The Black Grape in Edinburgh, City of

The Black Grape was fantastic! We popped in for an impromptu dinner, helped along by some fine Scottish rain. I had a refreshing drink and we enjoyed several scrumptious plates. Everything was really, really flavorful. The staff was friendly and attentive. Great experience all around. Recommend booking as it filled up quickly. We were lucky.

Dishes were all interesting and mostly tasty, particularly the Arbroath smokie arancini and whipped feta dish. Staff were pleasant enough but not as attentive as they could have been: they didn't think to give us serving spoons/forks (we were sharing the dishes) and extra small plates, which we had to ask for a couple of times. Nice decor with a Scandi vibe, but it felt a little sterile for me.

We came here based on reviews. The food was very good, but the service was terrible. We were sat down and the waitress only came by once. The assistant brought out all the food, and our requests for wine and drinks never got made or brought over. We couldn’t even flag down our server to get a dessert menu, so we went somewhere else for dessert.

The food was excellent and the small plates great for sharing.The arancini was outstanding as was the whipped feta.If sharing ask how many pieces are on the plate as some had 3 , the bread, and 2 , the arancini , which can make a difference to your order if a table of 4 .The service was excellent and the waiting staff knowledgeable about the food and advised re order.A lovely experience.

One of the best meals I've ever had. Every dish was amazing.

Delicious food, really enjoyed our visit, will definitely be back. The focaccia sourdough with feta dip was Devine!!

All in all, a great meal. I thought a few dishes lacked seasoning and were lacking in the quantity of sauce. The scotch egg was amazing. The oysters were the best I've tasted. Great service and a really good wine list.

Been here many times, my go to place when guests visit Edinburgh. The newer introduction of the chefs menu gives an exciting different experience with every visit, can't wait to go back!

All the paper-thin atmosphere of a posh Edinburgh bistro. Small plates of simple cheap ingredients plated up as haute-cuisine. Really terrible value for money.

Shhh!! It's a very good place, delicious food, a friendly atmosphere, top service, well-chosen wines. Don't say it too much, so we can come back easily

Great food, service and atmosphere A little expensive for the size of the dishes

Absolute gem of a place. Service was excellent due to the friendly and knowledgeable staff, particularly the lady from Hungary behind the bar. And the food was stunning, the Nduja scotch egg especially! Highly recommend - made our first night in Edinburgh on a short weekend away truly memorable.

Food was pretty nice but honestly 7,50 € for three slices of bread? Everything was extremely overpriced and servings were basically 3 bites each. 192€ for 4 persons and we left the place with our stomachs half empty. We ordered a starter that was basically a fetta cheese spread and the waiter told us that we should have some bread with it, so we ordered it too. And we got three goddamn pieces. Three slices of bread. We were four. I went to ask the waiter if he could add another slice to the basket since we were 4 people, and he told us that we would have to order another basket if we wanted more. We would’ve had to order another 3 slices of bread. For 7’50€. Have we lost our minds or what? Honestly one of the worst dining experiences I’ve had in a while. Food was nice and all but it doesn’t make it up for the joke this was. Honestly skip this overpriced restaurant and go find something else. Something better.

Went there with my wife while in Edinburgh. Posh little place with good atmosphere. Food is small plates and everything we got was tremendous and great for sharing. Have a nice drink menu with fun cocktails. Try it if close you won’t regret.

Terrible service. Serve the food and that's it. Unpleasant experience. The food itself is saved, but very expensive for a precarious service that does not take the customer into account. I won't come back.

Decent food -interesting creative ideas and combinations but a somewhat misleading way to overcharge, pricing “small plates” to share but charge entree prices. Not really sharing either I’m mean how do you share a scotch egg? Ticked off the list of places to eat but not worth the prices so we won’t be back.

Excellent experience with The Black Grape! Super delicious food and great service. My husband isn’t a fan of oysters but from this restaurant he said “impressive oysters”. We ordered cheese dishes twice. Highly recommended!!!

Absolutely amazing experience, all the dishes that we ordered were fresh and full of flavour. I especially recommend the trout, mushroom spring roll, oysters, whipped feta, seared scallops and triple cooked chips and affogato. Cocktails were fantastic as well!

Incredible food and service. The best restaurant in Edinburgh at the moment.

Delicious - our family loved sharing all the amazing meals and our waiter Hugh was so attentive. Thank you

Elevated cuisine with real culinary imagination that made our evening special. The flavor combinations are bold and unique, the staged serving of the dishes was delightful on the pallet and every dish felt it was put together by someone who actually cares about food. Oysters were fresh and seasoned quite nicely. Cocktails and service were great too. Easily one of the top dining experiences I’ve had in a while - indulgent enough to feel like a treat, not a splurge.

The food was absolutely lovely especially whipped feta which was really really nice!! We had used an itison deal, so we got three small plates and some really lovely sparkling wine that was absolutely delicious. Service was also fantastic, we had a waiter called Hugh who was super attentive very very lovely! Great service & food, would recommend.

Great restaurant located in the middle of Edinburgh. We had a selection of the dishes to share and there wasn’t a single one which disappointed. The whipped feta, mozzarella, and arancini were top tier. The steak was also amazing. Great balance overall and all the plates went really well together. Couldn’t fault a thing if I tried. Reasonably priced considering the sourcing and high quality of the ingredients, there’s clearly a commitment here as the dishes are simple but taste amazing. Just delicious, I’ll be coming back for sure. Just give it a try! Service was great and wait staff were very friendly and chatty. General vibe was nice and calm, it’s a bit of an oasis in there.

A real hidden gem in Edinburgh, the food was excellent as was the service. The whipped feta is a must. Great value, don't miss this place.

A good address, sophisticated and succulent cuisine. Top notch service.

We had a fabulous dinner. A perfect spot for great food in a casual lively atmosphere. We appreciated the local crowd and attentive but casual and very friendly service. Our favorite meal from our whole week of travel.

The staff is very friendly, the restaurant is very nice, it is better to book because it is small! The meat dish “rump heart steak” is the best!!! The exquisite scallops, oysters and delicious mozzarella! Highly recommended

Very glad we decided to try this restaurant: excellent food and great service. We ended up taking 9 items from the main menu a dessert. The scallops were delicious :-)

Having been here a couple of times previously, we nipped in on Sunday lunchtime. Perfect, amazing and fantastic............. all for the service, food and ambience. Again, we'll be back 👍😎

Had a tasting experiance for 2 and it was amazing , service was great and the food was really nice will definitly be back for more.

Sorry really not my thing. We ordered haggis sausage roll, octopus, duck, oyster, potatoes and tartar. Other than the tartar absolutely earning that star, other foods are just bland. The sauce with the octopus is ok, but the nut-cracker-thing below may have too much ratio from the whole dish. For the duck breast as the main, the portion isnt nearly enough. The flavour of haggis isnt brought up nor complimented. It is suggested to have 2 plates and a side or 3 plates per person, but i can tell you we only filled our bellies because we ordered 2 potato sides. Not worth the price sorry.

Great location for a glass of wine (or two). Staff are really attentive, music is occasionally top notch. Ideally placed next to Waverley station if you are looking for a glass before heading home - which works for us. We have also grabbed food in here and stayed longer with a bottle of wine. Lovely environment to meet friends over some small plates. One of our 4 winebars to visit in edinburgh - as locals.

My wife and I ate here in early February. We were advised that 2-3 small plates per person would be typical for dinner. We ordered 6 dishes: Chicken Schnitzel, Scallops, Arancini, Truffled Lasagne, Celeriac, and Halloumi. Service was great, nice room and ambiance. The food looked and tasted great, but the portions were oh-so-small: 2 scallops (£18), 2 Arancini each the size of a golf ball (£14.50), 3 slices of halloumi with a few pomegranite seeds (£11.50) was particularly shocking. Our bill came to just over £100 (incl 1 beer and 1 small glass of wine) and we left the restaurant still feeling hungry, so only giving 3 stars becuase we felt the meal didn't represent good value for money. In summary, nice place, good food, but as other reviewers point out, vastly overpriced for such meagre portions. We often do small plates dining and there are many comparable places in Edinburgh with great food where the value for money is far better (Fava, Baba, Tapas3 are examples), so in future we'll be taking our custom to those places.

Lovely place and atmosphere. Excellent food, great service from staff, and delicious cocktails (recommend the margarita!).

Very good restaurant in a very nice setting

Spent a wonderful evening at the black grape with my mother, with amazing dishes (loads of vegetarian options) and a nice decor. Only downside is : tends to get a bit noisy cause the music is a bit too loud I think so people speak louder. Probably great for diner in the weekdays and definitely recommended 👏🏻👏🏻

A small restaurant on Canongate with a dark but warm vibe. The menu was carefully designed, suiting for every need. The standout was the mushroom dish, which is a MUST try. The staff were knowledgeable about their menu, answering all of my many questions…and had a good laugh when I set the menu on fire…. The wine was incredible.

Great food, great service and great experience!

Food was very bad. Very bad cook. Nothing special and overpriced for what it offers.

Absolutely Outstanding! The Black Grape on the Royal Mile is a true gem. From the moment we walked in, the ambiance was warm and stylish, with a perfect balance of modern and cozy. The menu is creative and packed with bold, flavorful dishes—perfect for sharing. If you’re looking for inventive food, a fantastic drink selection, and a vibrant atmosphere in Edinburgh, The Black Grape is a must-visit. We can’t wait to come back!

Delicious food and excellent service

The ambience and service were good but unfortunately the food very disappointing. The taste was unpleasant, the textures were strange, very oily, and the octopus even tasted off (we had to send it back, thankfully they removed it from our bill). The concept of the dishes could have worked well but unfortunately the preparation of the food was so poorly that it almost all tasted bad. Wouldn’t recommend ordering any food maybe just good for a glass of wine or cocktail

To start, atmosphere and service is fine. But that is also where it stops. Food was a downward slope from the beginning. In short, this restaurant needs a new chef. Someone who can actually cook. Then, it would actually be a pretty decent restaurant. If you care for the in depth explanation, go there yourself…. Or better not.

Food ok, a little pricey for what it is ….but what ruined it for us was the poor service and noise levels - took ages to get drinks, and coffees didn’t arrive. We gave up, got the bill and left. If eating in December, it was so so loud in this place due to Xmas Parties. Couldn’t hear ourselves think!

A rustic, Scandinavian minimalist atmosphere, so different from the old dark Edinburgh pubs, different does not mean worse! On the contrary! Great atmosphere! And the food, phenomenal! You can see that the chef knows what he is doing and, more importantly, he has ideas and a vision of what he serves! All this beautifully served by wonderful service. I recommend !!!

I had a reservation at this restaurant in the evening, but since I had already eaten at another place, I wasn’t very hungry. Nonetheless, I decided to honor my reservation at Black Grape. My initial intention was to try something more local or traditional Scottish cuisine, but the menu at Black Grape seemed more like modern European fusion dishes. When I arrived, there was only one table of guests, which made me wonder why the restaurant was so empty. You know, going to a restaurant with no customers always makes you question if there’s something wrong—poor service or bad food, perhaps. However, I soon realized this wasn’t the case. The servers here were very friendly and enthusiastic, showing a genuine effort in their work. I ordered the trout which turned out to be much better than expected. The presentation was exquisite, and the flavors were delightful. Another dish I tried was the scallops. While it looked great, I felt the chef might have been a bit too focused on showcasing culinary techniques. I had also read some reviews mentioning that the seasoning for this dish felt slightly off-balance, and I would suggest that the chef could refine the flavors to make them fresher. Of course, this is just my personal opinion—I’m sure the chef has his reasons for creating the dish this way. Overall, the scallops were visually appealing, but a slight adjustment in the seasoning, ingredients pairing, or sauce could make it even more popular. The service provided by the waitstaff was excellent and left a lasting positive impression. I hope they continue to thrive. For travelers looking to explore more creative and innovative local flavors, this could be worth a try. To the chefs, keep up the great work!

Inventive Scottish tapas, friendly service and good wine - what more could you want. The food was different and that's not always a great thing but it was done in a brilliant way here. We tried a few wines and they were all really nice. Service was brilliant too. The only little note was that seating in the corner under the speaker was a little loud.

The place is just ok. I don't get the great reviews. This is very average food presented in a fancy way. Felt touristic.

The rating is unreasonably high for this place. The downside is disgusting food. On the plus side - good and nice waiters and good wine. But even they could not correct the impression about the quality of the food. I thought that fresh oysters and bread could not be spoiled, but it turned out that if you pour hot sauce on the oysters and overcook the bread in burnt oil, then this is no longer possible. The scallops were fried in similar oil and that's the first thing you smell when this dish arrives. Okay, let's close our nose and try it. And here is another surprise: the scallops lie on a bed of mustard and are covered with raisins. Eating this is also strictly forbidden, all receptors protest. Now the pork is actually a few pieces of overcooked bacon. And the same disgusting smell of burnt oil. All I could eat was potatoes and washed down with wine, but this in no way saved the impression. Until the chef fixes the menu, it’s definitely not worth coming here.

Very little food and quite high prices. The table itself was good, but next to the door there was a lot of draft when people came in and left.

I fell in love with everything about this place. While the interior is fanciful, the prices are affordable and the experience is exquisite. I’ve tried the wild mushroom spring rolls, buffalo mozzarella and fresh oysters. All were great.

Great little bits for meats connoisseurs with rich selection of quality alcohols. My favourite restaurant in Edinburgh. Especially recommend venison and steaks.

Extremely busy and really hard to hear each other. Due to business we presume, service was very very slow. Took forever to even order and receive a drink. Food was ok but we were a bit disappointed in the taste and quality for the price. Appreciate the tapas style dishes come out as and when they are ready. But the salads came out near the end of the meal which seemed a bit odd. Staff super friendly.

Attentive and friendly service on a quiet Monday night dinner. Inventive dishes, but still felt like comfort food. Very cool wine list as well. Would recommend to any friend!

Great, every dish we had was excellent. The kitchen produces well thought out, balanced and tasty food.

Cozy place,food was fine.very good service!

My wife and I enjoyed a very nice evening here. It was quiet however, it was 8:30 on a Tuesday evening. The food was really nice! Sensible sharing portions. We also enjoyed a great selection of different wines by the glass. I would like to go again when it is busy to see how the place feels when full as we felt spoilt with our experience.

Loved this place! Highlights were the scallops, pork belly, smoked trout and the biggest, juiciest olives ever. Ignore all the negative reviews about the plates being too small, they were pretty generous for a small plates restaurant. Cocktails were also lovely, especially the sour grape.

Omg Food is amazing. Definitely a must visit location.

Excellent food and service however it's a tad expensive for the portion sizes.

Everything was delicious. My negative points are the noise and the price of the food for the portion sizes, which are tiny.

It’s really a cute little place. Service is good and the food is very well presented. But the value is ridiculously bad. When they say it’s small plates, they mean TINY! Wish I had taken pictures - the scallops dish (for £18.50) was a grand total of two scallops cut in half. Ditto for the rest of the plates. After £100 for two we quit and went someplace else. Had to laugh when they say, “Whether you’re after a quick glass of wine or a feast…” - even if you ordered everything on the menu it wouldn’t qualify as a feast. Probably good for a glass of wine and a single plate before going somewhere else for a real meal. Not for dinner.

Nice, cool and chill place with delicious food and wine, good music.

Neil was our server and he was very friendly and knowledgeable. The recommendation that he gave us for the pork belly was spot on. Our favorites were the arancini and the steak. We’re typically very weary of arancini because the risotto is often not that good but the balance of the fried outside and the soft inside was amazing. The steak was great but what really elevated it was the mushroom “ketchup”. It’s only been on their menu for a few weeks but it was amazing.

If you are on the fence about eating here or somewhere else, you want to eat here! We came here for our anniversary dinner, and enjoyed sharing all of the small plates.

Food and drinks second to none and the service from Neil and Charlotte unparalleled, outstanding.

Our group of 7 came in 20m before the kitchen closed after we were turned away from another restaurant and Neil and Charlotte were extremely accommodating! They setup us at a table and we ended up ordering most of the food on the menu and it all came out excellent! The hummus, cured sea trout, oysters, scallops, bread, olives, buffalo mozzarella, dessert cheeses and chocolate tart, were all extraordinary! The cocktails and wine were all complementary to our meal. And, the service was unmatched! Before the end of our meal we asked if we could make a reservation for our last dinner in Edinburgh. We'll be recommending The Black Grape to all of our friends back in the States who come to visit.

Great cocktails, very friendly staff

Excellent venue for a group work dinner. We were all pleasantly surprised by the quality, having done no research beforehand.

The service is good. However, when the starters and main dishes arrived, disappointment took over the table. Minimal portions and very expensive... They were tasty, but not worth the value for money.

I found the menu to be pretty unimaginative and overpriced. £5 for 4 thin slices of average bread. I had the pork belly and it was measly slices and overcooked, although the carrot purree and sauce was good. I also had chips which were supposed to be triple cooked? they were over salted and hard in the middle. I would recommend for the atmosphere and the cocktails/wine available but the meal did not feel very generous.

What a lovely restaurant. We had a bunch of small plates and everything was delicious. The service was friendly and quick and the restaurant itself was so classy

food was delicious and the staff were so accommodating as we had a show to get to, would absolutely love to come back and would highly recommend

Excellent food and wine in a very relaxing environment. Service was first class without being OTT. We had lunch - small plates which were all bursting with flavour , the beef carpaccio was a exceptional.

Food really good but very small portions. Dont go with a hungry belly.

Good concept, excellent food & wine and nice people. They really deserve "cinque stelle". We've been two times to the black grape and it feels like "une histoire d'amour".

Excellent service, lovely ambience and surprisingly delicious food and drinks! Highly recommended.

Superb flavours!! Every mouthful made us go “ooooohhh” which is a very rare thing indeed!!

Amazing food great wine very friendly and helpful staff AAAAAA++++++

The food here is devine. The drinks are perfect. Service, warm and friendly. I could sit here all afternoon to try all the dishes.

Great service, very kind and helpful throughout our dinner, food was not personally super enjoyable, most of the dishes were just too sweet including the appetizers, the schnitzel and the steak but the food was decent. The meat dishes took longer than expected to come out. Restaurant is nice on the eyes with the decor and the bar.

Great place for dinner - the food was not bad, it was flavored but not to the high standards I expected. Potions are small, tasty yes, blown away no. Lots of Basil oil- Pork Belly was just deep fried pretty bland to be fair- the sauce on the plate was nice. The Chicken was very good, just not enough of it. Desert was great - staff were fantastic.

This isn’t just a wine bar, it’s a welcoming restaurant serving delicious food! We came across it by chance as it was almost opposite our hotel. What a treat! We had several tapas style dishes, all very well prepared and tasty. The staff were efficient and friendly. We didn’t have to book. Quite a find as I haven’t seen it on Tripadvisor.

We received a voucher for Xmas and were really looking forward to going here. Sadly, it in no way lived up to expectations. First of all, we had been sat for 25 minutes before we even received a drink. We ordered the focaccia which came first which was very nice and served warm. We then had the lamb croquette which was also very tasty. The haggis sausage roll came at the same time and was fine but it didn’t really taste of haggis and the pastry wasn’t flaky. Next, we had the caramelised onion arancini which was really not good. The sauce tasted burnt and bitter and the risotto rice in the arancini was undercooked. Sadly, the mushroom spring roll was also very disappointing and both of us only had one bite and left the rest. Lastly, we had the pork belly and the fries. The pork belly was slightly chewy and the veg served with it was heavily salted. The chips were also heavily salted, so much so, I had to brush the salt off the few I had. I have to say the staff were lovely and the restaurant had a nice ambience but the food let the whole experience down. The manager did take off the arancini for us but didn’t come over and say anything. We spoke to our waiter at the end of the meal to let him know about our experience and he was very understanding. Sadly, I will not be back to this restaurant. It does have a lot of very good reviews but for the price, it is not worth giving another chance.

Really nothing to fault for the price. Friendly peeps, fabulous food, nicely spaced out tables, nice wine too. Would highly recommend and will be back.

So far, I've only been for a glass of wine and snacks. I definitely intend going back for a meal.

Amazing food. Bursting with flavours texture and taste from locally sourced food cooked with care and compassion. Every single plate was flavoursome. Lovely atmosphere and kind staff. Definitely will recommend this place when you visit Edinburgh.

Update: came back and the service is as excellent as my first visit. The kitchen was closing and they still placed my order: chicken schnitzel. Happy belly. OG: I had an excellent dinner. Chicken schnitzel +, focaccia are divine and the bartenders are mega knowledgeable and kind. Thank you for the whisky recommendations!

Amazing food 👏 Great lunch with the family. Kids had the chicken and chips while the adults enjoyed the cocktails, wine and tapas. The sour grape aperitif is highly recommended 👌

Had a sourdough focaccia. Very nice one. But still not compareale with the one you found in Cinque terra in Italy though.

From start to finish the black grape was phenomenal. The service was pioneered by the GM and AGM and they truly made us feel welcome and cared for from the moment we walked in the restaurant. The food was awesome, not to be missed is the focaccia with the mozzarella and tuna tartare, and omg the rump with the peppercorn sauce stole the show. The drinks were good and I had a phenomenal orange wine. Cannot recommend enough.

Outstanding service and the best food we had in Scotland. Absolutely perfect meal.

Amazing food, great service, awesome drinks! Shout-out to our waitress Emma, who looked after us like royalty!

Unexpectedly outstanding food at this restaurant. Very clean, helpful staff, and great drinks too. So much better than another random sub-par touristy pub food experience.

Amazing service, tapas and drinks! A must in Edinburgh for a light snack and a good drink on the side.

Food was great, particularly enjoyed the tuna tataki and the blue cheese croquettes

Absolutely divine! We accidentally stumbled upon this place walking from our accommodation into the "city center". We booked to go here for a drink and some small plates that evening. Great decision! Food was absolutely delicious!! The menu understates how delicious it is. Great selection of wine and the team were great to deal with. Chilled out environment and this ended up being our favourite evening out in Edinburgh.

Stumbled on this place while walking-such a lovely change in flavours snd textures! Food and presentation amazing! Def worth a visit when down Canongate way in Edinburgh.

Never had a meal here but been in several times for drinks - nice spot with good interiors and wine/cocktails

Review written on behalf of my Dad, who visited earlier this week (but hasn't quite figured out Google Reviews!): My clients and I had a wonderful experience and amazing service, especially from Danny, who chose an excellent selection of food for us. I recommend this restaurant to anyone visiting Edinburgh.