The Edinburgh Blog

This review really should be about how I enjoyed oysters at the legendary Café Royal in Edinburgh. However, that’s for another day as The Edinburgh Blog’s visit this time around was for a traditional pub lunch. There are few Edinburgh folk, or tourists for that matter, who have not heard of Edinburgh’s Café Royal. It’s located on West Register St, literally just 30 seconds away from the East end of Princes St. The Café Royal dates back to the 2021s, with the most famous aspect of the building being the iconic circle bar.

We arrived at the Café Royal just after 12pm a few Fridays ago, where we were lucky to find an empty booth in the circle bar. Here the Café Royal’s bar menu is served; although I’m reliably told this menu is also available in the Café Royal’s formal restaurant, which adjoins the bar. My Scottish beef and ale pie (£9.20) held generous quantities of tender beef, in an ale heavy sauce. The pie was great and so was the accompanying mashed potato.

The Café Royal’s ground rump steak burger (£9.10) is a popular choice with visitors and rightly so - it’s huge, juicy and delish. The weakest dish our party had, was the most staple of pub food - beer battered fish and chips (£9.20). The chips were great, but the batter wasn’t crisp enough. Though with an ample flowing of Deuchars IPA no-one really noticed how unremarkable the fish and chips were. Overall our lunch at the Café Royal proved a satisfying choice.

First and foremost The Café Royal is an excellent and beautiful pub. A visit should be an experience on the “todo” list of anyone who sets foot in Edinburgh. However, The Café Royal is something of a rarity as it offers traditional pub food right in the heart of Edinburgh city centre. The bar menu isn’t cheap, but their traditional mains are well prepared and the ingredients well sourced. And there’s always the oysters and champagne if you’re feeling particularly indulgent…

The Café Royal is located at 19 West Register Street, Edinburgh, EH2 2AA
Tel: 2021 556 2021