The Cafe Royal Edinburgh, Cafe Bar

A stunningly beautiful piece of history! It was as if we stepped through a time portal. The stained glass windows rendered the slanted sunlight exquisite. Our first meal in Scotland did not disappoint—especially in this hidden find within an otherwise bustling Edinburgh cityscape.

After our first lackluster dining experience in a Scottish bar, I was hesitant to try this place. I’m so glad we went! Unassuming from the outside, but absolutely gorgeous inside. We started with drinks (the rhubarb and ginger fizz was 😘🤌) and the huge and delicious baked camembert. For mains, we both ordered mussels and fries—honestly the best mussels I’ve had anywhere (including other parts of Scotland). We could have easily split the large portion between us, especially after all that cheese! Finally, we shared the Cranachan dessert. I wish I could remember our server’s name. She was lovely and attentive even while serving several other very large parties. Highly recommend you make a reservation, especially during peak tourist season.

I'm not impressed, and for the prices they charge, it should have been a better experience. It is an incredible place to sit and admire the history. We were met with a little bit of attitude from the bartender/server that finally made it to us. There's no one to greet and seat you, so we just walked back into the oyster bar(that's what we were there for), and he asked if we had a reservation. We said no, and he got short with us and said we only had an hour and a half. That was more than we needed since we basically knew what we were ordering already. The haggis bon bons were an experiment(as we'd never had haggis before), and they were a no-go. The flavor of haggis is so strong and just not for us. They were taken off the bill even though we said we would pay for them(this is the reason for 3 stars instead of 2). The scallop appetizer was delightful. The 10-ounce sirloin with chips was spot on. And here's my biggest disappointment: the oysters. Ordered a half dozen(£20) and my very first one, I was met with shards of shell. I almost completely lost my appetite at that point. We had to argue with our server to get him to take it off the bill. I'm not paying for oysters that are inedible because of sloppy work in the kitchen. Also, the water they bring to the table is infused with citrus. It was incredibly strong and honestly off-putting. We had to ask for regular unflavored water. Overall, as I said, it's not worth it. It was $71.30 USD for one appetizer and one entree that were just okay.