Blackwood’s Bar & Grill

We came all the way from Texas, so we know steak. Came here based on previous reviews. Ordered Ribeye and Mixed Grill Dinner (lamb, pork chop & filet), ordered both steaks cooked medium, ribeye was over cooked and filet was undercooked (rare), was cooked to fast not slow as it should have been. Spinach side was very salty, french fries were quiet greasy. Not impressed for the cost of food $$$. Service slow, we were the only guests in restaurant at the time.

Absolutely delicious! We stayed at the Nira Caledonia for 3 nights and had complimentary breakfast in this restaurant. We also had dinner here one night and it was extremely enjoyable. The mussels were the best we ever had! We also had the ribeye and pork chop which were scrumptious. The staff is so kind and helpful and we loved the ambience. Highly recommend!

It’s after my second visit so definitely time to review :)
As many people have already said, the service is what makes Blackwood’s so fantastic. The food doesn’t hurt either!
Blackwood’s interior is dark and low lit but cosy. The huge chairs are a bit too big for me and on both visits I ended up supping coffee with my legs curled under me. Think open fire and hounds at your feet and you’re there!
We had the tasting menu with paired wines on our first visit as it was my Tall Lad’s birthday (a bigun). Everything from start to finish was just amazing. We had a delicious tomato soup, some fantastic goats cheese salad, amazing steak, delightful fish and cheese and chocolate that would knock your socks off. All paired up with absolutely perfect wines that added so much to the meal!
Second time around we were on a deal (can’t remember which company) which included steaks and wine. I started with some pâté while the TL had a cullen skink. Both were wonderful. The steaks were coked to absolute perfection, of course, due to the kitchen’s wonderful Josper grill which I can hole my hands and admit to begging the waiter to let me see!
We had a wee tour of the kitchen and met the lovely chef who told us all about where the beef came from and shared some of his love and passion for the menu with us. I can honestly say it made our night to go to him as he is such a lovely fellow!
I can’t go write this review without mentioning the amazing waiters here. Always brimming with banter and a joy to talk to, they make it seem like you’re alocal even if it’s just your first time in and are an absolute credit to the place.
I won’t get started on the drinks menu, suffice to say it is extensive and if you ask for a recommendation the staff will not steer you wrong.

What a delightful dinner experience!
We had found some excellent Groupon vouchers for this place. It’s very inviting and comfortable, definitely one of the nicest places I have been to in Edinburgh. It’s not very big so always good to make reservations ahead of time.
We started with the bread/​butter with olives. They marinate their olives, and they are really tasty. Wee one couldn’t get enough of them. That was followed by a wee haggis bomb with mango chutney. This was a pleasant and welcome surprise. All the food is sourced locally direct from farms when possible which is very impressive.
We both got sirloin steaks which indeed tasted barbecued they had a side of barbecued pumpkin. All very tasty, cooked to perfection. Getting this barbecued food is a very big treat since it is practically impossible to get anything freshly bbq’ed in this town!
The manager was very friendly and offered to have made a special children’s dinner for our wee one. She got some breaded chicken goujons with some divine mashed potatoes and roasted parsnip with roasted carrots. All really good and toddler approved!
For desert I couldn’t help myself. I got the chocolate & hazelnut tart with pistachio ice cream. Yum. The ice cream was to die for. Excellent food made even better by a wonderful staff and the bathrooms are really very luxurious.
Couldn’t ask for more. Will definitely be keeping an eye out for vouchers for this place and you should too ;)

Had dinner here this evening and loved it.
The service was fantastic and the food was absolutely delicious.
Bread was served with three different butters, pesto, coriander & lime and plain with salt as well as a portion of balsamic & olive oil. They even had gluten free bread for the GF girl even though we hadn’t told them beforehand.
Amuse bouche was braised ox cheek on a mini yorkshire, a delightful morsel! My starter of mussels with whisky cream sauce was so tasty I devoured the lot even though I’d promised to share with the table.
Our steaks were cooked to perfection. There really is something about meat cooked on a Josper grill. Chocolate fondant to finish was well worth the 15 minute wait. Dark and decadent, it was the perfect finish to the meal.
Even though we were there on a voucher, we still had great service. Really can’t wait to go back again soon!

It’s the service that tips Blackwood’s into 5 star territory, truly.
We came here to celebrate having successfully moved flat (and for a bit of a break from lugging boxes up three flights of stairs). We had an itison deal for rib eye, chips and a glass of wine each, and were looking forward to trying steak cooked on the famous Josper Grill!
For a Sunday evening it was quiet, there was only one other couple in the restaurant, but I suppose this meant we had the waiting staff’s near undivided attention. The waiter explained that, unusually for a voucher, there were various substitutions that we could make if we wanted (Ostrich instead of rib eye for example), and we were delighted when he said that if we wanted a bottle of wine, rather than a glass, that they’d deduct the full price of the two glasses (rather than the deal saving) from the price of a bottle, meaning we only had to cough up an extra £12 for a delicious Cabernet Sauvignon (which he’d recommended as going particularly well with the steak).
An amouse bouche of a tiny Yorkshire pudding with ox cheek was brought over, complimentary of course, served on a little slate plate. Adorable! And the bread was served in a sack, with three butters to choose from including a very nice coriander and lime.
Kip S went into raptures when he tried the steak, declaring it his favourite in Edinburgh (the Tuscan T-​bone he had in Italy is his top one so far), and whilst for me it wasn’t my absolute favourite, I did enjoy it a lot. The charcoal smell and taste from the Josper Grill adds both an extra element of taste and of appearance. My only criticism would be that the béarnaise was a little on the runny side.
And then for pudding I had an amazing frozen nougat parfait with pistachio cream. I think I’d died and gone to Heaven! Kip had an Americano with petit fours — homemade shortbread and melt in the mouth dark chocolate truffles.
The service is really top class, the waiters are friendly and knowledgeable. It really makes the difference when they take the time to explain to you how the grill works and what it does to the meat. As Claire L says in her review, you’re not treated like deal scum, you’re treated wonderfully!
Please, go to Blackwood’s! It’s actually reasonably priced even when you’re not there with a voucher, and we’ll definitely be returning.

Really liked it a lot!
Came here on a 5pm deal and figured that if it wasn’t great then at least there wasn’t much lost. Hotel restaurants can be really hit and miss but not here. Nira Caledonia is a boutique hotel in Stockbridge so not somewhere I’d find myself attending usually but a deal is a deal so off I went.
I’ve just realised I was about to score this 4* but actually, when I think through what I’m about to write then I have to give it 5*‘s.
Not treated like deal scum — little amuse bouche of potato salad with trout and roe — yum, yes please and I don’t even like potato salad, but I LOVE it here. Little bread sacks — evil, non GF bread for the friend, plenty of GF bread for me with chive, truffle and ordinary French butter — oh, go on then. Yum, yum.
Portions are big, struggled to finish my main — ½ pheasant with mash after starter and little extras as mentioned above. Absolutely couldn’t do dessert although the plates going passed us looked amazing. If GF, the kitchen can amend dishes to accomodate to let the server know. And what tipped this into 5 stars? The wine. We ordered a Pinot Grigio — I have to confess this is not a favourite of mine as I consider it somewhat bland but yum. Zesty and fresh it worked well with everything we ate. I’d return for this wine alone.
So the service was fab, the food, the wine and even on the cheap deal, the food was outstanding. So I’ll go back and I’d love to try their steaks which are meant to be amazing!

The Edinburgh Voucher Royals went out for a date night, this time to Blackwood’s Bar & Grill. They boast about having a (out of 2 in Edinburgh) Josper Grill.
This is like cooking an charcoal barbecue, indoors.
We were previously unaware that this place existed and after finding a dining voucher online for a steak main, sauce and sides.
On arrival they were very pleasant an courteous. Took our coats and bags.
We were asked to choose which table we wanted. The place is small (20 covers max). The wall were covered in dark brown textured wallpaper. The lighting was minimal, but well placed. It oozes class and sophistication.
We were duly introduced to the menu, the specials and the missing /​replacement dishes. The wine list was small but well sourced. I also liked the fact that they had 9 wines by the glass (3 red, 3 white, 2 rose, 1 prosecco)
The bread was served with oil & vinegar dip and 3 kinds of butter, one of which was a very tasty hazelnut butter.
after ordering we got served an amuse bouche of josper grilled fillet steak & celeriac foam. That. Was. Delicious.
We decided to share a starter. We selected the Lobster Tarragon Ravioli with Thermidor sauce. Very tasty and outstanding, though possibly a little thick on the edges. It went well with their prosecco.
For main we had the same: Rib-​Eye steak Medium-​Rare, with Green Pepper & 12yo Scotch sauce, Skinny Fries and a side of Bone Marrow.
we asked for mayonnaise, however they didn’t have that so they suggested to use a Bearnaise sauce for our fries — interesting yet tasty alternative.
My steak was cooked slightly rarer than I would have liked, but it was good.
Yes ‘good’ — not ‘wow’, ‘outstanding’ or ‘fantastic’. Good. Definitely in my top 3 for a good steak. Missing was the charcoal flavour (like we had on the amuse bouche fillet) it was possibly too subtle, same issue with the sauce, again I like my flavours a little bolder and this was again slightly too delicate. I am sure the chefs are very accomplished, as you could tell by the way all was presented and prepared.
We had some espressos afterwards.
It took a while for our bill to be presented and in turn trying to pay — they did apologise for that.
In all this was a very successful date-​night!

We had a wonderful pre theater meal here. Loved the variety of tasty fresh bread and various butter options. Best steak we’ve eaten in Edinburgh. A smaller restaurant, but perfect for a small get together or intimate dinner!

The OH suggested this place a while back after reading a review in I-​on. So when I got to choose where I wanted to go for my birthday dinner, this seemed like the obvious choice.
We arrived slightly early & ordered drinks from the bar while we waited for our table. The staff were friendly & attentive and we were given a choice of tables as they weren’t fully booked.
While we pondered over the menu we were given a basket of fresh bread with some interesting butters to try — strawberry & mint; apple; and sea salt. They were different but not really to my liking, I prefer my fruit garnishing my drink ;-)
We shared the scallops for starter as we were both having steak for main course. The scallops were lovely & perfectly cooked. They were also the biggest scallops I’ve ever seen!
For main I had the fillet done in the Josper, he had the rib eye & we shared sides of veggies & chips. It was awesome. I loved the smoky flavour from the Josper, the mushrooms were earthy, the chips triple cooked. It was by far the best steak I’ve had this year.
After a short break we had dessert. I had the chocolate fudge & he had the cheese. Both were lovely. I want to go back. Soon.

My husband and I and our travel mates spent our last evening in Edinburgh at Blackwoods. My only regret is that we didn’t find it sooner. We started our visit by meeting the young german chef and seeing the «Jasper» (a coal fueled oven). Then a starter of mussels which were so creamy and tasty, we ate a giant pile of them.
Dinner was no disappointment. I had the lamb chops which were seasoned to perfection and then slowly smoked in the «Jasper». It is worth the trip just to taste the tender smoked meats from the «Jasper». Although I wasn’t offered a taste from either my husband (who had the ribeye) or our travel companion (who had the pork), I was assured that it was pure smoked heaven. I was given a taste of the chefs special salmon ravioli served with fresh spinach and roasted cherry tomatos. It was as wonderful to taste as it looked.
We were all pretty full, but the handmade deserts we saw in the kitchen were impossible to resist. The lemon tart was lite and tasty. Both tart in flavor and sweet at the same time. I had the benofee pie. It’s crunchy graham cracker crust, banana layer and cream were to die for. We all left the restaurant full and a little sad it was our last evening in Edinburgh.
The service is friendly and attentive. The price is within reason for such a wonderful feast! Should we ever pass through Edinburgh again, it is a must do.

After reading a great review of this place in ion magazine I decided to check it out and was not disappointed. Me and my girlfriend had the mussels to start with which were amazing. We then followed it off with 2 huge sirloin steaks and some of their homemade chips. After that we could not manage desserts. We had a great time the staff are attentive and polite and I could not recommend this place highly enough.