Vesta Restaurant & Bar in Edinburgh, City of

My wife and I are visiting from the States and all our friends back home claimed that food in England was bland. At first I thought our friends were right when we dined at one of the tourist restaurants along the Royal Mile yesterday. But, tonight we stumbled upon Vesta Bar & Kitchen after visiting Dean Village nearby, and wow, I’m so happy to prove how wrong our friends are. We feel like we finally have a taste of what Scotland truly has to offer. What a delight for our stomachs and hearts. The manager, Declan greeted us with warmth, introduced me to Innis & Gunn (my new favorite lager), and recommended our main dishes that were as beautiful as they were delicious. I had the slow braised pork belly on a bed of broccolini and mashed potatoes, and my wife had the linguini with king prawns with olive oil and generous sprinkle of capers. We finished our dining experience with a chocolate cheesecake topped with a raspberry sauce. What an experience!

Great evening in Vesta for the Meet the Makers event with Rock Rose gin. Service terrific as usual, and a lovely introduction to the Rock Rose Citrus Coastal Edition.

This was our first place to eat after arriving in Edinburgh. The food was delicious, the staff was very friendly so we felt very welcomed as new comers😊

Stopped by on our way to the Tattoo. The staff were lovely and very attentive. The food was delicious. The fish servings were HUGE. We would definitely eat here agin.

Went here for pre-dinner drinks with family on my 'big' birthday. Such a lovely atmosphere as soon as you walk in the door. It was quite quiet so we had plenty choice of seat - lovely decor throughout. We enjoyed lovely bottle of wine - very reasonably priced. Then to my surprise the lovely waitress brought over a complimentary slice of cheesecake as my son had mentioned it was my birthday. It was so thoughtful and absolutely delicious. With it being a social mission there was also the opportunity to buy forward a coffee or meal for someone experiencing homelessness - wonderful idea. Will definately be back!

We had an Itison voucher giving you £100 worth of food and drink for £50, and did we get our money's worth! We had a glass of prosecco while choosing our starters of chicken, pork and pistachio terrine and crispy squid. Reasonable sized portions and very fresh and tasty. We followed this with pork three ways in a delicious sauce and a side of mac n cheese, together with prawn linguine - both dishes again scrummy! After our bottle of wine and a bit of a rest we had lemon and lime pannacotta, peanut butter crunch with raspberry coulis. Still hadn't spent our £100 so opted for another glass of wine each. Thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience. Very friendly service - the waiting staff all had shields on and the tables were further apart than they used to be.Would definitely recommend and will be going back.

He comido dos veces esta semana y volveremos esta noche, con un servicio fantástico y una comida excelente. El personal es un crédito, muy amable y nada es una molestia. Enhorabuena por apoyar a las personas sin hogar. Es genial ver que un negocio va bien en un momento muy difícil.

Mi esposa recibió un regalo de Navidad de un vale para 2 almuerzos aquí. Debido a COVID, no pudimos usarlo antes de que expirara, pero el Gerente nos permitió usarlo mucho después de la fecha de vencimiento del bono. Nuestro almuerzo fue a las 2, ya que queríamos evitar tiempos más ocupados. Esta fue nuestra primera comida después de la pandemia en un lugar interior y no teníamos nada de qué preocuparnos, todo estaba bien y nos sentimos totalmente seguros. La comida era excelente, a buen precio y con mucha variedad. Sin duda volveremos a visitarlo.

Entré esta noche para tomar una cerveza mientras esperaba mi autobús, me recibieron en la puerta, se tomaron los detalles y me senté en la ventana, ¡todo muy educado y profesional! Un caballero llegó de la calle y presentó al equipo una situación muy difícil e innecesaria que resultó en que le pidieran que se fuera. Enhorabuena al equipo, muy bien manejado :)

Estaba emocionado de visitar Vesta porque estoy impresionado por su compromiso, junto con Social Bite, para alimentar a las personas sin hogar en Edimburgo. El restaurante asociado con la empresa Social Bite ha tenido tradicionalmente una sólida reputación por su buena comida, así que estaba deseando que llegara. Como esta era la primera vez que íbamos a cenar afuera, sentados, desde el cierre, estaba feliz de terminar una semana de trabajo ocupada con una buena comida afuera. El ambiente y el servicio estaban bien, pero más en línea con lo que esperarías en un café informal en lugar de una cena en un restaurante. La comida llegó sospechosamente poco después de que ordenamos y fue decepcionante por decir lo menos. El rollo de mi Mountain Burger estaba seco, casi rancio. La hamburguesa real, en sí misma, era sabrosa para una alternativa vegana, pero toda la combinación era seca y poco interesante. No hay suficiente salsa para humedecer y dar sabor al sándwich. La lechuga estaba vieja y el tomate insípido. Las patatas fritas, sin embargo, eran preciosas. Mi pareja disfrutó del hot dog vegano. Se nos informó que la composición del postre crujiente de chocolate con mantequilla de maní vegano había cambiado y consistiría en una mousse de chocolate con una capa crujiente de maní. Nos dijeron que esto era una "mejora del postre original". Tras la inspección, era muy evidente que estos desiertos se habían preparado de antemano, en lugar de a pedido. Los postres se servían en vasos de whisky de cristal que claramente habían estado en la nevera con el postre in situ. El "ratón" era grueso, pesado y muy frío. Estaba cubierto con lo que parecía ser solo cacahuetes picados. Estos claramente habían estado en capas entre la mousse durante bastante tiempo, ya que eran masticables, esponjosos y bastante incomibles. Ciertamente no vale 5. 95. También había un recargo por la leche de avena en el capuchino de mi pareja. Esto es muy inusual hoy en día, donde las alternativas veganas como la leche de origen vegetal simplemente se ofrecen, no se cobran, en la mayoría de los establecimientos de comida. Así que, en general, fue una experiencia gastronómica muy decepcionante. Pero todavía aplaudo de todo corazón el espíritu y el propósito detrás de la empresa Social Bite y he hecho una donación en línea.

Personal amable y eficiente tanto en el piso como en la cocina. Gran atención al detalle de las necesidades del cliente, sirviendo con sonrisas en sus rostros (¡debajo de sus máscaras!)Pedí los calamares con sal y pimienta y gambas que venían sobre una cama de hojas de rúcula, con mayonesa de ajo al lado. Me hubiera gustado que los trozos de calamar fueran un poco más gruesos para obtener más sabor, pero igual de sabrosos. La mayonesa de ajo era sabrosa y no abrumadora.Conseguí el cerdo de tres maneras como mi principal. Se trataba de lomo de cerdo, carrillada estofada y croqueta con puré de manzana Calvados, puré de perejil y salsa ravigote. El plato estaba muy bien presentado y el tamaño de la porción era decente. Encontré el lomo de cerdo un poco duro y seco, lo que dificultaba cortarlo. Sin embargo, cuando se acompaña con la salsa, estaba perfecto. La mejilla estofada era preciosa y tierna, y no requería cortarla ya que mi tenedor descascara fácilmente la carne. La croqueta fue un buen acompañamiento crujiente con un toque adicional de sabor sabroso. No había un fuerte sabor a perejil en el puré, pero como la carne era el foco principal, no tenía que haber un sabor abrumador en el acompañamiento.El nombre y el número de contacto se proporcionarán al sentarse como parte del seguimiento y localización de la pandemia. El personal usa máscaras y mantiene una distancia segura. Se recomienda el pago con tarjeta.

Good simple dining run by a fantastic charity where profits go to combat homelessness. Particularly classy desserts.

I came to have a dinner and everything was excellent, nice atmosphere and very attentive staff. Georgia was brilliant and her recommendations were perfect, especially the dessert. I would definitely come back.

Tuvimos un almuerzo realmente bueno hoy y aunque el menú era limitado lo que se ofrecía no solo era diferente sino muy sabroso, el servicio no podría haber sido mejor y apreciamos el hecho de que este restaurante Vesta tiene una misión social, corre por la misma ethos como nuestros socios Social Bite para que podamos pagar las comidas para las personas sin hogar, ya sea un café, un almuerzo o una cena.

Fui allí con un par de amigos, estaba a un corto paseo de donde vivimos, una buena ubicación en el West End de Edimburgo.Buen menú, no demasiado caro, y la camarera recomendó el vino.Solo puedo decir que la comida fue excelente, el vino excelente y el servicio excelente.Lo recomiendo totalmente.

We walked down to Dean town to stroll around and stopped in on our way back to the hotel. Started with the buffalo cauliflower, which was excellent-- only three pieces though! I had the linguine with prawns. Our waitress said it would be a bit spicy, but I found it not to be spicy at all. My wife had the super salad. Both were quite good for the price. The wine list was solid. Only two beers on draft, but a long list of bottles.

Nous étions 6 et cherchions un peu désespérément... un endroit pour nous restaurer et nous nous sommes arrêtés ici, suivant les avis de Trip.Nous n'avons pas été déçus. Les prix sont OK, et les plats, planches ou spécialités locales, sont très bons. C'était notre premier restau en arrivant, et cela a bien lancé notre séjour. Excellent accueil, même pour des français un peu perdus...

Located at the West End of Princes Street this restaurant provides a decent and varied menu at reasonable prices. The wine list contains a fair number of bottles under £25 which is good going for Edinburgh. A cheerful atmosphere but can be a bit noisy if full. Staff are mainly young and enthusiastic.A good place to eat and near a tram stop

On s’est arrêté en couple vers 11h00 et on a dégusté un très bon brunch. De plus le cadre est magnifique.Les prix sont très correct.

First time we have visited vesta and we had a voucher for a two course meal with wine from a set lunchtime menu which had a good selection of choices, I had a roasted bell pepper soup with crusty bread and my wife had buffalo cauliflower florets both our starters were fabulous and for the mains we had a corn fed roast chicken breast and roasted veg with garlic and herb roasted baby potatoes my wife had the beer battered haddock and chips with mushy peas again both of these were delicious again we decided to share a pudding and had banana cake with caramelised banana and salted caramel ice cream which was great as well, our first visit but definitely not our last.

Good food and wine served in nice surroundings by lovely waitresses and friendly manager. Great situation, nice ambience and social bite a very worthwhile extra. Good job. Music a tad loud and incongruous, but we'll be back. Great value.

Tipico bar scozzese, whiskey ottimo. Cioccolata calda servita con un biscottino al burro. Prezzi buoni.

Ottimo scotch whiskey ... buona anche la cioccolata calda servita con un ottimo biscotto al burro .. personale cordiale e location caratteristica scozzese ...

Visited here last night with a friend . we opted for the charcuterie sharing platter . The atmosphere , the service all fantastic . The sharing platter was great too . One thing let it down was the ridiculous miniscule portions of cheese. We had to pay and order more so not ideal. Annoyed this cost me more than it shpuk have. They should really look to improve this as i wouldve given 5 stars. Cocktails were amazing and spot on .

Finally ate at this restaurant, having stood next to it at bus stop on hundreds of occasions. It actually seemed a lot larger on the insider than the outside. Plenty of seats, if a bit close to each other. We had the sharing platter from the Itison offer which was absolutely tiny, but nice quality food. Luckily we'd ordered some side dishes! Food good, gin flight very nice. Service a bit slow, but the restaurant was very busy. Liked the pay forward scheme for homeless people to have meals.

Really nice! Good food, light, and tasty. Everything fresh and nice served. I recommend this place for eat.

Called in for dinner here and we very pleased with the whole experience.The staff were helpful. The restaurant was very nicely decorated for Christmas and the ambiance was good.We had pie of the day which was chicken and chorizo and got to choose two side included in the price. All were delicious.The house red wine was Italian and went down very well.Would definitely recommend eating here.You are also able to give £5 for a meal for a homeless person which is a very good gesture especially at this festive time of year.

Visited early November with friends and purchased an itison deal.2 courses each with a glass of wine each.Lovely welcome from staff,lovely surroundings.It was a set menu with the deal with not very many options.Although what we had was very good,I recommend the fish and chips,delicious.Would definitely return next time in Edinburgh

Whilst staying in Edinburgh for the weekend, we popped into this bar for a quick drink after having a meal across the road. It was quiet at the time and the barman was super helpful and showed me the whole range of Edinburgh gins and explained them all, which was really nice.The bar has a lovely atmosphere with a great range of drinks available, and the drinks are reasonably priced. Would definitely recommend.

Visited Vesta at the weekend with a few friends. Fantastic food and great atmosphere! Very friendly staff as well and all for a good cause. Will definitely be back!

Having been to Vesta twice now I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for good food, great drinks and lovely atmosphere. One of Edinburgh’s hidden gems. Always providing great service and delicious food with options for all.

Having visited Vesta a number of times now with visiting colleagues, friends and/or family, I can confidently say that a visit to this wee hidden gem won't disappoint!I'm often entertaining colleagues from overseas and Vesta is firmly in my top 3 places to go for dinner to ensure all tastes are catered for. Without exception, even the 'foodiest' of my guests are always impressed.We are always impressed with the relaxed vibe at Vesta - and the fact that (well behaved!) dogs are welcome is also a fantastic bonus.As I'm slowly working my way through the menu, it's difficult to come up with a short list of recommendations, however desert island time I'd have: Cauli wings, Fish n Chips, any burger, and the massaman curry.Great for Gluten Free (GF), Vegan, Carnivores and our four legged friends (oh, and the cocktails are to die for!)

We were looking forward to our trip to Vesta. The brunch menu was spot-on and it’s an attractive and well located restaurant. But our experience was rather different. Although the restaurant was only a quarter full it took almost 30 minutes for our tea and juice to arrive. Meanwhile we spotted our food sitting on the side cooling down. When it eventually arrived it was lukewarm (apart from the toast, which was cold), the portions were small, the sausages pale and undercooked, the avocado brown and the mac and cheese watery and inedible. To their credit, the staff knew that things had gone wrong, and did not charge for the worst of the crimes that sat on our plates. But we still won’t be back.

Had a 5pm voucher. £29 for 2 courses for 2 plus a glass of wine each. This proved very good value. Very friendly service. Food on the whole was tasty and quite different. I would agree with a previous reviewer that toilets could have been cleaner.

Lovely place just off Princes Street. Popped in on our visit to Edinburgh. Had skipped breakfast so we were hungry at 2pm. They do brunch/breakfast till 4 and we weren't disappointed. The most gorgeous club sandwich with fried egg on top. Highly recommended and reasonably priced. They also support ending homelessness in Edinburgh so part of what you pay goes to that. Great choice. Licenced too so lots of choice of ales and drinks.

Visited on 30th September with a groupon voucher for a gin flight and grazing board. Me and my friend were greeted by a friendly waiter and seated quickly. The bar and restaurant is very pretty with a romantic/relaxed vibe. The gin flight selection was very good and we enjoyed all 3 offerings. The cheese and meats were also very good and bigger than we expected. After this we ordered a bottle of wine and i popped upstairs to the restroom. I was shocked when i walked into the hall before going upstairs as it was filthy and stinking of greasy/off food. It was like this upstairs too and inside the toilets. Very dirty and grubby and unsure when they had last been cleaned. Very put off with this and unfortunately wouldn't go back which is sad as we had enjoyed our night until this.

Been coming here on a regular basis now probably well into double figures so think I’m well qualified to say it’s a great place. High quality food good service and a changing menu reflecting the chefs attempts to be different from the norm. I can’t understand the negative reviews as it just hasn’t happened to me in the dozen plus times I’ve been here. Ignore the noise and get along and enjoy Vesta for what it is, a great wee neighbourhood restaurant.

This can’t be said to be the most exciting place to eat but nevertheless it will give you good food at a very reasonable price. The service is enthusiastic but inexperienced. The food is variable and original. The concept behind the restaurant of providing some food and jobs for the homeless is very commendable

Imaginative food in a nice room. Excellent service and real kudos for the social enterprise. Let’s see more of this!

I gave 3 stars because I did not want to give 1. Simply because we never had breakfast and I feared if we ordered we would still be waiting. So I cannot judge the food but I can the service. I suggested breakfast at Vesta to my friend from out of town on a recommendation. He had arrived 15 minutes before me and had ordered a Bloody Mary. I arrived and 10 minutes later no Bloody Mary and no approach from staff to order food. A table next to us got up and left without ordering and I could see others looking at their watches. My friend asked where his Bloody Mary was and was told any minute now. A few minutes later we decided to leave and cancel the Bloody Mary which as we walked past the Bar it was obvious had not even been started on.We Went across to the Huxley. Sat down and orders taken within 5 minutes and drink and food a further 5-10 minutes. Vesta gets good reviews and good luck to them, but their staffing last Saturday morning / service left a lot to be desired. It was Scotland v France at Rugby and whilst the place was busy it was by no means full. To have 6 people walk out (that I was aware of) due to slow service ought to be addressed by management.

Dropped in here for a lunch on our way to a Fringe show in George street. Really hot afternoon and the waiter immediately put a bottle of tap water on the table which was very welcome. We ordered Beer battered haddock, chips and peas which came with a large complimentary portion of their homemade tartar sauce and a slice of lemon. The fish could be better described as a 'Whale', huge, and batter was light and crispy, chips were hand cut and cooked to perfection and the tartar sauce complimented it perfectly. We also had an 'Arnold Bennett Omelet' which has smoked haddock and Isle of Mull cheddar in it. The omelet was large and fluffy and the smoked fish and wonderful cheese made this a wonderful experience. It was a very busy Saturday afternoon but the food was on the table in under 15 minutes from ordering. While not serving the staff were constantly cleaning down the table and chair and keeping the place spotless. Overall a wonderful experience that we look forward to repeating.

attended here convenient for the four of us bus wise and vegan menu. limited menu and quite expensive for what you get. my crab cakes were salty which I passed on to waitress vegan salad for cost was I felt quite overpriced. lacks atmosphere but I do appreciate that the business is financing a good cause. however ........

Un restaurant bien placé proche de Dean Village qui propose différents plats avec viande, poisson ou spécialités locales.Bon accueil et des plats dans l'ensemble savoureux

I had brunch there a week ago and it was great. lovey atmosphere. I had the Avocado on toasted rye bread was amazing. Its a very nice place right in the centre of Edinburgh. Highly recommend it

I have been to Vesta lots of times and love the menu! The staff are always accommodating and would recommend it to anyone.

We had a brilliant dinner here on Friday night last week. We were tight on time because of Fringe shows but were looked after splendidly and made our next show after some great food and wine. Huge thanks to the team for looking after us so well!

Had dinner at Vesta with my hubby before heading to Edinburgh Book Festival which is only a few minutes walk away.Had prebooked table, and we were warmly greeted and immediately shown to our table when we arrived. It was Saturday evening and the restaurant was very busy which created a good ambience.Excellent range of drinks from cocktails to wine to beer. My husband selected the gin flight which is your choice of 3 gins with large bottle of tonic. He picked 3 gins he hadn’t tried before and it was really nicely presented with the various garnishes and all the glasses on a wooden platter. It was excellent value for money.The food menu has a lot of vegan options, but definitely something for all tastes. We both had salads plus salt n vinegar onion rings. Well presented and the flavours were great. Nice relaxed pace of service and very attentive staff. Husband had panna cotta dessert while I went for espresso martini cocktail. Finished with good quality Americanos.This restaurant supports homeless charities so we left a donation, as did most of the other diners around us.This restaurant is a great central location, very good quality sensibily priced menu with very attentive staff. Highly recommend.

We hadn’t booked but were warmly welcomed. Cocktails delicious and lots of other drinks choices including specialty guns. Food also very good and nicely presented. All in all a very nice experience and will definitely be back.

All I can say is the venison was to die for.absolutely delicious. Service was second to none and there is attention to detail. Stumbled on this restaurant when we needed to get away from the Edinburgh Festival crowds and what a wee gem this is.

First of all the atmosphere is just great. Although it's the middle of the Fringe we were seated without a long wait and the staff was very attentive through the whole visit. Few cocktails and delicious food made our day. Pork Belly was tender and well seasoned with decent portion of mash potatoes as well as the Crab Linguini with delicate hit of chilli. As a dessert we shared the sticky toffee pudding which was just a cherry on top. Very surprised by the quality of food. As we were advised by our waitress we had a look into one of the brochures on table to find out more about the social bite. It is a very good cause so we were more than happy to contribute with a little help. Overall very pleasant surprise. Will be back for sure.

It's taken me a while to decide on how best to write this review, the cause they are working to is amazing, but there's so much potential here that we left with a sour taste in our mouth, destined never to return.We had a voucher for a sharing board and bottle of wine, we knew it wouldn't be enough food and were prepared to buy more. We weren't given the chance to buy more until we finished the sharing board.There was an event on Friday night, as there is most Friday's, but we were left out. We assumed because we were on a voucher.Service was shambolic, to the extent that when trying to donate £40 to them the waitress didn't bother taking payment. No one actually took the time to tell us about what we were donating for either.Food is very good, the cause is amazing, service however was shocking and made us feel very unwelcome. I wish David Hall all the best with this project, and we'll continue to support Social Bite, but it won't be via Vesta.

Excellent food , Excellent service. Excellent atmosphere.. I hear they also feed the homeless community. Brilliant. If only all restaurants where like vesta. 100% satisfaction

We visited Vesta Bar & Kitchen twice during our stay in Edinburgh. The staff were welcoming and extremely helpful. They were happy to tweek the superfood salad for my friend who is not keen on tofu. We had the best vegan burger we have ever eaten. We will be back next year when we visit the Fringe again.

We found this bar by accident but were so pleased we stopped by for a drink. After a long walk from Murrayfield stadium we needed a reviving cocktail and the owner/bartender mixed us a delicious margarita which was served promptly and with very friendly banter. We only intended to have one drink en route to our evening meal, but the atmosphere was so convivial we ended up staying for a second. My husband enjoyed a Crabbes flavoured with Scottish raspberries, and, being a fan of sparkling wine, I was intrigued to have a glass of Chandon (as in Moet and Chandon) - less yeasty/heady than champagne but delicious nonetheless.Highly recommend this place - next time we are visiting I’d like to try their food too as it looked very good.

Probably the best Restaurant in Edinburgh and so happy we found it. Ate an early dinner and weren’t disappointed. Very nice staff, lovely selection of entrees and drinks and excellent food. Working in the industry I can’t help noticing the small stuff. Chairs were clean, kitchen looked impeccable with a Chef that meant business and bathroom was spotless. Thanks for a lovely dining experience.

Visited and enjoyed a delicious Butternut Squash with quinoa. Staff delightful. Very attentive, kind and efficient. I love the opportunity to pay it forward with the ‘Get Lunch Give Lunch’ project. I recommend a visit.

The service were amazing and so were the food. I ordered a vegan meal and it was very tasty, the others ordered fish and burgers. Everyone was very pleased and full at the same end of the meal (we ate dinner)

Following on from helping Social Bite through our corporate charity day we had lunch at their restaurant. Vesta is a nice place with a good buzz. To start I had Haggis dough-ball which was lovely and as a main I had Haddock & Chips and the batter was tremendous. Really good service and great value.

Amazing atmosphere for a Thursday night. Had a wonderful catch up with friends. Relaxing with cocktails before we all ate. The menu has great veggie option but most of us went for steak. Great wines to compliment our meal and staff were very knowledgeable in recommending and making our stay warm and welcoming. I was also made aware of their social mission to end homelessness. There was info on the table to highlight the amazing impact they make and opportunities they give to homeless. Anyway could not fault the steak dish I chose and definitely try one of their cocktails or something off the wine menu. Great venue, lovely staff. Such a surprise find on a Thursday evening. Was lucky we managed to get a table.

A new eating experience with my late partner's daughter and her husband. A memorable evening , food of the highest quality and beautiful presentation. Lovely ambience, staff attentive, without being overwhelming and chef John happy to come out of his domain and chatting to customers to get feedback and to explain the Social Bite connection. Also a wonderful sketch by Jim Hamilton made my evening even more enjoyable as it contained many scottish expressions originally introduced to me by my partner. Yes I will be back.

Went for dinner last night when guest chef Chef Craig Wood was cooking. Great food and a lovely evening. I really liked the restaurant in general though and will definitely be back to enjoy it also on one of its 'normal' evenings, which I've heard equally good things about.

Met with a couple of friends and enjoyed a couple of beers in the bar before taking a table. A good broad menu choice was available catering for all our desires. The haggis doughnut starter was popular with the experimental English and my crab cakes starter was excellent. The varied mains were popular with two different steaks happily devoured by my friends, while my pork belly was wonderfully put together and tasted great. Substantial too. As for sides, both the ‘bang bang bok choi’ and the onion rings were excellent. We made a poor choice on the Romanian Pinot Noir, but more than made amends with the Rioja. In summary: stylish bar/restaurant, good service and great food. Would thoroughly recommend.

Lovely food and choices. Friendly staff and interesting menu. Regular deals that are worth exploiting as full price cost may seem prohibertive to some. Also supports social bite and the homeless

Visited late afternoon with my two children to see some family and friends. Very kid friendly with a bucket of items given to entertain the children. Ordered fish goujons for the kids which they loved and demolished. I went with a Scottish Martini, not a usual cocktail fan but wanted something different and wasn't disappointed. It was delicious and definitely made me keen to return in order to try other cocktails on the menu. Being short of time, we ordered some dishes to share, fresh and delicious, they definitely made me want to return for a full meal. It was obvious that full care and creativity goes into the food. Staff were friendly and efficient, atmosphere was relaxed and I loved the new décor. Looking forward to going again....maybe next time without the kids so I can enjoy the menu to the full!!

Our group of 12 had a lovely family lunch at easter time! Everyone really enjoyed the food which included the chicken curry, crab linguine, pie of the day and the prawn and squid starter. We were also loving the after dinner cocktails! Especially the espresso martini! The service was great and the refurb is looking fab ! Can't wait to go back :)

Friendly staff, food was excellent. Minor comment would be to have allergy labels on their food but they were accommodating.

Nous avons trouvé la cuisine de qualité et avec des saveurs surprenantes. Excellent Mocktail. Le cadre est agréable et cosy et le personnel est sympathique. Nous recommandons cet endroit.

Visited here today for the first time! Loved it! Th’ere 2 course ‘special menu ‘ for £12.50 is excellent! Had the sweet potato soup followed by fish n chips ! Both absolutely delicious! Dessert was a rhubarb & custard cocktail! Equally delicious! First class service & lovely ambiance can’t wait to return!

Was interested to see the vegan options on the menu when attending with three omnivore friends. However, the vegan macaroni cheese tasted like macaroni pasta with plastic vegan cheese. No creamyness in the sauce. Left half of it. Really horrible. The chef should nip down to Harmonium to find out how it should be done.

I had a Vesta Burger here which I loved. The atmosphere, staff and food is lovely. Nice and clean restaurant with disabled toilet.

What can I say! Loved it. From the minute we walked in the welcome was great! Had the gin flight before dinner, which I highly recommend being a gin lover! Then dinner. Food was lovely and service was excellent. Would highly recommend and will be back for more!

It seems as though the vegan options are only here because of the trendiness of vegan food, and not for any other ethical/moral reason. This isn't why I'm leaving this review however. It was very quiet when we were here and the atmosphere was really, really odd. I was really excited about this place, despite mixed reviews I had heard from friends, really let down. Would not recommend, prices are high compared to the quality of the food.

Popped in for brunch with my besties and had a wonderful afternoon. The burger was delicious and perfectly cooked, and the superfood salad was super tasty too. I’ve been dreaming about the salt and vinegar onion rings ever since though, they’re my new favourite thing. They also do incredible espresso martinis — might be my favourite in Edinburgh now that The Dogs has closed. Five star service from the staff, too

My friend and I came in for dinner and drinks. We ordered and bottle of Prosecco and two seitan burgers. The burgers were completely raw and inedible. We sent them back and asked for the Mac & cheese instead. When it arrived, the portions were enough to feed six, it was scolding hot and so bland. No sauce - basically just watery macaroni. We sent this back too, and did not ask for any further food; just the bill. The waiter said “oh, I’ve taken the food off the bill” (erm, obviously) but didn’t offer to give us overall discount for the disservice and bad quality foods. We had to go to Sainburys and get a sandwich as we were starving afterwards. Not impressed at all.

Our starters were lovely and my girlfriend’s pasta main was tasty, however I ordered the duck confit which was over cooked. Deep fried, crispy and dry. Disappointing. Wouldn’t rush back.

Popped into vesta with my wife and daughter for lunch. Crispy duck salad and massaman curry for me both were packed with flavour and clearly cooked to order as we watched through the open Kitchen. Very welcoming and will definitely be back.

My second visit to this social bite restaurant and I wasn’t disappointed. There were 7 of us and we all had a lovely meal. The wine was very reasonable and the service excellent. The restaurant is prettily decorated with flexible seating to allow for mixed numbers. They cater for everyone from vegan to burgers! I had the sea bass which was delish and fries on the side which were excellent. After you’ve paid you have the opportunity to ‘pay forward’ to buy a meal or coffee for someone who is homeless. There is no pressure to do this - just a small card on the table indicates what your money could buy. Great idea and great night. I’ll be back!

Food was nice but they kept swapping out ingredients and not telling us until we were eating it. Service also very slow, had to ask multiple times for the bill to the point it was rude. Food dry but atmosphere good

i have been to Vesta a few times since opening and often recommend it to friends. Unfortunately, last night fell short of expectations. Food was OK but very expensive for what it was MUsic was loud and despite several requests to turn it down a bit, the volume kept creeping up during the eveningThere had been a spillage on the stairs to the toilet which made them slippythere was no soap , nor hot water, in the accessible toilet.Disappointing visitHope it is better next time.No mention of their social credentials

Booked here for an early dinner prior to a trip to the cinema. Not a huge menu but more than enough dishes to suit all palates. Waiting staff could not have been friendlier or more helpful and it was good to be able to see into the kitchen and watch the chef and his team beaver away. I opted for the pie or the day which was lovely and adequately seasoned for me. I know some people prefer to add s&p themselves but I do think things taste so much nicer when cooked with proper seasoning from the start. My husband opted for the sea bass which was plentiful and came on a bed of diced aubergine and sauce vierge. He praised the flavour of this dish. Prices overall are very reasonable and the restaurant does carry a very good wine and drinks list. I would definitely recommend this place. Oh and on one final point the restaurant is tied in with Social Bite who are doing a superb job in trying to eradicate homelessness in Scotland. Not only will you enjoy a lovely meal but you will also be contributing to this extremely worthwhile charity!

Went here recently with a group of friends. We had a good choice on the menu. Food was enjoyable and service from the young staff were professional and friendly.If I did have any criticism, it would be that the main courses were over garnished - this seems to be the way that some chefs prefer these days. I prefer plainer simple cooking.However, I have been here before for lunch, when it had different owners and will return.You are also supporting a very good cause.

Reasonably simple food well cooked and good value for money, however, their links to Social Bite and their help for the homeless of Edinburgh make this a venue everyone should support. Give it a try, you'll enjoy yourself and remember to "Pay Forward".

A must visit in Edinburgh. Fantastic food, atmosphere and service. We had a table of 10 for lunch and we’re all impressed. Try the flatiron steak and egg - brilliant. We were so impressed we came back for dinner.

I ate here tonight with 4 friends. The restaurant was really quiet and lacked atmosphere. The food was cooked well and tasty but it is expensive for the portion sizes. And there was a mistake made with my friend's order and a burger came out instead of the trout she had ordered. So we had almost finished our meals by the time she got hers. There was no proper apology and no token gesture such as a slight discount on her meal or an offer of a free desert or coffee. So because of this we wouldn't be rushing back

Perfect place for me and my omni friend, I had a beautiful full of flavour seitan burger with facon and she had cod and black rice. Great atmosphere, fabulous food and such a valuable social mission - thoroughly enjoyed our evening. Wish there were more places like this. Will definitely visit again.

Great lunch place with delious veggie. We realy enjoyed the place and food. The scampi was superb and also blackrice dish.

Lovely meal, great service. Highly recommended. Interesting combinations- Homemade seitan, black rice recommended. Thanks

Tourist here for the weekend from London. We're both vegetarian and walked past and thought the place looked great. The social scheme they do is brilliant and part of the reason for the three stars, however food disappointing. The bbq jackfruit I get the feeling is served cos it's a trend food, but not sure the chef knows how to serve. Tasted straight out of the tin... anyway hopefully we were just unlucky. As i say a really good idea for a restaurant and hope it goes from strength to strength.

This was recommended to us and as they offered vegan options we decided to try. Restaurant was quiet which is to be expected at start of January. Food was freshly cooked but took a little longer than expected especially as the restaurant was quiet. That was fine as we were happy to catch up. Really tasty but could have been a little hotter. Definitely worth a visit and great that it has links to social bite.

We visited Vesta a while ago for an evening meal and were really impressed with the food and the work they do for homelessness. I'm lactose intolerant and my husband is vegetarian, Vesta's menu caters really well for this. However, neither of us are very keen on seitan and it features very heavily in the vegan/vegetarian options. We loved it so much we decided to bring our parents back over the Festive period for lunch as we noticed they had some soup and sandwich options too but sadly were really disappointed. For the price of the sandwiches you would expect them to be a lot bigger or have some kind of side salad. They had a few leaves and HALF a cherry tomato on the side, not even one each...bit odd. The sandwiches can come with a soup or bowl of chips as part of a deal but the chips were really saturated with oil and not nice at all. The jackfruit in the bbq pulled jackfruit didn't seem to be cooked properly and was hard and bits of it had to be left to the side. The food was a real let down on this occasion and we did not feel it was worth the price when there are so many great places to eat in Edinburgh. We'd love to eat here again in a restaurant that simultaneously helps feed our city's homeless but unfortunately we don't think we'll be back soon, at least for lunch. Our evening meal was nice so if you want to try it out go for dinner! If this lunch was our first visit we definitely would not return. We do think the restaurant are trying to do some really good things with a varied menu and homelessness work so I hope this review is helpful for them as well as potential customers.

Great spot for a casual dinner With the family. Good choice of cocktails and both lager and pale ale on draft. The burger is delicious.

Superb again from Mr Hall and his team. The seafood, steak and a nice drop of Lebanese red were just perfect. Can’t recommend highly enough.

We took a group of 30 to Christmas Dinner yesterday. The food was really good and came in a timely and well organised manner. And the staff was just wonderful, helpful, and they were obviously enjoying what they were doing. It was yummy all around! And we helped SocialBite by being there.... :)

I booked a table for my partner and I for our weekend up in Edinburgh. This restaurant is lovely and it is part of social bite were they close their doors on a Monday and open them up to the homeless so they can have a proper meal in comfort. You can also choose to donate to this cause if you wish. It gets added to your bill at the end. It was very busy with Christmas parties however this did not impact on the time it took for us to receive our food. The portion sizes are generous which is never a bad thing. We had the olives and bread to share as a starter, there was more than enough for us both. I had the seitan stir fry and it was delicious! I would 100% go back here.

I never bothered reviewing any restaurant before, but I thought my exceptional experience in Vesta deserved a review. I visited the restaurant for a Christmas dinner with my colleagues on a workday afternoon. I'm not a vegetarian/vegan but I love vegetable dishes. When I read the Christmas menu I was immediately attracted to the seitan chipolatas with melba toast for starter and seitan wrapped in facon with seasonal vegetables for the main. The chipolatas turned out to be four large tough, rubbery, and tasteless sausages which we struggled to slice owing to its stale-crust consistency, let alone to chew - I was nearly choked a few times. Most of my colleagues had a taste and all agreed it was horrible. There was no melba toast as mentioned in the menu. I had been living in the UK for 5 years and this was the first time I had something barely inedible in a restaurant that I was shocked to see they made it out of the kitchen. I told the waitress about that (first complaint I ever made to a restaurant!), she was nice and immediately apologised. However, to my horror, the main I ordered was the similar tasteless but much bigger sausages albeit slightly less chewy, with only beetroot as the 'seasonal vegetables' and two potato dumplings, and no facon to be seen. My friend and I didn't bother with the sausages after checking that they were similar to the ones we just had. The staff kindly offered me mac and cheese - the expected vegetarian food in student cafeteria. I would've been happy to be offered some real seasonal vegetables or salad. I don't eat pasta or cheese so I couldn't review it, I only took the offer in case other people who had similar problem with the seitan would have something else to eat. I've had seitan in many places, and they could be tasty if cooked properly. It was really disappointing that the promising menu didn't deliver, and despite the merry evening and the good service, it was hard to get over the fact that I left the restaurant without the feeling I had eaten at all. I wish they would embrace the concept of healthy vegetarian/vegan options and keep things simple and edible.

I came here for a Christmas get together with friends. The food was really tasty. I can't have dairy and the sticky toffee pudding was terrific - I haven't had as good in years, even when I could eat dairy! Great service too from friendly and helpful staff. Great lunch deal = 5 happy friends.

I liked that the restaurant honoured the vouchers issued by its predecessor, although I think they may still be related businesses. The restaurant creates a nice ambience - very laid back. Service was extremely friendly and helpful. My food was excellent although my wife would class her burger as average. I like the ability to pay it forward to help feed homeless people on Monday afternoons. All in all, a very good lunch and experience. Highly recommended.

We had a fabulous dinner during the Stuart Ralston, guest chef evening. The food was delicious,and the staff were really friendly and helpful. You have the option of paying for a homeless person's meal but there's no pressure.

We went on a Saturday night as my partner is vegan and this place had a very good menu selection to suit her diet. However when we got there we were read out a list of around 6 options that weren’t available. When we both decided on mains options, another thing we ordered was not available, so my partner could only order the mac and cheese. My starter and main were decent, but the Mac and cheese really was not good at all. There was practically no sauce at all or flavour. It was just a bowl of cooked pasta. I have to say though as one positive addition that the waitress and manager who served us were amazing in how they dealt with everything. I could not fault their service.

4 of us went to Vesta for a pre-rugby lunch, 3 of us had the burgers and the other the chicken sourdough sandwich. My burger was fantastic, and couldn’t be faulted, crispy, fluffy chips on the side. 2 draught beers to choose from, we went for bad day at the office from Alechemy brewery. Great to see a quality, local craft beer on offer.