Location review insights for Scotland, United Kingdom, Restaurants

A family of 5 (adults) sat around a 4 seated table was poor to start with! Waiter was good, had to get his attention a couple of times for drinks. Food was really the let down. Overly seasoned (very very salty), greasy and way over priced for what it was. The restaurant itself looks lovely, very relaxing and warm atmosphere, plenty staff around which always looks good for business. Drinks were fine, George Street prices but we expected that from the "new" St James. We asked the waiter to take the £28 service charge off and handed him £10 tip, we thought that was quite sufficient after a £230 bill for food (mains only) and drinks. (bear in mind 1 person was drinking water, and another had 1 vodka!). Overall it was below average because of the food. We wouldn't come back unfortunately.

As I had already been to this restaurant a few times before and it had always been very tasty and pleasant, we decided to invite our friends from Ireland who were visiting Edinburgh. Unfortunately, this visit turned out to be very disappointing. Let me start with the waiting time. While we ordered starters, our friends ordered only main courses. Despite this, they waited more than 50 minutes for their food — exactly the same amount of time as us, even though we had starters beforehand. Overall, we waited nearly an hour for the main dishes. The cleanliness of the restaurant was also an issue. Both the women’s and men’s toilets were dirty, and there was no hot water to wash hands in the men’s toilet. The tables were not properly cleaned, and the carpet in the main dining area clearly had not been vacuumed for a very long time. As for the food: the portions were quite small. Although the food was generally tasty, it was nothing memorable. There are many much better Thai restaurants in Edinburgh. However, the biggest disappointment was the behavior of the woman at the reception, (Ms.Anto) which was completely unprofessional and rude. While we and our friends (who did not order starters) had already been waiting over 50 minutes, she came to our table and asked if she could add an extra table next to us. I politely said no and mentioned that it would be nice to be informed when our food would arrive, as we had been waiting for almost an hour. At that point, her attitude changed dramatically. She appeared offended and angry, walked away, and returned a few minutes later to argue sarcastically that we had not been waiting that long. Shortly after, together with another staff member, she removed the table in an aggressive manner, showing zero respect or concern for the safety of the guests sitting behind us — even hitting another customer with the table. She left one chair in the middle, which new guests ended up using as a coat hanger. For the rest of our visit, she kept staring at our table and making comments to other employees in a clearly unpleasant and spiteful way, simply because we did not agree to the extra table. she is often cold and rude, which is also reflected in other customer reviews. A restaurant that presents itself as being of a high standard should employ staff who can maintain professionalism and emotional control. Staff members who cannot control their emotions and openly take out their frustration on guests do not belong in this industry. Overall, this experience left a very bad impression, and I cannot recommend this place to anyone. The manager or head of the dining room who worked here a few years ago would never have allowed such unacceptable behavior. If the restaurant wants to continue being perceived as a high-level establishment, it should seriously reconsider who it employs in front-of-house positions, as this person is the first point of contact with guests and represents the restaurant’s business card.

As soon as we were going downstairs and saw the old carpets and dated wood, we were apprehensive and confused. The restaurant was empty and did not have any atmosphere. The bar area was unmanned and soulless. Food was ok but the formality put us off. This place is stuck in time and hasn’t evolved neither is relevant anymore. Dining like 25 years ago! Very disappointing.

Unfortunately we got seated near bar all I could smell was dirty bins .staff were bustling around the area it was very noisy . Meal was good but could of been hotter in temperature ... A bit disappointing..

A restaurant with such a nice atmosphere and good reviews, but we sadly didn’t get the get the best experience. Firstly the waiter forgot the wine we ordered, and then they forgot the food. Waited for more than 45 min, and ended up in a hurry for our next appointment. Weirdly enough the waiter wanted to put the blame on us for not letting him know, to make the kitchen hurry from the start, but obviously the kitchen just begun on our dinner after we asked for it. No compensation was given for the inconvenience, I find that to be a bit of bad service.

Although not staying at the hotel we decided to have dinner here as we were staying nearby, but found it lacking in atmosphere unfortunately. We sat for a while at the table before the single waitress appeared - we then ordered drinks, including a glass of Rose Champagne. When the drinks arrived, the Champagne was white and the server told us "we don't do Rose by the glass" - which surely the waitress should have known when taking our order ?! No bread was offered. The meal itself started well with the starters, but the main courses were uninspiring. We decided not to risk dessert or coffee, which was a shame as a lot of money has been spent on the hotel and its decoration, which is attractive. We later discovered that there are much better places to eat in the vicinity.

Went for a pre-booked birthday dinner, staff was a bit strange, with two of the servers saving the night but initially the lady who welcomed us was very vague and dismissive, often walking away mid communication. The atmosphere was also off putting, with rude customers near the entrance. Food was good, some meat in the cheese steak was quite tough though and my friends request for no cheese being ignored. Might be because the hockey was on so the vibes were just extra bad that day.

Review rating: 3.0

The food and service were really great - unique set up with menu, pick your meat/veggie option & pair with customised mash potato. They have loads of fun menu options, and are willing to customise on request. Lots of veggie alternatives. Staff were excellent. Loses one star as I thought it was a bit overpriced, however this is probably typical for a tourist area.

Review rating: 4.0

A family of 5 (adults) sat around a 4 seated table was poor to start with! Waiter was good, had to get his attention a couple of times for drinks. Food was really the let down. Overly seasoned (very very salty), greasy and way over priced for what it was. The restaurant itself looks lovely, very relaxing and warm atmosphere, plenty staff around which always looks good for business. Drinks were fine, George Street prices but we expected that from the "new" St James. We asked the waiter to take the £28 service charge off and handed him £10 tip, we thought that was quite sufficient after a £230 bill for food (mains only) and drinks. (bear in mind 1 person was drinking water, and another had 1 vodka!). Overall it was below average because of the food. We wouldn't come back unfortunately.

Signal: 0.0%

As I had already been to this restaurant a few times before and it had always been very tasty and pleasant, we decided to invite our friends from Ireland who were visiting Edinburgh. Unfortunately, this visit turned out to be very disappointing. Let me start with the waiting time. While we ordered starters, our friends ordered only main courses. Despite this, they waited more than 50 minutes for their food — exactly the same amount of time as us, even though we had starters beforehand. Overall, we waited nearly an hour for the main dishes. The cleanliness of the restaurant was also an issue. Both the women’s and men’s toilets were dirty, and there was no hot water to wash hands in the men’s toilet. The tables were not properly cleaned, and the carpet in the main dining area clearly had not been vacuumed for a very long time. As for the food: the portions were quite small. Although the food was generally tasty, it was nothing memorable. There are many much better Thai restaurants in Edinburgh. However, the biggest disappointment was the behavior of the woman at the reception, (Ms.Anto) which was completely unprofessional and rude. While we and our friends (who did not order starters) had already been waiting over 50 minutes, she came to our table and asked if she could add an extra table next to us. I politely said no and mentioned that it would be nice to be informed when our food would arrive, as we had been waiting for almost an hour. At that point, her attitude changed dramatically. She appeared offended and angry, walked away, and returned a few minutes later to argue sarcastically that we had not been waiting that long. Shortly after, together with another staff member, she removed the table in an aggressive manner, showing zero respect or concern for the safety of the guests sitting behind us — even hitting another customer with the table. She left one chair in the middle, which new guests ended up using as a coat hanger. For the rest of our visit, she kept staring at our table and making comments to other employees in a clearly unpleasant and spiteful way, simply because we did not agree to the extra table. she is often cold and rude, which is also reflected in other customer reviews. A restaurant that presents itself as being of a high standard should employ staff who can maintain professionalism and emotional control. Staff members who cannot control their emotions and openly take out their frustration on guests do not belong in this industry. Overall, this experience left a very bad impression, and I cannot recommend this place to anyone. The manager or head of the dining room who worked here a few years ago would never have allowed such unacceptable behavior. If the restaurant wants to continue being perceived as a high-level establishment, it should seriously reconsider who it employs in front-of-house positions, as this person is the first point of contact with guests and represents the restaurant’s business card.

Signal: 0.0%

As soon as we were going downstairs and saw the old carpets and dated wood, we were apprehensive and confused. The restaurant was empty and did not have any atmosphere. The bar area was unmanned and soulless. Food was ok but the formality put us off. This place is stuck in time and hasn’t evolved neither is relevant anymore. Dining like 25 years ago! Very disappointing.

Signal: 0.0%