Cafe at the Palace in Edinburgh, City of

The cafe used to be dog friendly inside which was great after a walk with the dog in Holyrood Park. They've recently changed to not allow dogs inside the cafe which is very disappointing. The cashier was also unhelpful and unfriendly.

The café is perfectly located to stop off after visiting Holyrood Palace. But that's where the advantages end. I was ignored (3 people were standing 2 meters away with the desserts and another employee was putting the sandwiches away). After 2 minutes a young employee came and served me. A soup for £6. Ok, you pay for the location. Cashier barely understands English. You can find out where to find the cutlery upon request. The soup doesn't taste good either. I had to add more seasoning. The volume in the café is also not insignificant. Not necessarily the guests, but more the noise from the kitchen. My tip: save your money and go somewhere else.

Came for afternoon tea and it was extremely disappointing. The tea is hosted next to the other cafe diners and all of the sandwiches and scones are bone dry. Desserts are barely edible and tea is watery. They only put two bags in a large pot and the tea is bagged and you only have five options.

If you’re visiting Holyroodhouse you need to pay a visit to this beautiful cafe, it will not disappoint. Prices are super reasonable for being a touristy spot this close to this awesome Palace. They have a huge selection of fresh sandwiches, mains, cakes and drinks. My girlfriend went for a classic tomato and basil soup(£6.00), while I got a simple but delicious ham and cheese baguette (£6.00). Highly recommended stop if you’re near Holyroodhouse.

The cafe located in the Palace of Holyroodhouse has a great atmosphere for dining in the sunshine. The counter staff are friendly and friendly.

Dreadful.. incompetent rude staff Took ages to get 2 drinks Orders mixed up with other peoples There were enough staff but no system in place. Obvs no supervisor Coffee in a tea cup and tasteless. We live nearby and this was a usual spot for us but now… under this new management … we’re off to Costa Confusion reigns at this Palace !

OK Tea room. I had high expectations but you pay for beeing at the castle. Nothing wrong but neither special. The staff was good and helpful even if it was a busy day with lot of visitors.

We climbed Arthurs seat and wanted a nice break at the cafe in the site of Holyrood palace. We ended in a queue of people waiting. There was one student making the coffee, she was completely incompetent and stared the whole time to the machine. When i asked why it took so long, after 20 min , i was being ignored, they were saying, you have to wait, in the line. Never again. Completely incompetent.

New owners. We have visited weekly with our dog for years! Dogs are now not welcome! In a dog walkers area! So disappointing and crazy business sense.

This was by far the most disappointing experience during our stay in Schotland. Because of its excellent location at the end of the royal mile it is appealing to a lot of tourists. However the huge terras was almost empty while people were crowding at the counter, the reason of that was is that they were very understaffed and the staff is unbelievable incompetent. 25’ waiting for a cup of coffee and no refund possible… lot’s of good well ran coffee houses in Edinburgh, don’t waste your time on this one.

Low prices, soup, vegetarian options, great tea!

Another walk through Holyrood Park took us to the cafe at the Kings Gallery for some light refreshment. The cafe has had a recent refit which is good and the food is now protected behind glass, so not so many germs, thankfully. We had soup with bread and coffee with cake. Soup portion smaller than previous visits and barely warm. As the queue was so long I wasn’t going back to have the soup changed but did mention it to a member off staff who was apologetic. There also seemed to be an inconsistency in the amount of bread given out to different customers. I would be wary about having any hot food here until things improve. Great place for lunch or a coffee stop. Mushroom soup was very tasty , coffee and scones really good too. A nice atmosphere with plenty of tables inside and out. A fair price for what you get, will definitely be back soon.

Very friendly young ladies with excellent customer service. The high tea sandwiches and cakes were well presented and delivious. However, for the price, i expected table covers and napkins. The tables were bare, and we had paper napkins. Disappointed 😞. For the price, I wouldn't recommend it. For customer service I highly recommend it.

Lovely cafe reasonable prices outdoor seating maker a lovely cappachino

I recommend this café which is very practical for a meal after visiting the palace. The dishes are very good and the pastries are delicious!

Nice to be able to sit in the sun with a cup of tea. Possibly the worst cake I've ever had though... I think it was made out of rubber...

I like having a wee stop here after coming down the Royal Mile or walking around Holyrood Park. Nice spot to enjoy an outdoor table, if the weather permits it.

Absolutely loved my visit here! The scones were simply amazing—perfectly flaky and just the right amount of sweetness. The flat white was awesome too; rich and creamy, just how I like it. The atmosphere in the café was great, very cozy and inviting, making it the perfect spot to relax or catch up on some work. Plus, the prices were fair, which is always a bonus. Highly recommend checking this place out if you're in the area!

It is the first place I have visited in Edinburgh where I did not feel well served... they do not validate the people who are in line and serve some who arrived later first, the food does not look fresh and also the prices are high for what the place offers. I wouldn't return to this place

After starting our day in Edinburgh with the self-guided tour of the palace and garden we were more than ready for a warm drink and a sit down. Selection of food & drink were more than adequate and the shortbread & coffee that I had were both excellent. As was the friendly service and the warm & light field space.

A comfortable place, particularly in summer when you can sit in the garden.

Both myself and my friend were disappointed with the food, we had different wraps (falafel /asian salmon ) which looked good but were dry, and in the case of the salmon the dressing was sour. There was also a sneaky presentation trick where the wrap was cut in half with a card label covering the gap between the parts, so it looked much bigger than in was. The decaff tea was weak and fairly tasteless even after leaving to infuse. Given the quality it was overpriced but average for Edinburgh. The setting was nice and the toilets are impressive.

Gutted that apparently because of a new initiative, the cake selection has been significantly reduced and the best carrot cake in the world (that saved our lives during covid) is no longer available. We were regulars, but will be going elsewhere for our cake in future.

We thought afternoon tea would be in a room away from the cafe. We didn't feel it special.

Soup and bread. Hit the spot. Oh and coffee

Very poor quality of catering and not much choice. Grossly overpriced! You do not serve chicken and mushroom pie with beef gravy! There should have been a choice of gravies: vegetable or chicken. The pie was bone dry! Cake portion sizes were good but again very pricey at £4 a slice. The only decent thing I had was the coffee and that was priced very sensibly. I will not be back! A rip-off!

Coffee was bitter and cake selection had been significantly reduced. This cafe used to do excellent coffee the best carrot cake in the world but now they aren't going to stock it any more!

Puting the "rude" in Holyrood. Today I visited the palace with my mother and my partner. After seeing so much beauty and fine art indoors, we decided to stop for a coffee. Perhaps the cafe is located where they used to treat the horses, because the customer service was terrible. The food I cannot review as the only thing I tasted was lack of manners. In addition to being treated badly from the first minute, the waitress (Magda) was insisting that we ordered take-away, saying that there were no tables (I had to point out to the waitress that my partner was sitting at the table so that she would consider taking my order). I ordered some sausage and mashed potatoes that were on display. It happens that the food on display in the counter was not for customers. She said I couldn't have it because it was for employees. If it was for staff, why was it on display? As the only option on the menu that was available in abundance to customers was rudeness, I decided to look for somewhere nicer. What's the point of setting up a business inside a palace if you don't prepare your staff to treat customers with courtesy? I left without spending a single penny. I found a cosy and nice place near to the Castle, called Scotts Kitchen, where we were decently treated. They were very accommodating and kind. The food was amazing and the service outstanding.

The only good thing about this cafe is the location, seating and atmosphere. The food is not worth it. No taste of whipped cream or cream cheese in any of the pastries or cakes, it just tasted sugar, too much sugar. Spend your money elsewhere.

We had a warm break here with drinks from the fridge.

Superb afternoon tea, well worth the price, experience and service spot on.

Nice convenient cafe near the Palace. Choice of food is somewhat limited.

Great cafe with friendly staff and a wide range of cakes.

Comida buena, buen precio. El té Chai está riquísimo

The best oat milk latte I've had so far and the carrot cake was delicious!

Nice selection of good and drink, comfortable outside patio, attentive staff, very clean facilities. Nice gift shop across the courtyard

Stilvoller Freisitz zu moderner Cafeteria im Aussenbereich von Holyrood Castle. Nette Entspannung, gute Heißgetränke, leckere britische Torten.

Wegen Regenschauer hier Stop gemacht… sehr lecker!

The food was good but items had run out, including soup, with a limited sandwich choice when we arrived around 3pm. There was plenty of seating for our group of 21 and later, sandwiches were replenished. Lovely cakes too.

Had a lovely high tea, highly recommended.

Muito bom com diversos tipos de comida

Nice Café at the palace. Tables inside and with good weather outside. Nice selection of teas, coffee and cake. So this is a good place to have a tea at the palace.

Collocato nel cortile del palazzo di Holyrood è l'ideale per un pranzo veloce dopo la visita. Buona varietà di piatti tra cui scegliere e rapporto qualità-prezzo non male.

If the weather is fine, it's worth having tea and maybe a cake in the courtyard. They serve pots of tea for a very reasonable price and the tables outside are pleasant. The cakes are good, although those with icing were too sweet for our taste. We didn't try any of the salty food. The indoor space smelled like a locker room and I definitely wouldn't have wanted to sit in there

Tiene servicio de te a £25 el mas económico. Recomiendo el brownie y el latte

We thought it would be good to say we had lunch at the Palace but the food was overpriced and minimalistic. Nonetheless we enjoyed the experience and are glad we did it, you just need to pay over the odds due to the setting.

We ate at the cafe after our tour of the Palace and were pleasantly surprised. The line was short and the selection was good. The atmosphere was bright and airy - the line moved quickly and efficiently. Despite the other reviews, we found the staff to be friendly and helpful. The food quality was very good. We had a wonderful meal there and the dessert selection was extensive. Definitely worth a try!

While they had a good range of items and atmosphere, the manager Laura was quite rude and made me uncomfortable.

Very reasonably priced foods. Toilets were relatively clean. One pot of tea was enough for multiple people having multiple cups. The water fountain was quite unique. Just being a hose tap into a stone basin. Very chill atmosphere for the amount of people entering and leaving. Queue took around 6m to get served.

Resting and filling ones gut at the park before heading out to see more of Edinburgh.

It was our best high tea so far.

front terrace and inside was quite busy here, but in the backyard there were only us. and you can see Arthur’s Seat from there also.. they didn’t have ice coffee option but if you ask they can make it. had cappuccino myself, was a bit bland. it might be better to have tea here.

We were here to have a cuppa. I sit down first and my 2 friends ordering food at the counter. I charge my mobile and yes I don’t drink or eat anything due to my health condition. A short woman in green asked me if I’m there just to charge my phone. I said no! My friends are at the counter and waiting to serve. Her twisted face shows her rudeness to costumers

None of us were able to hide our disappointment when we were seated at what felt like the cafeteria at a hospital / old folks' home. There is definitely nothing "palatial" about the setting, even though it's the Holyrood Palace café. The place settings felt very minimal and functional, chairs, decor etc. were all very pedestrian. But here come the good bits: - good choice of tea (though we were very surprised not to be offered refills) - savoury part of tea was fantastic, very tasty and good quality - 2 scones each plus 4 different kind of cakes was definitely too much of the sweet stuff, everyone at our table would have preferred more savoury and fewer sweet items on the étagères. - small pot of clotted cream to be shared among 4 scones is definitely insufficient but a refill was bought upon request - waitress was wonderful, very polite and helpful - the tables didn't match up (in height) and were wobbly which led to a great spill and some mishaps. Not ideal £25/per person for the afternoon tea isn't cheap in this kind of setting but the quality of the food made up for it.

Well it looked lovely and reviews were looking ok but walked in and 3 tables free but loaded with old cups, plates etc that had not been cleared!! Interestingly a notice also displayed “this table has been sanitised”!! Ha ha !! Anyways on heading to the counter it clearly was a bad day for the miserable disinterested servers who quite clearly did not want to be there, least crack a smile or a warm welcome for any customers. The tea, coffee and hot cross bun was served and albeit a cold cross bun was very nice. Some staff training desperately required to make guests feel just a little bit welcome !

Verry nice cafe with friendly staff. Amazing herbal tea for 2 with slice of vegan fruit cake less then £10.

Nice and relaxed place after a long walk.

Very nice cafe not my cup of tea but my friend likes it .Its full of tourists and people like to be seen in Holyroods cafe with champagne teas with three tear cake stand it is worth a visit .The staff are nice .

È perché non fermarsi per una pausa dopo la visita al Holyrood Palace? È un'ottima idea per poter rilassarsi dopo la visita. Ci sono alcuni tavoli fuori ma una grande sala al suo interno. Il personale è stato veloce si sceglie tra dolce e salato, si ordinano le bevande, si paga e ci si siede ad un tavolo. Ho letto che si possono fare prenotazioni per afternoon tea. Il cappuccino con la corona che meraviglia, il chai tea una bontà. È prima di uscire una sosta anche allo shopping. Si trovano dei addobbi reali natalizi meravigliosi a prezzi reali.

Buona sala da the, una tappa consigliata dopo la visita al palazzo.

Enjoyed a Champagne Afternoon Tea. Fantastic service. Delicious food. Nice, clean surroundings. 👌

Afternoon tea : There's way better places for that price and for the amount of food you get. Normally you end up taking food home and this time we were left hungry. We had booked for a champagne afternoon tea and the didn't have champagne plus the cocktails that we ordered were prepared different to what was said in the menu. The place is not as nice as other places like the Dome which is the same price. The only plus was that our waitress was lovely.

It was a perfect spot for lunch after our quite strenuous hike up to Arthur's Seat. The bowl of lentil soup that comes with a piece of bread was so good. Prices were so good for budget travelers like us. A full and healthy lunch for 2 people was just for £16. Highly recommended!

Lovely and cosy and good food and coffee

Il est possible de prendre un seul afternoon tea à £25 pour 2 sans problème. Les produits sont très bons. Le cadre n'est pas top: on arrive dans un self et la salle est derriere. Réservation conseillée .

We’ll positioned but a bit expensive. Airy, clean and welcoming space. Dogs permitted. General cold food selection on offer.

Wir waren hier zum Afternoon Tea. War alles sehr lecker und hübsch angerichtet. Dazu war der Service auch sehr aufmerksam und schnell.

Good afternoon tea although disappointed with the "finger sandwiches" which were more like canapes. Not great value for money and was expecting the setting to be a bit more formal and less like a canteen.

Excellent staff and food. Bathrooms spotless

Lieu agréable après la visite du château, le thé, scones et pudding sont bons, terrasse agréable, c'est la deuxième fois que je viens pas déçue !

Coffee and cake lovely. Awful service trying to process 2 orders at the same time led to me being given the wrong bill overcharged. Not the young girl at the till’ s fault but other member of staff so rude. When I complained I was handed the money back with no word of apology

Kommt man aus Richtung Arthur's Seat, denkt man: "Was für ein idyllisches Gartencafe". Betritt man den Schankraum hinter dem kleinen Gärtchen, steht man in einer plastikbestuhlten Massenabfertigungshalle mit Automatenkaffee und Fischgeruch. Nein, danke. Trotz wahnsinnigen Kaffeedurst sind wir geflüchtet.

** Soup and Sandwich After Palace Tour ** Pleasant courtyard to grab a bite. Mixing bowl of tourists. Miniature United Nations.

Nettes Cafe mit großem Innen- und Außenbereich. Es gab sogar glutenfreien Kuchen. Preise ok.

Nice and private place in the heart of Edinburgh. Eating on the Royal Mile is challenging to say the least. I was there in August, and though there is s great vibe for the festivals, I like to chill a bit, and this cafe is the perfect place. Very good cakes and bakery. Toilets are very clean, which is a plus when travelling.

Took the mother in law for her birthday afternoon tea here. Great success. Thank you!

Came here for lunch after visiting the palace. It's a spacious and stylish café with a lot of outside tables in the courtyard and a little garden at the back. Good variety of soup, sandwiches and light meals on the menu. It was very busy when I visited and there was a queue at the counter but I didn't have to wait long. The staff were both efficient and friendly. Opted for the risotto with fennel and toasted brie, and the lady who served me offered me a couple of potato wedges to eat with it. The meal was quite spicy but delicious, and the risotto was piping hot. The tea was really good quality too. A satisfying lunch and not too expensive.

We came across this cafe by accident after we parked on Holyrood park and decided to walk towards The Royal Mile in search of a cafe when we found the side entrance. First impressions were good with a clear ‘dog friendly’ notice. Inside was airy, very clean and spacious with ample social distancing between the tables. I bought two bottles of water, a large vegan wrap, a bowl of fresh soup with a roll and a large slab of vegan fruitcake for £17. There’s also a decent range of hot non vegan dishes and cakes etc .Although it was lunch time and the queue was quite long it moved very quickly and the staff were working hard. I asked if I could have a bowl of water for my thirsty dog and the lady at the till stopped what she was doing and brought a very large clean dish of fresh water to our table. The toilets were modern and very clean. This is a great find and will certainly be back when I’m next in Edinburgh. The staff should be very proud of what they produced and the service they provide. Thank you for a pleasant lunch experience.

Very pleasant experience. Had the Spicy Sweet Potato and Coconut Milk soup. Nice balance and flavour. Clean tables even during a busy lunch service. Clean toilets, not always the case in tourist areas with high traffic. Will be back

Excellent cakes, beautiful surroundings and friendly service...cheers!

Stopped off for a coffee while taking in the unexpected tranquility of the palace. Beautiful surroundings, making me feel very homesick. Staff member taking order is exceptionally nice and I just had to comment.

Nice cafe.Lovely cakes and scones on offer.Pleasant staff

We were here to look round The Queens Gallery and came here for a snack lunch and we were delighted with what was on offer.

Very kind stuff, good food, very clean toilets and your dog is welcome, too ❤️

From start to finish, our old fashioned experience never faltered. Everything was 1st class, including the savoury and sweet selection, showing a well balanced offering of Scottish Fayre. The hardworking staff were so welcoming and attentive. We'd thoroughly recommend it.

Great location, beautiful decor, cheerful staff, DOG-FRIENDLY inside and out and AMAZING FOOD! Loved the soup and the CARROT CAKE WAS THE BEST I had in long time. Will be coming back! What a great place! ❤️

And the food is OK too!- nice location in the mews adjacent to the palace. Dogs also welcome ( with open arms and biscuits ) in the gift shop! Had coffees and lunch - both exceedingly reasonable - plenty of room inside wen the weather is poor , and oputside when it isn't.

I visited the Cafe for lunch after taking the tour of the Palace. I opted for the Tatties Neeps and Haggis as I was in Scotland. The dish didn’t look very large but it was so filling and I am glad I turned down a dessert whilst ordering my food. It was delicious. I would definitely return to the cafe for lunch and highly recommend anyone to too. Afternoon teas were available but had to be pre booked . I did try to pre book one when I purchased my ticket but they were not available , I’m very happy they were or I’d have missed out on a delicious lunch! Prices were not expensive either. Clean COVID surroundings. Seating indoors and outside available.

I have to admit I was expecting somewhere a little more grand when told where I was going but this is essentially just a cafe. We were greeted by our very friendly and polite waitress called Emma who explained everything to us. We chose our...

Convenient place for a sit down with tea and scones before touring the palace. Plenty of space available.

Was great staff very helpful and friendly would go back again

Looks great on the website but reality is a bit drab. Afternoon tea was good with some tasty speciality teas.

I booked myself and my friend afternoon tea here (one vegan). The waitress, who I forgot her name but happily responds to the nickname 'Me-gan' was so lovely, she really made our experience special. The afternoon tea was very good and we loved the choice...

A brief visit for a much needed tea with a delicious Scone. A nice clean and friendly restaurant with additional seating outside in the garden or courtyard. The atmosphere was relaxing and the service was excellent. This was a perfect stop when on a walking...

Cute little cafe at the palace, nice view whilst having a hot drink.

Pretty useless- went for a bite to eat when raining and they only had 4 tables inside despite plenty of room for social distancing. What's the point? Edit: the staff at the cafe didn't offer us any of the 12 tables mentioned by the response below despite us asking specifically about them. How can a customer "overlook a table"?! The response below typifies the same poor attitude of the staff that day. Shame because the Palace itself was lovely.

My boyfriend booked an afternoon tea at this cafe. I wanted to write this review mainly to give a shout out to the waitress Kirsty who looked after us. She was so polite and friendly and made it really special. The afternoon tea was pretty...

It is a really nice cafe and well laid out internally and externally. Bearing in mind covid19, they have a great job in looking after every customer. All the food and drinks are excellent and just right on a nice sunny day in june. It was very relaxing, as a family, sitting in the sun at comfy chairs and table enjoying a light lunch. Have been here before and will be going back. Definitely recommend this cafe to all.

We spotted this little cafe whilst on a bus tour of Edinburgh, and having decided to get off the bus to explore Arthur's seat (a fantastic view of the city!) we decided to stop for a cup of tea. I had a lovely scone with...

Having climbed Arthur's Seat, we were ready for a coffee and light lunch - this cafe didn't disappoint. Excellent carrot and coriander soup, lovely bread and decent coffee. Really good shortbread finished a good meal. Staff were friendly and helpful.