The Olive Branch — Restaurant in City of Edinburgh

We stopped in for a quick breakfast, but what got was some of the slowest and most disorganised service I`ve experienced in a long time. The staff seemed to have plenty of time to chat at the bar, but simple tasks - like brining a sauce for our breakfast - took so long that we had practicallyfinished our food by the time it arrived. Getting the bill and paying also took an eternity. Beyond the frustraring service, the restaurant enviroment was disappointing. The space felt grim and dirty, and the tables were packed so closely together that it was genuinely difficult to slide in or even leave without bumping into other diners. While the food itself was good (the only positive of our visit), the rest of the experience was extremely poor. To top it all off, a service charge was included on the bill. Im happy to pay for good service, but frankly, given poor experience we had, I would honestly prefer self-service to the "service "...

Possibly five years since I last ate at The Olive Branch which was for many years an Edinburgh favourite where I have very good memories of the food, service and ambience. Unfortunately this visit didn't quite live up to my memory. The starters were good for everyone in our party of four (I had the delicious haggis bon bons). However, my fish and chips main was a bit of a disappointment. The fish was short on taste and the batter a bit soggy. It was also disappointing not to have an option of mushy peas as the salad served with it just didn't compliment it very well and consisted of mostly limp lettuce leaves which I suspect had sat under a heat lamp for a little too long. The service was also not as professional or engaging as I remember. Despite my review on this occasion, skewed by my fish and chips experience and the underwhelming service, I think it's still a decent restaurant, in a great part of town and the starters...

Disappointing. Food quality poor. Pasta dish was soggy. Thai curry was over glutened sauce. I had mine with fish which I enjoyed. Chicken burger greasy. The worst of all was the monkfish dish! The serving was size of a starter. Surrounded by unappealing mush! Yes for £21!! We thought our friend had ordered a starter...noo.Of course she started to eat it hungrily, finished before we got ours. What a rip off! She was too polite to say anything...she had to order a portion of French fries as main dish was so poor. Place was too noisy we couldnt hear each other speak Stairway down to ladies toilets risky. Spiral metal steep staircase and sheet metal covering.Toilet hand towel bin overflowing. Untidy. Shabby place with excess chairs etc in view of customer. Broom cupboard doors open. Customers shoul see none of this! Wont be going back!

p.s the ink print on the bill was faint and...