Dean Banks At The Pompadour in Edinburgh, City of

Visited at 5 pm and were the only people in , started to fill up a bit from 6pm on . Food was tremendous , so many great tastes . Tasting menu , 6 courses and all so good . Service from all the girls excellent too . Lovely place to have a relaxed meal , allow yourself 3 hours though but it doesn’t feel like that . Tip , get the bread and potatoes as extras , really nice . Thanks to all , would expect to be back .

Had an absolutely exceptional tasting dinner in the private dining facility with 14 others. Couldn't fault any of the courses, which were all paired with excellent wines. Rory and Holly and their sommelier looked after us all grandly. Flawless evening.

Excellent service from well trained efficient staff. Great 7 course taster menu. An amazing evening of tastes and flavours.

We visited on a Saturday evening. We had a six course tasting menu and every course was very good. We really liked the crab and the pate. The staff were attentive and friendly. We didn’t feel rushed. The only negative I would say is that the furniture feels out of place and it doesn’t have quite the luxury feel that it did prior to Dean Banks taking over - however, this is personal taste and didn’t take away from the experience. Delicious food, great service.

As MasterChef fans, and having been to his St Andrews restaurant, we went for my birthday and we were excited at the prospect. While it was nice, and I couldn’t fault the service or the nice hotel & room, the food was overall quite disappointing in living up to that expectation. It was nice, but nothing was stand out or memorable – seasoning and balance was off, and portions were tiny (I know it’s a tasting menu, but for £115 each I don’t want to still be hungry when leaving). Overall, while nice enough, it was imo not worth the very expensive price

I'd been to the Pompadour before, when the Galvin Brothers ran it and was excited to take my partner for lunch here. The room is as beautiful as I remember but that's where the fun ended. The tacky and pointless plastic boat which greets you as you arrive was as out of place as the music, there is no need for music in restaurants, and certainly not Northern Soul classics played a volume that seemed to be encouraging you get up and dance. The staff were lovely and well trained up so that was nice. The food was so disappointing. The steak tartare was overwhelmed with a strong horseradish cream (which was nice as a thing but not with this dish), and the black garlic tweel thing didn't help either, far too much happening. The fish was well cooked, again though, the delicate fish overwhelmed with lemongrass. The pork belly was too fatty although the sauce was pleasant. The less said about the dessert the better but what I will say is why on Earth they think having Dean Banks stamped on the chocolate was beyond me, it was like being in TGI fridays. They also wanted Four pounds for bread which considering the lunch cost over £200 (including some weird £1 donation to charity which they added on without asking) seems somewhat tight. The potatoes were lovely, for an extra fiver, and they didn't provide a spoon for them, so you just had to spear them and drop them on your plate, I know it seems a bit trivial but little things like this add up for a poorer experience. We won't be back.

This was our second visit to Dean Banks at Pompadour and were not disappointed. Food and wine parings were excellent as was the knowledge of the staff of the food and wines they were serving. Can highly recommend and staff make you feel very welcome.

Harriet & Geren were wonderful servers .. very well educated about the tasting menu & so welcoming & attentive. Loved this meal & experience. Would definitely recommend. We booked for the last night of our stay in Edinburgh & it was definitely a great choice!

Fantastic food and exceptional service from Vaz. The food is very high quality and we really enjoyed our night! Will definitely be back!

We were excited to try the taster menu on a fully booked Saturday. Unfortunately, the service was really poor. The food was not coming out on time, came out cold and had to be sent back, and it was so poor that multiple tables left. I was promised a call back after but this never came and was largely ignored. Disappointing, as when we actually got food it was largely great. Clearly cannot handle a full sitting.

Had the tasting menu and whilst every dish was well presented, the taste just slightly missed the mark. Nothing was super special everything seemed lacking in one way or another. However service was good, friendly and efficient.

An absolutely delightful experience from start to finish. The tasting menu was excellent and the wines complimented each other perfectly. If you have a genuine love for food and a discerning palate, you won’t be disappointed. The staff were professional, very engaging and service was timely. I would throughly recommend this food experience.

We went for the festive tasting lunch, the food was delicious but some part of the customer service not so much. A middle-aged white male waiter came to take our drinks order. I asked him to introduce the white wines. He mentioned that the Pinot Gris on the menu is not sweet and more of a dry wine. Thinking it would pair well with my fish course, I ordered it. However, it turned out to be quite sweet for a white wine. I briefly commented on its sweetness, and he seemed annoyed and disapproving. He went and poured me a glass of a wine if some sort and slammed that it was sweet. Upon tasting, I realized it was a dessert wine, not a white wine. When I pointed this out, he acknowledged that it was a desert wine, tben took the glass away without further interaction. The waiter's response felt inappropriate, as though I were being portrayed as ignorant about white wine and unaware of the taste of sweet wines. Although dessert wine is generally sweeter than white wine, he appeared to overlook my concern regarding the sweetness of my white wine and tried to divert the issue by offering a different type of wine as an example of 'sweet'. I'm uncertain if this lack of respect and fair treatment is due to racism, sexism, or ageism. While I initially moved past this incident at the beginning of the meal and enjoyed the tasting lunch, it left a lingering discomfort. I am uncertain about my willingness and comfort level dining in such an establishment again and hesitate to recommend it to others.

Good staff service, who spent more time apologising for the delays…..just over 5 hours for the 7 course tasting menu, without wine pairing! Certainly doesn’t deserve anything like a Michelin Star, for the mainly cold served mediocre food. Probably some of the worsted food I’ve attempted to eat. Would certainly not recommend.

As someone who dines frequently at starred establishments I can say that Dean Banks At The Pompadour is absolutely at star standard. I hosted a group of 24 esteemed delegates for dinner in the private dining room and our experience was top tier the whole night through. From the service to the incredible and thoughtful food, our guests left very happy and are still raving about their evening! Thank you so much to the team at Dean Banks and I will absolutely be booking again.

The meat course was pure grizzle! I couldn't eat it and when you're serving a tiny piece of meat like that and you can tell it's not good quality then maybe that explains why deans not achieved a Michelin star? Maybe it was substandard because...

Had a lunch here on Sunday - using an Itison voucher. Lovely looking restaurant. We had an absolutely delicious meal and bought a bottle of wine. Not the largest of portions, but that's to be expected, but every mouthful was great. Just a pity the...

An unmissable spot in Edinburgh! Fabulous food, fabulous atmosphere and lovely staff...The food at the Pompadour is always great, we had the Barbecue glazed duck breast and wow... I feel like restaurants often can't get a simple dish perfect which is such a shame, but...

Everything was amazing, environment, service and food, of course….. Would certainly recommend a visit if you are in Edinburgh Full description of every serving from the taster menu Perfectly put together and perfectly presented Absolutely loved it all

The service was amazing, our waiter was super nice. The food was pretty good, but the last wine they served us was kinda weird, didn't really hit the spot. And guess what, right in the middle of our meal, we saw a rat! Can you...

I bought a 5 course tasting menu for 4 at the Pompadour (Dean Banks) and we had 2 courses of something like a canape sized mouthful, one piece of fish about the size of 4 shrimps in a consomme sauce, one very tasty shoulder or...

Absolutely fantastic food and a great service, We had a great time here. I recommend it if you are looking for a nice experience and have some pleasure

A real food experience! The food was delicious and beautifully created, served by people who very obviously care about what they do. We enjoyed every course, and the wine pairing was a treat! Highly recommend

Our third visit (celebrating a birthday) and possibly the best yet. Despite having to reschedule 3 times due to work on the railway and Storm Babet, Andrea, the maitre d’ was his usual friendly and accommodating self and nothing was too much trouble. We usually...

Had the 5 course tasting menu for anniversary lunch and it was absolutely delicious. Each course was well presented and they really complemented each other. Andrea was a fabulous waiter who clearly loves his job, giving stories on the food and history of the restaurant....

We came here to help celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary. The restaurant is located in the Waldorf Astoria hotel upstairs. This hotel is an old converted train station and is so beautiful. The restaurant is situated on the upper floor. It has spectacular views of...

We visited for lunch to celebrate a special birthday. The whole experience was absolutely spot on. The service was attentive and informative without being intrusive. Our waiter Andre was a perfect host. The food was really well presented and absolutely delicious. I would thoroughly recommend...

Wonderful attentive service . The presentations of food on each plate was art!! But most importantly , the food was all delicious.

We were very impressed with the food and service was spot ! Their awards are well earned. Thank you !

My first visit. The dining experience was most enjoyable. The tasting menu was delicious and creative. The staff was attentive and friendly. Truly an exceptional restaurant.

Upon entering the room your eyes are drawn to a boat directly in front of you. It really does make you feel welcomed on board. I was impressed as we were shown to our table with no need to introduce ourselves. We felt expected and...

Beautiful venue. The concierge that greeted us and directed us to the restaurant, which is situated on the first floor, was welcoming and warm. The hotel is stunning, as is the restaurant itself. Amazing staff, we were looked after very well. The food is excellent....

We dined here while staying at the hotel. The food was great and the wine pairing was excellent. The staff did a great job considering there was a large party in a separate room.

We came here on the itison voucher Deal to try this place The staff are lovely, friendly and helpful, the drinks are lovely as well. The food however. Missed the mark for us, it was enjoyable but for the type of place it's trying to...

We were very fortunate to have this visit to this classy restaurant given to us for our pearl wedding anniversary as a gift from our children. Firstly the venue is in the Waldorf Astoria which is so opulent and beautiful. The service was just so...

The tasting menu was fabulous! My fiancé had such an amazing time…honestly one of the best dining experiences I’ve had. The gentleman helping us, I think Andreas, was on top of everything and made the experience even better! Russ was also great and both made...

We booked Dean Banks at the Pompadour based on online reviews and his reputation. The food was absolutely delicious, complimented by the paired wines. What set this restaurant apart from other fine dining experiences we have had in Edinburgh was the outstanding service from the...

Our last visit to the UK with only top Michelin star restaurants in London. This restaurant easily competes with, and in some cases surpasses, the top picks in London. Food was delicious and creative. Less than 1% of restaurants have a vegan menu that meets...

What can I say, this was a wonderful meal, from start to finish the service was outstanding, Andrea and his team were very attentive and each course was wonderful. The wine recommendation was delightful and we all enjoyed every moment!

We went for the lobster lunch as this seemed a really good opportunity to experience the restaurant without spending too much money. We were not disappointed. The restaurant offers lovely views over Edinburgh and is very comfortable, with plenty of room between tables. Service was...

We had dinner here on Saturday evening. We had the tasting menu and all 4 of us were absolutely blown away by every dish. The amount of thought, attention to detail and work that goes into every single dish is outstanding. The staff went above...

Simply WOW!! Just ate the lunch menu, preceded by oysters and supplemented by the steamed lobster. Beautiful on the palate! The market fish, a mackerel in foamy broth with coconut, ginger and lemongrass on a bed of cauliflower & broccoli purée, mushroom ragout with a...

Disappointed with the experience, they tried, but missed the mark. The cured trout was boring and bland, as was the raw oyster. Both were beautifully displayed, but lacked flavor. The smoked smokie fish was tasty, as was the Yukhoe beef tartar, but the braised artichokes...

Incredible experience. I would gladly come again on another trip to Edinburgh. Our server was excellent, attentive to our needs, very knowledgeable and friendly. Food was excellent.

High quality food, great service. The fish was excellent and the choice of the wines was perfect. This restaurant needs a star.

We celebrated our wedding anniversary and I wanted to take my wife somewhere special, Dean Banks at the Pompadour in Edinburgh did not disappoint, the service, the tasting menu and wine selection were 1st class , recommended anyone visiting Edinburgh to try the Pompadour,

The tasting menu at The Pompadour is second to none and the fish course was just phenomenal!! We were so well taken care of by the staff, we will definitely be coming back!!

What a wonderful evening. A truly delicious meal prepared by the talented chefs and served by professional, friendly and knowledgeable front of house team. Lovely ambience and a stunning view of the castle, topped off with a grand finale of fireworks as the Edinburgh Tattoo...

What an excellent way to celebrate our 25th Wedding Anniversary. We thoroughly enjoyed the 5 course tasting menu with paired wines. The good was out of this world, beautifully balanced and a delight for the tastebuds. The staff were so attentive, opening up the Boardroom...

What a lovely evening we had here! Everything was perfect: Delicious sophisticated food, professional warm service, beautiful decor, and great location. We had the tasting menu + wine tasting, and it was very good. The wine selection was excellent, although probably not to the level...

We were in a group of friends celebrating my husband’s birthday, and was an amazing experience from the entrance up to the end. My husband is a vegetarian and had a veggie/vegan menu, I had some food restrictions and they gave the flexibility of mixing...

This restaurant was absoutley fantastic. My husband and I went for the tasting menu. The food was outstanding. We sat at the window with the castle view which was really special. This was a treat for us, it was really special. The staff were excellent...

Had heard great things and we weren’t disappointed. Stunning Scottish food (taster menu) with a twist and a truly magnificent wine selection (Dean Banks selection) to go with the food. Staff couldn’t have been nicer, never stopped, nothing too much bother and food served at...

Fantastic value Tasting Menu. Outstanding menu and very delicious and creative cuisine. Lively ambience. Very attentive and knowledgeable waiters and Sommelier.

Really amazing food, great creative combination of flavors, thoughtful details on each course all produced by a highly skilled kitchen. You can tell each item is thought through and executed to a high standard. That said, the staff make it welcoming and accessible. This is...

My family and I I had a lovely lunch on Sunday. The staff were all brilliant & the food first class. I would definitely recommend a visit.

The Pompadour has been going a while but since Dean Banks has taken it over it has improved massively. The food is exquisite - Eastern touches fused with Scottish food. We loved it. The matched wines with the menu were beautiful - from Slovenia, Austria...

Just finished another wonderful experience at a Dean Banks venue. This was our second time at the Pompadour incarnation and it was fantastic. A pre-theatre tasting menu which was extremely reasonable. The service was impeccable with Andrea in particular as a wonderful host. Food and...

Beautiful restaurant within a stunning hotel. I would thoroughly recommend this restaurant. Cannot fault it

What a great experience, food was delicious, service was EXCEPTIONAL! Very personal but not too familiar. The restaurant is a really pleasant atmosphere and tastefully decorated, would definitely visit again.

Second visit , the food was exceptional every course a delight. As a not a great lover of fish , but the mackerel with an Arbroath smoky broth was stunning . So wish I had tried the Lobster that I was offered to taste ....

Excellent rotational and seasonal tasting menu! While staying at the Waldorf Astoria - The Caledonian we decided to go all out and have a decadent dinner at Dean Banks to celebrate our recent engagement. This restaurant is such a beautiful environment with ornate decor, high...

Wonderful from start to finish! Beautiful restaurant with amazing staff and wonderful food. Everything about it was special. We’ve eaten in several Michelin starred restaurantsand the food & service at the Pompadour outshone many of them. Your sweetcorn bread and butters were amazing! All the...

I came here last year and thought the food was exquisite, this year it was as good, but not quite as generous, fish course was absolutely tiny, minuscule. I remember feeling very full by the time I got to the duck course, not so this...

Dined here for our ten year anniversary, can honestly say it was the best dining experience we’ve had, service was outstanding without being overbearing, care and attention to each course was exceptional. Highly recommended.

My husband and I enjoyed the 6 course tasting lunch at the Pompadour. It was a lovely experience from start to finish. The service was extremely professional, first class attention to detail. As for the food….. amazing. We couldn’t name a favourite course, each one...

My wife and I were so excited to see that the Pompadour had re-opened, after its pre-Covid closure, as historically it had been one of our favourite restaurants, to dine at, when we were in Edinburgh. On Thursday, 16 March 2023, we had the 6...

We had a spectacular experience from the moment we walked through the door. The staff were courteous and helpful as they guided us through the tasting menu with matching wines with knowledge and humour. The highlights were smoked fish pate, steak tartare with truffles and...

We wanted somewhere really special to celebrate our son’s birthday and were not disappointed. The food was exquisite, the ambiance was perfect and the service was first class. Andrea and his team were great company and perfect hosts. Lindores Abbey Single malt whisky was quite...

We were made to feel most welcome the minute we stepped into The Pompadour. I had made an error with the booking time, however restaurant manager Andrea smoothed everything out and took away any stress I was feeling due to this. We had a table...

My husband and I had a delicious lunch. Everything was excellent, from the first class staff with amazing service, ambience and all the delicious flavours of our menu. Will definitely return.

Having been several times before, we came to celebrate a birthday and the dinner did not disappoint. The tasting menu was wonderful with no course that wasn’t excellent/outstanding. In food terms it is close to Michelin star quality. The Pompadour room, with beautifully painted wallpaper,...

The food was an amazing journey, from start to finish the food was heavenly, we upgraded to the lobster and it’s definitely worth the £30 surcharge, the staff are amazing and so attentive, Andrea makes sure that your experience is perfect and his staff are...

We had a thoroughly delightful afternoon at the Pompadour's. The menu was exquisitely tantalising and delicious. I enjoyed the surprise element as each dish was placed before us. The wine pairing was impeccable. The ambience was lovely especially as the staff were very knowledgeable and...

I really enjoyed everything including the food, drinks and the staff are excellent. I would highly recommend this restaurant and the ambience was relaxed and welcoming. I will be back again soon!

Very enjoyable experience. Tasting menu with fascinating mix of Scottish and Asian influences. Subtle and well balanced flavours. Wine pairing matched well. Lovely room with great views of Edinburgh castle. Service was attentive and knowledgeable without being obtrusive and enhanced the enjoyment of the meal....

Excellent taster menu with wine pairing. Table was in position A* overlooking the castle and service was exceptional with Dean delivering and explaining some of the courses. Maitre d was very attentive without being obtrusive and good sense of humour. We will be back shortly

Fab food service and ambience . Each course was a flavour bomb in the mouth . I am not a fish lover but they were excellent. Flavour texture presentation all 100% The Service was absolutely the best attentive personnel and friendly. We will be back

This was a gift to my husband from our daughter. From being escorted up to the Pompadour by front of house staff to the exemplary service and amazing food it was a great experience! Even had a stool to put my handbag on!!.

Situated in the Pompadour room in the Waldorf Hotel - a beautiful setting. Staff are lovely - helpful, friendly and attentive. Food - the most important part and can say it was excellent. From the presentation to the taste. A lot of thought has gone...

Fabulous tasting menu and wine pairing! My husband and I had a brilliant date night at the Pompadour. We added the additional lobster course which was delicious! Highly recommend if you’re looking for a special date night out.

Both myself and Wife had an incredible experience at Dean Banks At the Pompador! The staff were so attentive and welcoming.. the service friendly, knowledgeable and attentive. The produce and dishes brought a smile to our faces, a wonderful experience that was worth every penny...

We had the new tasting menu with the supplement of lobster and the full menu was absolutely delicious. So much thought put into the flavours of the menu and we thoroughly enjoyed our night. The ambience of the restaurant was perfect for us (a couple)...

Our favourite place for excellent food and gorgeous setting. Attentive, friendly staff. Our favourite for a special occasion. Food is amazing.

Oh my goodness what a meal! Amazing food & beautiful setting with gorgeous views over Edinburgh. Fantastic service too, can’t recommend enough. We’ll be back!

Staff very disorganised, felt like a free for all with all staff serving all tables. Lots of tables clearly sat with empty plates infront of them for over 15 minutes. We ate our snack course without drinks as the wine was delayed, staff not around...

Very underwhelmed indeed. Staff seemed rather disorganised, not focussed, or particularly attentive, starting with aplology, forgetting water etc, food was ok but expensive, capped off by £7.50 for an ordinary black coffee. Very dissapointed.

A lovely place with excellent food. The service was perfect, all staff very knowledgeable about what they were serving and very attentive. Not sure it’s the best value for money especially if you’re adding the extras but it was definitely worth trying! The wine pairing...

Good food but service could have been a little better. Being sat at a table with a plant hanging down over our heads wasn’t the most comfortable start although didn’t ruin anything. Staff were a little slow at times and some seemed a little stressed...

The team was great at adjusting to my needs (no seafood, fish nor mushrooms) and each dish was amaaazing! My husband and I are big foodies and this was one of our top dinners during our trip to London and Edinburg.

Technical quality of the food is good. Well balanced tasting menu with quality ingredients to spoil you. The presentation is artistic, and form and substance are good. But the price point is very high. We opted for additional lobster course (since it was a special...

We had an incredible meal in the private dining room at Dean Banks. The tasting menu was delicious and very inventive, while the wine pairings all worked beautifully. Andreas, who was looking after us for the evening, was so attentive and went out of his...

From the minute we arrived the scene was set the welcome from the host and the waiting staff could not have been better so friendly and professional.Then the food which was fantastic I had the pescatarian my husband does not eat fish but his was...

Faultless cooking, interesting combinations and textures, great service in a pleasant environment. Best meal I’ve had in over ten years in Scotland!

We visited this restaurant on our visit to Edinburgh as we love tasting menus. We had a lovely meal and did enjoy it but found it to be our least favourite of tasting menus. We have had Michelin Star meals for about the same price...

Had an amazing time, the food and service were outstanding. The bottle of wine we chose was excellent too and complemented our meal. Staff were very attentive without being overly so.

This was a Christmas treat to ourselves and did not disappoint. Normally Balmoral Number One would be our go to destination for fabulous dining, but the Pompadour was every bit as good, if not better. We tried the Classic and Pescatarian tasting menus, with wines...

WOW. quite simply put what an incredible experience we enjoyed last night. From the moment we entered such a beautiful dining room that oozes class and history we knew the evening was going to be special. All the staff that helped our evening go smoothly...

Wonderful dining experience. Ambiance, service and food all fantastic. Found out the following day that the Pompadour had been awarded Restaurant of the Year Award- outside London, very well deserved.

We attended on a Sunday evening. We were lucky enough to recieve a voucher for the tasting menu for xmas. On entry we were seated promptly. We were shown our menu and went with the paired wine. Unfortunately for my wallet, we saw the added...