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    The Ivy On The Square Edinburgh

    4.3 (70 reviews)
    Open 9:00 am - 10:30 pm

    The Ivy On The Square Edinburgh Photos

    THE IVY ON THE SQUARE EDINBURGH ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Classy
    Good for groups
    Good for kids
    Dogs allowed

    Recommended Reviews - The Ivy On The Square Edinburgh

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    Reviews With Photos - The Ivy On The Square Edinburgh

    Celebratory Croissant
    Jess G.

    Beautifully decorated. The staff was friendly. The Celebratory Croissant was as delicious as it was pretty.

    Noanya S.

    The Ivy was a recommendation from a friend and what a fantastic meal. Tomato soup - 10 out of 10 absolutely would recommend. Shepherd pie - 10 out of 10 Just get the meal you won't be disappointed. Beautiful restaurant

    Beef tartar.
    Daria B.

    Lovely food. Second time coming back here. Staff are welcoming and quick to serve. Recommend to book a table in advance as gets busy.

    Monkfish and Prawn Keralan Curry, Sweet potato, red fish, chilli, spinach, and aromatic rice
    Abigail H.

    Our family of four had a lovely window view of St. Andrew's Square. Their elegantly designed menu features a broad selection; my mother and I both loved the curry. The zucchini fries are lightly fried and not oily at all--just the perfect amount of crust.

    Michael T.

    Fantastic breakfast spot on the heart of Edinburg. Tried to get into the Spruce and the hostess recommended The Ivy. Got seated right away on a Saturday at 9am. Service was very attentive and top notch. Food was very delish and hearty. Highly recommend.

    Hope S.

    This location is beautiful, and we really enjoyed the setting. We had the 1917 menu, which was fairly priced. I loved the starter, and the chicken was good as well. As others have mentioned, the service wasn't the most attentive, but it wasn't terrible either. Overall, a nice experience with some room for improvement.p

    Spicy Crunch Salad
    Angelina D.

    This restaurant is absolutely stunning and has beautiful views of the park across the street. Love the decor inside the restaurant and the staff was very lovely. What was lacking was the cost of the food for what you actually got. The food was bland and OK and our opinion overpriced. If you want to go just for ambience this is the place for you and just have a drink.

    Theresa S.

    This is a beautiful upscale restaurant in Edinburgh. If you are planning to go for dinner you should definitely make reservations. We were seated immediately upon our arrival . The restaurant has a lovely atmosphere, with a bar and plenty of seating. Our server was friendly ,attentive and provided us with outstanding service. We ordered a nice bottle of Pino Grigio , fish and chips , Shepard's Pie , a side salad and Apple Tart Flambé. Everything was so delicious . The fish and chips were light , flaky and flavorful. The Shepard' Pie was presented in a unique way .The meat was molded into a round shape and decorated with the mash , the gravy was then poured around the outside. It looked so pretty and was exceptionally delicious! The salad was average but good, fresh and crisp . And let's not forget dessert , the Apple Tart Flambé with a dollop of vanilla ice cream was so delicious too , perfect and not too sweet . The only negative comment I have is that it was very dark in the restaurant and I was actually having a difficult time reading the menu. Other than that we had a wonderful time and immensely enjoyed our meal !

    Sea bass with muscles
    Erin M.

    Favorite restaurant in Edinburgh. I ordered the sea bass with muscles and it was delicious. My dining partner ordered the shepherd's pie and it was top notch. Ambiance is delightful and restaurant is clean. Service was great as well. The best part was dessert. We ordered chocolate bombs , which were to die for. The perfect mixture of chocolate, ice cream and caramel. I made another reservation this week to try additional details since I liked my first experience so much.

    Full Scottish breakfast

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    2 months ago

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    5 months ago

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    2 months ago

    This is an up scale restaurant in New Town that is not touristy, has good food and drink. The service was a little slow.

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    9 months ago

    Great food and great service. Will always go back when visiting Scotland. Service was fantastic!

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    2 years ago

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    9 months ago

    Went with three friends for a birthday dinner. Food and ambience was amazing. The old fashioned was perfect. Highly recommend!

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    3 years ago

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    11 months ago

    Always love the Ivy! Nice view of the square from upstairs. The seasonal menu was great.

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    2 years ago

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    1 year ago

    The food was amazing. The staff were great and the ambiance was awesome. We loved this experience.

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    3 years ago

    I tried the fish and chips that were great, and fish curry was tasty, and the service was great.

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    Beer & Skittles - Opening night for Beer and Skittles! Great sports bar, cocktails and garden

    Beer & Skittles

    4.3(3 reviews)
    0.4 miNew Town
    ££

    Great new bar in the basement of Steak at Picardy place, a huge refurb has resulted in an…read moreamazeballs bar to enjoy a few drinks! I'd even be tempted to come and watch the sport here. They do beer cocktails yay. We tried a tequila based sangria style one and a beery take on a Moscow mule. Both were really tasty. They have a huge range of draft and craft beers and do bottles with chaser shots a personal fav was the Aussie bundy rum with my beer! Bar snacks are on to keep you going but not full meals yet, though you could always head up to Steak if you're peckish.

    Interesting sports bar under Steak on Picardy Place. I was a bit unsure as a previous reviewer said…read moreit was a bit of a lads' place. Anyhow the OH persuaded me to give it a shot for a quick drink to shelter from the rain whilst we deliberated on a venue for dinner. I'm glad he did. In addition to a decent selection of craft beers, there's a hefty cocktail menu. I tried the Ginger Tom Collins & it hit the spot. Just the right amount of ginger to pack a punch but not enough to be overpowering. The OH had a pint of draft beer & seemed happy enough. The low ceiling means it gets noisy even if it's not packed. There was a stag do, 2 birthday parties and hen group as well as some other folks. It was only just possible to hold a convo at normal volume & be heard. There's a decent sized courtyard out the back too but it was too wet & cold to try it out. I'd definitely visit again but maybe on a week night when it might be a little less noisy.

    Pickles of Broughton Street - Inside front room (there's a back room as well)

    Pickles of Broughton Street

    4.9(20 reviews)
    0.3 miNew Town
    ££

    We were doing our regular research, hoping to find the perfect anniversary restaurant, when we…read morestumbled upon Pickles on a map. A quick Google search later, we decided to add this to our "must visit while in Edinburgh" list. This wasn't our anniversary restaurant, of course, but we knew we needed to dine here at least once. It was a long walk from our hotel, but it was a nice way to see parts of the city that we wouldn't normally have gotten to. The restaurant itself is nestled in the basement (or downstairs) of a cute building. It's small in there, but they're very good at maximizing the space they're given. We settled in at a teeny-tiny table off to the side and swiftly ordered a couple of pints. The menu is very straightforward: you're either getting a meat and cheese plate, just a cheese plate, or pates. We decided to share the Mixed Meat & Cheese platter. We figured that we'd snack and drink some Scottish beer, then head off into the night to find our "real" dinner. Thing is, though, that combo platter filled us the heck up. The waitress came out with the meat and cheese plate and a box of bread, oatcakes and crackers, and my husband and I had a "where is all this going?" moment. But our pro-waitress dropped the plate on the table and popped the bread box into a shelf on the wall next to us - a shelf that neither of us ever even noticed, to be honest. The meat and cheese selections were delicious and paired really well together. Kind of hidden away on that shelf (holding the bread and oatcakes) were a couple chutney jars. That chutney - lots of fruit pieces and complex flavors - brought a lot to the cheeses. We really did love the food, the surroundings, the beer and the staff. I wish we had something like this back home.

    Comforting environment, food and drink. It's like being in your own home, warm with friends. Staff…read moreare helpful and friendly. Enjoy yourselves.

    Photos
    Pickles of Broughton Street - Cheese platter

    Cheese platter

    Pickles of Broughton Street - The cheese board

    The cheese board

    Pickles of Broughton Street - Amazing cheese and bread and wine.

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    Amazing cheese and bread and wine.

    Bryant & Mack Private Detectives - Difficult to find, but well worth it!

    Bryant & Mack Private Detectives

    4.6(17 reviews)
    0.4 miNew Town
    ££

    I was there on 30 October 2025 with a few travel friends, and it turned out to be one of the best…read moresurprises of our trip. The minute we found the door off the little lane on Rose Street, there was an air of mystery... exactly what you hope for from a "detective agency" style speakeasy. Once inside, the vibe was perfect for a chilly Edinburgh evening. Like, moody lighting, vintage-style furnishings, and that cozy, clandestine feel that makes you glad you made the effort to find it. The service was absolutely welcoming. The bartenders were friendly and attentive, and even at 9p, mid week (when you might expect things to be winding down), the place was comfortably busy but not packed, but full enough to feel alive. Drinks menus came in little "confidential" envelopes, which instantly added to the fun. We ordered several cocktails that evening, and every drink was carefully crafted and flavorful, smooth and topped off with warm hospitality. I honestly did not have one bad cocktail. If I were to highlight a few things from our night - I came away loving the atmosphere, the attention to detail, and the general ease at which we were treated which is exactly what I wanted out of a night out in Edinburgh. If you're visiting Newcastle, upon, Tyne, Edinburgh, or just wandering through Rose Street and looking for something a little different... don't walk past this place. Bryant & Mack Private Detectives is a fun little secret with classic cocktails, cozy speakeasy vibes, and service that makes you feel like part of the case, lol. It's a fully immersive experience.

    Awesome speakeasy in New Town…read more It really is on the hidden side, it took me a few minutes longer than I thought it would to find the door (look at the posted pictures, it helps). Once inside (you'll have to knock to get in), you'll find a cool little lounge with great cocktails, chill music, and amiable bartenders. We were surprisingly the only ones in there around 9 pm on a Friday night, which we thought was odd (as did the bartenders), but it meant we got to hang out with them and shoot the shit (meeting bartenders from all over the world is one of my favorite hobbies). Besides the fact that both were into motorcycles (and one came to Edinburgh once and immediately backed up his bags and moved over from Italy - props), we found out that they could make a mean cocktail. We, of course, started on menu, but wanted to see if they could do any variations, which they not only did, but nailed: "do you like bitter or sweet" - bitter "Floral or not so much" - surprise me "base?" - gin Dunno what it was called, but it was one of the nicest gin drinks I had in a town that is crazy for gin at the moment. I highly recommend this place if you're looking for a good cocktail place, the ambiance is on point and the drinks are superb.

    Photos
    Bryant & Mack Private Detectives - Bowery theater

    Bowery theater

    Bryant & Mack Private Detectives
    Bryant & Mack Private Detectives - September gem

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    September gem

    The Ivy On The Square Edinburgh - bars - Updated August 2026

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