The Palmerston in Edinburgh, City of

I was very excited to sample the set lunch menu at the Palmerston. Unfortunately, it did NOT live to expectations. The first course was 1/2 of an egg with 1 tablespoon of shredded cabbage/celeriac with mayo very poor and the second course was tagliatelle pasta ragu. The ragu lack in flavour and depth, my Italian grandmother would have been devastated. So we paid £21 for 2 courses and it was very unsatisfying. I wish we have gone to a different restaurant in Edinburgh, a pub meal would have been much more enjoyable. Maybe the a La carte is good but because the set menu was so poor that it is very off putting 🤷🏻‍♀️.

What a lovely place. Food was 10/10, service was 10/10. Our server Grace was so helpful and made my girlfriends night (on her bday)

Such a good time having lunch at the Palmeston. Amazing flavors, the fantastic bread and butter to start the meal with were so appreciated!

Amazing bakery with a great selection presented out front on the counter so you know exactly what they have in stock before you get to the counter. Great coffee too. We went here a couple of times during our short stay in Edinburgh it was that good.

Food, service & all the bits in-between are exquisite

Had my birthday dinner at the Palmerston tonight and food wise it did not disappoint. Everybody loved the food. The flavours were all on point. If you want a place to enjoy good food and good company without feeling rushed or uncomfortable the Palmerston is the place to go to.

dog friendly! brilliant bakes! good coffee! what's not to like? stopping at one croissant was literally impossible, and I left the place with 5 others in a to-go bag lol. the breakfast experience was good enough to convince me to return for lunch/dinner at some point. nearby parking is a bit of a challenge, but not insurmountable.

Very attentive staff, very good local food, huge selection of drinks.

Start with cocktails from our bartender Guillermo. And a great meal. Friendly staff. Oh, and coffee and croissants the next two mornings. Can’t wait for our second dinner tonight.

We were able to nab a 9pm reservation to the Palmerston the day before arriving in Edinburgh and it was well worth the wait! We so enjoyed our meal and the servers were helpful and friendly. One was even kind enough to share a full list of Edinburgh recommendations with us. A great experience all around and a highlight of our trip.

Was recommended by a friend and it exceeded expectations. The food was superb and the service very attentive. Would definitely recommend the mackerel and also the roast chicken. The whisky collection is also above par.

It is an elevated pub style restaurant with a young vibe. We were treated well even though we aren’t young. Locally sourced foods that were not your usual fare that created unique dishes that were very tasty.

Just popped in for a morning coffee and pasty. The place has a lovely feel to it with the most amazing pastries on display. Its a bit more of a pricier coffee and pastry but it is most definitely worth it

Excellent as ever. Delicious food and amazing service from Rebecca, Henry and others. Very dog friendly too. Thank you

Our dining experience was fantastic here. Everything from the cocktails, appetizers and entrees were fresh and well prepared. Service was friendly and professional. Thank you for a special evening we will remember.

We had just the most delicious lunch today, we went off the set menu ( although the set sounded amazing too!). We shared the Pork rillettes, (wish we got one each) it was absolutely delicious, followed by the Cod and I had the venison sausage, absolutely delicious both these courses followed by the Bakewell tart with cold custard and a chocolate mousse to die for ! Delicious wine and great service, very reasonably priced too! A must visit!

Such a delightful experience — the food was divine and the service was perfect. I chose the vegetarian option whereas my friends went for the Chicken & Offal. Would love to come again!

What a pleasing place. More than a place but a beautiful classic building housing a true gastro pub. The menu offers some extraordinary dishes all perfectly presented. The fish dishes represented the best in fish cookery while the meat fell off the bones. If I lived in Edinburgh I’d return on a regular basis.

10/10. Truly delicious food and marvelous service at very good value. The lamb and the blackcurrant sorbet dishes are to die for. Strongly recommend for anyone.

Excellent restaurant with delicious local food and excellent, friendly service.

What a fantastic place, they clearly know what they are doing and they do it well. I came with my daughter for the first time today. The staff took great care to check over dietary requirements in advance and upon arrival the waitress had already prepared a list of what we could have , provided suggestions and alternatives. There is a lot of choice for vegetarians, pescatarians. The food was outstanding, the chef clearly gives as much attention to vegetarian and seafood options as the meat options. Both the starters and mains we ordered had interesting ingredients and flavours that worked beautifully together. We were looked after very well by the staff, they were friendly, informed and efficient. A well deserved 10/10

Table for 2 table top quite small, that's my only small complaint, it's a nit pick. Excellent food and service was outstanding. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Great food, ambience including an excellent value for money set lunch menu. However, the service was strange. I was dining solo and called to ask if I could have a quick bite at the bar and was told it was all booked out..which was strange as it's a large restaurant and bar and I felt that the waiter on the other side of the phone didn't want me at the restaurant. I tried my luck again and was told to arrive. Service could have been more attentive IMHO as I asked multiple times re:arrival of food on the set menu and was told that I should have mentioned that I'm in a rush...well, I did at time of booking and again when I sat down to eat! Food and in particular the bread was very high quality

Okay food and horrible service in a typical restaurant atmosphere

Really disappointed. Had the soup and lamb. Soup was nothing to write home about. Lamb was far too chewy, swimming in oil. Not to my taste, especially given the price. Staff were friendly.

Lovely place. The rice pudding and the bread were my stand outs

A birthday lunch to remember! Not too far from the castle. We sat at the bar. The food was amazing and the service was absolutely incredible!

It was a lovely place for lunch. You need to book before going. The drink selection is superb. The lamb that we had was soft, nicely seasoned, and overall filling. We had the strawberry sorbet as well, and that was very refreshing.

Absolutely brilliant. Lovely atmosphere, fantastic food & a stunning, good value wine list (would be good if it were grouped by more than red/white though!)

Enjoyed lunch at the bar, good food and nice selection of natural wines. Wasn’t blown away by the set but will be back to try the a la carte menu. Staff were lovely and gave us some good recommendations for nearby bars

Food was outstanding and really lovely service. A moderate spend but well worth it. Would highly recommend.

Went for dinner, food was okay but nothing amazing. For 30 pounds a main, it was quite disappointing - felt like a standard weekly dinner dish. Service was also disappointing - service was slow and waiters just wanted you to get in and get out. Environment to sit in was crowded and noisy. Wouldn't recommend

Truly appalling service, including ignoring my disabled father whilst he stood with two sticks waiting to be served for nearly ten minutes. Over baked croissants, unwilling to serve anything but tea or coffee and refuse to provide metal cutlery at breakfast. If that’s the attitude and approach, why bother opening for breakfast?!

We are visiting town and a shopkeeper randomly told us that this was the best food in town & we had to go. So we did! It was soooo good and will 100% be back next time 💖 amazing & sweet service

Popped in for lunch. Food was excellent.👍

Myself and my partner had a fantastic experience at the Palmerston. We sat at the bar, which the two of us really enjoyed. The food was delightful, but the stand out was the exceptional service and knowledge displayed by the staff.

I don't know about you but when I'm spending £11 on a plate of tomatoes I'd like the server who brings me it to at least acknowledge my existence. For a Saturday lunch service, this was crazy disappointing. We ended up playing a game of "who can get a staff member's attention first" throughout the meal. Whatever your staffing budget is I think you could afford to make some cuts - there was A LOT of wandering around aimlessly, and not a huge amount of checking on tables. At one point there were more staff on the restaurant floor than tables and yet we were still ignored. Not once were we approached, nevermind re-approached, no one asked if we were enjoying our meal or if we'd like another round of drinks (we would have), and every plate was silently dumped on our table with indifference. For £70+ per head for lunch I'd recommend heading to Montrose or Heron or Fhior. Wildly overrated in a city full of great food experiences.

Such a nice and beautiful Space in Edinburgh.

Top top place, one of the best. A must go and soak up the vibe.

We came across this restaurant by chance and after reading the reviews we tried our luck. Top welcome and brasserie-style restaurant with a pleasant and warm atmosphere. a few pieces of bread as an appetizer (excellent bread!) and the starter and main course follow one another. The dishes are good, not stuffy and we have a pleasant time. Very good experience.

My first experience here and it is not for me. Loud!! Even as we sat in the side room, the noise level was insane. The waitress was lovely and very speedy, friendly and polite. The bread and butter is amazing, but that, for me, is where it ended. We came for lunch, and I personally found the menu far to rich and heavy, and odd... 4 of the party were not too keen on the options. I had the soup - spicy carrot, which was nice. I just found the noise level was too much and could not enjoy it. It is a beautiful building and very cool with all the jars of food and stacks of bread. Easy access from trams, too. No photos sadly.

Gorgeous bakes in the morning. Visited a few times now for the lunch set menu and always impressed. Really need to visit for dinner!

Just glorious. Wonderful food, impeccable service, lovely space, and a place that feels both relaxed and special. I’ve been with friends and family of all tastes and ages and every single one has been bowled over by the food and the experience. The staff are particularly fantastic: they know the food and the wine so well it and their recommendations are always spot on. In a crowded restaurant scene in Edinburgh this is by far my favourite place. I cannot recommend it enough.

Overpriced / under portioned. Slow service. Bread good but well handled (could see it being sliced). Not for me. Wouldn’t visit ever again and it is my ‘local’.

Short walk from haymarket train station and west end of princess street, up some stairs to a first impression of a pub. Gastro club probably more suited. Was sat at the bar which was a step down experience as it looked messy and there was a lot going on in the bar which made it very unsettling. Nice selection of food with lunchtime 2/3 course with only one item on each course and extensive wine list. Amouse of sourdough bread with butter- very nice. The fixed starter of kohlrabi salad with half boiled egg, capers was good. Could have been seasoned a bit more and came across as being a bit simple( something you can do at home). The pork ragu was swimming in oil with grilled Rosemary. Slightly gamey but overwhelmed by the oil which made one slightly nauseous. Did not order desert as was put off after mains. Sat at bar so service was fast.

Short walk from haymarket train station and west end of princess street, up some stairs to a first impression of a pub. Gastro club probably more suited. Was sat at the bar which was a step down experience as it looked messy and there was a lot going on in the bar which made it very unsettling. Nice selection of food with lunchtime 2/3 course with only one item on each course and extensive wine list. Amouse of sourdough bread with butter- very nice. The fixed starter of kohlrabi salad with half boiled egg, capers was good. Could have been seasoned a bit more and came across as being a bit simple( something you can do at home). The pork ragu was swimming in oil with grilled Rosemary. Slightly gamey but overwhelmed by the oil which made one slightly nauseous. Did not order desert as was put off after mains. Sat at bar so service was fast.

Very stylish and chic restaurant, with classic charm and very good cuisine!

Absolutely wonderful experience. Excellent food, attentive servers, great atmosphere.

The food at lunch was worth a 9.5 / 10. Lamb and pork that tasted like lamb and pork. Couldn't fault the kitchen output. Someone knows what they are doing there. Staff 2/10 our service was just ok but they seem to hate each other and hate working there. The tensions were obvious, niggling and squabbling between the factions was barely concealed and the language was choice. Maybe we missed the note that said service with a smile came as an extra - but then they didn't smile while at rest either. This wasn't isolated but seemed to apply across the board. Something or something is obviously pissing them off. Ambience also got 2/10. If you sit at the bar you get a view of a temporary and unsightly tangle of pipes, hoses, clutter and cloths and to access the spirits on the shelves behind the beers pumps involved negotiating an obstacle course. Not ideal when dining at the bar is a promoted option. Also if the staff dress code involves wearing a t shirt, which is fine,maybe choose a colour other than white because working front of house is a messy business and white quickly turns washed out grey and 50 shades of grey seemed the norm.

A bit overrated in my opinion. I saw a recommendation in social media and I was expecting more. The food was good but not amazing, the main plates were a bit small, under accompanied and salty. The nectarine tart as dessert was really great.

We had a very enjoyable evening meal at The Palmerston in Edinburgh. The staff were, as usual, amazing, providing excellent service throughout the night. The selection of wine was great, perfectly complementing our meal. Overall, the experience was fantastic, and we highly recommend The Palmerston for a delightful dining experience.

Wow! I had the most amazing time at this place. The ambiance was absolutely gorgeous, the food was beyond delectable, and the service and staff were so down-to-earth. I highly recommend it to everyone!

Really surprised by all the positive reviews of this place. The service is very lacking. Seems like there may one server for a majority of the tables. Food was also meh at best. Pollock was good but it was the only item, the side items weren’t well prepared. The tagliatelle was not good all around. Very hot and stuffy, kinda like the attitude of the place all around.

Lovely restaurant, great food and even better service. Couldn’t recommend higher enough. Combines amazing food with a non pretentious environment that welcomes all, including my four month old son who made use of their exemplary changing facilities.

I really wanted to love this restaurant given all the great reviews and social media hype as it’s in a good location for me. Sadly I found a dining room that smelled of stale bleach, very dismissive and inattentive waiting staff and food that was not worth the high price tag. Portions are very small and my fish was very overcooked. Must have been an off day but suspect I will never return to find out if that’s the case.

Lunch as very good as always. Good birthdays' celebration. I had the menu du jour - fantastic quality and value. My suggestion for improvement ? The wine is available in bottle or 187c glass formats only. When I asked about this I was given a very snotty answer, so that's marks off for service on this occasion

Saw this on topjaw and booked right away. We weren't dissapointed Smallish menu but you can be sure it's all fresh produce From starters thru to dessert was lovely Great choice of spirits Our server was lovely and very thoughtful. Loved the touch for my wife's birthday. Our friends will be jealous once we tell them about this gem Great evening. Good prices too We'll be back Cheers guys

Excellent service from James. Excellent food. Duck liver toast dish was superb.

Absolutely delicious food and reasonably priced pre fixe courses!

Took a seat at the bar, and had a lovely relaxed lunch, being effortlessly looked after. Made the most of the set menu option, which is super value. I'll need to try the a la carte on my next visit. 3 course Lunch of that quality with a drink or two and coffee for around £40 is very good value.

the food was really good and its obvious that a lot of care was put into it. However im not sure if its worth the price, espescially how much food youre getting - it was filling for me. I really appreciated the free appetizer bread though!

Sadly service let them down :( Inattentive and dismissive, waited half an hour for a drink. Tattoo clad waiter did not seem to care too much. Sad as we’d heard such great things about the place. But then again that was over a year ago. Food was good though.

We were fortunate enough to get a voucher from our children in the US and Aust. to celebrate birthday etc while we were travelling. Food was very good, especially the Venison and the Crème Caramel. Not knowing the local wines our server, Martha, was very helpful with the suggestions for wine and also the meals. Great to have someone serve that has a bit of personality and take an interest in and converse with us. Would thoroughly recommend for an evening meal.

Wow, the food was delicious. Cannot fault it.

Visited two weeks ago for dinner, all in all an OK experience. Lovely venue but the service was slow (waited quite some time for having our orders taken, receiving drinks etc.). The starters were good but the mains didn’t really meet our expectations.

a very special place: In the morning we offer a simple breakfast with the products from our own bakery, plus a good coffee - pick up food in self-service. At lunchtime and in the evening, the restaurant offers a very select menu of very well prepared dishes made from regional ingredients with friendly, good service - also vegetarian, also quite Scottish-hearty, but of a very high standard - as well as the generously served bread from our own bakery and also the very checked wine list!

Sadly don't agree with the majority of good reviews here. There's no vibe, despite being busy and service is uninterested at best. Food was very mixed, so all the starters were excellent, good flavour balance and pricing. Mains were bland, not balanced, not considered. Desserts were poor, things which should be hot weren't, so therefore not fresh. One was burnt and the other was good. Overall, I can't pinpoint the strong points here, surely you can't just go for the starters! Would go elsewhere.

Great spot with local produce, great drinks and an outstanding lunch menue. The in-house bakery is the icing on the cake.

We went in last Friday to have a nice coffee with friends, I wanted one of them who lives away to know the place because as an architect tutor at the University of Edinburgh, I love the essence of this building and have had several good quality coffees there... I have been a customer service assistant myself in Walker Slater, a very reputed and high end shop and I have to say I felt dismissed the minute I entered your premises. The young lady that made eye contact with us from the bar area, was unkind, we felt like she wanted us out quick, not welcomed ( because of the way we looked or casually dressed maybe?). We met with my colleagues at exactly 10:40am, ordered coffee and pastry and after having been sat for 10 minutes she came in and said we had to leave. She explained awkwardly that they were starting to get ready for lunch and we had to go as soon as possible. Treating customers rudly is not a synonym of "elegance" just of rudness and lack of manners. I hope this assistant gets proper training. We would have happily understood if she would have told us this the minute we came in. Other assistants were kind and willing, knowing how these spaces work I am sure you will know who I am speaking about. Have a lovely rest of the week, I hope The Palmerston stands up to its standards, the ones I admire, reason why I hope I will be able to come back again.

Don't expect run of the mill food here. My second visit within 6 months. Visiting the Palmerston is a treat and is prices as such on my budget although don't let that put you off, excelent excellent food good brisk service. Definitely worth my treat money.

Appalling service, from this pretentious eatery. waited over an hour for food to arrive. Offered ridiculously small amount of wine to taste when our wine arrived. Even the little amount tasted unpleasant. Ordered two glasses of Malbec which tasted vinegary. Wine list far too long and well overpriced. The turbot was dry, and had obviously been under a heat lamp for too long . The puddings however were delicious, but not delicious enough to tempt any of our party back.

Great Place. The food was amazing. The sourdough and the butter are just perfect. The vegetarian dish was super delicious and the drinks were perfectly mixed.

Came here for a drink, and stayed for a few more! Such a great atmosphere, and friendly staff! 100% would come again! Olga was very attentive as well!

Best restaurant in Edinburgh? By my standards. Superb seasonal produce, dreamy bread, unpretentious wine list (in price order!), and efficient kindly service. Nothing very creative, just great food that speaks for itself. Would eat here ever week if I lived closer.

Very nice bakery and coffee place! Latte was quite strong! Loved their pain au Suisse, it was so fresh, Crispy and crunchy pastry with a good amount of chocolate filling ! Also bought a sourdough loaf to Take home and that is also very good!

We enjoyed the atmosphere of the restaurant a little bit noisy but that's because it was so busy which was a good sign. We had lovely starters and desserts but were not fond of the main courses. My husband had lamb and I had the fish soup. Didn't blow us away. It was quite pricey. £140 for three courses with a bottle of wine. The waiting staff were really friendly and attentive. Sadly because of the main courses being underwhelming and not value for money we probably won't go back.

Went to grab some pastry and coffee in the morning for breakfast, was immediately impressed and came back for lunch. Staff ate fabulous, the food was immaculate and dare I say, some of the best espresso based coffee drinks in Edinburgh! They also had an impressive list of wines but not something I was able to partake in at the time. Next time!

I was looking forward to going here, especially since the bigman gave it a favourable nod. The wines were excellent,rosé Triennes ,blanc Roussillon good prices. The veg.and fish dishes were poor. For a start the soup wasn't very warm,the plate was just warm and no more.Its never going to be really hot though is it since they carry the plates from upstairs in their hands. Same with the main course,I told the waitress about the soup but it seemed to be a case of why tell me.I asked to make sure the plate for main course was hot but it was no better. The cod imho was overcooked,watery chickpeas added nothing of any flavour as for the onions were they meant to be so stringy you could barely cut them. Pasta with black cabbage (was that the sauce?) was overcooked and tasteless well apart from being way too salty. Meringue ,two slices blood orange with minute amount caramel sauce. I believe the veggie choices have been better.

Lovely meal here sat at the bar for dinner. The salt fish brandade was incredible.

Service was pretty good. Food was a bit disappointing, especially for the price. The menu was a bit pretentious eg no explanation of some ingredients, they could at least say 'cheese', rather than leaving guests to Google, not everyone spends their life researching food names. My starter, Brandade, was nice, but not great for the price (£12 + service). The goat I had was supposed to be slow cooked, but it was pink and the fat was not rendered. It was also quite tough. Minimal vegetables with the mains, considering the £26+service price tag. Dessert was nice, but nothing special for £7 + service.

I ate here last March, in my opinion the prices were high, I had the roasted chicken and a dessert, for me it was just ok. Nothing really shocked me to justify the price of the food. The place is nice, and the service was ok. To me nothing stood out to give a 5-star rating.

Fantastic place for a morning coffee or pastry. Typically sells out well before 11:00 which shows how good it is. No real variation on coffee but a good strong cup.

I've become addicted to getting coffee and pastries here. The pastries are great and the coffee is good too. You need to come early for a good pastry selection because they sell out. Dog friendly. It turns into a proper restaurant at 11:30am.

Fantastic food and wine list, great vegetarian options. Sat by the bar. Waited for a long time to take my drink order. Most of the staff didn’t smile, although very professional yet the vibe was a bit strange but I’ll definitely come back for the food!

Probably the best breakfast pastries outside of France. Delicious! I wish we had them in London

Just had coffee and cake, but the staff were really friendly and attentive.

Food was incredible with awesome fresh ingredients, and staff couldn’t have been more helpful and friendly. The fresh bread before and after the meal (to mop up the delicious sauce) was a lovely bonus!

Restaurant super sympa, nous avons bien mangé et les serveurs ont étés adorables avec nous. Je recommande :)

Cuisine très bonne et serveurs très sympa !

Great food, lovely atmosphere and really nice staff. The decor and ambience is great, with a real cosy feel to it. We were well attended and had an amazing meal. Thanks to everyone at Palmerston.

Fuimos a cenar anoche, el personal muy amable, pero la comida resultó insípida y muy cara para la cantidad

I had the pleasure of returning for lunch, and the experience was nothing short of exceptional. Each dish was a delight, but the hare sausage was particularly extraordinary, a true culinary masterpiece. The wine selection was impressive, with an array of choices to complement any meal, and the staff's recommendations were spot-on. This visit only enhanced my initial impressions from my previous stop for coffee and cakes.

We have been wanting to visit the Palmerston for a long time and it certainly did not disappoint! Service was attentive and friendly without being too hands-on and the food was clearly high-quality and seasonal. Having notified of a dietary restriction ahead of our visit I was provided with a marked up menu of what I could and could not have and I was surprised that the kitchen could cater almost every dish to my requirement 🤩 all in all a fantastic evening!

I love this place. The restaurant has a great chilled out atmosphere. The staff are friendly and attentive. The menu changes week by week depending on the season.. it is always interesting and tasty. They have an in house bakery for morning pastries and coffee. The baked goods selection is always fantastic.

We stopped here briefly for breakfast, and the bread was so good. We loved the croissants. The design of the shop on the inside was also beautiful.

Good but not great and was really looking forward to coming here. The restaurant was quite bright (and we came for a 9pm dinner) so vibes weren’t the best. We kind of just felt like our food was dropped at the table, no attentiveness from the staff. My lamb cut was mostly fat unfortunately, but bitter leaf salad was good. Maybe was an off night but I wasn’t blown away.

Have been dying to try here for ages. I loved everything about it! The atmosphere, the decor, the menu (the wine menu is just so so good and MASSIVE), the staff and of course the food. A tough decision to make food-wise but the menu is so great and varied and I know it changes so regularly. Excellent for sharing and the desserts are just as good as everything else. Venison ragu was a particular highlight as was the Gaelic coffee cocktail to finish off the fab meal.

Yes. yes and yes. Can't fault it

Grumpy gits dumped us out at 11-30am so they could prepare for lunch. Wouldn't have minded but it was empty.

The cooking reminds me off St. John - which is a good thing. Thankfully no haggis bon bons, Stornoway black pudding (nothing wrong with Stornoway black pudding by the way) or whisky sauces. Just top ingredients, though not always immediately familiar to many, cooked simply and thoughtfully. Nice room too. PS. Been several times since and just got back from another. Best restaurant in Edinburgh.