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    The Bon Vivant

    4.1 (75 reviews)
    Closed 12:00 pm - 1:00 am (Next day)

    The Bon Vivant Photos

    THE BON VIVANT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Hipster
    Classy
    Good for groups

    Recommended Reviews - The Bon Vivant

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    Reviews With Photos

    Appetizer assortment
    Alan L.

    Pleasant meal in a comfortable setting. The restaurant is relaxed, with good cocktails and beers. The appetizers are varied and tasty. The charcuterie platter was delicious. The service was attentive and helpful.

    Clover club
    Andrea L.

    Ambience, decor & atmosphere was awesome! I was hoping for a more unique cocktail menu, but it had the classics. My "bite" at the start was excellent! My main course, the mushroom risotto, was underwhelming and a bit disappointing. The hostess was wonderful, but my waitress was unhelpful. Not sure if I would return with so many other great options all over!

    Lemon posset
    Pooline N.

    Food was delicious, drinks were well made and service was very good. We tried the haggis bon bons and korean fried chicken for starters. Both were delicious, each served with their own punchy sauce. For mains we had the lamb rump and sirloin steak with a side of truffle parmesan chips (must have!). Very well cooked, each item on the plates was well prepared and paired with everything else. Lemon posset was the perfect end to the meal, light and refreshing.

    Charcuterie board
    Larry P.

    My wife said this meal ranked in the top five meals of her life. She had a hatch of venison. My steak, barley, and wild mushrooms was exquisite. The service was excellent even though we sat through a shift change. Nothing but accolades for this place.

    Venison
    Wendy S.

    The Bon Vivant was extremely busy when we got there on a Saturday evening. Good thing we had made a reservation. We were seated immediately although our first table was quite small and around the corner from the loo. When we requested a table change, they were more than happy to oblige. Service was superb. Our glasses were never empty and our orders came out quickly. The staff was always coming around to check on us. They were very attentive indeed. We ordered the haggis bonbons and the pork belly rillettes as our appetizer. If we had to choose, we would go for the haggis bonbons. For our mains, I got the venison and the partner-in-dine chose the duck. The venison was tender and tasty. But the duck was way better. We also shared a lemon custard dessert. It was zzzzzzzzzesty! Our dinner wasn't cheap but the meal was worth the price paid.

    Chicken thighs, jalapeño cream cheese
    Barcamatic M.

    A good place to eat with different opinions between all of us dining. Most of us thought the food had an impeccable presentation but lack seasoning, the salt shaker was used abundantly. The staff was very nice and courteous and an exceptional heat wave In Edinburgh we still enjoyed ourselves.

    Awesome lamb!
    David H.

    We looked at yelp to find a nice place and it didn't disappoint. The small bites were nice. I had the pork belly. I had the lamb for my main, it was awesome, tasted great and the portion was spot on. Photo was uploaded. The atmosphere is cozy and service quick. Great help from the server with recommendations on restaurants and tourist places.

    Menu

    Fantastic Sunday roast at The Bon Vivant. A small upscale restaurant serving traditional fare. Reservations are necessary

    Apple smoked duck.
    Jenn R.

    Was recommended a trip down Thistle Street to find good food and after stopping in at The Bon Vivant Companion next door and getting fabulous service, we thought we'd try their bar. So glad we did. After only having plane food for the last 24 hours, anything would've sufficed but for our first meal to be such a home run was a delight. Our waiter recommended fabulous drinks based on our preferences and the food was delicious. We ordered a series of the Bites and each was a thoughtful creation of flavour and texture. The sweet corn Panna Cotta with subtle garlicky back notes and the chorizo and smoked cheese croquettes were stand outs for me. Interestingly, the only dish that wasn't great was the chips! I think the oil might not have been hot enough as they were a little soggy and oily. Although bordering on full, we chose to press on and shared a main. And how glad we were. The apple smoked duck with hazelnuts and cherry was a smokey punch in the face but delightfully so. Often when a dish is described as smoked you really have to search for it, but this was by far the smokiest dish I've eaten. The richness of the duck the perfect vehicle for the smoke, and the cherries brightening up the whole dish. Superb.

    Angelo E.

    I wanted my friend who was visiting Scotland for the first time to try some Scottish food, but wanted her to also try a variety so I chose this place since they served up Scottish type tapas. Bon Vivant is a dark, sexy, loud, but intimate type restaurant/bar. The tables are small and the space is tight but the place has really great energy. It offers amazing small dishes and also main. The small plates varies and include haggis balls, arancini (Italian rice balls), pork belly, chorizo, and many more. One piece cost £2 and £6 for 3 pieces. The bigger portion can be around £8-£9. Their main courses cost around £15-20. I prefer ordering the small bite dishes cause you can try many different types and they are truly tasty. The haggis balls sits on a sweet Asian style pepper sauce and the combination works very well. The pork belly was my favourite. It's decadent, flavourful (from the fat) and satisfying. One bite of it was more than enough unless you want to over indulge. They have extensive drinks menu which includes beers, red/ white wine, and many different types of cocktails. Their cocktails are strong, tasty, and creative. The staff are quick and helpful. The place isn't the best place to take someone on a date unless your both comfortable shouting at each other cause it can get loud. This is a great place to go with friends while enjoying good food and drinks.

    1934 Zombie
    Gab G.

    Service wasn't good but I had a fantastic cocktail here before going to dinner elsewhere. I love sour things and the 1934 Zombie was absolutely perfect. They even tied it up with a little yellow ribbon, which was unnecessary but undeniably cute. Minus one star for the service but it really was a great drink.

    Birthday cocktail
    Carol W.

    Late night cocktails and good chat! We had some fantastic cocktails here and a great catch up. The inside is a bit dark and can get a bit loud but who cares with martini's and bar bites this good!? I am definitely a fan and have sent many people along. They also do some great tasting events where you can choose the wines on the list - all the details are on the boards.

    Amazing but very strong cocktails!

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    The Devil's Advocate - Smoked fish plate

    The Devil's Advocate

    4.3(630 reviews)
    0.4 miOld Town, Royal Mile
    ££

    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.

    Photos
    The Devil's Advocate - Whiskey flight tastings

    Whiskey flight tastings

    The Devil's Advocate - Fish Filet

    Fish Filet

    The Devil's Advocate - Double Shot with Dalmore 12, kahula, espresso shot, and Demerara.

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    Double Shot with Dalmore 12, kahula, espresso shot, and Demerara.

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

    Monteiths

    4.0(87 reviews)
    0.6 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

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    Wine

    Vino at the Arches

    Vino at the Arches

    4.5(2 reviews)
    0.6 miRoyal Mile, Old 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,

    Pickles of Broughton Street - Inside front room (there's a back room as well)

    Pickles of Broughton Street

    4.9(20 reviews)
    0.5 miNew Town
    ££

    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.

    Photos
    Pickles of Broughton Street - Cheese platter

    Cheese platter

    Pickles of Broughton Street - The cheese board

    The cheese board

    Pickles of Broughton Street - Amazing cheese and bread and wine.

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    Amazing cheese and bread and wine.

    The Outsider

    The Outsider

    4.1(275 reviews)
    0.5 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

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    The Bon Vivant - modern_european - Updated May 2026

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