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    The Tower Restaurant

    3.7 (61 reviews)
    Ultra High-EndBritish, Scottish, Soup
    Closed 10:00 am - 11:00 pm

    The Tower Restaurant Photos

    THE TOWER RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

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

    Recommended Reviews - The Tower Restaurant

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    Reviews With Photos

    yummy cakes!
    Leona C.

    I came here in June for afternoon tea with 5 of my ladies wot lunch companions and there was much excitement on the lead up to this day out! Bellies empty and ready to go, one hungover, one eating for 2, the Tower had better come up trumps! As there was 6 of us we were seated at a long table and we were given 3 cake stands piled high. Hopefully the photos I've posted do it justice. I can tell you, from my own taste point of view, it was amazing and I couldn't stop eating and very little was left. We did have to stop a few times for a breather, but we carried on, simply because it was just so delish. I thought everything was homemade and fresh. I've had afternoon teas before that frankly are a bit stale and look to me like they have been frozen or come out of a stale biscuit tin. I particularly liked the fact the cakes were very light so you did actually stand a chance to get through the savouries, scones and sweets!! We had sandwiches, savoury tarts, mini bruschetta, scones, plain and sultana, clotted cream and jam. Fruit cake, shortbread, creme brulee, chocolate cherry mousse cake, strawberry mille-feuille.....gosh, I'm sure there was more! To accompany your afternoon tea you get unlimited coffee and tea, bags and loose. After dining, the weather was so lovely we sat outside to enjoy a glass of champagne! If you have a smaller appetite or are just not terribly hungry, I would recommend perhaps sharing an afternoon tea - but don't even think about sharing mine!! The afternoon tea menu changes with the seasons as a friend dined on it during November and hers was different, but I'm glad the menu changes because I can't wait to go back again!! Afternoon Tea is £15.95pp and with Champagne its £25pp. If there was one tiny negative, some of the group did comment that whilst the staff were pleasant, after we were served, nobody came back to ask if everything was okay. A minor point and whilst everything was okay, its still nice to have a wee bit attentiveness. When we wanted re-fills on drinks and condiments, we had to ask, rather than being asked but equally, we were left to get on with chatting and eating and not bothered by over attentive staff, so its getting a happy medium with service, so only for that do I not give the Tower 5 stars. But overall, fabulous and its my No. 1 place for afternoon tea, until I find something that exceeds this gourmet feast.

    Kimberly C.

    Their afternoon tea is divine. The view of the castle isn't half bad either! I always take visiting friends here. It's also great for those rainy days wandering around the museum. I love the seasonal selection of foods with afternoon tea at the Tower. The special RAF blend tea is amazing - and can be purchased for a good cause (donations to support the RAF). The tea is very filling, selection is always delicious, and the service is impeccable. Love.

    Lesley S.

    Went here for a surprise birthday dinner can say we got a decent meal. It's been a while but I think the hubby got scallop salad and rare steak which was nicely done, and I got some fish with black pudding and horseradish salad. The peanuty ice cream dessert was particularly good. You can get a nice view as well. from the the tower! It made for a romantic evening and it wasn't busy at all. My only negative comment was that our waiter could have used more attention to personal hygiene.. We kept getting wafts of b.o. that was enough to dampen the whole experience!

    Ali C.

    This is the 2nd time I have been to the Tower Restaurant. Again, the service and everything else in this place is near perfection and spells elegance. I am here to try some of their other things they have to offer for their starter and main course. This time, I tried the crab as a starter. The starter was pricey but was packed full of crab meat. It was also full with natural flavour of the crab. Simple but yet delicious. It was served in a cocktail glass which was a bit hard and tall to eat from but negligible. I had the lamb as the main course. There were 3 large pieces of lamb rump. It's perfectly cooked but not as pink as how I would like it to be. It was served on a bed of peas, bacon and broccoli stems. They were seasons just enough. Although, the lamb was not as tender as how I would like it to be, but they were still good.

    Hannah M.

    We booked here for our last night together in edinburgh, I'm personally always more fussed about the food than being up high for a view, but my friend (she's even more petite than me, so maybe that's the reason, haha) seems to really like being high up, every place she goes she's up gazing out of the window of a shard equivalent, but I wasn't disappointed by here. I felt a little over dressed, it was a dress I wear all of the time and had been wearing all day but I think it's a but more of a smart casual place because you're too cool to make an effort but you're well presented anyway. Our waiter was lovely, and we picked gorgeous cocktails, one so particularly lovely that my friend took down the ingredients to make at home. Seeing the portions travel past, we decided to keep starter to antipasti so we could fit in a pudding. The had a good amount of game and fish on the menu, which made me very happy, and clare went for lobster and chips. My meat was perfectly cooked, and presented well. For puddings, clare had, if i remember rightly a salted caramel torte, on such a beautifully put together plate. I however, was drawn in by nostalgia, and just had to go for the banana split, which came in the sort of heavy cut glass that you'd expect in the harbour bar. The contrast between the dishes was excellent, and really made us chuckle. The view of course, is wonderful, and best from the terrace, which is much more comfortable in the warm!

    Sunset at the tower
    Carol W.

    Cocktail in the sunshine! Through the Tower restaurant's floor-to-ceiling windows is a view of Edinburgh in all its stony beauty. The restaurant is located on the fifth-floor terrace above the Museum of Scotland. Drag your eyes away from the view outside and there's a whole landscape of well-sourced Scottish produce on the menu: hand-dived scallops, Pork loins, lobster, beef, heritage potatoes, and so on. Haggis bon bons with your crispy squid and a home made pork pie while moules mariners are very well cooked and reminiscent of summer holidays in the Vendee. The poached pear and crème brulees are a lovely end to the meal as the sun sets... The only problem is that the food isn't quite as good as it should be. It has so much promise and sounds so tasty but it just misses hitting the nail on the head in the way so many other Edinburgh havens do. Having eaten at all the sister restaurants of the group I do feel the food is sub standard to their offerings and would always favour the Witchery or Prestonfield. Lovely view though and a great spot for a cocktail if not a little pricey.

    View of the castle from our table!
    Mimi O.

    Loved the view of the castle and the food! Best oysters ever. My husband and I each had an entree and split a side and dessert. Great service. Isn't the end of the world if you're not dressed to the nines either. Make sure you step out on to the porch after eating too!

    Fiona H.

    This was the first place I ever went for a swanky meal in Edinburgh, and although it was a lovely meal I have to say I certainly wouldn't be hurrying back again if I were paying the bill! That's why I'm only giving it 3 stars - although you expect to pay a certain amount in a nice restaurant, I did feel that the prices here were a little excessive. Although now they've brought in a pre-theatre early bird menu for £16.95, if you're eating from the a la carte menu in the evening you can expect to pay £35-40 per head without drinks. That said, the food was still very good. I went for the Smoked eel, Toasted Rye, Mustard Mayo and Cornichon Salsa for starters followed by the Guinea Fowl with Walnut Stuffing, Squash Purée and Wilted Kale. Although everything was cooked perfectly and presentation was impeccable, you don't have to be a genius to be able to see that the menu does sound a little bit unnecessarily pretentious. There were however some things that made this restaurant stand out, and why I thought about awarding it 4 stars. For one, it's perched on top of the National Museum and so the views over the city are second to none, especially if you're there at sunset like I was. If you're there for lunch then a wander through the museum at the end is always a good way to walk off your meal. Also, although I found it odd that service wasn't included in the prices, little things like not needing to ask for your coat at the end as it's already being held out for you to put on - or even to remind the staff which one is yours - definitely score brownie points. If you're the kind of foodie who's main concern is being seen in the 'right' restaurants, then this is your kind of place. If you're the kind of foodie who genuinely loves great food and wine, I'd definitely pay this place a visit at some point but I wouldn't put it at the top of your list.

    Tiffany C.

    The food while delightful to look at it in terms of presentation was mediocre overall in quality. But most of all having dined in 5 star restaurants across the world I have never been made to feel so out of place with snooty wait staff that I felt treated me differently than their British patrons. I was dressed appropriately and wanted to enjoy a late dinner after touring the city and I was so disappointed. I spent a lot of pounds and didn't really enjoy the capstone to my evening due to the peculiarly unwelcoming staff. The view from the restaurant of the castle is beautiful and it is a shame that the service is so lacking. I did the prefixe menu and it was 3 courses and then I added a tea course at the end as well, so I feel like I got to sample a bit of everything.

    Smoked salmon

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    Not crowded and very tasty brunch! Coffee was amazing and the mushroom omelet was the best I've had. Not well advertised, but it should be!

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    Page 1 of 2

    Review Highlights - The Tower Restaurant

    fantastic food, brilliant service, great menu, and a fantastic view of the castle.

    Mentioned in 17 reviews

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    Mums - Shepherds Pie Vegan

    Mums

    4.1(252 reviews)
    0.1 miOld Town
    ££

    I was so excited to try this place after seeing good reviews but our experience was terrible. There…read morewere gnats everywhere that we were killing at our dusty booth. When our food arrived we finally asked to move spots but the back of the restaurant was just as bad. I can't believe other families weren't complaining. We also found a hair in our appetizer and the mains were subpar. My husband complained about his fries and burger and the manager was combative. They comped us for one whiskey and we left as quickly as possible. The shepherds pie was very salty and the side of veggies was very clearly from frozen.

    **RACIST & DISCRIMINATORY** The young blonde hair girl in…read moreher maybe late-20s hostess, bartender or server (not sure which) was super rude! We came in excited about this place, and the restaurant had open tables at about 6:50pm on a Friday ... we had just walked all day and were starving with a 2-year old and an elderly after walking all over town and sightseeing all day long. However, was told by this girl that they didn't have a seat for us. Although there was no wait, no one ahead of us and empty tables. I told her she could seat us in that booth, we didn't mind since our 2 year old wouldn't be eating. However, she cut me off and said that would not work. I thought that was weird but that should have been That it would take them about 30 minutes to get us a table. We walk around in the cold, come back to the restaurant ... there are plenty of open tables. My husband takes my 2-year old inside to wait so she is not in the freezing rainy cold (especially since she was sniffling). The hostess then says it's going to take longer and that we must wait outside the restaurant. We tell her it's cold, and we've been waiting. She then says ... "This isn't going to work, I'm not serving you. You guys can leave." She did not want to serve of us this entire time! She could have told us when we first walked in, but made us wait and walk around outside in the cold rain with a 2-year old and an 88-year old ... then decides she doesn't want to serve us. We walked in at 6:50pm, came back at 7:30pm, waited until 7:45pm when she told us she wouldn't serve us. By this time all the other restaurants were fully reserved or with 1-2 hour waits. We ended up not able to have dinner that night, and got snacks from the grocery store. DO NOT COME HERE UNLESS YOU WANT HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE! NEVER TREATED THIS BADLY BY A RESTAURANT!

    Photos
    Mums - Kind of cute interior.

    Kind of cute interior.

    Mums
    Mums

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    The Cellar Door

    The Cellar Door

    3.9(28 reviews)
    0.1 miOld Town
    £££

    Had 7 pm reservation. Showed up on time. Plenty of seats. They put us at the table by the door…read morewhere everyone would bump into us passing by us getting to their table. I said for the size of our group can we get the other tables towards the back. There were other tables available and all right behind us. The hostess said no absolutely not guests were to be assigned to their tables. There were people behind us but they were after us; plus they were of smaller size than ours, clearly our skin color is the main issue. They sat us down, and quite a few minutes pass, others trickle in and promptly everyone bumps into me. At which point I told the hostess this is not acceptable. They sat 2 people at a table for 4, in the back while this table of 4 is really too small for 4 people. One thing stood out to me, we were the only non whites. When the last group again bumped into me, I asked to be moved; she then said due to short of staff they cannot change the seating but seeing seriously everyone is bumping into me, she begrudgingly moved us to a corner table with no lights - and not surprisingly no service. I understand the importance of trying to make the white people feel comfortable about not being seen with non whites - the best way is tuck the non whites away - but this is 2022. I am from California and no, this is absolutely unacceptable. Like MLK junior or Rosa Parks, we protected, first by requesting to be moved away from the hallway, then by my two teens and I walking out of the restaurant and finding more tolerant non racist restaurant to eat, and we spent a lot of money on the other restaurant. You too can make a decision to either eat or not eat at this place. The choice is entirely up to you. And this will define who you are.

    Made a reservation via Fork. Evening started well drinks…read morewere excellent Order sparkling water never came to the table neither did a pitcher of tap water. We stared at empty water glasses all night. I order the carrot risotto d arrived so under cooked it had to be sent back It took more than 20 minutes to clear our table ams another 15 minutes to produces dessert menus All in all a very disappointing evening The bottom line-go somewhere else!

    Photos
    The Cellar Door
    The Cellar Door - Great restaurant

    Great restaurant

    The Cellar Door - Very nice and open

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    Very nice and open

    Scran - BISCOFF French toast!

    Scran

    4.3(29 reviews)
    0.3 miOld Town, Royal Mile
    ££

    The desk agent at my hotel recommended Scran for a full Scottish breakfast. He was not wrong…read more First, finding the place was a little challenge. It's not on the main road, but off through a covered alley. You'll see their sign if you look. I ordered the full breakfast consisting of a fried egg, pork sausage link, uncured bacon, fried breaded sausage patty, sourdough bread, potato scone, haggis and blood sausage fried crispy, and baked beans. I'd never tried haggis or blood sausage, but I wanted to say I'd at least tried it. I was shocked to find I really liked both. Not gamey at all. They tasted like well seasoned sausages. Don't fear the haggis! I also had a mimosa and a latte to wrap up the meal. Totally unhealthy, but totally delicious. Service was also great. Slow but steady, and very attentive. If I make it back to Edinburgh, I'll definitely eat at Scran again.

    Can I give more than 5 stars because I absolutely would!!!! I have been dreaming about this cookie…read morebutter French toast with fresh berries ever since I had it. By far the best breakfast I've had... in my entire life!? I found this gorgeous restaurant on Instagram and thought it might an over-hyped spot. Not at all!!!! The food was delicious! AND gorgeous! The latte art was perfect, and delicious. I booked on Open Table and requested a table with a great view. They seated us under the sign and it was just perfect! I highly recommend scran! The servers were so kind and even helped with our group photos.

    Photos
    Scran
    Scran - Eggs Florentine

    Eggs Florentine

    Scran - French toast

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    French toast

    The Tower Restaurant - british - Updated June 2026

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