The Cafe Royal

Situated next door to the Guildford Arms, The Café Royal is another iconic traditional Victorian Edinburgh pub. Again there is a high ceiling and plenty of ornate tile panels. There is an air of grandeur about the building, a throw back to the heady days of Victorian splendour and self-​confidence! The bar itself is a fantastic oval type featuring stand-​up lamps and plenty of seating around it. There are also seats down the left hand wall, but even so, due to the sheer popularity of this historic pub, sometimes there is standing room only. There always seems to be a buzz in The Café Royal, and it’s a pleasurable experience just to sit (or stand) and soak up the atmosphere of the place.
The Café Royal also combines as an oyster bar which features several outstanding stained-​glass windows.
Must visit pub!!!

My guy and I were out in Edinburgh for the day/​night and decided to duck in to this pub to escape the rain and have a tasty bevvy. What a great pub! We were only here for one drink, and it was packed elbow to elbow, but just the overall vibe of this place was great. There are loads of tables and table tops to sit down at, but this place was mobbed, it being a saturday evening and all. Everything is decked out just now for the holidays, which made for a festive wee drink here– especially since I ordered a holiday cider they had in bottles (rekorderlig winter cider) which was very tasty!
We were able to get a wee spot close to the door to have our drinks and chat about the day before heading off to the next pub.
One thing to mention, the toilets are downstairs below the pub, so watch your step coming up, there’s a wee lip of a step as you’re heading back to the pub area that both me and my guy managed to trip on. I’m very clumsy so it’s not very shocking that I did.

Starting with dessert first. The sticky toffee pudding was to die for. The service was outstanding. We had a group of 27 from the US and they were incredibly accommodating. Very memorable experience. Main course was steak. Nicely cooked paired well with grilled veggies and chips. Appetizer was the haggis Bön bons. Tasty. Overall highly recommend the experience.

Had the langoustines and scallops which were just ok. The langoustines tasted great but 2 of the 3 scallops were definitely not fresh. I was worried about getting sick after so we didn’t bother with dessert. Thankfully I didn’t get sick. Also had the beans and snap peas which were overcooked and mushy.

I’ve only ever been for coffee and wine.
The café/​bar is nestled discreetly in the heart of Sloane Square. Dimly lit, the ambience is seductive. Service is nothing exceptional, though prices are on the upper side of central.
Overall, had good experiences at this place. You always know what to expect.

Went to this place for lunch as a friend had eaten here before and recommended it.
We couldn’t find a table initially but were able to share with some other people. The service was good and the food fabulous. I had the salmon salad and the salmon was superb. My friend had haggis neeps and tatties, which were heavenly.
The décor is lovely with high ceilings and a central bar. Very spacious area, in a good location. Although not on the main road so not many people stumble across this, glad we got a recommendation.

Really cool oval bar tucked away for the traffic of the street. Drinks were cheaper than a lot of other bars and pubs… We stopped by for a couple after dinner drinks and had a great time. Atmosphere is great and our bartender was awesome, best service I’ve had at a bar in Scotland.

Beautiful bar in the center called Circle Bar, which is an experience to drink and eat at, for sure.
So ornate and traditional, you film movies in here.
The oysters were redic tasty and the cask ales were refreshing.
Seems like a dress-​to-​impress joint, but it really is very chill.

Our first night in Edinburgh, exploring the streets where we were staying, we stumble across a backstreet, five minutes from Edinburgh Waveley Station, and this lovely traditional pub and oysters bar. We went in for a night cap and vowed to come back again to have a meal. It’s a fabulous Victorian building and became a listed building after it was almost sold to Woolworths, so they could expand their stores. Luckily, planning permission was denied.
On the blackboard outside, we saw some special pre-​theatre deals, 2 courses for £14.95, and 3 courses for £17.95, available between 5pm-6.30pm, Mondays to Thursdays. These are only for dining in the restaurant. Unfortunately, we could not take advantage of those since we were there for the weekend, so we came back for lunch in the Bar. Our ethos for this weekend was to do everything for free or as cheaply as possible, that was our challenge! So lunch at the bar would have to do. There were plenty of booths round by the window side of the bar which obviously gets filled up pretty quickly, so we sat at tables on bar stools on the opposite side and the other side of the bar, which was just as pleasant. Sitting high, you could see everywhere!
For starters, I took advantage of the oysters and champagne deal, 3 oysters and a glass for £11.95 or 6 oysters for £11 which the guys did, as they had ale.
The oysters were absolutely delicious, fresh, natural, with a squeeze of lemon. However, did wonder why the flesh were so small compared to the size of the shells?
For mains we had the Café Royal Fish Stew (fresh seafood in a rich tomato and basil sauce), Tagliatelle Pasta (with fresh crab, chorizo, chilli & prawns, in a tomato sauce), Scottish Salmon & Caper Fishcakes (with wilted spinach, poached egg & hollandaise). All done to perfection and tasted superb. A fabulous treat after climbing Arthur’s Seat earlier in the morning, and a 20 minutes walk from Holyrood Park, pass Parliament and the Museum of Edinburgh, and across the North Bridge, or underneath the bridge, through Edinburgh Waveley station.

This was the first pub I went to in Edinburgh and it was the perfect fit! A bit off the beaten path, but not too far from the central area of Edinburgh.
The décor and ambiance inside the pub was unlike any that I’ve ever seen before — really cool. The bartender was extremely cheerful and friendly. Didn’t order any food, but the drinks were well-​made. There was a good mix of people — some very dressy/​formal, but most were dressed business casual or similar.
Had a lot of fun and made some great memories with the locals. Would definitely go back if I’m ever in the area!

My first time in Edinburgh and didn’t have any idea where I going to. I saw the pub from the road and I thinking this looks amazing place. It was what I dream about typical Scottish pub with great service and the bar was amazing. It was full today so I had to stay in the bar. I order a fish and chips and I enjoyed every bite. I enjoyed the differences of the Scottish beers I had for my visit.
The great thing with this pub it is that you can see differences years and feel that you are a part of the Edinburgh and Scotland when you are there
I will get back here to feel the culture of the Scottish pub life

Great character, good service, good food, a bit expensive.
Beautiful setting for a nice meal on a quiet street in central edinburgh. The Gnocchi starter was delicious, My husband enjoyed his lobster dinner, and I thought the scallop dinner was ok. Chocolate salted torte for dessert with port was a fun finish.

A wonderful, traditional pub tucked off of Edinburgh’s Prince’s Street.
We sat in the restaurant area for an enjoyable, well-​prepared and delicious meal.
For starters, the Scottish salmon & prawns were tasty. The sweet potato chili soup was also satisfying.
For the main course, the Scottish venison and red cabbage was divine. The Cambrian, herb encrusted lamb was also succulent and delicious.
Desserts were similarly satisfying.
Good beer selection, friendly service and impressive interior details circa 1861.
Enjoy a fine meal and a satisfying pour of ale here.

Beautiful décor and helpful waiters. They know the dishes enough to recommend drinks that actually go well with them. The first time I went, I had the «Scottish Venison» which was superb! The venison was tender and very tasty whilst the red cabbage on the side was sweet and slightly sour. Their muscles and oysters were fresh too.
During the second visit, I had the Cullen skink, which was quite nice and different to ones that I had in the past, as they had blended the haddock into fine pieces.
The waiter had recommended a lamb special, so I tried it out and was pleasantly surprised. The lamb chops were very tender and they also provided a very nice fresh mint sauce.
As for desserts, I was amazed by their summer berries crumble. It was mildly sour and quite sweet (just the way I like them).
Overall, I strongly recommend coming to this place, I’m definitely coming back when I return to Edinburgh some time in the future.

Go to this bar just for the tiled walls, brass fittings and the posh toilets! The beers and drinks are well kept and the service friendly, the seating comfy, worth the effort of finding the location!

This is a stunning bar and restaurant. In the middle of the Victorian type room is the huge circle/​oval shaped island bar, and is a sight to see. Let alone the ornately carved wooden fireplace, large mirror, high ceilings, and six huge ancient tiled murals on one wall. From what I read the murals were done by and artist named John Eyre, and done in the 1880’s, and later purchased by the bar when they opened. I love pubs with a history, and this has it.
There is a bar area, and a separate dinning area in the back. The bar is where its at for me though. They have four cask ales, and a full menu so you can eat at the bar if you want. One cask is always Deuchars IPA, the rest rotate. A variety of Kelburn and Stewart’s Brewing have been available on my visits. The casks are in good shape as well.
The food is great. I usually have lunch here after walking around Calton Hill for a few hours. Awesome seafood options. The oysters, and mussels are top notch, fresh, and local. Last time I had a Sea Bass Chowder that was excellent. The chowder itself was good, but the huge fresh prawns that came with are amazing.
This place is great, and a pretty central location as well. Very easy to get from the station at Waverly, Calton Hill, or even the Royal Mile. Guildford Arms is right there as well, so a good spot to start a pub crawl if you want to explore the Rose St area.

This is a really cool place to hang for a glass of wine and some decent pub-​grub. Great fish & chips — great service — super cool surroundings (love the tile paintings). Seems like more local people than tourists but also feels welcoming.
A special note to West Coast (US) oyster people: the oysters here are very huge and creamy, not briny at all — and there is no mignonette (only lemon wedge and Tabasco). I did not find them appealing. At all. But i’m probably too stuck in my own expectation. Don’t order oysters ‘Natural’ expecting something like Hog Island Miyagis or Kumamotos (*sigh*). If you don’t have that in your head — they’re probably quite nice indeed.

Went to the bar side for a quick lunch.
We had the Oysters kilpatrick to start and the fish stew and bangers and mash for main.
Oysters were very tasty (and mashed potato was used to hold them onto the plate!!! :P) as was the fish stew — not to watery, just the right consitency with a lot of seafood. Bangers and mash were awesome (as mystery-​random-​meat always is…) with thick, sticky gravy covering all that is good.
Service was fantastic, waiter had had a long few weeks due to the Fringe but was still very attentive and we were never left without a drink in our hands.
Nom nom yum nom.

As a lover of all things that have a historic significance, the Royal Café was a terrific find the other night to have dinner with friends.
I had seen it on my travels around town but could only get in on my final night in Edinburgh.
This historic pub almost met it’s demise back in 1969 as a hotel bought the property that it stood on and they were ready to sell it to Woolworth’s to be torn down to make a parking lot. Well thank heaven the city and neighborhood got involved and blocked that sale so that today, people can still enjoy great food and drink in a historic building. Take a close look at what look like paintings on the walls– they are really a collection of Dutch Delft tiles that combine to make a series of large pictures. Really something!
They are known for lobster but I chose to have the salmon wellington which was like a deconstructed pot pie and was delicious. My friend had the surf and turf special of the night which was also good.
We also enjoyed some of their fresh oysters, on this night they were Scottish Rock, a type I had never heard of but tasted like some of the east coast ones I am able to get in the States.
Service was quite good and since it started raining during our visit– they even called a cab for us and we sat comfortably at the table until the cabbie came into the restaurant to get us.
Loved the atmosphere, the history, but most importantly the food! And whether you sit on the bar side with the huge round bar or on the restaurant side– you will be sure to have a great night out!

I am a regular customer of this bar mainly as I am a lover of all things seafood.
Normally I will admit the food is very good — last night however the osyters we were given were dry in the shell, warm and well disgusting!
The waiter tried to rectify the situation but the next oysters brought out were warm, dry and gritty.
Awful experience! We also ordered the seafood platter which costs £44 — for that you are thinking oooh this will be good! Well… it wasnt anywhere close to being good value.
A small overcooked lobster, prawns in filo ala out of a freezer bag, 2 small scallops, some average smoke salmon with capers… that was it!!!
Next time… when I want a seafood paltter… I will stick to Ondine!

Super Laden mitten in der Altstadt von Edinburgh ! Lecker Essen und jede Menge Bier im Anstich. Die Bedienung ist äußerst zuvorkommend und absolut fit im Umgang mit den Kunden. Ab 11 Uhr ist die Bude voll mit Menschen.
Ein angeschlossenes Restaurant und eine kleine warme Karte für den Thekenbereich komplettieren das Angebot. Fürs Restaurant unbedingt frühzeitig reservieren !!!