The Hawes Inn — Restaurant in City of Edinburgh

My husband and I have been going to this establishment for over 20 years, including having our wedding here in 2015. We went to the venue for a lunch on Sunday and I have never felt so uncomfortable in a dining experience. I rarely complain to any business, but this was simply one of the worst experiences i have ever had and as such I have been compelled to write this.

We were welcomed at the main bar and asked if we had a booking, seated in the dog area (not a problem). The floor had clearly not been cleaned from the day before but i wasn’t eating off that so I wasn't fussed.

The "waitress" which I wont leave a descrption of here - but have logged a complaint on the website - table 30 midday, sunday 24th September

She attended the table and asked what we would like to drink, we ordered drinks and asked for a few minutes for the menu. In the interim an Australian lady weas also seated on her own at a table behind us.

We received our drinks (one tea and one coke) and ordered our food. My husband ordered the chicken skewers, chips and slaw and we were advised there was so chips or slaw. The other lady went to the kitchen to check as she said this was possibly from the evening before. The drama of the young "waitress" (and I use that term loosely) then started. She huffed and said "well we will just have to wait then" she then stood by the table awkwardly narrating nonsense to herself. It was uncomfortable to say the least The other lady returned and advised (amazingly) that chips were available - but no slaw. No alternative was offered. I ordered the halloumi skewers and a glass of pinot grigio

We waited for our meal and throughout the entirety of our dining “experience” this young lady proceeded to talk to herself at full volume and other staff and essentially be very unprofessional and made the experience just awful.

A few of the key phrases at top volume and just odd behaviour: Oh my god, I’ve ordered that wine (mine) to the other table - then huffed and stormed to the bar Where is all my sauces – whilst raking in a cupboard right next to our table, then proceeded to storm off again, muttering something to herself The wine then arrived from the bar and was taken to the Australin lady behind us – clearly the issue hadn’t been resolved She then took a chicken burger (assume this was her lunch) through to the other area beside where we were dining and started eating When one of her colleagues asked what she was doing, she laughed and said “eating my chicken burger – in view of ourselves. For hygiene and contamination reasons alone – this was quite unbelievable! She berated a colleague, following her through – again past our table – about “Nicking her vinegar” She came storming back from the bar area muttering about drinks which hadn’t been delivered She stood next to our table drinking juice – not really an issue but I was starting to get really fed up with her dramatics by this point Stormed into the restaurant – shouting he just made me cry told me to “just do my job” and then squealed and left again My husband has ordered coffee and she came back and announced, the bar was rubbish and so she made it herself – then we had to ask for sugar

I honestly don’t think this was everything, but it was certainly the highlights!

We normally spent at least aa couple of hours in the Hawes, have a few drinks and a sweet. We attend for family dinners and many celebrations throughout the years, but the standard of service on this occasion left something to be desired. It was like being served by a stroppy drama loving child.

The tip of the iceberg was when I was presented with the card machine, encouraging a tip to be left. I did out of sheer necessity at this point added a measly 5% - when I would without question normally add 15% minimum to any service bill.

I am reluctant to return anytime soon and can honestly say, it is without a doubt the most uncomfortable dining experience, I have ever had.

Its clear ssome training in how to interact with...

Lived in the area for years and used to visit The Hawes all the time, to the point where we knew all staff and chefs. Over the years it has changed management and declined. Last time I visited before the day just passed was December of 2023, it was quiet then but still cozy. I ordered an oat latte and it was served in a large cup, tasted delicious and served with sugars etc.

This time round, we walked in and it was like a different place. There’s no ambience, no coziness, no pub feel anymore. It’s bright and sterile in the restaurant area like a holiday hotel all inclusive, and the fireplace area where we used to sit was barren and cold. Nothing on the walls as there used to be, no warmth. It has lost the vibe of a pub hotel restaurant that makes you want to stay.

Even the latte we ordered came half full in a small, Lavazza cup, which was so disappointing and just screams chain restaurant. Especially in comparison to the decent sized coffee I got over a year ago at the same establishment.

We ordered the skewers - the food was okay, a bit tasteless and nothing to write home about. The menu was really underwhelming yet pricey. The woman who served us seemed nice and the woman who brought our food over made a comment about choosing the smallest table (totally lighthearted but a valid point - but there was no other tables to choose from? we were asked if we were happy to sit at the windows. are we supposed to say no? the bar area was occupied by I assume a manager or staff with laptops).

The lady who served us seemed busy (although place was dead quiet) so felt bad bothering her but there was no salt and pepper to be found. She had to go all the way through the restaurant to a cupboard to get them and bring them over to us.

Burnt my finger on the skewers trying to eat the bloody things as wasn’t told it was scolding to the touch but maybe more my fault than anyone else’s for not thinking.

Overall, an average experience and we wished we had dined somewhere else for less than £50 for a small coffee, a small coke...

A really disappointing visit to The Hawes Inn - had booked online for dinner on a very rare night out, and arrived on a glorious spring evening to a sign outside saying "Gillian & The Team Welcome You to The Hawes Inn". Nice. Except nobody welcomed us, at all 😶 We entered via the ramp adjacent to the welcoming sign, through a door which was already open, only to find ourselves in the middle of the restaurant. A completely empty restaurant. We looked around for any indication of where to go, and navigated our way around the almost completely empty building to find the bar where it said "check in". At the bar was a man being served drinks, and another woman waiting with menus in hand, so we just waited behind her, in full view of the barmaid who made no indication she'd seen us at all. The phone rang...and rang...and rang...the barmaid continued to make the 3 or 4 drinks the man had ordered, without acknowledging us or the woman infront of us; a waitress came bustling out of another empty part of the building, dipped behind the bar for something, ignoring both us and the incessantly ringing phone, and bustled off again. She did this twice. It's a big building, and with the almost imperceptible background music playing it had precisely ZERO atmosphere, and only two occupied tables visible in the whole place. We felt neither welcomed nor inclined to stay, so after about 5 minutes of being ignored in silence (which felt like a lifetime) we just left and cancelled our booking online. We'd passed the newly opened Thirty Knots and decided to try in there - couldn't have been more different: full restaurant (on a Monday night) but we got the warmest welcome, a booth in the bar, fantastic service and excellent food. Sorry Hawes but you just missed on all points...