The Real Greek - Edinburgh — Restaurant in City of Edinburgh

I visited The Real Greek in Edinburgh on the spur of the moment with a friend. We had not booked and the restaurant was busy so was not optimistic of a table. We were greeted personally by the Manager, Yiauuis (guessing the spelling so apologies if incorrect) which was a lovely touch and makes all the difference when it happens. He took a few minutes and juggled things around to free a table for us. We couldn't have asked for a better reception and first impression of this relatively new eatery. Our server was Maria...wow, what a smile and she couldn't have been more attentive and clearly knew the menu very well as she recommended dishes to suit our tastes. A wonderful selection of cold and hot Meze arrived quickly along with a couple of cold beers. Wow, the food was superb...a special mention here for the pork belly which was first class and the lamb meatballs which tasted so good I could have ordered more. I totally disagree with the sentiments of some recent reviews of this restaurant. If you check out my profile I don't give praise lightly, but from start to finish, the staff delivered a superb dining experience but the food quality and authenticity without doubt stole the show. I will not hesitate to return next time I am at the St James quarter. Finally, just when I thought i was unable to manage another mouthful, I threw caution to the wind and recommended by Maria, I attempted the cheesecake to finish things off. Well now, there is cheesecake and there is cheesecake All to often this dessert is a cop out in restaurants and served as an easy option or filler when other desserts are off menu. This offering however was nothing short of special and if you do northing else when visiting, make sure you have room for this final chapter in what I'm sure will be a good dining experience. Its been a long time since I reviewed any establishment but I was compelled to log back into my account and make sure I offered a considered review...it was seriously that good folks. Thanks to everyone who attended to us and the chefs that made an ordinary day, anything but ordinary. I will see you again very soon and congratulations on bringing some authentic Greek cuisine to...

Visit 30/11 This is now my mum's favourite restaurant in town. We loved our dishes on this visit. They were able to customise her Greek salad to her liking which was most appreciated. I had the prawns, spicy feta dip and chicken which were all delicious and the bread is seriously amazing.

The service was fantastic. The girls were all so nice and kind, in particular Krista who was so sweet, attentive and intuitive. For example she asked if we wanted to order or if we wanted to enjoy our aperitif first. So many places just rush you to order to turn the tables, so you end up drinking the wrong thing with your food. Not here. She also frequently and discreetly checked up on us throughout our lunch.

Great welcome from Ben and the lovely blond lady on the door. Fantastic value for money, around £100 for 2 of us including service, aperitif, wines, dishes, coffee and digestifs. I was actually shocked by how small the bill was. Will definitely recommend!

Visit 15/11 So glad we found this place. We wanted something light and healthy for lunch with a great wine list, and got very lucky coming across the the Real Greek.

The service from the staff was absolutely top notch. Lina welcomed us at the door and helped allocate us to a side corner table as my Mum is hard of hearing and struggles in the middle of rooms. She was so kind and considerate. It is really appreciated. Apparently she literally just came from Greece the day before to start at the restaurant! Wow talk about authentic!

Our waiter Maciej was amazing! So friendly, personal and engaging. The whole lunch was a fantastic experience!

The food was fabulous, the chicken was cooked just right, charred on the outside but still juicy in the middle. We also had bread, Greek salad, dips, rice etc. the set menu is fantastic value for about £14.

Overall would definitely return, and would very much hope to see Maciej and Lina again.

Many thanks, from the woman in the corner on Wednesday lunch with...

Well a couple of months ago it was a 5 star review - how things change. We dropped in for Lunch on a Tuesday afternoon - the place was nearly empty. We were informed they no longer do lunch deals - we ordered flat breads and dip - the breads arrived nearly cold, the two wraps were fine - the so called greek salad was pretty much a bowl of tomato - a couple of olives, hardly any onion or cucumber and a tiny bit of cheese - i gave feedback to the waitress ( who herself came from Athens) - she apologised - but worse said other customers had complained - so why nothing done? We got our coffees for free as an apology. So not great, clearly starting to apply strick portion control and it shows - and they can't stretch to some additional red onion or a few more olives. A rather 'mean' offering. Would think twice before returning or recommending. We did not pay the service charge. ---+------------------------------------------ We visited for lunch - our first experience of the restaurant which is located in the St James Quarter. We had not booked - we got table straight away. Large airy restaurant with floor to ceiling windows. Reasonable prices from comprehensive menu - fast friendly service - excellent quality food. Even better if - the serving staff had more confidence to challenge parents and carers of unruly children - pulling on the hanging lights on the floor to ceiling windows and being allowed ti run around the restaurant floor - sooner or later that 'restrained politeness' will be the cause of an accident. That aside an excellent experience we...