Quite an enjoyable Christmas lunch was had here last week with my boyfriend albeit I felt slightly rushed away from our table before the coffee arrived which I got miffed about (no prior warning!) especially as I'd spent £60 on a bottle of champagne to make it a special occasion! Mollified slightly by being escorted to some seats at the bar area. Harrumph.... Apart from that the service was speedy and friendly and they had the champagne waiting for me on arrival as requested. Tick. Food-wise, portions were possibly a bit small upon first glance however we both felt satisfied and it's kinda nice leaving a restaurant not feeling overly stuffed. If my dad had been with me however.... Oh no.... He would have complained about the size of the turkey main.... I'd bought an itison voucher for a 3 course lunch and petite fours. Overall, extremely good value and I didn't feel like they'd skimped at all with the quality (you know how much of a rage I get into when that happens!!). My baked cheddar starter turned out to be a big spring roll looking thing filled with unidentifiable vegetables and a small amount of cheese. Tasty, though didn't match the description on the menu. The turkey ballotine was yummy! The ju was possibly a bit overly salty however as a salt fan it hit the mark with me. Would have loved a couple of extra roasties but that's cos I'm a greedy sod! My dessert choice was the cheeseboard, his was the sticky toffee pudding. Tick, tick. Only gripe was the disproportionate quantity of oat cakes versus cheese however the 3 cheese offerings (cheddar, blue and Brie) were of a generous size and the red and green grape chutney was an excellent accompaniment. Would recommend and I'd buy a voucher from there again! Have a chat with the beardy bar man! He's really knowledgable about his gin and where you can buy the more unusual bottles in Edinburgh. read more

Monteiths - Wine Bars Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

Came again (with the other half) for Valentine's Day. Was delighted with the service and quality. Absolutely tremendous and my favourite place for dinner in Edinburgh! We are still raving about the sauce that came with the fish we ordered, and I am still dreaming of the delicious sloe gin-marinaded salmon! Beautiful and magical place, cannot go wrong here... read more

At the recommendation of Jenny, Jeanne and I had our next creme a la creme experience. Monteiths has a wonderful charm of an entrance transporting you sneakily into the basement of a building. Fairly lights woven into willows weave a tunnel that prepares you for your meal. A fire was going when Jeanne and I went, and it was actually so warm we had to have the waiter turn it down, a request one doesn't have to make often in Edinburgh. Jeanne ordered the duck liver, and I the Salmon for our entrees. Jeanne again selected the better by far, the liver was as tender as ever falling apart and melting in your mouth, while still cooked enough to give it a rich taste. Served on a bread it ensured all the sauce could be enjoyed. My salmon was served on a stark slate plate with nothing added. And it wsn't bad, I believe it was infused with gin, but in the end I had to bother the waiter with some Lemon to make it more suitable for me. Jeanne main was pork belly which was divine. For the american's reading this review, imagine Carolina style pulled pork. Amazing. Tender and and full of flavour. My main was wood pidgeon which was nice, but could have used more of a sauce. And in a rare event, I might have enjoyed it more if it was a bit more on the rare side. Of the 10 people dining when Jeanne and I were there, all of them were Americans. Which is probably due to its location on the high street. Don't let that stop you Edinburgh, give it a go, its one of the few things on the high street that deserves to charge the mark-up. read more

Small and hidden. Perfect on a rainy day. Luckily for us, it was a gorgeous sunny Scottish day and we still enjoyed it. Mussels were the best we'd had in a while. None of the broth was left. They were very helpful in suggesting gluten-free options for my boyfriend. The only (slight) letdown was we both wished the duck-fat fries were a tad crispier. read more

I was looking forward to eating here after hearing some really good things. When I got down the stairs the cosy welcoming restaurant felt like just my kind of place; comfy leather chairs, subdued lighting and friendly staff. This was going to be good, or so I thought. I started with the haggis, neeps and tatties. It looks great the haggis a tiny package still in its skin resting on a nest of neeps and tatties. It was okay, but not brilliant. The haggis was lacking in flavour and felt like there was an excess of fat. I followed with the beautifully presented cod and chips. You kind of think that if you can do anything you can at least get this staple of British dinner time right. Like the haggis, the cod was a little flavourless and that unforgivable sin of soggy batter. This was my first time here, but it won't be my last. Every other plate on the table looked fantastic, especially the wild mushroom starter and the wood pigeon and black pudding main. I'm reliably informed they were bloody good. I'll go back again, and hopefully have a better texperience. Watch this space... read more

I forgot how much I love this place until we popped in for drinks on the way down the Mile the other day. I wanted somewhere that wasn't hoaching with tourists. "There's no such place" said the OH ... Then I remembered Montieth's. Hidden down a wee alley, it's easy to miss. The fairylights are a clue that you're in for a treat if you take a gander down. There's a lovely outdoor area & inside a cosy bar & restaurant. Lots of dark paneling & tartan but in a tasteful stately home kind of way rather than tacky tourist-Ville. We almost had the place to ourselves. There was one small group of ladies having cocktails at the bar. The cocktail menu is great and the bar staff know their drinks. I asked for a gin cocktail & after being asked a few questions to find out my likes & dislikes the apple bramble swizzle was recommended. It was delicious & went down a treat. I could've had another but I didn't want to turn up to the photo exhibition a wee bit tipsy ;-) The last time we were here was in the winter. The fires were lit & it was a Cody retreat from the winter weather raging outside. This place is a definitely a secret worth keeping. read more

We just had drinks at Monteiths, but it's a lovely little place! We decided we wanted after-dinner drinks during our night in Edinburgh, and were drawn in by the fairy-lights at the entrance. Surprisingly, we were able to snag an open table at the bar on a busy Saturday night. The drink menu is huge, and very well put-together. They have a vast selection of craft cocktails as well as top-shelf liquors, whiskies, etc. I tried a drink called the "mead cobbler," a lovely concoction including mead, bitters, and pomegranate juice. My husband of course ordered Scotch whisky, and was very pleased with the selection-- he was able to order something he hadn't tried before. The ambiance is fantastic, and the food I saw go by looked delicious. This visit was spontaneous, but I'd definitely plan a trip here on purpose next time I find myself in Edinburgh. read more

The food in Monteith's was incredibly poor - 1 star fare - although the place is certainly a smart place for cocktails, hence the extra star to bring it up to a 2 star rating. Our view: "Far from being a contemporary take on Scottish cuisine, these dishes did nothing but reinforce the bad stereotypes that have too long plagued our national culinary image. Flavourless, overcooked pabulum is the only phrase that seems to adequately encompass the failings across both courses." My experience was so different to those of others, both here on Yelp and from my group of friends who have also visited, that I can only conclude that it was chef's day off. Certainly, the broth and "rare" roast beef should be avoided when you visit, as these were the dishes I was unfortunate enough to order. Not a place to which I will be returning. read more

Hidden place for drinks at night! I had Cocktail Penecilin, a drink made in Milk and Hoeney in NY, its a great drink with ginger and smokey whiskey on top. It was good, a little weak maybe but steal good! Recomend this place! read more

Located just off the Royal Mile, Monteiths is very fancy pants indeed, it does seem like it's trying a little bit too hard to be cool with the cushioned walls, chandeliers and the miniature yet perfectly presented portions of food. It reminds like of a real "ladies who lunch" type place but having said all that, I still quite like it. It isn't as obvious as other restaurants in the area and I must have walked passed it hundreds of times before finally popping in a couple of weeks ago. They have a lunchtime offer where you can choose any two courses off the lunch menu plus a bottle of wine for £10.95 so great if you're a lady who lunches on a budget! Even though the portions are small, the food is still delicious and there is a great selection too. In addition to food they also have an extensive cocktail menu, there's absolutely loads to choose from, in fact one of the best cocktail menus I have seen recently. The average price for a cocktail is around the £7 which I think is quite reasonable indeed. A nice little find, definitely a good place to visit on a girly day/night out. read more

We visited this restaurant last minute prior to taking our train back to London. Firstly, the service was great. We got attention immediately and the server was great. Attentive, funny and made some great recommendations. The food was delicious. We had scallops appetizer, fish and chips and the pea/parmesan entrees. We also enjoyed some ice cream and chocolate mousse desserts. We also sampled a ton of their cocktails. They were fantastic, all of them. Highly recommend this restaurant. It's a great location on the royal mile, the food is delicious and lots of great drink options. Oh, and the service is just wonderful. Enjoy! read more

This was the best Scotish restaurant we have had in our trip to Scotland, it was better than Stravaign in Glasgow in our opinion. The entrance to the restaurant is through a corridor that has a cannopy of wooden branches lined with small white Christmas tree type lights that give a romantic feel. Then you go down a set of stairs into the establishment. Once in you find a nicely decorated, warm, feeling bar and restaurant that is dimely lite with dark green walls, candlelight tables. It is small bu they make it feel inviting. We had the rabbit and chicken liver starter which was moist not dry. It had a little gamey taste but very pleasant. I had the preserved duck which was cured for 3-4 days. It was sliced thin with some nice greens, capers, and some thin slices of cured tomatoe and pickle. The flavor has a mild pleasant smokey aroma with a sweet vinegary taste. Very nice, I have never had anything like it. For our main meal we had the Lamb with sweetbreads. That was very moist and not dry at all. The taste was sweet, savory and it had wonderfully crispy seasoned skin. They gave three plentiful portions of Lamb more than my wife could eat. The sweetbreads were battered and fried with a tasty and sweet flavor. I had the bone in Rib eye steak with basil butter on top. That was served with very nice thick cut (one inch) french fries that tasted like they were cooked in duck fat, nice and crisp yet soft in the inside. The steak was cooked medium rare to perfection. It was very tender and well seasoned and savory, not just a good quality meat but had some very unique flavors. I had the chocolat mouse with blood orange sorbet. That was a rich creamy chocolat with a refreshing sorbet. The other desert was cinimon poached pear which rather small with frozen double cream. read more

Had lunch here on Saturday and really wish I hadn't. Monteiths gets a good write up in the List Eating Guide, and has a lovely entrance. That's it. When we went in there were a 3 or 4 Leinster fans having a an early lunch before the match. We heard them long before we saw them, but soon realised that was due to the volume of the music which was more suited to a bar at midnight and not a Saturday lunch. We were just left standing for a few minutes while they checked if our table was ready, and seemed to be in the way of the staff. We were then seated towards the back of the bar (with a draft coming from the open door leading out to the small courtyard). We did ask for the music to be turned down, and it was, but not for long. As we had been unable to see the lunch menu on the street, there was little on the starter menu that appealed, so we just went straight for the main course. We were served 3 micro portions of food that wouldn't have filled up a small child. There were no vegetables served with the meal, and no options on the menu to even pay for a side option. The food seemed nice enough, but unfortunately it was hard to tell due to the smallness of portion. Overall this was a thouroughly disappointing Saturday lunch. Especially when the bill came to just under £40 for a £7.95 per head one course lunch! £5.50 for a small glass of house wine is a bit much by anyone's standards!! We will not be back. read more

Monteiths was recommended by our friends who have travelled to Scotland several times. It was a fantastic recommendation: the food was very good; the atmosphere was beautiful, cozy and romantic -- don't miss the outdoor area for a cocktail, it's heated, so don't worry about the chill; the service was very good, we had a lovely young lady as our server. She seemed new and a bit tentative at times, but our needs were ultimately met and again, she was gracious and accommodating. I gave the restaurant four out of five stars because that while I thought the food was very good, I thought the chef could be a bit more creative with local fare, which is an outstanding source of fish and seafood. Highly recommended. read more

Great place to hang with your mates ... A place where the beer flows and the wine is good .. the food is awesome ... Enjoy

I went to this restaurant today with a group, and despite the bad reviews here I actually quite liked it! Things didn't start too promisingly when we were given a special Sunday lunch menu and told that the normal lunch menu (which had quite an interesting selection for a very reasonable price) wasn't available on Sundays, despite what was mentioned originally to the person who made the booking. It had turned out that there was an error in the original communication. However, the waitor then said "I'll see what I can do" and we were eventually offered the choice of the items on the normal menu, bar one or two items which weren't available in the kitchen at the time. Admittedly service wasn't the quickest, but that was OK as we were all happily nattering away in the meantime. Also the food, when it arrived, was well worth the wait - beautifully presented and marvellously cooked. The interior is an interesting mix of glam, Scandinavian style designer furniture and traditional Scottish homeliness that works quite well, giving the place a unique character. A word of note: (as another mentioned) it isn't the easiest of places to spot - look for the tables and the big "M" above the alleyway, a couple of doors down from the Carubbers Close entrance on the Royal Mile. read more

The ambiance and the deco is beautiful. The place is quiet and the food excellent. But maybe not enough for the price. Comparing to the prices of the Swiss restaurants, it's a little lower. read more

See all

The BEST burger in all the UK. If I could bottle their mustard that came with it I'd be a millionaire. This place is one of my FAVORITES in Edinburgh. Great atmosphere, fantastic food and good wine. Plus great service. You cannot ask for more. Highly recommend it. read more

Monteiths - The amazing burger.....sooo fabulous! - Wine Bars Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

Great service, great food, nice atmosphere. Many different menu options, well cooked, tasty. Charming. Recommended.

Cosy bistro in the heart of the Royal Mile. Fantastic food in a very cosy basement setting, just off the Royal Mile. We were moved from our original table as it was very busy so that was less than ideal. But the excellent service after this more than made up for the earlier inconvenience. The puddings were especially yummy read more

Found this place walking by and to my surprise it was incredible. Food was great, service superb, even though doesn't look like a family oriented restaurant, my kids 8 and 9 were welcomed and they loved the place and the food. No kids menu but they shared a dish and was plenty for both. Will recommend to anyone who loves good food and great service. read more

A complete dissappointment. As oer a fellow reviewer below, I had the venison at over £20 last time I was there and was an embarassment how little there actually was on the plate. Decided to give it a second chance for a client's meeting, and although the drinks were ok, the food was pathetic, just as big a rip off again. Wouldn't mind paying if it was worth it, but think this place is just taking the mick for all it is. Cannot possibly encourage people enough to avoid this place. read more

We stumbled upon this restaurant on OpenTable and it was amazing. Start with a gourmet cocktail, try the warm olives and share the chateaubriand. One of the best steaks we've ever had! The ambiance was cozy, yet modern and perfect after a long day of walking. read more

I asked for a margarita and it had egg whites in it and was not clearly stated on their menu. I am allergic to eggs so I had to send it back immediately and was sick for the rest of the night and the following morning. Why would a margarita have egg whites in it? They are trying a little bit too hard to be cool. read more

THE GOOD: Good variety of mixed drinks, wines and slightly over priced whisky's. Oysters were large and well priced. We had a fantastic server and that was extremely helpful, honest and didn't necessarily recommend the most expensive meal when given a choice. THE BAD: I asked for the steak to be cooked "medium" though it arrived "rare". The peppercorn sauce was bland. John Dory fish dish was drown in sauce and had a fishy odor. Mussels were overcooked, small and had a fishy odor. Seafood stew had a fishy odor. THE UGLY: The mussels, seafood stew and John Dory fish dish all had a very fishy odor. While I can understand one seafood dish possibly having a fishy smell, when 3 of 4 have a poor odor, that is concerning. The only seafood dish that had no odor and was decent were the oysters. Makes me wonder how fresh their seafood is upon arrival. OVERALL IMPRESSION: We asked a local for recommendations on where to eat dinner for a true Scottish meal and local flair. While she was correct on a welcoming atmosphere and good drinks everything else was a miss. We would not recommend visiting this restaurant as there are many others to choose from. If you want well priced whiskey there are a plethora of additional taverns to visit that offer a wider selection. read more

I visited this place for dinner on my last trip to Edinburgh. My cousin had organised a family dinner, and we all pre-selected our 3-course meal from their Christmas menu prior to that evening. It' a lovely little gem that's located just off the Royal Mile, where you will reach the entrance to the restaurant after walking down a cute fairy light-lit pathway. I had the Merry Metropolitan cocktail from the festive list, just you know, to get into the festive mood! Each of us had ordered different dishes from each of the courses so that we could have a taste of everything - sharing is caring! For the starters, I especially liked my selection which was the seared salmon - kedgeree bon bon, carrot and star anise puree. I love kedgeree, and these kedgeee bon bons were just too cute and delicious. For mains, my favourite was the duck confit - it's usually one of my favourite selections from any menu, because who doesn't love duck confit... Desserts were good as well, particularly the chocolate delice - rich, creamy and very indulgent. I can't comment on their regular menu, but overall I enjoyed their festive menu. The place was obviously quite busy and crowded considering it was around Christmas time, but it's a lovely, cosy little setting that's worth a visit. More photos here: http://dancing-in-high-heels.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/monteiths-edinburgh.html read more

Excellent service. We ordered the bites: haggis, chips with lobster mayo, whitebait, and cashews. All were excellent. Ambiance is nice and good to chat with friends. read more

18 months ago I was a regular customer here but hadn't visited in the last year due to moving house. My last review listed it as excellent but things have unfortunately changed. The initial cocktails we had were good (one excellent, one average) but it went downhill from there. The starter I had was ox cheek tortellini in a veal jus. For my £6 I got 6 small pieces of pasta containing what tasted awfully like roast beef. The jus was really a watery gravy making me think this was a micro Sunday roast packaged in a pasta style. Was quite odd and could have been a lot better if the pasta hadn't been included and the ox cheek had been braised with the jus. The food wasn't particularly warm but still edible For the main I went for a rare loin of venison. This was meant to be served with a blackberry jus, potatoes and parsnip purée. They got most of the items right although the parsnip was a solitary roast one. The meat was cooked to perfection but had unfortunately been left to go cold and the potatoes arrived at the end of the dish yet were fridge cold in the centre. They had clearly been cooked earlier then refrigerated and partially reheated. The blackberry combination was nice although had been striped with a gravy on the plate and the two didn't work well together yet the blackberrries used as a garnish were close to frozen in the centre. Given the £22 price tag, the portion was also miniscule and after the two courses I felt I had to order a sweet to satisfy my appetielte (the portions used to be much bigger) The two sweets we had were however the most redeeming part of the meal. The chocolate fondant was really a melting middle cake but very tasty and the rhubarb tart with Ginger beer ice cream was tasty and innovative (although the pastry slightly lacking crispness) I'd also note the staff repeatedly pushed us to top ip glasses and order more drinks - clearly now a place making more money on the bar than being food driven and gave no apology when we mentioned the cold food just the comment of 'oh really' Certainly wouldn't go back which is a real shame given it's previous promise. Given a 2 person bill of over £100 there are much better city centre offerings read more

Neat little place off the royal mile with crafty cocktails and good food. Ordered the hake was lightly flavored but topped with flavorful Ingredients. They made a specialized veggie risotto for my wife which was good too. Grab a cocktail here if you're near. read more

Cozy downstairs space to get away from the Royal Mile hustle. Had a great roast chicken lunch. Modern Scottish decor that doesn't feel touristy at all. Full bar. Would be good for lounge cocktails at night too. read more

The best meal we had in Scotland! After 2 weeks of travel, we were tired of pub food. Monteith's had great cocktails and friendly waitstaff. The smoked salmon was divine and our steaks were tender and cooked perfectly (and we are picky Texans when it comes to beef). Highly recommended! Best to get a reservation-it is small and was very busy. Dress was smart casual. read more

Loved it so much we had to go back the next night! The goat cheese balls and smoked bacon rashers were excellent starters. The venison was cooked perfectly. On the second night, we had the chateaubriand with both the béarnaise and peppercorn sauces, and it was an absolutely perfect meal. The bartenders serve up expert cocktails. Most of all, the entire staff is extremely friendly and helpful. read more

Overpriced, under-staffed novelty restaurant...not at all impressed! On arrival, it took the bar staff quite a while even to acknowledge that we had arrived. We had intended to have pre-dinner drinks in the garden area as it was a lovely day but the garden was closed due to a private function. We were seated by a very friendly member of the front of house staff but the table was tucked away in a corner and the whole restaurant, although ultra chic, gave more of an impression of dark and gloomy. The menu choices are surprisingly interesting although somewhat over-priced (£24.95 Beef Wellington & £9.95 for one of the starters) The food did taste great, however, we waited 45 minutes for our main course due again to the private function being held in the garden area. The Front of House Staff were polite, however when we settled the bill, we were not served by the same person and our complaint was pointless as nothing was actually done about it. I think this establishment is better suited to pre-drinks events or after dinner cocktails. We gratefully left and went for coffee and dessert elsewhere ! read more

We'd been meaning to try Monteith's for a while and now that we've been we will be going back very soon. If you're looking for spectacular food in a restaurant that has real personality try Monteith's - you won't be disappointed. You can also just go in for a drink too. Look out for the fairy lights to guide you down to the entrance! :) read more

Great from starter to desert which is really unusual. Salmon for starter a bit small but delicious. Haggis perfect. For main we tried all the meat dishes (Venison, Chicken and Lamb) all were perfect. And for desert we only tried the creme brulée which was surprisingly great too. Signature cocktails also very good. Only downside would be the wine list quite expensive for the options but with quite many option by the glass which saved the day. Overall a very safe choice with nice decor and good service. read more

Wow! Very cool setting and vibe. Food was delicious! The chicken was flavored and prepared nicely. Service was good.

Really lovely little restaurant and bar. Food is really delicious every time I've been. The only criticism I had last time was at lunchtime there was a set menu for Christmas but we weren't told about it before we arrived. Not a huge problem but there should have been something on the website. read more

Amazing. Amazing. Amazing. We had nibbles and cocktails. I HIGHLY recommend the goat cheese bon bons and the Violet Royale cocktail. Everything was fantastic and the the service was great! Our waitress was so polite and kind. She was attentive and very quick to get us our food and drinks. The atmosphere is a welcoming, relaxed, warm and fun. Loved it! You HAVE to stop here for a meal if you're in Edinburgh. It's conveniently located on the royal mile, so it's the perfect place to get something before walking up to the castle. Cheers! read more

Our concierge at The Scotsman, Andrew Boe, recommended and made the reservation for us. It was a wonderful atmosphere, beginning with the walk in under the fairy lights, to the dark and Christmasy dining room. We started off with delicious crafted cocktails. The sazerac sent my husband well on his way to feeling great. I ordered the Hake and lobster which was wonderfully cooked and just the right portion for the days following the Christmas feast - small but enough to satisfy. The staff was warm, inviting and knowledgeable. I would highly recommend this non-touristy hidden gem on the Royal Mile. read more

Went on a Tuesday night for a leaving do - totally empty except for our party. Dingy basement bar, music blaring, naff plastic seats, inattentive staff and very expensive - £7.95 for a pint and a bottle of beer! Totally pretentious, no atmosphere and deserves to be empty as it is crap. Would not recommend, much better bars than this dingy wee place. read more