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Cafe Royal - Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Midlothian

Cafe Royal - Edinburgh

4.3
4.3
1451 Reviews
£26 to £40
Continental

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2 people
19:00
Booked 23 times today
  • Charming
  • Good for special occasions
  • Great for fine wines
Edinburgh's hidden gem! Traditional oyster bar and restaurant serving fine food and a great selection of continental lagers, beers and local ales.

We're proud of our history without being complacent and we love to see a happy customer. We've always focused on making our pub unique and we are sure you will notice. So pull up a seat, take a tour round our pub and discover what sets us apart from the rest.

** Please note all bookings are for our restaurant, we offer first come first served for drinks in our bar area.

*** Please note due to licencing restrictions under 18's are not permitted in the main bar, we can seat under 18's and over 5's in the restaurant for dining. We cannot allow under 18's in the restaurant after 10pm.

**** As we are a listed building we do not have Accessible toilets on the ground floor.

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Price
    £26 to £40
  • Cuisines
    Continental, Seafood, Scottish
  • Hours of Operation
    Mon–Wed, Sun 11:00–23:00 Thu–Sat 11:00–00:00
  • Phone number
    0131 556 1884
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
  • Area
    Edinburgh
  • Parking details
    None
  • Public transit
    St. Andrew's Square Tram/Bus stop is a short walk awayPrinces Street bus stops (Apple Store/Waverley Station)
  • Additional
    Beer, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Vegan, Wine

What 1,451 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.3
4.3 based on recent ratings
  • 4.3Food
  • 4.2Service
  • 4.5Ambience
  • 4.1Value

NoiseEnergetic

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Cafe Royal in Edinburgh delights with its "wonderfully old-fashioned" atmosphere and "superb" food offerings. Nestled in a beautiful historic setting, it features an impressive menu with "excellent seafood" and classic Scottish dishes like haggis. Friendly staff ensure diners enjoy their experience, making it a must-visit spot.

1,452 Reviews
  1. Neil

    Edinburgh

    1 review

    1.0

    1 review

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 2
    My wife and I finally got away from a sick mother-in-law for a day out. When we entered the restaurant, the waiter greeted us with a scowl and a raised finger to show he was busy. The relationship went downhill from there. After my wife complained about too much salt in the cullen skink, he very properly offered to take it off the bill and then took another order for the starter. But then he inexplicably brought the dessert menu. We said we didn't want any dessert. We sat and waited for our main course order of venison steaks. We waited an hour for them. I went up to the bar to enquire and it turned out he had cancelled the order! I ordered chicken Balmorals on condition they could be done quickly. The waiter said 20 minutes. We waited 30 and then left, hungry. We won't be back.

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  2. LAURE

    New York City

    3 reviews

    4.0

    3 reviews

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    Always nice but this time service a little bit longer than usual The restaurant wasn’t full maybe rest after Christmas !

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  3. Mas

    Amsterdam

    2 reviews

    4.0

    2 reviews

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 5
    Although the overall entourage was good, the food was defiantly decent but the service was really below level for the price you pay.

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  4. Steve

    Chicago

    4 reviews

    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined 5 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Our first full day in Edinburgh started with a tour of Edinburgh Castle and ended with dinner at Cafe Royal. Both were fabulous! Fish and chips, Balmoral chicken and amazing beef were all enjoyed by my party. Ending with the delightful sticky toffee pudding, the meal was perfect. Couple the amazing food with the warm and inviting surroundings, friendly service and holiday decor, we couldn’t have designed a more wonderful evening.

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  5. Lynn

    Edinburgh

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Wonderful ambience. Staff superb and food delicious

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  6. Allyson

    Edinburgh

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on 21 December 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Lovely atmosphere, in a classy, historic cafe bar. Lovely staff and delicious food. It was a very enjoyable meal.

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  7. Richard

    Edinburgh

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined on 18 December 2024

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 3
    The scallops as a starter were 3 very small offerings. The mains I had was the venison, it was tough and stringy, difficult to cut and eat, the gnocchi were hard and all the food including the plate were cold. Had we not had guests I would have sent it back. The chocolate pudding was excellent. My wife's fish pie ok. My friend had haggis which was fine and his wife has venison but did not comment on it. Overall for me disappointing

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  8. Vicky

    Yorkshire

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on 18 December 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Beautiful atmosphere, some of the best seafood i’ve had.

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  9. David

    Edinburgh

    4 reviews

    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on 17 December 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    We booked last minute for lunch on 17 December and got a table at Cafe Royal for 1430 hours. We enjoyed sharing the sourdough with crab butter and then my wife had sun blushed tomato sandwich with avocado and rosemary tinged fries. I went for the classic fish and chips. House white wine was delicious. A very pleasant experience and an enjoyable way to spend an hour in the week before Christmas in the oldest oyster bar in Scotland!

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  10. Colin

    Edinburgh

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on 15 December 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Recommended. Relatively small restaurant with an intimate feel. Our menu choices were 1st class and service was attentive without being overbearing.

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FAQs

Cafe Royal - Edinburgh is rated 4.3 stars by 1451 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a booking

2 people
19:00
Booked 23 times today
Google Map for Cafe Royal - Edinburgh

19 West Register Street, Edinburgh, Midlothian EH2 2AA

Additional information

  • Area
    Edinburgh
  • Hours of Operation
    Mon–Wed, Sun 11:00–23:00 Thu–Sat 11:00–00:00
  • Price
    £26 to £40
  • Cuisines
    Continental, Seafood, Scottish
  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
  • Parking details
    None
  • Public transit
    St. Andrew's Square Tram/Bus stop is a short walk awayPrinces Street bus stops (Apple Store/Waverley Station)
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
  • Additional
    Beer, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Vegan, Wine
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Impressum
  • Cookies and Interest-Based Ads
  • Cookie Preferences
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