The Outsider

Really good food at an inexpensive price. Service was extraordinary. Highly recommend.

Good food
Terrible service.
I felt like I was doing them a favor by being there.
I was completely ignored.
I won't return.
Too many other places to visit.

We came here on a Monday evening and the place was packed. We tried to make reservations during the day but couldn't get through, so we came on the off chance we could get a table. Luckily we got a table and the place was busy throughout our stay. They know how to cook their seafood as the mussels, trout and cod dishes we ordered were cooked to perfection. With so many places to eat in Edinburgh, this place is definitely worth a visit.

We got in as the last table of the evening being out and about looking for a place to dine. The interior is contemporary and a bit nondescript. Our table next to a window had a lovely view of the castle. All plates were beautifully presented and enjoyed. I ordered the Char grilled Venison, black pepper polenta cake, butternut squash purée, daikon, fine beans, whiskey and passion fruit dressing. It was beautifully plated and prepared. Great flavors.

Recommended by our concierge so we popped by for a late lunch (around 1:30ish) and there was still a bit of a wait on a Saturday afternoon. With no res we waited for about 15 mins to sit.

The venue was bustling with a mix of locals, students and tourists. We were sat in a cute window seat and informed all the specials were sold out for the day.

Started with a couple of kir royales (well made) and the cheese board. Bread was fresh and cheese good. My fish panzanelli salad was good and the burger was a bit gamey for our liking. But was prepared for the meat to taste different than from back home.

All in all a decent meal. Good vibes. Service was fine nothing to write home about. Not very friendly.

Unfortunately did not have the best experience here. While the ambiance is nice and servers are friendly, the food was disappointing and the service was extremely slow.

Food arrived ~50 min of order (factored in they were busy) and also took a long time to get the bill and a server's attention.

The one dish I do not recommend is the venison - the portion is small and there's not too much flavor (meat was cooked medium for context).

The food was fantastic! Unfortunately they fell incredibly short on service. It took about 15 minutes for someone to even come by to give us water and from that point forward it wasn't good. The table next to us got up and left.

Again, price was incredible for the lobster and it was perfection.

The food was not bad. Steak was delicious and the salad was great. The mussels weren't the freshest. The one thing that stood out was the waitress hygiene wasn't very good...

Yum! Delicious mussels and pasta.

Make reservations if you can - this place is poppin'!

The mussels here are on point. I wanted to drink the broth. I ate so much bread because I kept dunking the bread in the mussels broth. It was savory and had a little creaminess to it. It was perfectly seasoned!

The tagliatelle was fantastic. The only thing I would've wanted was a bit more al dente cooked pasta. Otherwise the seasoning was perfect and the ingredients were fresh. I very much enjoyed the flavors of this dish!

Definitely recommend this restaurant for dinner. The views are gorgeous from a couple of the tables upstairs. You can see the Edinburgh castle in the sunset!

The food had amazing flavor. One of the most tender cuts of meat I've ever had. The venison had great taste and texture. The Olives were from Spain and were authentic and delicious. Our waiter was super nice and gave us whatever we needed. Overall I recommend placing a reservation.