Howies Restaurant Reviews Summary

Food Quality

Pros:

• "The traditional haggis is full of flavor, and the sauce make it to a higher level, can't ever forget how good it is!!!"
• "The food was great - had haggis and Cullen skink to start followed by catch of the day and the casserole of the day both of which were fantastic."
• "The food here is incredible this was our first experience with Scottish food. The menu was small but the food is amazing and you can taste the quality."
• "The food was amazing, good portions and so tasty; we both had our first taste of Haggis here and loved it, both big fans now."
• "One of the best meals we had in Edinburgh! The salmon melted in your mouth and the beetroot risotto was interesting and different but delicious."
• "Never disappointed, had a 3 course meal together with family and all delicious."
• "The food was delicious and presentation was excellent."

Cons:

• "The steak was tough and the beef cheeks not cooked until tender."
• "The salmon main was a little bland. The pea risotto and chicken were both a little plain. The pea risotto was hard and unevenly cooked, while the chicken was very dry."
• "The sticky toffee pudding tasted savoury (almost like gravy!) and was very disappointing."
• "Cranachan was the first time I tried and it was okay, but nothing special."
• "An extremely salty soup of the day, it was broccoli or celery."
• "The main course was a tiny chicken breast with some great leaves under it, the chicken was dry and hard to eat."
• "However 2 out of 3 dishes were incredibly salty."

Service

Pros:

• "Staff are extremely welcoming and kind, food is prepared to perfection and absolutely delicious."
• "The server was very kind and polite and gave us a free starter for the wait and was attentive without crowding us."
• "She explained the menu for us and was very helpful, polite and wonderful personality."
• "Great experience overall and extremely friendly service by the lovely Francesca."
• "The host, Sarah, was so professional and accommodating to everyone with kindness and smile."
• "The service was fantastic."
• "The staff are friendly and very professional."

Cons:

• "Very warm in the restaurant and service was slow to begin."
• "Make a reservation because they get busy."
• "The waitress (Ms. Mhairi) was rude to us."
• "We were required to leave in 2h."
• "We had a reservation and walked in without being notice for 5 minutes."
• "They told us we had an hour and a half for our table, so we ordered our drinks and food within the first five minutes of sitting down. The food arrived forty five minutes later."
• "For the price that you're paying you'd expect better service, so be warned."

Value

Pros:

• "Their set lunches were the perfect amount of food for a good price."
• "They offer 2-course or 3-course set price which is a good value."
• "Service was excellent, and prices were very reasonable."
• "Was a nice menu two courses £12.75 helpful staff."
• "The prices are reasonable and the dishes delicious."
• "The food was ok but quite expensive."
• "Their 3 course lunch menu is a great value for money."

Cons:

• "The food was expensive."
• "Prices went up significantly in just one week."
• "However, for the prices that we paid I don’t think the portions were very reflective of our expectations."
• "Attended here for a wedding party, steal was passable but was an additional £9 on top, prices charged for corkage a disgrace 'famous' banoffee was disgusting tasted as if made with under ripe bananas."
• "We found it a little overpriced (90 pounds being two adults)."
• "The 'medium rare' fillet steak was well-done. £140 was a very pricey meal for food that had been sent back to the kitchen twice and a gravy-tasting pudding."
• "Difficult to recommend considering how busy they can be and the asking price."

Ambiance

Pros:

• "A centrally-located Scottish restaurant with nice decors and banoffee pies!"
• "Atmosphere was warm and cozy, not too loud."
• "The setting, decor and atmosphere was very welcoming."
• "The restaurant has a relaxed, upscale feel with a traditional edge, and a great menu, both food and beverages wise."
• "Very snug and cozy, the atmosphere inside is something very special."
• "Ambience is quiet and peaceful."
• "The atmosphere set the mood for an absolute enjoyable time!"

Cons:

• "When we were there the place was a bit too crowded for my taste."
• "However, I would just say that it's loud here and the space is packed with people."
• "The dining room is very busy and acoustically hard to have a conversation."
• "However, everything felt rushed and we weren’t made to feel welcome."
• "We were very rushed and told that we were making too much noise."
• "The whole atmosphere was so unpleasant that even the kids wanted to leave before dessert."
• "The service was great but the place felt crowded and noisy."