Paradise Palms — Restaurant in City of Edinburgh

I was in Paradise Palms once seven years ago and recall it being bad so never went back. After Seeds for the Soul stopped making its mac and cheese because the ingredients got “too expensive” I’ve been on the search for a good vegan mac and cheese in Edinburgh so I decided to give Paradise Palms another go - it had been seven years after all, and I couldn’t quite remember why I disliked it before. Well, my return visit was dreadful. The mac and cheese was watery and the attempt at making it “cajun” simply involved adding some bell peppers??? What was worse was how unclean the place was and what little attention the staff paid to cleaning. After previous diners departed, the tables were left uncleaned for a long time and even where they were “cleaned” used cutlery and napkins remained on the floor under the table seemingly missed by staff. I watched as one couple were seated at a dirty table and no effort was made by the wait staff to clean it up until after it was pointed out to them. I really don’t want to be harsh on wait staff, but these were really not good. It wasn’t a case of understaffing (for which I will forgive lot) because there were plenty of people at the bar. There was also a lack of continuity with some waiters taking customers orders at the table and others telling customers to order at the bar. I simply cannot in good conscience recommend and I’m disappointed that this is the “top” vegan option in Edinburgh. Maybe you just have to be really really drunk...

I was excited to finally try this restaurant given the fact that there’s so many vegetarian options on the menu. The place looks great - very original and with a cool, laidback atmosphere but unfortunately, I was very disappointed with my visit there. We arrived on a Saturday afternoon with our suitcases and although there were plenty of other seats available, we were crammed into the middle of the front part of the restaurant with no decent place to put our things. We were unable to relax and enjoy our meal without having to shift our stuff around to allow other people to get around us. Not only that, we were informed upon being seated that two of their main dishes weren’t available (only an hour past opening time) and when I came to the conclusion that I would just order a couple of side dishes, I was informed that they didn’t have one of those either. The beer and soft drinks that both my partner and I ordered were on the menu too but for some reason, not available either. Staff could’ve been more helpful and considerate with regards to our luggage and perhaps recommended something from what little they had available from their menu that day. I ended up with one small side dish, buffalo cauliflower that came barely even warm and my partner’s macaroni wasn’t hot enough either. I wanted to send our food back and leave and I would have done if I had my way that day. We both left hungry and...

Paradise Palms is striking - it really does that whole velvet grunge thing well. It's a bit hipster-come-louche with all the sensual rich colours, foliage, and... bunting. The bar area seems somewhat separate from the dining area, which with its brighter lights is a little less appealing, despite the charm of the typewriter-displayed menu. When I was there on my own for a quick bite to eat, staff were chatty and pleasant. It's nice to finish a meal and disappear into the depths of the room.

Of the meals, I've tried a tofu "ninja bun" burger, teriyaki marinated tofu in a steamed bun. They're not terribly expensive and so not huge, but more filling than they look, and a decent (and to Edinburgh, pretty unique) lunch or in-between solid snack.

Cocktails are nice and again, reasonably priced, although given the popularity of the place, you might have a little bit of a wait. It's worth reserving a table if you're with a group.

The first time I was there, the set-up of a complicated looking vintage-style-over-usability DJ booth behind our table was ongoing, and we left because it was so distracting - bright torch light being shone from a phone directly into my friend's face for five minutes wasn't the vibe we were looking for on a Friday night.

But, overall, I think I like it, and I'll be back to try...