Dean Banks At The Pompadour in Edinburgh, City of

Unbelievably exceptional experience. The Caledonia is a very special hotel and our Dean Banks tasting menu more than lived up to expectations. Arbroath smokie, sole, poulet, pre-dessert and dessert were just some of the delicacies that came our way. The setting is amazing and the attentive staff knowledgeable and friendly. An afternoon meal to remember in our capital city. Thank you to everybody who made us so welcome and described in perfect detail every meal and drink that came our way.

Great tasting menu with fantastic service. Call out to Fraser who was super friendly and yet professional. All dishes were spot on. Would highly recommend.

Beautiful restaurant. We had the tasting menu which was delicious. All the staff were really friendly and attentive without being intrusive. Excellent service and we left feeling we had been well looked after.

Great experience. Amazing food paired with fantastic wines. Special shout out to Fraser who was holding the fort and dealing with all restaurant issues on what seemed a busier than average night.

We have eaten here a few times, the food is always good but often 1 or 2 so-so dishes, however, every course today was absolutely outstanding. We were served by Cameron who delivered excellent service, very attentive, pleasant and not in your face.

The tasting menu was to die for. So many great food on there. As suggested it was a tasting menu but you got a lot of food once finished.... The service was awesome and the people were so nice and helpful. We didn't have to wait long for each dish. Just long enough to talk about it and enjoy it before the next came out. But we did not feel rushed.

Most exquisite experience so far this year. We had seen Dean on Masterchef back in 2018 and swore we would go to one of his restaurants when settled. Definitely not disappointed and we had the 6 course tasting menu of the 2024 June Solstice with the wine pairing and a few extras. This was such a great choice. We only got the name of Cameron who introduced us to each of the wines to accompany the dishes. This was a stroke of genius as each wine was perfect with the dish rather than one bottle for the entire meal. It is a great experience and must be tried. Great job done by the entire team; back and front office.

Food was amazing though it was expensive!🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Expensive but worth it. The food was amazing.

Brilliant, food was excellent. Real high class eating with fantastic service.

Very enjoyable evening Tasting menu and paired wines lovely All staff very friendly special mention to Callum who managed to balance his professionalism, knowledge and relaxed friendly manner, added to our enjoyment Will definitely return

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!

Once in a lifetime meal, we really enjoyed the tasting experience!

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.

Awful experience here. As a fine dining enthusiast and fellow restaurant owner, I understand the intricacies of exceptional hospitality. Unfortunately, my recent experience with Dean Banks falls short of even the most basic standards in this regard. I was initially thrilled to receive a voucher for Dean Banks, prompting me to book a dinner reservation two months in advance. Everything seemed in order with both a booking confirmation and reminder in hand. However, the situation took an unacceptable turn when, less than 14 hours prior to my reservation (at 10pm the night before), I was informed via email by Harriet Whitcross cancellation notice that my voucher was only valid for lunch, not dinner. This crucial piece of information, inexplicably withheld for two months, left me with no reasonable time to adjust my plans. In an attempt to resolve this issue, I reached out to Dean Banks the following morning. My calls went unanswered, and my voicemail ignored. Further, my numerous emails over a span of three months were met with silence. This lack of basic courtesy and professionalism is baffling from such an establishment. Six months later, with no resolution in sight, I contacted the voucher provider for assistance. To my dismay, Dean Banks falsely claimed to have reached out to me for rebooking, a statement blatantly contradicted by the absence of any such communication in my inbox. Furthermore, they now refuse to rebook at all, leaving me no choice but to leave a review which I truly hate to do. This experience has been nothing short of a nightmare. The lack of communication, the misleading information about the voucher, and the complete disregard for customer service are all hallmarks of a business that does not value its patrons. I strongly advise against visiting Dean Banks. There are numerous establishments where the quality of both food and service lives up to the expectations set by their reputation. Dean Banks, unfortunately, is not one of them.

Great night at the Pompadour. Staff were really friendly and food was unreal! Highly recommend visiting this restaurant

Pasé año nuevo en este restaurante, con mucha previa reservación, la cena preparada fue una degustación por tiempos, sin embargo, se me hizo excesivamente caro el lugar considerando que era un restaurante Michelin, la comida no era muy muy buena y por persona terminé pagando 300 GBP, que vendrían siendo poco más de 15K MXN. Como turista, NO recomiendo el lugar para una ocasión especial y sobre todo si llevas niños o bebés ya que en el menú no tienen nada para ellos y no pueden preparar nada.

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.

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...

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...

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

Class meal and service! Was able to be seated 2hours earlier per request and Andrea's service was excellent. Will be back.

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...

I think we must have got here on a night where the kitchen was short staffed. Half an hour between some of the tasting menu courses. Three hours overall. Whilst some of the dishes were very good, others were quite average and compared to other similar restaurants I think that this place scores very low in terms of value for money. Drinks particularly extortionate, I'd get a cocktail at the hotel bar next time!

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

Fantastic welcome this evening at Dean Banks at the Pompadour, The Waldorf, Edinburgh. Maitre D’ so friendly and extremely professional. The food was beautiful, tasty and a treat to the senses. Highly recommend this restaurant for a special treat/ occasion. We will definitely be back here!

Faultless, attentitive and friendly service by Andreas, Cameron and a lady whose name we didn't catch. The food was very enjoyable, as was the atmosphere. Would definitely recommend for a special occasion!

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...

Inventive food, warm and friendly service, excellent

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....

Probably the best the dining experience I’ve ever had. It was expensive but still worth it. Truly memorable experience.

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.

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...

Had a wonderful time tonight staff was friendly and made us laugh the food was delicious and the atmosphere was calming but happy

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...

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 wonderful wine recommendations. Honestly, one of my favorite dinners in all the countries I’ve been!

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 restaurant manager Andrea, supported by Cameron. You should expect outstanding service at a restaurant such as The Pompadour, but Andrea’s warmth, knowledge and instinct to be available when you needed him for advice on the menu set this restaurant apart.

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...

Amazing food, well presented and tasted delicious. Great service, the host went above and beyond. Nothing to fault at all. Will definitely be back.

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...

A great way to experience this restaurant without spending too much is to have the lobster lunch. Exceptionally tasty food, served by knowledgeable staff in great surroundings. Lovely views across Edinburgh, spacious restaurant, and such interesting flavours. No choice but I trust the experts. Extras were well recommended but with no expectation that they would be ordered. We did, and we’re not disappointed.

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...

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...

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!!

It was a wonderful experience from start to finish. The food was really tasty and beautifully concocted, and the wines complemented it very well. Our waiter was attentive and fun, and the whole meal created warm memories that we'll enjoy for a very long time.

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...

I was recently widowed and the 4 August would have been our 50th anniversary. My daughter, my bridesmaid from our wedding and I felt the evening was a very special one and we all agreed the taster menu was indeed spectacular Andrea’s professional and caring approach made our evening a great success.

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...

Disappointingly overpriced. Very salty fish dish, inconsistent tastes and sizes between two servings, bland cocktails.

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...

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...

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 the veggie and regular menu, fitting your taste. Food was high quality, some very surprising mixture of flavours, memorable. The staff was professional and friendly made us feel like we were at home, extremely attentive to any queries and offered great suggestions of beverages and wine. Definitely a place to come back.

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...

Delicious Food with a wonderfully Asian twist and Great Service with views of the castle - a must for foodies in Edinburgh

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 ....

A wonderful tasting menu and easy to say 5 stars. The menu did not seem to be choregraphed to bring out the chef's culinary style though. It was more like showcasing every good ingredient from land and sea. Every dish was competing to one another, still it was an interesting approach.

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...

The food and service were excellent from start to finish. Highly recommended. Some soft music would have been nice, it was a little quiet.

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.

Perfect for date night. The food was amazing, delicious and full of flavor. Service was impeccable. Very happy with the amazing service of our server she was very kind. Will be coming back