This place was absolutely phenomenal, and not just my meal. Me and 6 lads came to Edinburgh for the…read moreweekend mostly just to get drunk and this was an amazing beginning to our trip. Everybody at the table seemed to enjoy their meal, but none was better than my friend who ordered the mussels. The mussels were not just plentiful, but full of so much flavor that everyone at the table was trying them. Nonetheless, our waiter was a pleasure and talked to us for awhile even with the busy crowd. Will 100% return and recommended this place to anyone visiting the great country of Scotland.

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.

Great ambience with historic brick features Bar service was…read moregreat - old fashioned highly recommended Charcuterie is a good choice

After seeing the high reviews on Yelp, I decided to make a reservation for this restaurant. We…read moretrekked up the steps of Advocate's Close to get there. When we arrived at noon (opening time), the restaurant wasn't too busy. There is an impressive bar downstairs with many whiskies. We were led upstairs to the dining area. There is outdoor dining too that would be nice if the weather was warmer. Cool vibe, but it is kind of dark inside the stone walls. The menu is Scottish-focused with seasonal ingredients. We didn't want to overeat, so we decided to share a starter and a main. We got the Scottish venison fritters, which were ok. We enjoyed the pappardelle pasta (roast pumpkin and pecorino sauce, wild mushrooms, spinach, bacon and poppy seed crumb, crispy sage). It was flavorful and didn't feel too heavy. Staff were friendly and it was an enjoyable lunch.

Had a nice dinner tonight at Monteith's and it was magical walking in from the busy street through…read morean archway and passage with twinkling lights. Food was terrific and am only downgrading to 4 stars because of the slow (but very friendly) service and how loud it got by the time we left. Our dinner reservation was at 7pm and we didn't get served any food (all four dishes came out at the same time) until an hour later at 8pm. We also never got the sourdough bread we ordered but maybe server couldn't hear us? I also timed getting the check to 20 minutes from asking for it to signing the check. We were not in a hurry at all so it was fine but did want others to know this. Now onto the delicious food: - venison with blackberry sauce - 5/5 and it made us wonder when the server said it was "wild caught venison" as we were unfamiliar with this term thinking "aren't all deer wild caught" but now we know better. The venison was perfectly prepared and very tender - sea trout with samphire (learned this is a sea vegetable) , pink grapefruit and fingerling potatoes in a light butter sauce - 5/5 really outstanding filet with delicate flavors balanced by the slight saltiness of the samphire, yum! - radicchio salad with pink grapefruit and pickled fennel - 4/5 only because my husband picked this salad and I don't prefer radicchio or fennel - but the gem salad was super anchovy forward (grateful the server told me this) and I don't prefer anchovies either - foraged mushroom side - 5*/5 what a lovely dish! A large variety of mushrooms with a very light tarragon cream sauce - wouldn't even call it cream sauce because it was so light - chocolate miso caramel dessert with vanilla bean ice cream - 4/5 mostly because the dessert was more like a thick layer of fudge on a thick layer of caramel - which were too dense and too much caramel for my taste, I did however very much enjoy the thin cookie that came with it! Overall a lovely leisurely dinner at Monteith's

Wandered into Monteiths in search of libation and oysters and was immediately treated to an…read moreelevated offering of both; but it was the kindness of the bartender and his suggestions on what to do that night that really made our visit special. First of all, I had the best nonalcoholic mojito I've ever had in my life. Then I had some ridiculously dressed oysters--horseradish cream and caviar and dill oil. Was the lily guilded? Maybe but still so tasty. Upon recommendation from the bartender, we ended our night at a club set in an old church and enjoyed so much great music; the Chicano band were my favorite. I would come back definitely the next time I'm in town.

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,

We are here tonight on our first night in Edinburgh and loved it. I actually messed up a…read morereservation somewhere else (Not used to seeing two times on a reservation.) and we came upon Angels with Bagpipes. After the other restaurant (named for the Devil, oddly enough) was ridiculously rude, but the staff at Angels with Bagpipes was wonderful! The drinks were great, the food was incredible and probably the best meal we've had the entire time in the UK. We had a crab appetizer and bread. Then for the main course the kids both had the filet, I had the chicken dish and my husband had a carrot risotto. I almost never eat chicken out at a restaurant but this was so tender! Everything on the plate went together very well. My husband loved his risotto too and I agree it was delicious. I hope you can make a trip to this restaurant when visiting Edinburgh. Truly angels in the kitchen and with the staff.

The most incredible seafood chowder I've ever had. Such a fun Irish bar! Would definitely go back…read more Service was also great!

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.

Such a cute place. And the view of the castle from here was amazing…read more Super helpful staff! I am a member of a flight crew and as I was eating dinner I was asked to get catering for a flight literally the next morning. I asked the manager if he could make me some take away (to-go) steaks cooked rare to be cooked further on the plane. (I'm a private flight attendant and we cook and plate everything onboard). He went out of his way to make sure I recieved all the items cooked perfectly. Passengers left raving about the food!!! And these are passengers that definitely eat the best steaks. The manager even talked me through a playing game plan and I ran my thoughts of the dishes with him and wow, perfect outcome. I personally got the coley fish dish and started with some cheese. I am a big bleu cheese/stilton girl and it was all amazing. Everything was so good I used the bread from my cheese to mop up every ounce of juice left from coley plate. Great service, great views, and incredible food. All local and ever changing menu to fit what's in market. You'll see handwritten additions to each menu like the cheese and fish. The steaks were the 35 day dry hung flat iron steaks.

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!

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.