AL's Bistro in Midlothian

On Friday night I made an online order of 5 items through Just Eat to collect. On getting home I discovered only 3 of the 5 items were in the bag. Called to try and sort out and was promised a call back in a few seconds. Got the call back in 30 minutes. Didn’t offer to deliver but offered a refund on missing items which I refused and said I thought a full refund would be more in order. Was told only Nico could authorise but he wasn’t in and would call me next day. Nico didn’t call on the Saturday so I phoned to be told he’d been in but had now left and would call me on Sunday. No call back on Sunday. What a poor way to run a business. Won’t be using this place again and neither will anyone I’ve told.

We dropped in for a quick bite to eat and found the service attentive and professional. Ordered mains as we were in a hurry but the food was most certainly not fast food. I had Veggie MAC and Cheese and the portion was large, warm and very tastey. My husband had a burger which was a decent size with fabby chips. Would definitely recommend this asset to Dalkeith. Absolutely nothing like it was as Bonfire.

Meal was exceptional, wen't in for very late breakfast they were all very accommodating, the girl who served us had a beautiful smile and was very helpful also. I will be back 100%! :) Thank you. Callum & Suzanne

Fantastic food & great service dietary issues were not a problem. Highly recommend :) lovely place staff were lovely too

Al's catered brilliantly for a large group of 50 children. The manager was such a pleasure to work with and Nico really could not have done more to help us. The staff overall on the day were brilliant. It was fab buffet food, really good quality pizza, proper chicken bites, mac'n cheese and top quality sandwiches. All for a great overall price. We could not have been more pleased. Thanks!

from start to finish excellent experience,staff , food ,drinks, music, made it a very enjoyable experience,keep up the good work....

Passed it and place looks really nice. Decided the next night to order take away as their website claims this is a main part of their business model. ordered two meals but only one arrived. Was sorted in a reasonable time but still meant my wife had eaten hers by the time my replacement arrived, not ideal for our wee treat together and night off from kids. The food was nothing special, it was ok, but including delivery a couple mac'n'cheese and chips was around £30. I couldnt really claim it was good value. Sorry, i hate being negative on reviews but just wasnt a good experience. staff seem friendly enough and delivery driver was speedy. Maybe eating in is better and I wish all local business success as Dalkeith needs variety but fairest I can say was mediocre.

While visiting the ancestral home town, we ducked in for lunch in the midst of a rain storm. We had a great meal and the service was good. We even got to meet (baby) Al and the chef. We here last in the place when it was the County Inn so it’s good to see that the building has been nicely renovated under the new ownership.

What a find this place is!! Didn’t have a booking but all 7 of us; along with two dogs, ordered food and cocktails. The food and drinks were fantastic and service was second to none. Did I mention it’s also dog friendly? AL’s bar will definitely give the other Midlothian gastro- pubs a run for their money. I can see from a couple of other posts there had been a few teething issues when first opened but the owner has worked hard to fix them. Our group had nothing but praise for the starters, mains and desserts. The cocktails were amazing and the staff so friendly and accommodating. Both the owner and waitress went out of their way to ensure some of the more fussy eaters chose their food - the owner even offered my husband a free bottle of red wine as he was our designated driver -which a lovely gesture. A big thanks to everyone working yesterday and giving us a lovely family catch-up. We will be back soon.

Really friendly staff and the food looked lovely but my flat white was like a milky coffee. Single shot and peely wally. It’s a basic in a coffee shop and once they get that right, it’ll be great.

Staff well friendly and nice helpful too. Food was nice, music on in the background very reasonable prices for food and drink. Would go back with family no problem

I’m pretty fussy but the food was excellent, coupled with super friendly staff who are only too willing to assist. We had breakfast which was fresh and excellent quality. The scones looked amazing but we didn’t have room for them.

First visit for breakfast after a recommendation from friends. Service was very slow but friendly. I had the large cooked breakfast and a coffee. The breakfast was excellent. Good portion size and very tasty. Also not greasy. Coffee was good. Just a shame about the slow service but everything else was great.

We waited a long time for our starter but then all the food arrived at once. Then things got worse. Our starter was wrong and my wife’s chips didn’t arrive so they were being bringing them while we started our mains. My steak was over cooked from what I had asked and I had to find a member of staff to get a steak knife but the steak was just ok, and my chips were cold. My wife’s chips arrived and were really bland and not hot and my starter chicken wings arrived towards the end of eating the steak and these had clearly just been made because they were hot and tasty. There was no service check carried out by the staff during our stay but the waitress was clearly too busy trying to cover all of the people sitting in the cafe area. Cost about £39.00. Not worth it which is a shame, first time we’d been in since it changed from Bonfire hoping for something decent. The heat of the food made me wonder how long the food had been sitting or when the chips were last made before being brought to us. Poor experience and quality of food from the kitchen.

We went for a relaxed dinner. And we got just that and more. The service was friendly and attentive but not overly so. Menu was big but well executed. Pies, pizza, beef, curry and freshly made specials. We had starters Wings Soup Brushetta haggis cheese balls and onion tart. Mains were steak, chicken ballentine, pulled beef brisket in a ciabatta, and chicken curry. Puddings churros, sticky toffee pudding and waffles. ALL YUM. The staff were lovely, decor great, menu good and a Gluton free one too. Icing on the cake Bob the dog😍. We will be back

Went on a Friday evening. Nicely decorated and very friendly staff. Seating comfortable and a variety of tables available for small to large groups. Good selection of menu choices as well as a gluton free menu range as well. Specials menu was taken for a...

Visited Al's Bistro late afternoon / early evening on Mother's Day. The place had a good atmosphere and the staff were welcoming and friendly even though they seemed a little rushed off their feet. The food was freshly prepared and tasted great - even though...

Please don’t confuse this restaurant to the bonfire it has been taken over and revamped. The food is fresh and the service was very good. Very nice all round we will return.

Had venison from specials and it was over cooked, very dry and tasteless. At £19.95 it is very overpriced as well. Husband has seafood luingunie and it was gloopy as though it had been overcooked previously. Loaded with cheese which also made it very heavy....

Me and my husband came in for a meal on Thursday night and it was lovely. The atmosphere was very chilled, the staff were great very friendly and helpful. The food was amazing especially the oriental cheeky pig and the steak pie. I have already...

As title says it’s a nice place food great. Popped in on a Thursday night and a few tables were taken. Hopefully the standards are kept high we seen previously what can happen if it slips. Decor has been done to a good standard the...

Not much publicity about the opening, however on passing popped in for a coffee & cake. Very nice to retain this type of venue on Dalkeith’s high street. Good quality, service and hospitality so will use again.

The staff were very friendly and helpful and I had a great bowl of chicken and rice soup for starters then followed by the best steak pie and chips I have had in a long long time and I shall definitely be going back

Just had my first meal in this newly opened restaurant which is under new management. Absolutely everything about my meal was perfect! Speedy service, great atmosphere, lovely decor, friendly professional staff and excellent food that I haven't stopped raving about since I got home! The...

Decided to try out this wee gem of a place, and so glad we did!! We were welcomed and offered a choice of seating and promptly served our drinks. Within minutes the place started filling and waitress coped well! We had our starters of special...

awesome, never in my whole life have I had a limb curry so succulent and tender, great atmosphere friendly staff etc. Would highly recommend

Amazing new restraunt/bar. Food was outstanding and service very homely. Couldn't recommend enough..

Just had a great family meal. Just re-opened this week. Its under new management and its better than before. Great Fresh food and good service. Try the Highlander pizza. Superb. Will definitely be back.

Very very good lunch, proper cooking, great value for money. Delicious soup and fishcake starters then fish & chips and scampi & chips from £6.95 lunch menu. Highly recommended