This is one of my all time favourite places for coffee in East Lothian. I love walking through the…read morenursery to reach the tea room, and I am even happier when I arrive and see the trays of delicious cakes and fabulous scones. The tea room is housed in the old boiler room of Smeaton House (now sadly long gone). It is not smart but it is very relaxed and cosy, the staff are always very friendly and helpful, and the baking never disappoints. I also really like the fact that the nursery is just that wonderful plants, none of the usual 'garden centre' ephemera. The nursery staff are also extremely welcoming. I recommend Smeaton unreservedly except that I don't want it to become too popular as I love its peaceful atmosphere!

From the owner: Offering east lothians widest range of trees, shrubs and all garden plants, set in a beautiful…read morewalled garden in the heart of East Lothian.

Lovely place to visit! Definitely worth the quick trip from Edinburgh. The staff are very…read morefriendly and helpful. The rooms are beautifully decorated, and you can take photos and videos. Easy to take an Uber there, but you'll need to call a local cab company to get a ride back.

This review relates to my recent experience at Hopetoun and their amazing afternoon tea served in a…read morebuilding called "Stables ". Don't be put off by the name " Stables ". Yes, it's an old barn converted into a restaurant with its unique design of colours, blue, white and yellow/beige being the most dominant. The place is classy. The staff let's you feel welcome and serves in style, very politely. We ordered the famous afternoon tea and for myself it exceeded my expectations of deliciously tasty little cakes, lemon posset, soft and juicy cucumber, salmon and ham sandwiches, macaroons, tart pieces, leek and potato soup and scones with cream and jam. You also get a choice of teas and coffees. I won't say more, as you have to experience the afternoon tea assortment for yourself and maybe followed by a little walk around the premises, which are open to the public. Last year I also visited the Hopetoun House horse trials and it is an amazing experience for the family. It's normally on in June and this year 2015 over the last weekend of June. The house is also open to the public for an entrance fee. There is a small car park and little shed were you can buy your ticket from. Think for adults it's around £14. Enjoy x

Had a quick lunch here on our way to Edinburgh. Wish we had more time to explore the entire menu…read more The cakes and desserts looked Devine! Sadly they were out of scones the day we visited but I saw others with them and they looked wonderful. The restaurant was packed but service was quick and friendly. Inside of the restaurant is quite small but welcoming and we never felt smooshed. We ordered coronation chicken sandwiches as well as the soup which was parsnip and apple. Both of which were so delicious! The little pots of tea come with a timer to be sure it steeps properly. Cute little touch!

A casual spot for lunch in Pitlochry. The little town is worth a stop on your way to the Highlands!…read moreThere are many little restaurants and cafes to choose from but Hettie's was quite popular. We were in a hurry so we ordered a panini and scone to go. The panini was lovely! It was a large portion for the price and was very tasty. The scone, on the other hand, was pretty hard and dry. The cream it came with helped a lot, but it wasn't great. The tea room does have bathrooms for its guests.

**March 2024: Weekday Morning Visit**…read more A couple of things to note -No reservations -Hours: Tues-Fri: 10am-4:30pm; Mon: Closed; Sat/Sun: 9:30am-4:30pm I saw this tearoom featured on a youtubers channel and thought it would be a great breakfast option as Clarinda's is known for their scones and baked goods. I came pretty close to the opening and was able to select my choice for seats. I picked a table near the window for natural lighting. They have a table of a lot of tasty treats and while I didn't get a chance to try them all, I can attest to the scone being very tasty! I ordered the Cream Tea (I think I ordered the Lemon and Elderflower) which comes with a freshly baked homemade scone (I chose a fruit one), and a cup of tea €6.80. I decided to upgrade to a pot of tea (€7.75) and added a bowl of porridge (€5.50) with jam as I usually prefer savory breakfasts. This was more than enough to eat for one, but I just enjoy trying different items - does anyone else have this problem? lol I thoroughly enjoyed my experience here as the ambiance, food and tea were homey and intimate. This would be such a fun place to converse with girlfriends for tea time!

If you make it down to the bottom of Royal Mile you MUST stop at Clarinda's Tea Room, a small…read morehole-in-the-wall place with so much personality. We had breakfast here on our first day in Edinburgh. It's cozy and the walls are covered with paintings, antique cups, and plates. To be honest the walls are quite chaotic but that's where the personality comes in. We ordered the eggs with toast and the full Scottish breakfast. Food was great, coffee hit the spot, and service was excellent. Even with the chaos they keep the place clean. Also, BEWARE they do not have hot sauce here LOL. I asked the server and she said "No, but it was worth a try to ask" Respect lol. We sat by the window and people watched and awed at the beautiful architecture of Edinburgh. It's a chill spot to rest and refuel. Would love to come back for their afternoon tea!

Today marked the first birthday of the Bluebell Tearoom and since I'd wanted to visit for a long…read moretime, there was no better time than the present. Why, hello there, Bluebell Tearoom! Birthday banners, complimentary birthday tablet and an afternoon tea raffle for every customer. And of course, the perfect excuse for cake. We are in just the right place for it, after all. Crisp and white and fresh like a beautiful spring day, the tearoom is cute and cosey and the welcome warm. Whilst small in size, there are certainly a good amount of seats and despite arriving slap-bang in the middle of lunchtime, we were able to get a table for two. The first thing that caught my eye was the crockery. We had some dainty little matching cups, bowls, saucers. And there were some more pretty selections displayed on the walls. Tea is always served best in a magnificent teacup. The bluebell are testament to this. It certainly is a the perfect spot for tea and cake! I had Cock-a-Leekie soup which was delicious, wholesome, warming. - The perfect prelude to the main event. Oh boy, did we have trouble choosing a cake from the selection. Despite it being the Bluebell's super special first birthday, you will always find such a plentiful selection of cake, including plenty of gluten free selections and it really was a delight to hear about just how many cakes and gluten free options they prepare daily. Today, there was Lemon and Coconut, Cranberry and Orange, Carrot...Would we like to have a peek at the selection? Oh, mama! Now we're talking. They look delightful. Every single one of them. After far too much time spent making a decision, I go for the Lemon and Coconut. My friend and I do a swap (always the best thing to do in these situations!) and I get to have a nibble of his slice of the Cranberry and Orange. Mmmm. They're both so light and with just the right amount of sweetness. I genuinely can't make up my mind which I liked best. Just perfect with the Japanese cherry green tea I had to accompany the afternoon sugar fix. If you asked me where to go for tea and cake in Stirling a few days ago, I might have told you to just hop on the train to Glasgow. That would have been silly of me. And I hope you didn't listen. - Do go to the Bluebell Tearoom. And take me with you!

The Bluebell tearoom is always our first port of call when we visit Stirling and often our last as…read morewell. Wonderful home baked cakes, great dry cured bacon and scotch pancakes, daily roast sandwiches made with honey and oat bread and served with gravy. Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant food! The only thing better than the food here is the service. Lisa treats her customers as though they were family and you won't find a warmer welcome anywhere in Scotland. Fantastic! Highly recommended.

I think it's also called the Sir Walter Scott Tea Room? We loved our experience!…read more The service was excellent and food delicious.

A quick word of warning, to get to this lovely traditional tea room, you will have to either climb…read moreup a LOT of steep steps or go up in a dodgy old lift. I usually take the stairs because the lift is a bit of a faff and you have to get a staff member to come and operate it for you. Once you get up to the café level, you are met with a charmingly decorated dining room, amazing views across Princes Street Gardens to the High Street and great Scottish food. When we first walked in, the place was quite empty and we were guaranteed a seat because there were only 2 other people dining at the time. As the waitress showed us to our table and gave us our menus, I decided to have a slice of the gorgeous looking red velvet cake and a glass of Irn Bru. While we waited for the food to arrive, I visited the toilets, which were up some more steep steps. (UGH!!!!) This time the steps were spiralling up, which made the journey even more exhausting. However, the toilets were clean and functional with hot water, soap and plenty of paper towels. When I got back, the food had arrived and I tucked in. The cake was very filling and delicious. The cream filling is what made it amazing. The Irn Bru was as traditional as always. The waitress checked back on us after about 5 minutes to see how we were doing and of course, there was nothing but praise back to her. Once we got the bill it was a tad pricey but it was worth it for the first class food, service and surroundings. I was slightly disappointed that we didn't get to sit by the ginormous bay windows overlooking Princes Street but we still had a pretty good view as we were seated in the row of tables behind the window. The stairs put me off going here slightly but that doesn't really matter because I will be back to try one of their delightful looking scones!

I really wish I had written this review as soon as I got home from Queen of Tarts as I knew I'd…read morebegin to forget what we had. Anyway I'll give it a go - orange & star anise drink, walnut biscuits, bean pate on homemade bread, quiche, lemon curd shortbread, lavender syllabub, chocolate & pear scone, grapefruit & yoghurt cake and I'm sure there was more but I can't remember. All of it delicious and homemade and served with Twinnings tea, a seemingly bottomless pot. You are welcome to take along a little tipple too. So I'm sure you're wondering where is this wonderful tearoom? Well it's a pop-up afternoon tea in Leith, held in the beautiful home of Angela who does all of the cooking and hosting. How she manages it it her flat is amazing. If it were me the place would be a bombsite. Ah, I forgot to mention the ginger sorbet. She doesn't have a freezer, or even an ice-box in the fridge, so I'm further impressed by the frozen dessert. Truly magic. She hosts these tea parties around every two months on Saturdays and Sundays and the dates are on her facebook page ww.facebook.com/QueenofTartsEdinburgh or you can check the twitter account @queen_of_tarts I think she can hold around 12 or 13 guests so you can either go by yourself, with a friend or take a small group of you along. She also comes to you if you'd like a party in your house It really was the most wonderful day. Carolann P and I had a great time and I am most definitely going to do it again.

Amazing place with amazing folks for some amazing food. Loved the Leak and Potato soup as wellread more

This is a quaint place in Falkland (city was used as Inverness in Outlander). I had the lentil soup…read morewith cheese and ham sandwich. The soup was hot and fresh the cheese on the sandwich was a bold cheddar. I also had the sticky toffee pudding with custard and fresh coffee. The food was good and not very expensive. Service was excellent and fast. It's small, but cozy and quiet. I highly recommend this place if you're ever in Falkland Scotland. You won't regret it.

We were exploring Dunkeld (which I'm convinced I should move to), and found Spill the Beans. We…read morewanted a spot of mid-morning sugar and caffeine and were so happy we stopped in. When you first enter there's a shelf to your right just FULL of beautiful looking cakes and sweets (do NOT help yourself!), the till to your left, and beyond that a little cafe where you can enjoy lunch items. We decided on two americanos and a piece of victoria sponge. The young woman working was incredibly friendly, but she seemed either new or out of the loop regarding certain things. There was no milk for our coffees (she didn't know they had run out until we had already paid) and when we asked about a few of the baked goods she mostly shrugged and smiled. No big deal, we were very happy with our takeaway selection. The coffees were piping hot and the cake was melt-in-your-mouth good. It was a smaller slice than we were expecting, and next time we'd for sure get two or three different slices to share (or probably just stay and enjoy the cafe/courtyard area and really tucky in to even more!). Lovely, lovely coffee shop and I'm so glad we found it!

Their motto here is Good karma makes good cakes, and there must be quite a lot of good karma around…read morebecause, wow, there's a lot of excellent cakes on offer, all baked in-house and posted every morning on the tea room blackboard. Good luck trying to choose between Victoria Sponge, Coconut & lime sponge, orange poppy seed, carrot cake, I came across this cafe in Dunkeld, tucked away next to the cathedral, with friendly staff, cakes and home baking where fresh and good value for money. This is a clean café and staff are friendly and helpful. Tea is from Brodies in Edinburgh. All served on delicate bone china cups.

Great spot for light delicious lunch when the rest of the restaurants are closed on Tuesdays (try…read morethe local half buttered lobster). Where else can you find a refreshing bottle of Rose too for 21£?! Servers on top of everything always attentive and upbeat Grateful!

From the food point of view, this place deservers 5 stars. The fact that it's located in a golf…read moreclub, and that there was a rather noisy party going on next door at the time of our visit (including drunk people coming into the restaurant to try and buy more drink), plus the lackadaisical service by some of the staff causes me to only give it 4 overall. Still, there are precious few places in this neck of the woods that can do food of this standard, so don't be put off. For starters, I had the scallops (without the bacon and black pudding), which were so succulent that they practically melted in the mouth. That was followed by an evening special of halibut, which arrived with two round slices of what looked like cheese on top, but which turned out to be a slightly spiced butter concoction. Yowza! It also came with samphire, one of my favourite greens. I was pretty full after that, but manfully struggled on to the dark chocolate torte (sans ice cream), which was a perfect finishing touch to the meal. Herself opted for the cheeseboard, which had a nice selection of local cheeses (but not too much) with grapes and water crackers. Full marks for the cuisine, slightly less for decor and service.