos
    The Table - Just one dinner per night for 10!

    Just one dinner per night for 10!

    The Table - Frogs legs and chanterelles

    Frogs legs and chanterelles

    The Table - Halibut and lobster ragu

    See all

    Halibut and lobster ragu

    Cucina

    Cucina

    3.7(16 reviews)
    0.1 miOld Town, Royal Mile
    £££

    I read about this restaurant in a local foodies journal and had to try it! I had a great experience…read morehere: I booked a 6:30 reservation for 3, but we showed up early around 5:40 just to check the place out. We were unaware that they didn't open till 6, but the staff was so friendly and brought us over anyways and let us order our food and drinks early. I ordered the pumpkin gnocchi for dinner and the chocolate ganache for dessert. Both were incredible! I would definitely go back!

    This place just takes itself a little too seriously…read more I like nice décor and surroundings just as much as anyone else when I go to a restaurant, but I really don't need to read about who designed it/what fabric they used for it/where this particular cushion was imported from in the menu. By definition, when I open the menu it's because I'm hungry and I want to eat. After all their obsessive descriptions about every aspect of every single item that was within a mile radius of the restaurant, I couldn't help but suspect that they were doing it to dazzle you so much that you wouldn't notice if the food was mediocre. And it turned out I was right. I have no doubt that the ingredients were all grown especially for them and probably flown in on a private jet or something equally ridiculous, but there are so many other great food places along George IV bridge that I did feel a bit ripped off. Being part of the Hotel Missoni, people will always eat here. Mainly because of it's reputation and because it's the kind of place that you can name-drop. But unfortunately the quality and style of Missoni clothes doesn't transfer to their hotel restaurants.

    Photos
    Cucina
    Cucina - The pumpkin gnocchi

    The pumpkin gnocchi

    Cucina - I noticed that there wasn't an updated picture of this restaurant. It's beautifully decorated.

    See all

    I noticed that there wasn't an updated picture of this restaurant. It's beautifully decorated.

    The Kitchin

    The Kitchin

    4.4(102 reviews)
    2.1 miLeith
    ££££

    A friend and I went to The Kitchin in Scotland while we were there, because I always like to try…read morefinding a James Beard/Michelin restaurant when I travel, whenever possible. The Kitchin is located in the Leith area of Edinburgh, and is sort of in a strip of businesses, so we had a little trouble finding it, but when we did - oh my gosh, it was resplendent. The interior was very upscale, with a color palette of greys, whites, lilac, pewter, and lots of wood features. We started with our drinks while we perused the menu. I had the Paolozzi Lager (a Scottish beer) and it was so refreshing and flavorful. Later on, I had another Scottish brew; the Stewart Brewing Edinburgh Black. It was a dark beer but was so smooth and easy to drink, surprisingly. I definitely recommend either of these, if you're looking for a beer at The Kitchin. I love trying beers from the places I visit and not just getting Guinness or something like that everywhere. Once we were ready to order, our server was fantastic, checking on us just enough and explaining every different thing we ordered so we really got the experience of each dish. And even cooler, the menu came with a map of where each and every ingredient (down to the pottery and honey!) is sourced from within Scotland! So you can be sure that everything you are eating is very locally sourced. After our first drink, our server brought out an amuse bouche, to get our palettes ready for the feast. It was a tuna tartare with a horseradishy cream and little microgreens. We had the bread and butter next. It was warm and toasty, and the butter was spiced and paired perfectly with the loaves. Next our server delivered another amuse bouche, maybe to refresh our palettes after the bread and butter and drinks. It was a slice of tomato in a citrusy liquid that really did open up your palette! My friend and I chose the pre-fixe lunch menu (appetizer, entree, dessert), and it was a great way to experience a Michelin rated restaurant without spending an arm and a leg (or spending the rest of what you would have paid on extras, like more drinks). I chose the Lobster for my first course/starter and it was DECADENT, with large lumps of lobster atop a bisque, and a nice helping of gnocchi, which I'm a huge fan of - so this blew the doors off the experience from the get-go. My friend ordered the Duck starter, which came out so colorful! The duck ravioli was a green pasta, and there was a yellow corn velouté underneath it and little corn kernels on top. She gave me a bite, and even though I'm not a huge fan of duck usually, this was so tender and tasty! I chose the Pork for my entree and it came as little filets of pork belly with a velvety mushroom jus on the side that gave it a nice smooth counterbalance to the crispy pork. SO good. My travel companion got the Sea Bass for her entree and added calamari/squid on top. She liked her choice, as she is a calamari girl, usually. I tasted her sea bass and it was delightful. I love those types of fish; salmon, sea bass, etc. We were getting pretty full at this point but we definitely saved room for dessert, which is good because that's what came out next: I chose the Lemon Soufflé because I LOVE lemon, and this was so scrumptiously delicious. It came in a large mug style pottery ramekin, all warm and toasty, with a little mound of ice cream on the side to pair it with. I am still dreaming about this. I see they have a few different flavors of this soufflé style of dessert, and I would say if you see it on the daily menu - get it! My friend got the Pear dessert which was so interesting. It was a poached pear in caramel, with a vanilla ice cream on the side. It was tasty on top of luxurious, on top of indulgent. From start to finish, our experience at The Kitchin was fabulous. The service was fantastic, the ambiance was definitely upscale yet welcoming, and of course the food was heavenly. It's no wonder they have held their Michelin star for 19 years! If you'll be in the Leith area (or anywhere in Edinburgh), definitely make a stop (or a special trip) to visit The Kitchin! I can promise you will NOT be disappointed.

    Amazing experience!…read more Definitely deserving of their Michelin star. The service was impeccable from star to end. Very attentive servers and sommelier. The wine pairing was perfect and the food was delicious. A great way to celebrate our anniversary.

    Photos
    The Kitchin
    The Kitchin - Sea Bass

    Sea Bass

    The Kitchin

    See all

    Monteiths - The salmon, the he monkfish and the broccoli. We also had other sides that were brought later

    Monteiths

    4.0(87 reviews)
    0.4 miRoyal Mile, Old Town
    £££

    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.

    Photos
    Monteiths
    Monteiths - Lemon Crème brûlée and tea

    Lemon Crème brûlée and tea

    Monteiths - Wine

    See all

    Wine

    Maxies Bistro - british - Updated May 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...