Salisbury Arms Edinburgh — Restaurant in City of Edinburgh

Wow, they've had a glow-up. From the warm, switched-on front-of-house team (genuinely one of the best I’ve encountered in ages), to the refreshed interiors and, most importantly, the food. The menu reads like a dream, and the kitchen delivers with flair.

We kicked things off with the Glazed Goat’s Cheese (£8.50) paired with chicory, peaches, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, and a chardonnay vinaigrette. It was a beautifully balanced plate: creamy, crunchy, sweet, and sharp. My only tiny quibble? It needed a little something wet to tie it all together, a dollop of chutney would’ve elevated it from lovely to lush.

Then came the Slow-Cooked Beef Croquettes (£7.25) with horseradish and beef dripping gravy, and this, my friends, was the showstopper. Rich, crispy, melt-in-the-mouth perfection. That gravy? Deep, glossy, and packed with flavour. We even dunked the goat’s cheese in it and suddenly had a whole new dish. Transformative.

Honestly, give me five plates of those croquettes and I’ll be the happiest wee TartanSpoonie in town. If the only thing you order is these Beef Croquettes, you won’t regret it!

The main menu at The Salisbury Arms is no half-hearted affair, 13 dishes strong and covering all the bases, from pub classics to bold new flavours. Whether you're craving comfort or feeling adventurous, there's something here to tempt every tastebud including vegetarian and vegan tastebuds too!

You’ve got the British half rotisserie chicken, the indulgent duo of belly pork and scallops, and even a zesty twist with the crispy duck and pineapple salad. And of course, the ever-reliable fish and chips, battered line-caught cod with minted pea purée that hits all the nostalgic notes.

And just when you think you’ve conquered the mains, The Salisbury Arms throws down the gauntlet with a lineup of steaks, burgers, pizzas, and sides that’ll have you planning your next visit before dessert even lands.

But the real head-turners? I went for the pan-roasted harissa-crusted lamb rump, served with baby potatoes and green beans. A generous plate piled high with thick-cut slices of lamb rump, cooked rare just as requested, perfectly pink and melt-in-the-mouth. Paired with baby potatoes, heaps of veg, and a rich, soul-hugging gravy that could only be the work of a kitchen blessed by the gravy gods themselves.

My bestie couldn’t resist the chicken, leek & Davidstow cheddar pie, complete with mash, green beans, and a generous pour of gravy. This hot water crust pie was a proper showpiece, sturdy, golden, and gloriously free of any soggy-bottom scandal. Packed to the brim with tender chicken, sweet leeks, and rich Davidstow cheddar, it was comfort food at its finest… and yes, that legendary gravy made another triumphant appearance, tying it all together like a warm hug on a plate.

We were happily stuffed, so opted for the trio of mini desserts to share: A home-baked Valrhona chocolate brownie—rich and fudgy A comforting rhubarb & strawberry crumble with custard And a zesty Sicilian lemon tart that cut through it all like sunshine on a plate

Paired with a wee coffee, it was the perfect finale to a meal that ticked every box, flavour, value, and a proper sense of occasion. Salisbury Arms, you’ve officially...

We were there on Friday 6 December 2024 before heading to the panto, as having been a good few times before we expected the same good food and service as before, sadly this was not the case, we were shown to our booked table quickly enough but went very rapidly downhill from there, we sat for a good 30 minutes and no one came near, well that’s not strictly true, a lady came and put water in the table after about 20 minutes and my son in law went to order drinks but was told “I’ll be back in a minute”, she just disappeared, I eventually went to the bar to order drinks to be asked by the gentleman that showed us to our seats have you not ordered yet, I explained and he apologised and said to go back to my seat and someone will be with me shortly, he actually came up himself and took our drinks and food order, drinks came after about 5-10 minutes but we waited and waited for our food, restaurant was not exceptionally busy at this point, we had finished our drinks too by this time and again no one came near, another waitress we hadn’t seen showed a family to a table and took their drinks order, we waited until she had finished with them and said excuse me, she carried on walking away, we spoke a bit louder and still ‘did not hear’, any other establishment I have been in whether your server or not see empty glasses ask the customer if the need anything, we eventually saw the young girl that had brought our drinks and clearly shouted excuse me, she seemed a bit flustered and started to say something when the original girl who had brought the water came up, took the drinks order and we asked about our food, she apologised about our wait and said she’d put the drinks order through then go into the kitchen to see what was happening, she did this and actually came out with our food, nothing elaborate, 3 of us had ordered burgers & 1 steak pie, we think the food had been sitting under the hot lamps as the burgers were so dried out one was totally inedible, and, our side dish did not appear at all, again got an apology, but the girl did take the burger away and said it was removed off our bill and 20% discount would be given, now I’m not sure if that was whole bill or just food as son in law paid and he didn’t notice as he just wanted to get out and grab a snack before heading to the panto. We were so disappointed, to be honest if they were short staffed all that was required was to say right at the beginning that things may take a little longer than normal due to short staff then it was up to the customer whether they stayed and waited or leave, I get they may not want to lose a customer by going elsewhere but, to be honest I highly doubt we will ever be back now, so in my opinion it would have been worth the risk to be upfront, that is of course if that were the reason for the awful service and not nice food (other than...

Booked for Sunday roast this weekend just gone. We walked 45 minutes out of the city centre as we thought the restaurant looked nice and the vegetarian Sunday roast looked good. When we arrived the man who checked us in muttered under his breath "you were meant to be here half an hour ago". This was not the case, as I had called an hour and a half before to ask if our table could be pushed back half an hour (I've even got the confirmation email to prove it). Then when seating us, he told us that they'd run out of the Sunday roast. No apology offered. We read the menu and as the vegetarian options were very limited we decided not to eat. Our intentions were to politely talk him and say that because the Sunday roast wasn't on offer, we were going to go somewhere else. However, as we got up and walked towards him, he shouted down to his colleague who had just turned people away and said "these pair are leaving, so you can give them their table". Rude and completely unacceptable, didn't even ask if we were okay or try to find out why we were leaving. He needs some lessons in customer service. If you're planning on making the journey out of the city centre I would think again. Much nicer places, with more polite staff in a more convenient location than this place. The only good thing that came out of the trip here is that we got to eat some decent food, with some great staff at Paradise Palms. Would highly recommend going...