The Printing Press Bar & Kitchen

Average food. Poor service.
We had booked a table at restaurant. When we arrived, they were not aware of our reservation and we were seated at the bar area. No apologies were given. We were a party of three and they tried to squeeze us on a table for two people. So we asked to be moved, and fair enough they moved us. We weren’t given a drinks or food menu for a long time. We called the waitress and she came over asking us if we were ready to order. Unfortunately, we weren’t as we hadn’t been given any menus. We finally ordered drinks and food at the same time. The starter was impressive and very tasty, I had the scallops served in squid ink, garlic and parsley butter. I had the stone bass for the main which was bland and below average. We didn’t have dessert as there was nothing exciting on the menu and we wanted to leave. There is a compulsory 10% service charge on the bill, which I don’t mind paying most of the time. However, in this case, they did not deserve it as the service was very poor. I love food and I don’t usually regret spending on it. In this case however, the poor service exceeds the quality of their food. There are far more places in Edinburgh with similar prices, better quality food and far better service.
The bar has a good selection of whiskies. They serve the rare 18-​year-​old Yamazaki by the glass. Despite this, I would not return due to the poor service.

Y’all know I take my dining experience seriously especially when I go to a place that requires me to dig a little deeper in my pocket to pay. I’m happy to do that on occasions since food and dining out are some of my life passions, but be sure I’m going to be critical. One of my fave people was here from Manchester over the weekend and we wanted to try a new place to eat that served something of the new modern Scottish food. I was excited about this place because the restaurant looked amazing from the website and the menu showcased Scottish meat, fish and produce.
The first negative happened when I called for reservation. To be fair it was a late request for reservation on a Saturday night but I wanted to try my luck. Not surprisingly the staff said they were all booked and the next open table was at 9:30pm… Fair. I told my friend this and she said hold up… Text me back and told me they lied! Apparently she was able to get reservation through
… That annoyed me! So lesson learn… Go on open tables for reservations instead!
The restaurant looked similar enough to its picture on the website, but it did remind me the many times I see someone’s pic on a dating app and I meet them and I’m like wtf… When was your pic taken?! Anyways… I was starving and I just wanted food. We barely got the menu and the waitress came up and asked for our drinks order. Well first off, we just literally sat and we weren’t given a drinks menu… So no, I don’t know what I want… Thanks!
After waiting a while for the waitress to come back and finally get our drinks and food orders we sat there for a bit… We got a bottle of prosecco and it wasn’t cheap. Now I don’t really care if I’m getting served and the server making sure my glass is full of wine, but in this case I did mind cause the bottle was expensive and in any other restaurant, the server would have made sure my glass was full. The server in this case never bothered checking and we had to serve ourselves.
The food finally came and the pigeon breast with beet salad was tasty. My friend got the scallops with squid ink risotto… I was really impressed with the flavours of that dish! The scallops was cooked very well… Tender but still soft. We both ordered the stone bass with mussels. This was ok… The mussels didn’t taste fresh and the fish wasn’t amazing. The cream sauce went decently with the fish and spinach while it didn’t do anything for the mussels. For £21, this fish dish is not worth getting cause I was calculating it in my head and I probably would have spent the same amount or less if I cooked the dish for my friend and I myself… Just saying.
We didn’t bother trying their desserts cause I wasn’t impressed and I just wanted to go. When we got the bill… (a hefty one) I saw that they included a 10% service fee. I was so annoyed. considering their service was poor! I frankly wouldn’t have tipped them especially since they barely did anything and I had to walk across the entire restaurant trying to find a server to get our bill so we can go.
The food was ok in this place, but frankly I’d go to another restaurant that can probably cook as well, charge for the same or similar price, and have better service!

Must say this is one of my favorite spot. Great menu with full bar menu from whiskey, wine, champagne, gins and cocktail. Great food and menu and despite its great food and excellent customer service, they are never pretentious nor snobby like Bön vivant or tiger lily. Mixed crowds from old and young but would say more mature crowds rather than younger crowds. Definitely I would recommend anyone go check out their food and spirits.

If I could I’d give 2.5. I’m not sure where to start but basically I think this is a review of 2 distinct parts.
First part; the food is very good. Excellent ideas, very well presented, executed and seasoned. A total pro is in the kitchen with a great team. It’s not cheap food but who cares when it’s such a treat.
Other part; thankfully the excellent food saved an instantly terrible service experience that continued through the whole meal.
Led through as if entering a funeral service to a massive and empty dining room. Our server the whole time knew NOTHING about the menu. Wrote down our orders with painstakingly slow, awkward exchanges. Painful painful painful. I counted 8 members of staff, most of whom just chatted at the barwhichneveroncedispensedadrink until we had to get up and chase our drinks, or ask for more water, or remind them of something we’d asked for. Many times. One glass of wine was almost 15 minutes in the delivering. Give me strength. None of them could carry a drinks tray, nor plates of food properly. Every one looked so awkward.
We wondered, GENUINELY, whether it was a special day of experimenting or something whereby they stopped passing cars and asked whoever the driver was to come in and do a shift. As if we were really being served by nursery nurses, taxi drivers, posties, schoolkids or maybe actors!
So much money’s been spent on every tiny detail with a focus on salt & pepper dispensers and waiter’s shoes. But they forgot to hire experience, personality or enthusiasm and forgot to train anyone or even go over the menu. It was just ridiculously amatuer and frustrating and I in no way left like it was a treat to be there. It was a massive drag. I got a headache. The food was therefore a surprise since it was so good and gladly did not reflect the quality of welcome or hospitality.
We won’t be venturing back for quite some time because it is a big spend to risk on a new place with so many issues… shame coz it be a great place of foodie delight…