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The Witchery By The Castle
352 Castlehill, Edinburgh, EH1 2NF
Reviews for The Witchery By The Castle
0 found this helpful
My wife and I have dined here 10 times over the past decade. Originally planed as a birthday treat for my wife, flights up from London for dinner and back on the last flight of the day. It became a tradition for us in our annual Fringe pilgrimage and visiting family have enjoyed it as well.
However, the once fine level of food and service, in my opinion, started to decline around three years ago. This may have occurred in line with the owners expanding empire of restaurant interests in Scotland as he picked the best of his team to go to newer places.
After a disappointing level of service and quality of food on our last visit we have decided not to return again. Another reviewer is right in that there is better to be had for less elsewhere in Edinburgh - which saddens me.
0 found this helpful
My wife and I had long wanted to go to the Witchery. Having heard so much about it, we were both disappointed. The food was undoubtedly very good, but at the prices we paid this should go without saying. Nevertheless, it was no better (and much more expensive) than in many other Edinburgh restaurants. The service was disappointing; definitely below what I would have expected.
0 found this helpful
Having read so much about this place, finding ourselves in Edinburgh at short notice we booked for the 5.30pm sitting as that was all that was available. Despite this we ordered from the main menu. My starter of baked goats cheese was tiny, I think it was wrapped in pastry but this held no crunch texture or colour for that matter. My husbands quail came unexpectedly in a pasty, 1 of which contained no quail meat, unfortunately he only realised this when he cut into the 2nd, both having some fois gras mince inside the thick crust.
My bottom hadnt hit the seat before being asked what I would like to drink and I did catch the eye roll of the waitress when we asked for a jug of plain water as well as our medium priced bottle of wine. Needless to say the water didnt arrive until we asked a second time.
My husbands sea bass was well cooked but very small in my opinion, not even a full fillet.
My venison was perfectly rare & to my taste, unfortunately the potato gratin accompaniment was raw in the middle. This was replaced with a slightly better cooked portion with good grace although this still wasnt fully done. The broccoli in 'anchovy' butter shocked me, this most luscious of spring dishes was a travesty. The anchovies were in chunks rather than melted into the butter which may or may not have been there but wasnt apparent on the florets I had.
We decided against pudding and were out within the hour to the obvious pleasure of the waiting staff. At least we were able to get the wine recorked to take with us tho the waitress had to check that the 'regulations' allow this. I presume that we were unlucky & the ovens werent fully fired up for the early sitting rather than the reputation & international publicity isnt causing laurel resting. Overall we wouldnt visit again for the prices we expected far more
0 found this helpful
We went there last year tempted by the special late evening fixed price menu. £12 for two courses. OK food, portions not particularly large. However, extremely overberaing service- we were pounced on by several waiters immediately after sitting down, trying to sell us aperitifs, expensive wine, bread, etc...eg 'would sir and madam like an aperitif'- 'may we suggest gin and tonic'... we ordered gin and tonic- £6 each...! Wine was expensive, I think the cheapest on offer was about £15. Then at the end of the fixed meal they were back - 'can we tempt you with dessert', or 'how about a wee dram of whisky..' (£6 a glass minimum). Refusals to accept the tempting offers were met with a smug smiley 'are you sure sir...'... The staff are clearly on commission for each additional item sold. All in all, I would say it was like a Ryan air restaurant experience - ie you are tempted by the bargain fare, but after adding in all the extras they try to sell you, you end up paying way more than you wanted. We left after one hour, having wasted £60 (for two fixed price menus and a couple of drinks). The Witchery clearly want to lure in those tourist dollars, and will take your money with zeal. I will definately not be visiting again.
0 found this helpful
We paid a long awaited visit to the Witchery recently and found the whole experience rather dissapointing and pretentious.
The Fish chowder starter was uninspiring and watery, the Chateubriand for two (at £56.00) was minuscule. We had a side dish of Brocoli with Anchovey butter, but this was too strong to acomany anything less than a Vindaloo!
We eventually found a nice bottle of wine (having scoured the 89 page wine list) but were so dissapointed with the dining experience that we left without attempting a sweet.
We liked the unique surroundings and atmosphere...but have eaten far better food at Gastro pubs, and at a fraction of the cost.
1 found this helpful
The witchery is a dark but beautiful restaurant situated a stones throw from Edinburgh Castle, the restaurants/Hotel offers a fantastic menu to suit all tastes, but not all pockets. The only reason I did not give full marks is due to the cost, if you go expecting a hefty bill for gorgeous food you will not be disappointed.
Being a local in Edinburgh it was one that was certainly worth a visit and I am sure to return.
1 found this helpful
Wonderful atmosphere, friendly and attentive staff, wine book the size of a novel and great food ... can't beat that.
We usually book a table in the secret gardens (there are 2 different restaurant areas at the Witchery) and have never been disappointed.
They also have a lunch or supper menu (2 courses for something like £12) so you don't have to break the budget to go to this charming restaurant. They also take bookings until around 11:30pm so if your not fussy on eating early you can always get a table.
Love this place, if you are visiting Edinburgh I would say it is a must and if you live there then this is a great place for a romantic dinner or to take visitors.
1 found this helpful
Probably the most expensive restaurant in Edinburgh, it is definitely best saved for special occasions only... everything is of the highest quality and be sure to ask the wine collector to recommend the right wine for your meal. Hey, if they have that service... why not use it ;-)
3 found this helpful
Wonderful!
It's a gorgeous space and the food is excellent.
Lovely, friendly staff.
It is pricey, but well worth it for a special occasion. The Secret Garden bit is the nicest.
3 found this helpful
This is a great event space. I've only been when networking, so all I can say about the food is that it was somewhere between me not noticing it and it being 'nice' - it was probably deserved more than being ignored but did not make itself known enough not to be.
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