Landy's Fish and Chips — Restaurant in City of Edinburgh

MUST READ! We decided to have a late lunch at Landy's on the 22nd Dec, only because it was pretty much next to our hotel and we needed to quickly eat before heading home after what was up until that point, a really lovely weekend trip. We're vegans, and so were pleased when we noticed Landy's menu advertised outside offering Vegan Fish & Chips. We both ordered this alongside a portion of mushy peas each and a curry sauce to share.

When we started to tuck into our food, it became apparent that something did not seem right. The complete description of the Vegan Fish & Chips is "Soya and vegetable proteins wrapped in golden panko breadcrumbs + tartare sauce". What we received however were AUBERGINES, wrapped in a standard (no panko) batter.

We decided to approach a waiter to ask about the dish. We assumed it might be a mistake or a case that they were out of soya and panko breadcrumbs too, and so decided to substitute. We're aware substitutes happen in restaurants, it's just typical for diners to be made aware prior to placing an order so that they are able to make an informed decision. The waiter advised he would speak with the chef to confirm if the main ingredient of the dish was intended to be an aubergine. He soon returned confirming there was no confusion and the dish served was as intended although he himself seemed perplexed by it all!

We were running out of time and knew we could not eat again for several hours since we had to catch a bus and then our flight so we ate what we could although felt increasingly aggrieved by the whole situation. The chips themselves were average, mushy peas were not that appetizing but the curry sauce was quite good.

When it came to the bill we asked for a discount to be applied as what was advertised was not what was sold, pointing to the leftovers of our food. The manager soon approached our table and we explained the situation. The response was horrifying. He became extremely defensive and stated if we were not satisfied with the food we should have raised it at the very beginning so that an alternative could have been provided (note there was only one other vegan option on the menu which arguably could have showed up as an aubergine too). He also mentioned that soya was in there, it was "in the mix" of the food (nonsensical) and belligerently maintained the stance that the description on the menu was valid. It felt incredibly dishonest and disappointing, there was zero accountability for this blatant failure to be transparent.

We both have a catering business and so are fundamentally aware that a) your key ingredients are listed in the description/title of your menu item and you do not advertise ingredients that are not in the dish. If you happen to run out of the ingredient, you tell the diner prior to them placing an order.

The manager walked off after our exchange and when the bill arrived there was a 10% discount which seemed begrudgingly applied. I asked to remove the service charge. Honestly if we were just told by the manager, "So sorry, we will update the menu going forward and acknowledge it is inaccurate" I would not have had an issue at all. It's the disgusting attitude and complete lack of integrity which has appalled us.

Hence recommendation to management once again is to update your menu and stop MISLEADING diners. Other places nearby like the Fiddlers Arms and McGonagall's Gin & Whisky have Vegan Fish & Chips but you know exactly what you're getting e.g. "Beer battered banana blossom with chips..." There's absolutely no...

This was our last meal in Scotland before our flight back home later in the evening, and Scottish restaurants had been overall fantastic during the entire trip. We were in a hurry so decided on this place that looked inviting. The prime location suggested that the food would be a tad overpriced (I’ll return to that in a second) but what the hell, its vacation, right? We both ordered the classic fish/chips combo with a side of mushy peas and a coke. The food arrived. It was bland, very bland. The fish was almost without taste and the chips, supposedly double fried, were somehow still soggy and tasteless. The Ketchup came in those annoying little packets that you have to tear open. Why not just have a bottle at the table? The mushy peas were a grayish-green slop that tasted weird. Seriously, how hard is it to screw up that? Went to use the toilet, which smelled of some absolutely foul cleaning agent. At least at that’s what I think it was, i have never smelled anything like that ever. Whatever, we finished as much of the less than stellar food as we could and asked for the check. Can you guess how much? Including the (admittedly optional) service charge: 48 freaking pounds!! Compared to literally every other pub, lunch place and restaurant we have been to, that is nothing less than daytime robbery. I do not recommend this at all for the food. The place looks decent enough and staff was friendly (it was why we agreed to the service charge) But you will be much better off at literally any other place...

We were greeted by a lovely girl at the entrance, and the food was really nice too. Unfortunately, our experience was completely overshadowed by the service we received from the waitress at our table. From the moment she took our order, her attitude felt dismissive and unfriendly, which made the whole meal quite uncomfortable.

My 2 year old daughter was sitting on the sofa side of the table, and we were told she needed to take off her shoes because she might dirty the chair. I understand wanting to keep things clean, but the issue wasn’t the request itself, it was how it was delivered..bluntly and without any courtesy. It came across as rude and unnecessary, and really dampened the atmosphere.

We swapped seats to avoid any further issue, but when my daughter briefly stood on her chair, the same waitress returned and repeated the request again in the same tone. By that point, I was honestly fed up of her attitude and just wanted to finish up and leave.

The waitress could really benefit from some customer service training. It’s such a shame as this was our first night in Scotland, and what should have been a lovely evening ended on a disappointing note because of one staff member’s attitude.

Date of visit was Friday, 26th October between 6pm - 7:40pm.

To the waitress with a blue bow on her hair.. If you’ve got issues, please don’t bring it to work. Everyone has bad days, but taking it out on customers, especially families, is...