McLarens on the Corner in Edinburgh, City of

Hands down the worst meal experience I have ever had. This review could run to 3 pages if I detailed all that went wrong. The waiter spent an hour messing about before taking our order whilst making lots of 'cheeky quips'. It seemed that anything you asked him went out of his head as soon as he turned away from us. I said to my table I bet the 6 dishes we order don't turn up and so it transpired! 45 mins later only one dish arrived, a plant burger which he seriously asked if we wanted bacon on! Four meals arrived some time later, one of which we hadn't ordered and our 2 roast dinners never turned up at all. The meals that did arrive were awful, burnt mac cheese and over cooked fish. Still no table water despite repeated requests. We even had to get cutlery from another table. At this point the waiter stopped speaking to us and went into hiding. He and two others could be seen and heard having an argument behind a glass screen whilst everyone sat around waiting for some kind of service. Eventually the only waiter who seemed to be on the same planet as us did get us some water and cutlery along with some kind of apology. We ended up getting up to leave at which point the manager finally appear to apologise. It seems that they were understaffed on Mothers Day which is not the best planning. He even offered to give us our roast dinners as a takeaway even though after 2.5 hours they still hadn't been made! He did give us a £50 voucher for another restaurant which was small compensation for a ruined Mothers Day treat where 2 of our party were served no food at all.

Really love the ambience of this place -warm, cosy and buzzy. Really enjoyed the chicken tandoori skewers and the flatbread was to die for. Service was friendly and efficient. I hope to be back.

Asked when booking if it was a special event and it was but this was not recognised on the day. I didn’t want to embarrass my guests so didn’t say anything. Food was nice and service was friendly and prompt. Not sure I would rush back though.

Lovely lunch/brunch & service was superb and friendly. However the ladies loos left a lot to be desired. I felt like Goldilocks! Out of four loos one was full of loo paper, second one didn’t have a toilet roll dispenser on the wall, third ones lock was iffy and fourth and final one had no loo paper at all. A wee bit maixtenance needed I feel

Dog friendly, good food, friendly staff, nice atmosphere, well priced.

Music was far too loud. I could not hear my wife talking and she was sitting next to me.i just don't understand why venues like this have the music so loud.if you are out for a meal you want to be able to talk with the family or friends you are with. If the music is loud the other people who are in the bar or restaurant have to start shouting at each other so it makes the noise level unbearable. Come on mclarens turn down the volume if not, I we won't be back.

Fabulous! Great food (the Featherblade Ragu and The Tandoori chicken Skewers). Service and atmosphere really good.

Staff were really pleasant and helpful and there was a very good atmosphere in the restaurant. Good choice of food that was well prepared and getting 30% discount for the January offer was the icing on the cake!!

Do not recommend. Found portion sizes to be small and the food to be below the standard expected for the price. Emailled to let them know we had a bad experience but never heard anything back.

£36 for £8 bottle of wine Chenin Blanc crazy resulting in a bill for £80 for 1 and 1/2 potions of fish and chips good bye Mc Clarens.

Always enjoy coming here for drinks, once again a very enjoyable experience. Friendly staff and great service make it.

They had a musician in, while he was decent it being fed through the sound system far too loud that half our group just left after we couldn't even speak to each other despite shouting and the other half only stayed for 20 minutes more after I found us some seats at the the very back of the restaurant. In an attempt to find somewhere quiet. It's now the next day and my ears still hurt from being in this place. People where also smoking right infront of the main door so when people came it it came through really strong to point where people thought people where smoking inside. I also had a stranger stop me as I was initially entering the place pretending she hadn't seen me ages and that we where friends just so she could escape being intimated and harrased by a strange guy who said she thought was homeless outside the main door. On that same theme the location of the bathrooms is also problematic as goes out of the main door into another and down into winding coriders of the basement which definitely can put women's safety at risk.

Nice bar and restaurant. Didn't have any food.

We visited for a Birthday Sunday lunch Great food , service a bit slow initially but overall fine and bonus for discount for January visits 😊 We always enjoy our visits to McLarens so will be back !

Such a disappointing Christmas night out which we had been looking forward to for so long.Our table for 4 people was booked for a Christmas 3 course meal with Prosecco at 6pm on 15th Dec 2023. When we 1st arrived, the back ground music was "Background Music," as it should be at 6pm. But it was turned up very loud within half an hour of starting our meal, to the point that my table asked for the volume to be turned down as we couldn't hear ourselves speak or hear what the waitresses were saying to us.The other 3 tables next to ours also complained about the noise level of the music. (we were told by "Lauren" the manageress that the volume couldn't be adjusted. It was so very very loud that we couldn't hear ourselves think, let alone speak. We were made to feel very uncomfortable and unwelcome by the manageress and in the end we rushed our meal down, stopped drinking and left to go over the road to a lovely little restaurant who made us feel more than welcome and appreciated our umpteen orders of cocktails and drinks that we had with them. Sadly I will not be back to McLarens on the corner, nor would I recommend it to anyone. 😡👎

not first visit and not last, food is sooo good

The food and drinks were a 4/5, but the serving size was too small. Paying £20 for less than a half plate of food is ridiculous (turkey dinner) and we walked away feeling hungry.

All outstanding. Atmosphere, service and food! Would definitely recommend! Can't believe this place used to be a bank back in my uni days haha

Not as good as usual. Booked table for festive lunch. Nothing special. Table not ready and no crackers and no decorations. Food good though. Real downside was the restaurant was very cold and we ate lunch with our coats on

Well, where to start! We couldn’t tell if the staff were helpful or not due to the music blaring, it was bad music too! Food seemed ok at first but Turkey was dry and 🫤, my veges were undercooked and parsnips weren’t roasted. Dessert was apple crumble with spice, very lumpy tasteless custard. I could forgive the disappointing food as my friends said there’s was ok but the unhelpful staff when we asked if they turn the music down & poor attitude was very poor. And they asked us to vacate out table earlier than indicated at the booking. There were x 3 other tables who also complained about the noise of music and this really spoiled our ability to chat easily and hear each other. Usually we all have a good old chat, with lots of stories and laughter. You really need to tell people that there is music that you can’t or won’t turn down followed by live music, which I enjoy when I want to listening to live music! Please don’t reply with platitudes of ‘ I’m sorry that you feel that way’ instead take action and more accommodating staff. I see others have commented about similar problem!

Really lovely setting. Food was lovely and great portions. We were really impressed by the cheerful, pleasant and friendly staff. Will definitely be returning. Thank you for a nice evening. 12/12/2023

Fantastic food and really lovely staff, highly recommend it

Excellent taken back how helpful staff are My explanation - three of us had beautiful steaks got to say 5⭐️ a beautiful Argentine wine finshed then asked for sweet menus which the told us no sweet. This I did find strange when out bill was well over £100 then to be told this and felt put off after being told this. But!! After the staff meantion what was going on that the water not only at the restaurant was switched off all around the area. I have to recommed 5⭐️ Service the management as well as the staff promptly apologized and offered us a sweet desert and it was lovely. Then the total surprise when asking for the bill they gave us the sweet desert free of charge and the bottle of wine we ordered and complimentary free meal for us all with a voucher tickets valid till February. On this we were amazed how they took all in hand and got to congratulate Maclarens on how they look after their clients, and to be honest never even expected this we were all amazed specially my friends being up in Edinburgh for a long weekend from Wales they could not believe their generosity. Overall I have to say the food was excellent great recommendation and 100% on their staff on how they make their customers feel important to them and to say thank you ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Lovely place good food great staff 👍👍

Lovely bar as soon as you walk in. Bit pricey but worth it for something special.

Dinner for three on a Tuesday evening, our first time in the main restaurant. So good! Friendly staff and an ideal acoustic for conversation, helped by the alcove-style seating we had. Food was really tasty (pan-seared cod, steak bavette, plant burger) with perfectly seasoned accompanying vegetables. Any small negatives? The plant burger was quite small, and served in a cold rather than toasted bun, but that hardly detracted from our overall enjoyment of this fine eatery. We'll be back!

This is where to go for great food, drinks, coffee & service .

It was very good went there for my nephew's birthday.

This place is local to us and I went on for a quick lunch with my toddler today, on a whim. Normally I don’t feel welcome in restaurants or bars like this with my very young child but the young man serving us was so kind and gentle. We were just there for 40mins but I never felt rushed. Toddler loved the kids Mac+cheese! Will come back for the service alone! Thank you waiter, you made our day.

We had my daughter's baby shower there last week. The venue was amazing, staff made us all feel welcome + they didn't rush us between meals. I would definitely recommend this place for anyone looking for private hire rooms.

Late in reviewing but visited here last month during our visit to Edinburgh for Cocktail Week and were not disappointed. Sometimes with cocktail week, you find that some venues treat you a bit differently than their other customers or don’t offer quite the same level of service, but this was certainly not the case with McLaren’s. Staff were super friendly, the cocktail on offer was delicious and from their normal menu and the venue itself was lovely. Scott the barman in particular was just fab and provided the best customer service we had all weekend! He was friendly, knowledgable and made us feel very welcome. Will definitely be back.

The ambience and decor is very pleasant. However lunch and service was very disappointing. Our roast lunches arrived on cold plates and most of the food was either tepid or cold. Yorkshire pudding, cold, gravy, lukewarm, beef, lukewarm, roast potatoes, cold and chewy, vegetables, cold. When we pointed this out the waitress left all the plates to ask the manager, she then returned and asked if we wanted it reheated or a new plate. Asking for fresh plates she indicated it could be 5-6mins to wait. 20 mins later our ‘fresh’ plates arrived and only then were we relieved of the offending cold plates on the table. Our new/fresh plates were better but I would hardly say ‘fresh’ We also had beetroot and quinoa salad (with 4 small pieces of beetroot) which was quite dry, asking for a vinaigrette 4 times we were eventually told that they didn’t have any and would some olive oil do? No member of management came over to enquire what was wrong or to support their young staff as to how to deal with such errors, and they do happen. We were never rude or aggressive but were very disappointed with both quality of food and service. We won’t be back in a hurry and wouldn’t recommend

Menu very limited. unless you like chicken. Used to be much better choices. Complaint about my meal but nothing done about it. Service was poor,, too many dis-organised staff long wait drinks and missing food items . Manager unhelpful. Thank you for your reply below, however this is not what we ordered, so not our table, therefore someone else who had a unsatisfactory meal that evening.

Good quality food in a pleasant atmosphere. Seating not too close to other tables. Food menu varied including types of burgers too. Quick service, friendly staff. Tables on 3 floors and outside.

We had our wedding party here after the previous venue double booked us - but at the end of the day, we felt so lucky that we ended up at Mclarens. We had booked Teller and the atmosphere was great. The guests were impressed by the interior. The staff who served us were friendly and really patient with our rather tipsy bunch. Overall, very happy with everything and would recommend to anyone looking for a private venue hire

We enjoyed a late dinner which was perfectly done. The meat really was medium-rare the mashrooms properly flavoured and the drinks heavy. Staff was courteous, kind and talkative. One of them even gave me a cigarette as we were there till closing. Absolutely perfect evening.

Fun pub with a really nice vibe to it. Good drinks and nice staff. The fish and chips were good but can’t comment on the rest of the food. It’s a clean and upscale kind of place. Good for a third date

Amazing gluten free service. Beautiful interior. Friendly staff & great pub quiz!

The food was amazing, the service was even better and overall we had a great time. We would definitely come back when we're back in Edinburgh.

Music really ruined atmosphere why are they playing club like music on Sunday morning madness ! And doesn’t fit with the vibe at all needs sorted asap. Food is just good overall not wonderful not terrible a fine place for brunch if you can’t get a reservation elsewhere ( but please sort the music !!! )

This place has vegetarian options, but they are very small compared to the other options. The butternut squash "steak" and beetroot salad were both tiny and disappointing. I appreciate that the staff agreed to take one of the meals off our bill.

Just had a couple drinks outside. staff too a long time to ask what we wanted. and every drink felt the same. lots of ice and little drink

My brother was curious this place for while. That brought us inside. Interior is exceptional. I loved paintings, and bit of info about Duncan McLarens opposite the bar. Service is very helpful and chatty. They have one of my fav. Cold Town beer grapefruit IPA. We took that. I had little hunger, so ordered mac and cheese with becon added. Flatbread with carrot hummus for young one. Sticky toffe for my mom. She wanted fresh squizeed juice, but its served till 3pm. Everything Mouthwatering!

Warm atmosphere. Super friendly staff. Delicious food and Dog friendly

Bellissimo locale. Cibo ottimo e personale molto attento. Prezzi giusti

Great catch up with old uni friends. Lovely meal and nice drinks. We did outstay our welcome though.

## WARNING: DOGS (INCLUDING THOSE THE SIZE OF A PONY) ARE PERMITTED THROUGHOUT THE RESTAURANT ## Whilst this might be welcome news to some, many others will find it a massive turn-off, and this is not made clear on their Google maps page. Food was so-so. The batter on the monkfish taco was so thick that the texture of the fish was completely overwhelmed by the batter. Sirloin steak was ok. But, in fairness, the accompanying sauce was excellent. After our space was invaded by a couple of horses disguised as dogs, we asked our waiter to find another table for us. However it appeared he expected us to carry our own plates, rather than provide this basic courtesy. Not a good look. Won’t be back.

Food was good but service was very average. Staff everywhere but were not attentive and it took ages to take orders.

A modern bar, that is decorated to a very high standard. Food was excellent with portions being on the large side.

The food is a little more expensive but of good quality and tastes great. Furthermore, the waiters are extremely friendly and welcoming. I dislike that a 10% service fee is already included (-1 star). If I can choose the tip by myself, I can also value the waiter‘s work.

Ordered a soup for my lunch and my partner ordered just the garlic fries. Got my soup but my partner waited 30 mins for the fries and never recieved them so we went in and asked to cancel them. Was met with polite waitress but bit of an odd service.

Carta muy variada de comida y bebida. Precios asequibles, lugar pintoresco y bonito.

Fan-blooming-tastic! A wonderful night out with friends, perfect menu selection both in terms of food and drink, staff were attentive but not in your face. We had a minor issue with a starter and it was removed from the bill without hesitation.

Comfortable spot for my first meal upon arrival. Service was great too.

What a shame! We booked a dining table for food 6 hungry men and they apparently stopped food 15 minutes before we arrived, so we had to leave. When a dining table is booked, food is expected. In fairness they did offer fish and chips, but we walked by multiple establishments where we could have got fish and chips if we wanted. It was such a shame as it looked like a good place. It would be good if they took comments on board and developed their business instead of trying to justify their poor communication. Luckily there was a fine establishment up the road called Montpeliers that came to the rescue which I highly recommend.

Sitting outside or inside is very comfortable and warm! We sat outside as we had a large retriever. The dogs are allowed inside too. Delicious beer and wine and nibbles. Perfect for visitors and neighbours.

Visited for breakfast. Staff were welcoming and the place is beautiful. Unfortunately the food was average at best. I had a lorne sausage and poached egg ‘croll’. The croll was very very dry as it had been overly toasted, and the egg was over cooked (the yolk was like chalk). They did give plenty of ketchup to re-hydrate the food but it wasn’t a pleasant experience to eat. Coffee was lovely.

Food was superb, service likewise. Hard to knock. The pie was magnificent

Great food, loved sitting outside in the pretty courtyard area

This is a gem of a restaurant, I was so impressed with the staff they were attentive to our needs and so welcoming.The food was the best I have had in Edinburgh try the carrot soup it was amazing ,chef even shared his recipe.

Nice decor and the service is friendly. The food does not meet expectations. The panzanella salad was very small and under-dressed, the halloumi bites had certainly seen the inside of a freezer at some point and the monkfish tacos had unidentifiable fish goujons in them which were over-cooked. Not what we were expecting for starters costing £8.50. We ate the tacos, as the food took so long to come out and we were hungry, but we did pass on that they were not advertised as goujons and were disappointed at the quality. We were told that this would be passed on. Nobody came to speak with us and they were charged full price on the bill. I would not return to eat here when there are many other places to eat in the area where fresh food is served.

Best meal we've had in the UK after 3 weeks travelling. Beautiful ambience, and great prices.

Our fist time visiting McLarens. Good selection of food available, both a la carte and set menu available at good prices. Wine list good. Service very good. Great experience will visit again when in area.

Attended a special wine tasting event . The wine was very good but the food was better! Excellent service in a beautiful dining room. Highly recommend

Excellent service from start to finish! This was the first time we have been in for food and it didn’t disappoint!! We went for my fiancée’s birthday, the minute we walked in the staff were immediately attentive and took us directly to our table. The...

Had excellent lunch with grandchildren and friends

Poor experience this week at McLarens on the Corner. It was a last minute choice and we were so annoyed we went in the end. The service was slow, the food quality and quantity was awful. When we arrived the restaurant was fairly busy but...

Great service, food amazing and a nice wee dessert for my mum to celebrate her 87th birthday. Definitely recommend and staff brilliant. 👏👏👏👏

Very cozy restaurant! Rosa served us this even and was absolutely wonderful! Keep up the great work!

I thought I had ordered a delivery and then I rang to ask about it and to request a delivery but it didn't happen, just had a guy who barely spoke to me, so thanks for taking my money....for nothing, enjoy

Having enjoyed a family lunch at McLarens we chose it as the venue for a family and friends get-together for around 25 last Saturday. The upstairs function room is a light and airy space with interesting decor - the perfect setting for the buffet lunch...

My friends and I were in for cocktails and coffee. Great choice of cocktails and delicious coffee. The decor and ambience was spectacular. Bit pricey but worth it.

Nice but unfortunately nowhere near as great as it was before pandemic. Very 😔

Great place on Edinburgh's Holy Corner. I've only been for drinks. No complaints! Outdoor seating is nice.

We were celebrating a special event at McLarens and we all loved it. The weather was great so we could enjoy their terrace. The finger food served outside is delicious. Overall a great experience.

Awesome Scottish breakfast and service at McLarens. Guess what they have Singapore Sling cocktail but it was too early to drink for breakfast.

Stopped here for a drink and was very disappointed by the state of the outdoor seating area. Out of 12 tables 5 were covered in used dishes and glasses. Despite staff passing the tables none made any effort to clear away the debris. I spoke...

Waited 25 minutes for 2 drinks, otherwise the experience was good. The drinks tasted good. We were outside the heaters were on which was good.

Nice atmosphere, quick staff. Bit noisy because of the live music, but after all it was Fri night.

Fish and chips with fries! Tasteless fish, sauce dish containing tiny amount of pea puree. I have NEVER been served fries with fish before in a restaurant This is not McDonalds !!

Difficult to review. It's a very attractive place, especially the outdoor part on a sunny day. Unfortunately, our meal was not good. The coffee was fine, but the breakfast was not well done and I definitely won't be returning. The head staff were unfriendly and unhelpful, for example they did not explain the set up so we did not know until it was too late there was an option to eat outside, which is what we really wanted to do. On the other hand, the waitresses were very kind, and the drinks were good.

Dobre miejsce, by zjeść kolację czy posiedzieć ze znajomymi. Większość dań bardzo smaczna (byliśmy kilka razy i nie smakował mi tylko wellington). Sympatyczna obsługa i fajny klimat.

As our first experience of Mclarens we could not rate it highly enough, from start to finish everything was excellent. Our server Rory was fantastic, he answered any queries we had regarding the menus and even had some recommendations of his own which we gave...

Great food ......poor service ....

Delicious food and great friendly service

We went to Mclaren’s on the corner, we have been many times before and found the experience to be a pleasant one .But on this occasion it was not to be. The food was not the usual standard and as for the service, that was...

The place is really nice and the most of the wait staff was polite and friendly but some others (the head waiter and manager) were a bit rude and made us feel uncomfortable. The food was not cheap, I took eggs Benedict and the bread and bacon were burnt. We then ordered some cocktails and it took ages for them to arrive. Will not be going again. The place is not worth the price.

Food was good service excellent they really looked after us

Venue is very nice looking, has a nice atmosphere but suffers from a lack of drinks choices. However, I thought the venue was very dimly lit considering how bright it still was outside. Additionally, we were puzzled to be charged 10% service charge for a...

Love the interior design The food is fine, just a but pricey, though expected Service is good Overall a nice place for a relaxing meal and chat

Incredible breakfast, friendly staff and fashionable decor💕

Excellent food and excellent service

A comfortable venue for couples for sure. Diet is varied with fine specialty drinks. Pricing is appropriate, but be aware. The bill will have an automatic 10% added (no extra tax, of course). This is indicated as discretionary. So, don't "double up" the tip or...

We enjoyed a family lunch yesterday at McLarens on the Corner ... and I was very impressed! Without fail the staff were friendly and helpful, and the Sunday Roast I enjoyed was excellent. We had three youngsters (5, 8 and 11) in the party and...

Great experience from the initial booking enquiry through to the actual dinner itself. They were so helpful as we had some specific requirements which required a bit of back and forward. The ambience was great. Lovely decor. The food was great. The service was great....

Terrific food and great service. Dog-friendly.

Disappointingly only okay. My haddock was good, but my partner's spiced Moroccan dish certainly hadn't seen any spices. Good vibe in there though

Excellent brunch. Lots of space, delicious food and excellent staff. Highly recommended!

Lovely atmosphere, child & dog friendly. There is a great option of gluten free menu choices. Staff are always very welcoming and attentive. One of my favourite brunch spots on edinburgh.

Great food every one of us had something different and we were delighted with our choices. Great service the surroundings were lovely.