Biblos — Restaurant in City of Edinburgh

I have been twice – once for casual food and drinks, and the other for a recent work night out – and the food is abysmal. First time I got horrible microwaved nachos with cheese stuck to the plate, showing that they had sat a long time before being served to the table. The second time was a set menu, which the restaurant still managed to mess up. First off, everyone who ordered soup got it cold and had to send it back. The pate I received was clearly store bought. The main course selection was predominantly turkey and ribeye steak. The turkey was borderline cooked, dry, tasteless and chewy. Not as chewy as the steak, however, which was essentially roadkill delivered to the plate. It was barely cooked, blood oozing out of it and being ripped apart by the terrible steak knives. It seems this place cannot get steaks right: the first time I went, a friend got the sirloin steak and spent most of the time actually trying to cut it, for a steak that was meant to be medium. The vegetables that accompanied both meals were hard and severely undercooked, everything else was just bland. Pints were overpriced and flat, other drinks were expensive. The staff seem uninterested, customer service was appalling. The bouncer on the door – bald, quite small, angry face – has a certified attitude problem and seems to be asking for trouble.

I'll certainly never...

Good value for food, not so great for drinks. During the day this place is nice and bright and a good meeting point if you are not coming by car. They have a long running deal of 25% off all food which has been enough to persuade me back a couple of times.

I always try to sit at the nice seats downstairs by the window. The table service is fast but you are not rushed away after you finish eating. Coffee can be expensive for what you get in here as with most of the drinks. The whisky and haggis balls are a nice starter and the portion of fish that came with the main was large and filling. The burgers are also good but not as good as Rascals further up south bridge which also does better milkshakes.

Review update, came here for a quick lunch (rascals was full) had a hair in my burger, no cutlery till we asked for it and the waiter was nowhere when you needed him and hovering when you didn't won't...

It started well and quickly went down hill!!

We visited as 2 adults, a 5 year old and a baby. Starters and garlic bread came with no issues. After a while the bill came. So we told them that we hadn't had our mains or childs meal.....despite bringing me a steak knife earlier on they had no clue what we had ordered. Eventually they brought out my partners meal and a wrong childs meal which had to be sent back. When it eventually came back they said "can I get you anything else?".....I obviously still didnt have my meal. He went back to the kitchen and came and told me that the chef hadn't even started it. They'd obviously completely lost our order. Food that did come eventually was actually OK, and the barman was friendly and apologetic about his colleagues, they gave a free pint and a small amount off the bill.

Disappointing and a bit stressful with 2 hungry...