The Lookout in Edinburgh, City of

We had been told by others that we should look forward to a high quality meal in an exceptional location overlooking our home city. From the very beginning we sensed that the restaurant was not going to live up to our expectations. The dining area did enjoy good views in all directions, but the furnishings were sparse with hard chairs and no table coverings. We were advised that we would have the table for a strict maximum of two hours. There was no à la carte menu, only a single choice for each course. The description of each course may have been appetising, but the portions were minimalistic, defeating even nouvelle cuisine in terms of their smallness. The service was very slow at times, with the result that we were informed that we would very shortly have to leave as our time had run out, even though we were still awaiting the dessert, not to mention the coffee. To make matters worse, the restaurant was noisy. For such an experience, the price was exorbitant, and it is possible to enjoy much better food in more comfortable locations in Edinburgh. As for the view, that is available for free.

Tuvimos una comida maravillosa. La ubicación es excelente y nos encantaron las vistas desde la mesa de la esquina. La comida estaba muy bien presentada y deliciosa. El personal era amable y atento. Muy recomendable!

First impressions when you walk in, is that it looks like a fairly good Cafe. Certainly not an upmarket restaurant. Its marketing makes much of its view, be aware only 5 of the tables actually have a view, and only 2 lookout over the castle, the vast majority of tables have no view at all. If you are sitting in the middle of the cafe, you will have a member of staff walking past with a box of dirty dishes every couple of minutes on their way downstairs. Access to the toilets is down a scruffy flight of stairs and they appear to be public toilets closed off for the evening. For a £200 meal I would not expect paper napkins or to have to root through a crammed portable coat rack to find my coat on leaving. The food was OK, and our waitress was excellent. The choice of beer, not a wine drinker, was take it or leave it, they only had 1 and after tasting it I left it and drank water. The overall impression was that they are very much overselling the experience.

We had e very nice, long lunch here. The sun wa shining so the view was indeed amazing. The soup was excellent, as was the butter for the bread, really. The rest was good, nice tasting, not excellent. The service was absolutely great! They were there were needed, quietly there the rest of the time. And yes, it does cost money, is it worth it? For the whole package, maybe, for just the food, I don't think so. Nevertheless we had a great time there.

This restaurant is located in a modern glass building on the top of Carlton Hill. Breathtaking views of Edinburgh & over to Fife. It offers a 3 course tasting menu with matched drinks keep this in mind if you like to have a choice of food. Every course & drink was delicious. As it was a special occasion we had a further glass of the fizz that matched with the starter at the end of the meal & were not charged for that. Staff friendly & gave a description of each course & drink. Brilliant meal we will be back

This place is in an amazing location and has incredible views but the worst meal we have ever had . Food is embarrassingly bad and ridiculously overpriced. Service mediocre . Ruined a birthday celebration.

First time ever at this restaurant. Although they were really busy one of the staff managed to fit us in. The service was exceptional and the food was second to none. Although we were a walk in they still accommodated my wife's food allergies. They put us at the corner table when it became free and the view over Edingburgh is fantastic. I would definitely recommend this restaurant to anyone.

Such a cool city, doesnt deserve a bad restaurant like this one. Restaurant at the top of the hill, very expensive and offering very little. Disappointing atmosphere, small and depressing service. Enjoy the restaurants near the city center, they are much better than this isolated and disappointing one.

After a long hard walk up to the top of Calton Hill, what a lovely sight to see the Lookout- but NO! I approached the almost empty place, which had people inside eating to be greeted with "The terrace is closed" Well, i said, any chance of a drink inside?? A bloke behind the bar looked at me as though i had vomited on the floor. NO, no drink, no, lets see if we can find a table so you can have a quick drink! NO, well, the terrace is closed but we will do you a drink, what do you fancy?? NOTHING! I would not of minded but the huge terrace area was empty on a lovely sunny afternoon. Unless places are more friendly and flexible with potential customers cannot see myself being in any way sympathetic if they go out of business during the oncoming cost of living crisis. Shocking lack of customer care, service or flexibility

... in the walled "compound" of the old observatory, as the restaurant comes into view. It is like theatre: a stunning set, a friendly welcome (followed by a seemingly effortless and unfussy service) and a flow of five palate-teasing, lovingly curated dishes, before the main act is consumed just as the sun sets into the Trossachs and the epilogue in the form of dessert and cheese arrives. As the last guests to leave (sorry for lingering), we were invited to change the background music, but could not improve on what was playing: everything was now in its place, equilibrium had been reached.

Very lovely view, it's amazing you can see the whole city from somewhere so central. I would highly recommend if you are visiting this gorgeous city.

I visited with my mother for her 70th birthday. We received a very warm welcome and some lovely cocktails to start. We then had a 3 course of some awesome fresh local cuisine and had every item on our plate explained which was a super touch. Every flavor complimented each other and we were given a nice amount of time between courses. The staff were so helpful and kind. They took lovely photos of my mother and me and we had a great view of the city. My mum even said it was the best lunch she has ever had! Thank you lookout, we will be back.

I had heard good reviews from friends and family which I felt was confirmed by the fact that it was always full when I tried to book. I decided visiting in the middle of winter would help. I have been to Gardeners Cottage a few times and the food here was of their high standard. The pheasant in a coffee infusion was full of flavour but not too strong and ‘gamey’. It was served with 3 half small potatoes and 3 half tiny Brussels sprouts. Tasty, but it was such a small portion, my husband was so hungry he had to stop and buy a scone on the way home. I first tasted sea buckthorn at the Gardeners Cottage and this sorbet was as sharp and delicious as I expected. What did surprise me however was the slowness of the kitchen. Given that the menu is quite limited and it stays the same for weeks at a time - it doesn’t change daily depending on what is for sale in the local food market- I didn’t expect to wait 40 minutes before receiving our pheasant. Our booking was at the start of service at 12.00 so there wasn’t a backlog. The kitchen is open to view and the 2 chefs certainly weren’t moving quickly or with any enthusiasm. If the chefs don’t want to move faster, they really ought to plan a much faster and more efficient way to cook and plate the food. Given that it is called the Lookout, the view across Edinburgh is incredible, even for a local, even on a cold wet day. It was fun picking out well known buildings and seeing them from on high. I rated it a 4 because the food is definitely above average, the waiting staff were very helpful and pleasant and the view breathtaking but the kitchen needs a faster process.

A great location place and we enjoyed impressive service and food. The views are simply wonderful. Whilst we enjoyed ourselves and have no criticism of the staff or the menu the bill was an unpleasant surprise. Of course the premier location will attract premier pricing but the bill seemed padded by expensive coffee, bread and tiny but expensive portions of vegetable, chips etc. I would prefer the pricing was transparent but would still recommend this restaurant to tourists with deeper pockets!

Edinburgh doesn’t have any skyscrapers, thank goodness, but who needs one when The Lookout can offer fine dining with 360-degree views of the city from the top of Calton Hill. It’s a long walk to the top, or five minutes in a taxi, but the view alone is worth the effort even before you have the menu in one hand and a glass of wine in the other. This is a wonderful restaurant with an interesting menu and, like its partner restaurant The Gardener’s Cottage at the bottom of the hill, it’s original but not over the top if you’ll forgive the pun. The food is locally sourced – the set lunch menu of three courses for £38 is Orkney scallops, followed by Borders pheasant with Jerusalem artichokes, finishing with Clementine white chocolate. Instead I went for the ‘native beef tartare with fermented mushroom’ to start (£14) – a small portion, but quite the most delicious beef tartare I’ve ever eaten. For my main course I had spatchcock quail (£19) with miso and cauliflower which I can also recommend. The service is courteous, friendly and unrushed. The bill for four, with a bottle of wine, came to £240 including service. Not a cheap date but a good investment if you're hoping for a honeymoon. My wife and I had lunch here with two friends shortly before Christmas and all four of us, who enjoy good food, agreed that, on all counts, The Lookout couldn’t have been a better end to a year of eating out. And then there’s the view…