Ghillie Dhu — Restaurant in City of Edinburgh

Went to a wedding there and the staff were amazing, helpful and friendly. really welcoming. The food was lovely and delicious and the serving sizes were perfect. the delivery of food to the tables was perfect as they left plenty time to finish each course while at the same time you were not left waiting too long for the next course. The venue its self is beautiful. Its located in the heart of Edinburgh in a beautiful old building. There is a bar downstairs with live music and a privet area for wedding guests. they have a great selection of drinks in the bar with delicious cocktails. Upstairs is the event hall and it is breathtaking. with high ceilings, beautiful architecture and a wall sized organ (this thing is huge and intricate) it is the perfect setting to give your wedding a Scottish flair. Seeing the bride walk down the isle in that hall was amazing. it felt like something right out of a fairy tale. for the ceremony the room was lit by candle light enhancing an already beautiful atmosphere. Now you might notice I called it an event hall and not a chapel, well after the ceremony everyone went downstairs for photos in front of this beautiful and historic building and drinks in the bar. we were then called upstairs and the ceremony area had been converted to a dining area. The tables were set beautifully with care and we had a delicious meal, then after that the curtain at the end of the room was drawn to reveal a stage and a dance floor. The party is held here as well. there is a bar and the room has a fantastic and fun energy about it and you can dance till the wee hours of the morning. Its beautiful that everything takes place in that one room so all your memory's of the day have a beautiful backdrop. another amazing thing is that since the venue is in the heart of the city there are countless hotels and busses and taxis to take you home at the end of the night. all in all the wedding was unforgettable and I would recommend the Ghillie Dhu to anyone looking to marry...

We booked a table for 4.30. We showed up for 4.15, we were the first people in for the evening. Our waiter came over, a middle aged woman, who was so so so awkward for working a customer service job- she didn't even look at us and mumbled. I asked for a lemonade and a whisky.

When my lemonade came it had a fly in it. I complained, they said ok, never apologized, took it away, got me a new one and brought it back. Never once said sorry etc. BIZARRE So we felt slightly awkward and as if we were a burden.

We ordered what they called "artisan bread" to share as a starter.

We waited 45 mins (red flag in itself, considering we were THE ONLY PEOPLE HERE) , we are like what are they doing kneading the bread by hand....?

Then out comes two portions of this cold toast. So cold you couldn't put butter in it. Not slightly cold, like frozen. We are like when did they toast this? 7am?... It was like a PILE also, I said to her " we only ordered one of these, and I'm not being funny but that's £5 for cold toast. We are not paying £10 for both of these....?" It was way to much bread for one person pre dinner.

She then said ok (NO APOLOGY AGAIN!) AND took the food away without making eye contact.

We are then pissing ourselves laughing like " is this a prank show?" That's how bad it was.

We then seen the waiter PICK HER NOSE AND EAT IT behind the bar. We were like nope we are leaving. We walked up to the bar and said " cancel our two steak pies we are leaving '

To which she said "ok" didn't make eye contact. Then pointed at a card machine which said £15 (the whisky and one portion of cold toast)

We paid it and got right off out of there. Like no apology from them etc....

I'd like to hear what your opinion on this is- Do you think that is typical service for the...

Edited: new staff has completely changed my experience, rendering the Ghillie as good as it once was. Kudos for getting rid of the bad staff, it really changes the place!

Old review: It feels a little hard writing this, as six months ago I would have given the Ghillie a solid five, but recent months have seen changes in the staff that have rendered the place, 'okay'.

Some I find to be very helpful, but others seem very unhappy or simply incapable of working behind a bar. This evening I asked for two pints, and was handed two two-thirds of a pint consisting mainly of foam. I asked politely if they could be topped up, and thankfully, they were.

This has happened many a time, and we have had issues ordering food too. My father asked for the steak, and wasn't asked how he would like it cooked. The chap behind the bar had a very limited grasp of English, and we had to discuss our options with three other staff members before we were understood.

Tonight, a gentleman who I regularly see working dropped a whole tray of glasses, and again filled my pint up to two-thirds of a pint. He's been working there for over six months now, and seemed Ina real rush to get back to his girlfriend on the other side of the bar.

But it can be hit and miss. Other nights I've had a great time, and there's been no problems at all. Some members of staff work damn hard, but they are let down by those who aren't pulling their weight, or by bad employment decisions by those higher up in the chain.

Go back six months, and this place is a solid five. Great music, friendly atmosphere, great ceildh upstairs. An amazing venue. But now, no. I'd...