Le Bistrot Reviews Summary

Atmosphere & Location

Pros:

• "Lovely little place right off of the Royal Mile, but a world away from the hubbub."
• "Located on the Royal Mile it offers a more sedate environment to eat, relax and recover."
• "A hidden gem in the heart of Edinburgh introduced to us by a local."
• "This excellent French restaurant, provided the perfect atmosphere and sustenance to get us moving again."
• "It felt as if we were in France!"
• "Just a stone throw away from the Royal Mile. Café-bistro is located in a grand building which houses the Institut Français Écosse."
• "The cosy interior and the vibe of the city will make you feel like you are on the streets of Paris!"
• "Cannot fault this experience, if you like hearty home french bistro cooking in a relaxed setting, these guys get it right!"

Cons:

• "It's definitely not a place I will remember for long, and not a place that I would feel like I need to go back to."
• "Once immersed in the atmosphere you feel like you actually might be in France, it did help that the Six Nations Scotland Vs France game was playing the next day."
• "As the desserts at the counter weren’t labelled we really weren’t any the wiser."
• "Although redicoulous idea to have me walk from the door right through both rooms of the exit (Covid reasons)."
• "This restaurant just dumped us for a special family meal that had been arranged for tomorrow."
• "After ordering our meal and receiving our starters my partner was taken ill with a migraine so we had to cancel our order."

Food Quality & Selection

Pros:

• "The bread that was brought out was fresh, great crunch on the outside and chewy on the inside."
• "Everything we have eaten we superbly tasteful."
• "The food was piping hot, and very tasty."
• "Actually extremely well-priced for the high-class experience you get."
• "Beautiful interior as well. The perfect place to celebrate or just enjoy a meal."
• "Food was good, not the greatest French I’ve had, but pretty decent!"
• "The mussels and the lamb were absolutely delicious!!"
• "For main we had the mussels in the cherry tomatoes and caper sauce, served with a slice of bread and fries."

Cons:

• "Ate here with a friend. Started with the scallops, which were mediocre--cloying sauce that entirely drowned out the scallops."
• "The mussels were very fresh and juicy, generous portion. The sauce was beautiful so much so you could lap it up like soup."
• "I had ordered the mussels, and the taste was of seafood well past its sell by date."
• "Scallops rubbery in piles of undercooked onions. Really dull boeuf ragu - neither who chose it could eat even half of it."
• "Several menu items not available I presume due to demand fuelled by the festival, but not an excuse."
• "The vegetarian haggis, a chevre baked in filo, was also very tasty."
• "If you are still hungry, a mouthwatering selection of "patisserie" waits to be conquered."
• "The food was fine, however not particularly delicious and this feels like it is very much on the tourist trail in Edinburgh."

Service Quality

Pros:

• "The wait staff were excellent as well."
• "Really friendly staffs and great atmosphere."
• "The staff was extremely polite. Would recommend to anyone visiting the Royal Mile."
• "Would like to thank our waiter Mario for being an absolute gem as well!"
• "Staff is super friendly and helpful, you will definitely feel like you have been taken care of."
• "Service was quick, efficient and friendly."
• "Kristina is the ultimate professional. She took my seating request and was able to accommodate us."
• "The waiter was brilliant and the main manager (I think it was anyway) gave us some amazing deserts to finish."

Cons:

• "Had a table booked on 30/7 @1500 hours ..The restaurant had ran out of a starter and main which we had ordered and the service was really poor."
• "Waitess very pleasant but needs Coaching. She used her fingers to move slice of bread from almost empty basket to another basket she had brought to our table."
• "The booking was for a special treat which proved very disappointing..Won't be back and would not recommend."
• "Hadn't noticed this place until today. It's lovely! A beautiful room benefiting from its corner site on the Royal Mile at Lawnmarket."
• "Very slow service 35 minutes between first and second courses, partly compensated by complimentary dessert and coffee both of which were excellent."
• "Waiters were super absentminded, and the atmosphere was budget cafeteria looking."
• "Shown to a table by the waiter at the door then completely ignored by all the staff."
• "The good was OK but the service very very slow. The ambience is not that great, we felt we were sitting in a small canteen."