Lovely staff, amazing food, incredible cocktails
I absolutely adore Monteiths. It's my favourite hidden gem off the busy Royal Mile. The interior is cosy and Scottish without being tacky, the staff are so attentive, the drinks are beautiful and the food is gorgeous. I honestly cannot recommend this place enough - you must go!
We always eat here when we are in Edinburgh. It's a hidden gem and I always recommend it to friends. The service is great and the atmosphere in the restaurant is fantastic, there's a great energy with a good mix of people. The steak is a highlight, I ordered a rare fillet and it was cooked perfectly. The orchard bramble cocktail is always a personal favourite but this time I decided to try a few others too. They offer a cocktail with bee pollen and heather and this is a must try! I can't recall the name of the gentleman serving us last time, I believe he said he was South African? but he was really fantastic and attentive and chatty despite how busy it was.
This restaurant is hidden away from the famous royal mile in the old town. You would love the entrance to the restaurant -- tree branches to make a arch along the alleyway, it seems like you are entering a secret garden.
The food: although it took quite a while to prepare the food for the party of 5, the food was worth waiting for.
The drinks: this restaurant also has a good selection of wine, we've tried theses two, both reasonably priced and good to go with red meat. -- Chianti Classico La Pievanella, and Torres Mas Rabell Tinto
I will definitely come back to this restaurant for my next visit!
The haggis drew me in, but what a great bustling little place this is. This basement restaurant is quite cramped, but this probably adds to the atmosphere. The waiting staff are also great and really friendly and generally do a good job keeping so many tables and orders in their heads. The aforementioned haggis is a small affair, but it was full of flavour and restored my faith in this dish. It can be tasty! We also had the squid to start, but they graciously cooked it without the crackling owing to my sons dairy intolerance. A big thank you for that. It was still good quality, thick and firm. and I can only imagine what it would be like with the crackling. We also had the duck, lam, cod and venison. We were pre-warned that the meats would be served pink, which I believe it should be anyway. The quality of the meats was again excellent - no gristle at all and so soft to cut. I had my eyes opened to smoked vegetables - go on try it. The duck fat chips we could have had more of. Actually we did order more of them, but they didn't arrive along with the two lots of spinach. Hey ho the tenderstem broccoli they gave us instead was perfectly al dente so we didn't send it back. As I say, it was the August and this place was heaving. Next time we're in Edinburgh, we will book again
A great looking bar - good ambience overall!! Visited this place just for drinks n haggis - both put a smile on my face :)
Prices are slightly steep but the overall experience was really good.
Cooking With Mama Gali
+3.5
My partner and I tried out the festive menu for £35 each which I thought to be considerably decent. I went for the smoked salmon with pickled fennel, apple and thyme crackers to start with. Followed by the slow cooked duck leg on a bed of celeriac puree', roast potatoes, crispy kale and cranberries. Finished off with sticky toffee pudding which was yummy. Great food and ambiance, perfect for a romantic meal.
The hunt for imaginative food in the most touristy parts of any city can be a bit of a challenge, but if recent(-ish) reviews are anything to go by, Edinburgh’s not actually doing too badly at all. Monteiths is tucked away down off one of The Royal Mile’s olde-worlde vennels, under a welcoming arch of fairy lights. I’ve dined and enjoyed drinks  a couple of times here before, but for some reason hadn’t ever gotten round to review. An invitation was the right opportunity to do just that.
Alexandra Gushurst-Moore
+4.5
That being said, these flaws in no way impact on the dining experience. I cannot say enough how wonderful this little place is. It's a real gem. I truly wish them well, and if you're looking for a romantic eatery, this is a great place to start. I haven't even touched upon the selling point for the restaurant, which is the whisky experience that comes in the form of a specially tailored four course whisky menu, but this is something I have yet to experience first hand. But that's only a matter of time...
If you are in Scotland you have to go on a whisky trial. Due to the fact that the closest operating distillery is an hour away from Edinburgh and I visited already in 2003, we decided to do a whisky bar crawl in Edinburgh to compensate...
This place has amazing seafood so I have been here a number of times. The lobster and the fish are equally good so I recommend both. The bread is absolutely lovely too! The best part - desert! Chocolate oozing away in your mouth with ice cream. Totes loves!
We visited Monteith's with an itison voucher and weren't expecting much from our sirloin steak and duck fat chips. The entrance to the restaurant is through a close decorated with fairy lights which gave your entrance an enchanted historic feel of Edinburgh and the restaurant/bar has been decorated in the same theme. Its walls are decorated with deer antlers and other hunting style memorabilia as well as leather bound books, keeping to a Victorian style hunting mansion type theme.
When we were seated and looked at the menu, we decided to go with the smoked mushroom side dish to go with our sirloin steak. One thing I noticed when asking for steak in various restaurants is it's difficult for the chefs to get a steak cooked medium rare; it relies heavily on the chef knowing the stove well to cook your steak at the right heat and for the right amount of time. Monteith's made a perfect, melt in your mouth steak and the duck fat chips (although it seemed like you only got 6 chips) were thick Jenga blocks. The smoky flavour of the mushrooms was a new flavour to experience with button mushrooms that I enjoyed quite a lot.We were also given a glass of house wine to go with our meal and while I'm not much of a wine drinker, the small amount I drank was very nice indeed.
I would definitely recommend Monteith's to anyone who's looking for a fine dining experience.
We visited Monteiths a few weeks ago and it was a great evening. An evening of good food, cocktails in cosy surroundings greeted us. They have recently launched a new cocktail menu. I tried two and will definitely be going back to try some more.
To read our full review check out edinburgers.co.uk/monteiths-review/
What a little find this was. The staff were great and the food was fantastic. The beer was amazing after a long day, served in an ice cold glass. Perfect. Just like to say thank you for a lovely evening meal. The haggis I must add was out of this world. I’m a huge foodie so another tattie would’ve been nice, but that’s just me being the skinniest fat man. 😋
Fabulous post wedding meal for 4 (tiny wedding!) which did not disappoint, always happy to see a short menu, usually indicates the chef is confident in their abilities, and this proved to be the case. Everyone enjoyed their mains, each one happy they had made the best choice! Many happy eating noises made and numerous 'oh wow' exclamations. Staff and music were cool and laid back, which the cool entrance to the restaurant deserves! Already booked for our anniversary next year!
Food was delicious! Fresh and very sophisticated flavors and plating. We enjoyed it very much and would definitely go back. It’s hidden away in a beautifully decorated close and a little gem away from the crowds.
The atmosphere is very nice and cozy. Staff very friendly and attentive. The food is (expensive and).... Salty....the cook should leave the salt shaker at home. A pity because the ingredients weren't bad, just that the liberal application of salt made everything taste the same.
I got the potato dumplings (gnocci). The mushrooms and dumplings were fantastic. The chips and sourdough were also the best I've had in my week travels in Scotland. I also ordered a side of broccoli, I was hoping it would be a bit lighter to cut the richness of the buttery main course. I found it even more rich than the main! Just bear in mind that everything here is very generously buttered.
Came in to get a couple of drinks before going to a show. The staff were very friendly and the drinks were excellent. Highly recommend the honey old fashioned and the rum and raisin. They also have a good selection of whisky.
We stumbled on this restaurant last week while looking for a nice place to eat in Edinburgh and it did not disappoint! We ordered some bread and herb butter as an appetizer and even though it seems simple, it's necessary. Drinks were the heather honey old fashioned and the Scottish aviation. Both drinks were delicious! For dinner, my husband had the venison and I had the salmon and both dishes were flavorful, hearty, and exactly what we needed after a long travel day. And don't skip out on dessert! We had the chocolate mousse and it was decadent without being too filling. Just perfection. Monteiths felt familiar even though this was our first time visiting and we loved it so much that we went back for a drink on our last night in Edinburgh. Don't miss out on traditional Scottish dishes with an elegant yet not pretentious twist!
William Paul Merrifield
+5
Absolutely brilliant all round. The service is impeccable and the food sublime. We had different starters, entree and dessert which gave us an opportunity to try 6 different options and they were all magnificent. Highlights were the Venison and the Salmon. Had drinks at the bar before dinner which was also entertaining as the bartender was creative and engaging. Very nice ambience and great for a romantic dinner or intimate evening.
Very good food & drinks with a nice atmosphere and friendly service. Definitely worth a visit when in Edinburgh.
Third and last night in Edinburgh.
Luck out again... another delicious Scottish dishes. And the service was very good too.
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