The Lookout by Gardener's Cottage

The Lookout is an exceptional restaurant that truly showcases the most spectacular views in the city. From the panoramic vistas of Edinburgh's iconic landmarks to the natural beauty surrounding the restaurant, I was in awe throughout my visit. The minimalistic design of the restaurant only served to highlight the stunning views even further. As for the food, the lunch set menu was absolutely marvellous. Every dish was crafted with care and attention to detail. The staff were attentive, friendly, and knowledgeable about the menu, adding to the overall excellent service. While it's worth noting that there are no options outside of the set menu, this wasn't an issue in any way. The set menu offered such a varied and delicious selection that we didn't feel like we were missing out on anything. Additionally, it's worth mentioning that they don't offer coffee other than French press, but this is minor detail compared to the overall experience.

This is a really difficult review, as I almost feel the quality of ingredients and presentation is worth 5 stars, but for some reason we just didn’t get a WOW factor. There was enough to eat (just), but the main course was a bit light on content; really just one piece of protein(2 ounces?) & 1 small potato, with some nominal garnish & sauce to try and fill some of the empty area on the plate. The quality of the protein & potato was excellent. Service & location are very good. We think the price, including service charge, was justified, and would have been happy to pay 10-15 pounds more, for the same courses, but with a little more volume on the appetizer course(one small scallop) and main course. PS: They did an excellent job of accommodating my wife’s food allergies.

Everything was good, but nothing was great. The views were gorgeous and the experience was nice, but I can't recommend the food at this price point. I have done enough fine dining to understand the experience is going to be a bit different, but even so these portion sizes were insultingly small. I had been particularly looking forward to the venison loin, but I have honestly been served larger portions of quail. A deer gives a chef a lot to work with, but if you'd never seen a deer before, you would come away from this dinner assuming they must be roughly the size of a Dachshund. And I understand this may be an outcome of the restaurant's focus on local foods and sustainability, but I still left feeling like it was not worth the cost.

Best quality meal ever!! All dishes, the crab tartlet, Cod, Venison, dessert were expertly and tastefully prepared and presented with care. One of us was dairy- and gluten-free, so plates for that person were customized. The wait staff were perfectly attentive, friendly, and knowledgeable about the dishes and libation options! And the view is incomparable!

Located exceptionally well, perched at the top of Castle Hill, offering a panoramic view of the entire Edinburgh skyline, especially stunning during sunset. Sitting by the window and witnessing the evening glow is truly spectacular! They provide a set menu, and the food quality is quite good, especially the venison. Perfect for a romantic date.

An absolutely brilliant dining experience. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A small venue; The Lookout offers an intimate dining experience, perched high above Edinburgh and overlooking the Firth of Forth. Incredible views, welcoming staff and fresh, seasonal produce denote this as a highly original and memorable experience. 🍽️ We'd previously enjoyed an evening meal at The Gardener's Cottage - an essential visit for any foodie visiting Edinburgh - so the chance to try this sister venue is something that I immediately jumped at. 🥐 We had breakfast here which was delicious and very well-curated. Items are shared as platters, split across two main servings (menu attached). All of the fold was beautifully presented, was incredibly fresh and provided a very balanced and enjoyable breakfast. A couple of bits of constructive feedback: - At breakfast, each diner has a single side plate which your supposed to eat all of the courses off of. This includes meat, cheese, pastries etc which is all fine, but also fresh fruit salad with the accompanying fruit juice. To my mind the fruit needs to be served individually in bowls. I requested a new plate and whilst the request was accommodated, I detected a hesitation to do so in case everyone asked for this. An easy improvement to make and one which is essential. - Coffee top-ups could be offered more readily. After the original small cup, we were only offered one additional refill. Similarly, we had to request additional orange juice as only one very small carafe was served for every four guests (it supplied approx.1/5 of a glass of juice per person. - Signage for the last few meters isn't very clear, especially considering that it's effectively a venue within a venue The good news is that all of the above are very easy tweaks to make and would really help to elevate the perception of the overall experience. I would highly recommend a visit to The Lookout.

Loved this cute little place! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Not sure if reservations are required, but we got lucky, there was 1 table available for us when we arrived 👍🏻😀 The menu is quite small, but I feel it is perfect for its simplicity, seems that most people should be able find something for themselves. We ordered mussels (2 identical plates), and they were hands down THE ABSOLUTE BEST mussels we've EVER had! They were buttery and soft (not chewy at all). If it wasn't our last day in Edinburgh, we would have come to eat there again for sure! One recommendation for the restaurant is to invest in an espresso machine, it would be so perfect after an amazing meal! 5 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Solid experience. Went here for lunch from start to finish it was absolutely phenomenal. Chicken terrine had excellent texture, and the cod was amazing. You can tell the chef gave an intimate detail on the dishes he makes. Yes it is pricey its an upscale restaurant but the quality and the food speaks for itself.

I wish I could talk about the food and the ambiance but I can't. I was in Edinburgh for a vacation with my daughter. I had a reservation for this restaurant. I had to cancel it because my daughter became unwell. She was vomiting. Obviously I couldn't take her to a restaurant. So I canceled my reservation through the restaurant's system. They charged me over $100 after I canceled. Disgusting.

Really beautiful view! The servers were very nice. I got here at 12:30 and could only order from the smaller menu (no breakfast). I got the East Coast Charcuterie and a glass of sparkling rosé. It was good, but seemed quite expensive. £18 for 1 glass and a small plate of sliced sausage felt like too much. See picture. I might come back with a reservation to try the breakfast, which seems like quite a bit more food.

An excellent evening with generous and thoughtful service. A well balanced, fresh and innovative menu, great wine pairings, all with an unmatched view. It is a climb to get there so leave yourself plenty of time although taxis can apparently drop off on the rear of the hill. The best meal we had in Edinburgh by a considerable distance. Thank you!

My family and I are vacationing in Edinburgh and reserved a table here a day ahead, and we weren't disappointed. The atmosphere is fantastic, with floor to ceiling windows, and open kitchen, and tall candles on each table for a rustic feel. The menu is high end, so I wouldn't recommend this restaurant for children without an expansive palate. My children were fine, as they thoroughly enjoyed the homemade bread and butter. The fish was cooked perfectly, the same goes for the meat. The cheese plate was gorgeous and offered a variety of flavors, all of which were satisfactory. Though the service wasn't exactly fast, that's to be expected from a restaurant offering freshly crafted, seasonal fine dining. Plus, the gorgeous view of Edinburgh keeps one from feeling like the wait for food was tedious. The unique amount of courses to choose from was interesting and frankly amusing, I enjoyed it like a child does Christmas, anticipating one present after the next. To conclude, the flavors, service, and overall feel was as expected and great.

Good, friendly & reasonably attentive service (although one member of staff seemed to be having an off night, dropping a plate & later glassware) throughout the evening and, taking the obvious selling point of the great view when the weather's right into account, cheaper than similar places I've eaten in in Edinburgh in the past year. On the respective budgets at our table this is an occasion venue rather than one we'd be in regularly but the atmosphere maintained is fairly casual. You will though be heavily penalised if you fail to turn up for your booking (only fair). All of us left feeling decently filled despite the cuisine being of the artfully arranged variety (a third bit of venison in my main wouldn't have gone amiss mind you) and, for a change, the crispbread to cheese ratio was massively in favour of the crispbread. Probably too much in fact to fully justify the £10 cost. At £70 per head the tasting menu is possibly overpriced but, dining normally, three courses and two bottles of wine for £55 each sat well with us. As you're effectively sitting in a glass box the interior temperature may become an issue for some as the days get warmer but one presumes air conditioning is in place to counter that.

The lookout has to have the best views out over Edinburgh, accompanied by a thoughtful locally sourced menu, and a short wine list. Getting there can be a bit of an exciting hike, especially in the evening as the steps and paths are not well lit. The best way is to get a taxi up (tell the driver to come in through the old High School entrance). The only way to get a table is to book, and plan to do it a couple of weeks in advance as its a small restaurant with less than 15 tables. For such a small space with vast amounts of glass the acoustics are very good, without it getting too noisy even when its full. The kitchen space is fully open, and you almost feel part of the kitchen as it takes up about a third of the room. The menu we had was a great cross section of Scottish game and seafood, with an excellent tasting menu available. Highly, highly recommended.

We came here for breakfast and wow. Such an amazing, top-quality spread with all fresh yummy goodies and 6-courses worth. The views of Edinburgh are spectacular and it's so reasonably priced for the sheer volume of food on offer. The staff were fabulous too - so friendly and attentive

Had an excellent meal on Friday night. We ate from the a la carte menu, and the food tasted as good as you could expect. A short but good wine list which allows you to order a choice of several of the wines by the glass, or as a half litre carafe, when you don't want a full bottle The service was friendly and attentive without being in your face. We were very fortunate to have a great table with absolutely superb views over Edinburgh. Situated on Calton Hill, it is a bit of a stiff walk to the top. Anyone with mobility issues, or on a wet or windy night, might prefer a taxi to the top.