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| Quality of service | 3.7/10   |
|---|---|
| Quality of food | 6.1/10 |
| Value for Money | 5.6/10 |
| Reviewer Rating | 4.6/10 |
| Overall Rating | 4.8/10 |
Full review by
Kimberley7
on 20th Aug 2008
User Rating : 0
Respect :
0
Good Points: looks good
Bad Points: staffatmosphere
General comments: I took my Mum and aunt here for sunday lunch. When we arrived we were promptly seated in the upstairs area. It was quite empty with just one out of the 7 tables upstairs occupied. We ordered our food from a seemingly patronizing waiter and then we waited.......and waited........people arrived at the other tables....their orders were taken.....and we waited.........the other tables' food arrived.....and we waited! The waiter said our food would not be long.....more people got their food......and we waited. We decided that we would leave after an hour of waiting but just as we made our decision our food arrived! We had to eat it as we were sooo hungry. I felt it was just ridiculous waiting for an hour to get our food whilst watching the people at the other tables have champagne and in some cases eat a 2 course meal before we got our food! We really regretted not getting up and leaving but we were too polite and it would have been a hassle going somewhere else and we had ordered drinks. I really wouldn't recommend this restaurant.
Kimberley7's review and ratings | 193 words
Review by
jarley1
on 17th Apr 2008
User Rating : 9
Respect :
0
My boyfriend took me to Edinburgh for my birthday and as I had never been before I asked a friend, who lives there, to recommend somewhere to eat. She told me the outsider was nice and I wasn't disappointed. I thoroughly enjoyed the night, a great way to celebrate my birthday.
jarley1's full review | 110 words
Review by
Guest.
on 25th Mar 2008
User Rating : 2
Respect :
0
We were recommended this restaurant by locals from edinburgh and were looking forward to an enjoyable evening there. Upon entering this venue, the manager proceeded to comment on our nationality - Irish and also pointed out to us that "did we know we were in a restaurant". As Irish and European people who have travelled extensively worldwide, never have I encountered such bad manners. Then in an attempt to backtrack on his comment, he then proceeded to tell one of the ladies in our company that ...
Guest.'s full review | 137 words
Review by
samryan
on 1st Mar 2008
User Rating : 7
Respect :
0
Excellent for a romantic dinner for two, any more than two of you will result in not having enough time as you are allocated only 2 hours to the precise second!!
samryan's full review | 59 words
Review by
Guest.
on 15th Jan 2008
User Rating : 8
Respect :
0
The food is delicious and buying plates to share for starters is a good idea. I personally recomend the garlicky fries and artichoke and mushroom galette - having never tried artichoke before and not the most adventurous, I thought it was delicious and cant wait to go again!!!
The 12% service charge is compulsory. I had no trouble with the staf but this maybe why they are a little offhand as they do not have to work for there tip!!!
Guest.'s full review | 86 words
Review by
pipoto
on 31st Oct 2007
User Rating : 8
Respect :
0
This is one of the best restaurants in Edinburgh, specially for those not too happy with British gastronomy and in need of good flavors and originality.
pipoto's full review | 26 words
Review by
Delia1
on 18th Jun 2007
User Rating : 6
Respect :
0
Food - Excellent
Atmosphere - Good
Value for money - Good
Service - Needs improvement!
I would recommend The Outsider restaurant in Edinburgh to a friend because of the value for money, but don't expect to have the best experience of your life!
Delia1's full review | 365 words
Review by
HeatherPhilips
on 8th May 2007
User Rating : 7
Respect :
0
The manager of The Outsider restaurant in Edinburgh wrote down the number in our party wrong when we booked. When we arrived, he said we had only booked for 6, not 9. One of the members of our group was celebrating her birthday. When we told him this, he simply replied that it was not his fault. They managed to seat us eventually, but the view point of 'the customer is always right' was definitely not taken here. We were treated as idiots who had forgotten to book for an extra 3 people, when in ...
HeatherPhilips's full review | 127 words
Review by
christiennes
on 8th May 2007
User Rating : 4
Respect :
+1
My friend's sister booked for a party of 10 about 6 weeks ago. However, when we arrived last Sunday night, the manager informed us that the booking was for 6. My friend's sister hadn't arrived at the time, but her flatmate helped her with the list and was there when she made the booking. He said no it was for 10. The manager says he's been working there for years and he's never made a mistake yet, so we must have said 6.
We had all been looking forward to eating at The Outsider in Edinbu ...
christiennes's full review | 244 words
Review by
Louise M
on 12th Apr 2007
User Rating : 1
Respect :
+2
I explained the both situations to my boyfriend sometime later. I wasn't surprised to know that the owner of The Outsider dished out the same treatment to his parents at the sister restaurant The Apartment.
The staff could do with some communication lessons, personality and politeness.
Other from the restaurant that looks nice on the inside, the atmosphere is just rotten. Avoid at all costs!
Louise M's full review | 604 words
Review by
JuliaD
on 4th Feb 2007
User Rating : 4
Respect :
+1
We were shown promptly to our table, but we were not asked for our choices for about 20 minutes. Any upmarket restaurant (which this is obviously trying to be) would suggest or offer drinks whilst looking at the menu, but this was not done. The wine eventually arrived, but it was placed on the table without a word - at an average of £15 a bottle, I would have expected to be offered a taste by the waitress prior to pouring.
My husband was asked rather abruptly to move his chair in so th ...
JuliaD's full review | 423 words | 1 comment added.
Review by
Kegaline
on 15th Jan 2007
User Rating : 9
Respect :
0
Excellent food, good value for money, friendly staff and cosy atmosphere.
The Outsider is my favorite restaurant in Edinburgh for sure.
Kegaline's full review | 26 words
Review by
irenex
on 22nd Dec 2006
User Rating : 1
Respect :
0
You'll either have a good time, that's if you don't offend the sensibilities of the owner.
The Outsider restaurant needs to bring out a customer charter. This should be read to the customer before taking a booking, so the customer knows exactly how they may be treated. The customer can then choose to accept this treatment or take their business elsewhere.
irenex's full review | 75 words
Review by
ortonioni
on 20th Jun 2006
User Rating : 9
Respect :
-1
I was really concerned when I looked for an internet menu for The Outsider the night before we were due there for an important 'meet the potential in-laws' meal. We had always had a great time here, but we hadn't been in a year, and it looked as though it had all gone badly wrong. I'm happy to say that was not the case. The ambiance was better than ever. The restaurant was buzzing, and everyone (that's 8 of us) was happy with their meal. The service was OK. The waiting staff were pleasant b ...
ortonioni's full review | 224 words
Review by
surliminal
on 25th Jan 2006
User Rating : 1
Respect :
+1
Just to add my voice, the service at the Outsider last time I went was utterly appalling - we had booked a large group at Christmas time, we were kept waiting in a draft by the door by a very long time, when I suggested we might go towards our table and get out of the way of people, I was told tartly that we would be seated.
surliminal's full review | 70 words | 1 comment added.
Review by
angelaf1
on 2nd Dec 2005
User Rating : 9
Respect :
+1
I always come to The Outsider for special occasions and also not so special occasions. I have eaten here many times and it remains probably my favourite restaurant in Edinburgh. In fact I've booked a table for tonight!
I have always had good service and have found the staff to be friendly, helpful and knowledgable about the menu which help alot. They also have a very good selection of wines by the glass and the bottle.
The portions are ample and very tasty. The chunky healthy lines are reall ...
angelaf1's full review | 142 words
Review by
R Gross
on 28th Oct 2005
User Rating : 0
Respect :
+1
Today, we decided spontaneously to have a late lunch and arrived at The Outsider in Edinburgh at 3.15pm. We asked if they still served food and were told yes. The server (female) took us to a small table for 2, but I asked if we could have the table for 4 in the window instead, as the restaurant was almost completely empty and only one other table was occupied. We were told that she had to ask because she wasn't the manager, and we were left standing in the middle of the restaurant. A couple of ...
R Gross's full review | 187 words
Review by
Alana Wilson
on 7th Sep 2005
User Rating : 0
Respect :
+1
We had a table booked at The Outsider in Edinburgh for 6 of us, on Saturday 27th August. It was my best friends birthday, and we had a really special night planned. We arrived 5 minutes early for our booking at 9.45pm, only to be told we were being refused entry! We asked to see the Manager or the owner, and we were told we were actually speaking to him! His attitude was so rude and disrespectful. We asked if we could have a reason why we were being refused entry, as we were all sober and a ...
Alana Wilson's full review | 321 words
Review by
kymara
on 19th Aug 2005
User Rating : 9
Respect :
0
The excellent value mentioned above is from the `Chunky Healthy Lines' in the menu. These are just delicious chunks of healthy meat, fish or veg, grilled or griddled to perfection and served with unusual sides and a pitta, all for less than a tenner. It's a simple idea, but with quality ingredients and inspired combinations.
The rest of the menu has these same qualities but is more expensive, and you made need to order sides to fill you up. On desserts, the presentation is excellent and agai ...
kymara's full review | 227 words
Review by
R Robertson
on 20th Jul 2005
User Rating : 10
Respect :
0
I would beg to differ on the previous reviews of The Outsider Restaurant. I am a local and have visited this restaurant many a time and have not yet to have a negative point about the place. The staff are extremely helpful and friendly, the service is excellent, the menu selection is superb, not to mention the food - delicious and cooked to perfection. The meal portions are of perfect size and I am extremely disappointed to hear that people have seemingly had such a bad experience here. I say tr ...
R Robertson's full review | 138 words
