Maxies Bistro & Wine Bar in Edinburgh, City of

PERSONAL FAULT. We sat on the terrace to have a beer. It took them a long time to serve us and the poor girls had to run to serve the tables. You could really see the fatigue on his face. HIRE STAFF, rats.

Perfect location and nice straff

Beautiful terrace seating, and extremely accommodating service - food it top notch.

Delicious food and great service! Great conversation and friendly atmosphere! Highly recommend!

We ate excellent fish and chips!! Many thanks to Phin and his colleague. Really kind

Great place and best staff! Perfect location with beautifull view from the balcony. Very helpfull staff - I forgot my bag with my passport in the restaurant. They kept it safe waiting for me, many thanks for this!

Got some lovely food from our very kind waiter, Fin <3 If you're looking to try haggis for the first time, look for the lamb chops on a bed of haggis, it was very nice!

Awesome service and really good food. I honestly didn’t expect to find such great quality at such fair prices in a touristy spot like this. Totally recommend it!

Food was good but the service was sleeping the whole evening. Mixed up orders and forgot some starters.

We spent two weeks in the UK and this was hands down the best food we had the entire time! Great lunch spot!

Terrible service from a completely disinterested waitress who clearly hated her job. We ordered water, which she reluctantly brought. The food was not very good and took a long time to arrive. Honestly, the best part of the experience was when we left. Music blasted from broken speakers — which should have been the first warning about the restaurant’s overall quality. Avoid this place.

Very nicely located location. We sat on the terrace overlooking Victoria Street. After we got a table, it took 45 minutes for our orders to be taken. Drinks came after another 20 minutes. The glasses were all dirty, some with lipstick marks. After a very long wait, the food was a total failure. Fish & Chips were completely carelessly prepared, unseasoned and otherwise a total disaster in terms of taste, to the point of being inedible. Halfway through the fish we started to feel physically unwell so we didn't eat any more. Again, despite asking several times, I waited 20 minutes for the bill, which was far too high for the service. Overall, absolutely not recommended and a total tourist trap.

I love love love how intimate and traditional this restaurant is. The building was built as a pub but it works quite well as a traditional restaurant. Built in a steep hill, the stairs and secluded feel is a vibe. Food is really good and reasonably priced. Portions are fair. Service is friendly 🙏👍😋

The fish was not terrible but the chips were out of a frozen packet. These are NOT traditional British Fish and Chips.

Very nice, good service and good food, the spicy sauce for the mussels very good.

We were super excited to try this place as we came from the States and wanted good Scottish food. The place was super cute, however. We sat there for an hour, just for them to forget to put our order in. We watched five tables served, ate, and left before we could get our server to even check on us. The only time she checked on us was once to order and she was in such a rush she didn't come back for an hour and that was only cause we flagged her down. They need more serves, and to check on their tables. The second time you check on your table should not be after they flag you down cause it's been close to an hour and they haven't revived any service.

Table service only means we had to wait forever to get served & then a long time for drinks. When they finally arrived, beer is served in cans and the wine glass had lipstick all over it. No team to ask for the bill - had to go inside to pay. Chefs coming out to smoke in whites every 5mins. Many people around us sat down and left because of long waits. You are losing business which is a shame as the view & location is nice, and I do feel bad for the girl running around trying to make it all work.

Never coming back here again. Weather was nice so came for a a drink before dinner. We went to the bar to order where we were told table service only. After ordering from the waitress we waiting a good 20minutes before the drinks arrived. The drinks that came were shocking. Guinness came in less than a pint as it was apparently “from a bottle” whatever that means, and my g&t came in a wine glass with no garnish. We asked for the bill as soon as the drinks arrived as I didn’t want to wait again. Unfortunately after over 10minutes waiting for this bill to arrive l ended having to go inside to pay. Really disappointing and put a downer on our evening.

Never waited as long for one beer. And never had a beer as warm. Record-breaking place!

My wife and I visited this place tonight and ordered the buffalo wings which where microwaved and some random tomato based sauce thrown on top, the wings where soft and horrid. Followed by the main of macaroni cheese and a side of chips. The macaroni was congealed and tasteless and the pasta was over cooked or reheated. Absolutely vile. The chips were frozen and then heated in oil. The food had to be the worst we have experienced throughout Edinburgh, shame, considering the beautiful location. I highlighted the poor food and experience to the waitress and got a reply of “ok”

Just after the castle this address is perfect: the food is excellent, the service quality! There were 3 of us who came and we all recommend it!

Adorable, kind service, delicious, history everywhete

Great location outside views of grassmarket. Balcony style terrace plenty of traditional options.

Good recommendation if you hate someone - We ordered the mac and cheese, and it was the worst dish we had ever had—until we got our second one: Napolitana pasta. A safe choice, we thought. Never had we been so wrong. If you see anyone giving this dish to a dog, call PETA. However, the dog is safe, he wouldn’t even dare to touch it. We ended up paying 90 pounds for a couple of beers, but honestly, we’d rather lose 90 pounds than lose the will to live trying to digest that meal. And yet, no discount, no extra drink, just a traumatic food experience. The only good thing about the place, besides the nice view is the staff. Cheers to that!

Perfect place if you want to lose weight as you will swear of food for the rest of your life!

Great place, in front they have a lovely terrace (sunny), but they also have a roof terrace (haven't been there yet). The food is very good and the Haggis (starter) is amazing! If you want to try haggis, go here it's absolutely awesome! I highly recommend it.

Great experience. Their haggis was amazing and maybe the best fish and chips around!

We really enjoyed the haggis and fish & chips here. I can't understand the bad reviews at all. The fish was perfectly cooked and super crispy. Haggis sauce with orange was very good.

Great place, classic tourist trap. Best to avoid, even though the spot is great

Lovely place, awesome staff and views, brilliant food (fish was perfect), also cute inside!

Great food, lovely staff, warm welcome

This is a lovely place with fantastic staff. I had deep fried pickled onions and chips. I love pickled onions. And wow I love these. Perfect chips. Thank you. 5☆service

So goooooooooood! The service was excellent!

We had the fish and chips and it was very disappointing, the garlic mushrooms were also disappointing, seems like frozen food ,for the price you would expect fresh ,

Super pleasant experience. Nice atmosphere, pleasant service and good quality food. Grilled Beef Steak, with garlic butter, melted in your mouth. Higgins stuffed chicken with pepper sauce, exquisite. Highly recommended.

Best food ever. So relaxing and friendly. Come here every visit to Edinburgh.

One of the best fish and chips i ever had, fresh fish, good service, very nice view, i would recommend.

Absolutely first class dining experience. The food was delicious with lots of choice and the service excellent. Would highly recommend.

Very questionable. I'll never go there again.

Great snacks! Sat outside with blankets - lovely atmosphere.

Everything was perfect, the welcome, the service and the meal. I highly recommend!

The most uncomfortable seats! I paid £80, but it was definitely not worth it. Even if you request a comfortable seat, they won’t let you sit at a decent table. We were crammed in, sitting too close to other people. The food wasn’t good either. Save your money and go somewhere better than this place

We had mulled wine and Hot Toddys… I wish we didn’t have them. Absolutely overpriced and disgusting. My mulled wine was served in a dirty glass and the hot toddys were watered up so much that you could hardly taste any whiskey. Would never return.

Our group stopped by twice during our few days in Edinburgh in September, and we really enjoyed our first trip. I believe the person who served us was the owner, and she was very attentive and nice. The second time we came, we joked about it being the "B Team" since they were less attentive, but we still had a nice time. Everyone raved about the port wine with honey (I opted not to have it), and while I didn't LOVE haggis, I was glad to have tried it at this particular spot.

We absolutely loved it! A beautiful, cozy, family run restaurant. Nice environment and a great menu. We ate there twice during our stay in Edinburgh, the staff is extremely friendly and accommodating. Big thanks to Ross and Lisa for making us feel welcomed. And also thank you Lisa for the shells. My daughter will treasure them! We will be coming back whenever we visit again :)))

Had a lovely lunch here for my birthday, very sweet and attentive staff and nice views! Offered me cake as a treat 🎂 Would definitely recommend for lunch. 🌸

Lovely place! Good food and good wine. Wonderful service too, thank you

One of the best restaurants in Edinburgh!

Excellent food, incredible service. Enjoyable experience.

Very tasty food and very large portions. Our steak was cooked very nicely and for a great price!

Surf and turf was outstanding!! The peppercorn sauce was the star of the show! Everything was perfectly cooked. Best meal we had on our London/Edinburgh trip so far!

I dint understand the bad reviews. Food here was excellent. Fish and chips were not greasy but light and fluffy. Great taste. The mussels, in an orange-brie-dill sauce was unique and delicious. Service was quick and friendly. Price was reasonable. The space is a bit tight but it wasn't uncomfortable. But that rates atmosphere 4 of 5. Still, I'd recommend this to my best foodie friends.

Stumbled upon Maxies as I didn’t realize I walked onto Victoria Terrence! The ladies working are very kind and attentive. The food was a great portion size and dessert was nice and light. Thank you!

We thoroughly enjoyed every morsel of these traditional Scotish dishes! Wonderful food & service!

Came in for cocktails and an appetizer, Finn, Ross and Jules were anmazing and took great care of us. Crabcakes were tasty and I love the chutney!! Thanks all!

Food was very tasty, highly recommend the lamb dish really good. Service was great and dishes came out in very good time. All three front of house staff were excellent.

Horrible food. Most likely the worst we got in Edinburgh.

The best food we’ve had here and Ross was an excellent server with great suggestions.

The most rude waitress and very slow kitchen. It was like the waitress did not even know how to do her job.

Food was disgusting. Greasy as hell and no taste (except grease) Salad was old and scraffy and the prawns on the salad were deep fried but the menu die not let you know that. Horrible. Service was okay though.

By far the best haggis in town. Beautiful presentation and plating. Whatever customer service or atmosphere issues you could have the food will absolutely overcome it all.

Had the haggis (my first time trying) and it was excellent. My small salad was yummy & freshFish & chips were very tasty. If you are a tourist visiting any of the small sit downs in Old Town you should always get a reservation to be sure you’ll have a spot.

Good service and great meal. We had the mussels and the seafood linguine, and drank Guinness, a great scotch with ice (Dalwhinnie) and a hot chocolate with Bailey's.

Excellent penne pasta, nice view & people watching

Classic dinner of fish & chips and Scottish meat (well cooked which is not easy…) If the meal is not taken on the terrace, the setting is cramped. Table not very clean when we arrived for dinner (too bad).

The location of the shop very nice if the weather is good to sit outside. The service not good What we got for drinks and food below average Edinburgh fantastic

Very busy but staff were 10/10.

The food was not impressive, but the wiew was great.

Lovely resturant. Food was lovely. Staff very attentive. Went due to going to Edinburgh Tattoo and next to castle. Food a little pricey but expected due to location. Please try for yourself and take no notice of bad reviews. We didnt and so glad we went.

Best haggis in Edinburgh! Fish and chips are also really good.

We only got a couple cocktails here one night (Rusty Nails) but watched lots of their food go by and it looked absolutely delicious. The view is nice and the service was very friendly.

Absolutely divine place, food was outstanding, service brilliant, what a jem find. If you are in Edinburgh go and try them. We had chicken stuffed with haggis with peppercorn sauce. Best meal I've had in ages!!

Mixed opinion.. we didn't eat very well it was quite fatty but the fish and chips before the area was incredible!

The vibe in this place is so lovely. It was wonderful sitting on the balcony area watching the world go by with a drink in hand. Inside has a little cave like feel and is very cosy and snug feeling with the cushion scattered seating. Myself and my friends also got a Groupon deal which was brilliant value. We had a starter and main course each for a very reasonable price. There was a supplement if you chose a dish over a certain price £13.95 if I remember right. The starters were all delicious, one black pudding, one fishcakes and one brie wedge...the chutney with this was super tasty! We all had the chicken stuffed with haggis for main, the portion was massive, however chicken was slightly overdone, though im sure we were just unlucky with that this time. We will definitely come back, overall, it was such an enjoyable experience.

Had a great meal, steak and pasta was well cooked! Order the brie and cranberry, well worth it!

We just arrived in Edinburgh and decided to have dinner here. The place is not very "picturesque" but it is nice and clean. The menu isn't exactly satisfactory either but what we ate was good. Of course we ate fish & chios.

Interesting balcony view overlooking Victoria Street, but the food was rather mediocre. Service was rather sporadic, and overall, we were disappointed. I don't think we'll bother to go there again.

Not a tourist trap. Actually amazing! Worth going, best haggis! Cheaper than it says.

Went for lunch as a group of 4, we wanted to try a selection of food so ordered a handful of starters. The staff were so accommodating, even pushed tables together and even gave us extra plates. Food was absolutely lovely too! If the weather allows it, sit outside as you get a wonderful view of the street underneath.

You cant have a coffee and cake inside the bistro. A ridiculous rule that can make someone uncomfortable because if you do not dine in they ask you to leave.

amazing!! we were so lucky to have found it via the roof terrace - we had the haggis starter, which arrived boiling hot and so quickly, the seafood linguine and the mussels. we had an issue with the mussels in the linguine which was quickly resolved by the kind staff who offered a replacement without any fuss! the atmosphere and interior are 10/10, with stained glass windows, brick detailing and cushioned corner tables .. all in this hidden spot!!

Too handsome! Fabulous food and perfect service. I tried a traditional fish and chips.

Extremely good food and service.

Food was ok, not impressed with the dessert Cranachan , just a bowl of whipped cream and a bit of raspberry. Highlight was good service from one of the staff Fin.

We passed by by chance and ate here. The service was friendly, but we waited an hour for the main course. Starter came in a reasonable time. The Cheesy Garlic Bread is nothing special, but it's way too big. Afterwards you are already full. The haggis was ok. The smoked salmon cream tasted somehow strange. The fish and chips were terrible. The fish tasted like dry, bland frozen fish. Plus a few fries. Carelessly prepared, unseasoned and oily. The rib-eye steak was ok, but nothing more. Plus a few fries. The broccoli was unseasoned and overcooked. The garlic butter with the meat was forgotten and, when asked again, came almost at the end. The beer comes in a can. We paid £105 for the whole thing. Way too expensive. Unfortunately the price/performance ratio is not right at all.

Garlic bread was awful smothered in garlic oil made bread soft and soggy

The restaurant was very busy even at 2pm when we arrived for lunch. The service was uneven but the food was delicious, especially the leek and potato soup. Be sure to try the cranarchan dessert.

We didn't know where to eat (were starving) and got to walk in front of this place, we asked for advocato and pawn salad, and the soup of the day that came with bread. Everything delicious and the service was very nice, the girls very helpfull.

A great spot to relax while doing the sights of Edinburgh. A gorgeous view from the terrace. The service was friendly and the food was nice but average. Fairly expensive for the quality. Still a nice place to sit and relax with a drink.

Family business with a warm atmosphere and authentic food included a Scottish twist!

This is an amazing gem. Unique interior, superb stained glass windows as you walk down a staircase to the restaurant. Extremely comfortable and atmospheric. We ate in the basement, but there is a roof terrace. Superb sea food and Scottish delicacies. Friendly and welcoming staff.

Maxies catered for our Wedding breakfast after our ceremony in the City Chambers. Amazing service, great communications and planning from Lisa and her team meant our day went without a hitch. When i say breakfast - thats exactly where it started, from about 11am to approx 7pm, our every need was sorted. The warm welcome and ongoing "no request was too much trouble" approach. Drinks flowed and food was available on demand. every guest (we had 24) commented on the great day, that the venue and experience was flawless. The bill was very fair bordering on too fair.. We were out on the terrace for the most part.

I had the haggis here and it was tasty. The atmosphere here was cute and welcoming. Overall good experience, but when compared to other restaurants and pubs that we experienced in Edinburgh, this place falls in the lower bracket. This place will satisfy if you want food in a very convenient location by the castle but you will likely pay for it in taste.

The worst plate of fish and chips we have ever eaten! My brother and I visited this lovely bistro today. It has a balcony and the setting is just beautiful! However, we paid just over £16 each for our meals and wish we hadn’t!! The chips were extremely overcooked and broken into pieces and I was shocked when the waitresses put the food in front of us on the table. We had asked for peas and were told it didn’t come with peas! My brother and I looked at each other in disbelief! There was no presentation just a plate of fish and the worst chips you can imagine. After a bad start we through at least we have the Cranachan deserts to look forward to. 15 mins after taking our order, the waitress approached us saying sorry can I get you something else because we can’t offer the cranachan as we have no oats! Unbelievable!!! The service is extremely slow and I could not believe when I heard the waitress tell a group of tourists that she recommended the fish and chips. I felt like saying no please don’t waste your money. I would not recommend this place to anyone.

This place is very pleasant, we had lunch on the terrace overlooking Victoria Street and it was extraordinary! The place is very unusual! I 100% recommend this bistro restaurant, very good value for money!

🚨 Tourist catch to escape! 🚨 The service is OK but the dishes are tasteless and expensive.

But stop relying on people who rely on the lonely planet and the backpacker because they are looking for home-style meals to reassure themselves. No, we’re not “at Léon’s” down the street in your neighborhood. We are in Scotland. The tastes and textures are different. The lamb chops were not Provençal style as that reassures you but in a delicious whiskey sauce. The starter is fried Brie and its excellent cranberry jam sauce. The staff is pleasant, smiling and sincere (and has not spent two years in sommelier school to learn to make you believe that you are the best customers in the world). We really enjoyed it and recommend it.

10/10 would recommend! Warm, welcoming, great food, quirky decor.

Great meal in a great place! Thank you!

Today at 5.30 pm. I decided to take my two young children for an early treat tea , no drinks were purchased just 6 starters for us to share for a treat as school finished for Easter. Anyway we did this as the main courses were expensive and we thought we would share. As they both under ten years old. We did not get much of a welcome and not even a hello to the kids, anyway we were hungry and placed the order quickly we were first to place the order in that section , then another couple came in and placed an order but they got there food first. I thought the kids would have got something forst to I asked the lady if we could have at least the garlic bread to get started :she said did you ask for that I said no: but we arrived first. The wine glasses we were going ro drink water from were dirty. I stood up and took them to the bar and asked for smaller glasses , I dorms mention they were dirty The food was not great feel rather unwell tonight heart burn. Service poor no one asked if we would like any other drinks , no one checked if we were hapoy no one cleared our plates until I stacked them all up at the end of the table . No one offered deserts. Such a shame as it was all rather slap dash with no care. The prices were not good value for money as I felt the quality was very poor. Onsiad at the end I woudl not leave a tip but still paid and left feeling very disappointed , I hesitated thinking I will go back and say how sad I get but didn’t want to in front of my 8 and 10 year old well behaved girls . Someone could have come and offered them an ice cream or a desert. Pretty shocking really when we eat out twice a week! I will defo NOT go back , no one said goodbye. I observed the blond waitress bump right into a gentleman who was taking his coat off to sit now and she did not even apologise to him he was shocked that she was just barging by and elbowed him. No care flap finesse , no quality. Years ago this place used to have a very good reputation . It’s a NO NO AVOID and don’t waste your money …