The Tower Restaurant

We searched around for ages to find a place that had availability for Afternoon Tea. A friend who lives locally recommended this place in the Scottish Museum because of the location.
Its on the top floor of the building and has a great view of the castle from the window so be sure to ask for a window table if possible and you must book in advance for Afternoon tea, the day before will suffice.
They had a good selection of teas although they could have been more attentive on refills. The food is presented on a nice slate tower and the waiter explained what everything was. I was a little disappointed by the lack of sandwiches although the ones that were there (egg/​cress and chicken) were very nice. Where was the cream cheese and cucumber and cheese/​pickle though?! I would expect the full complement of sandwiches for the price we paid.
All the cakes and pastries were great and we left feeling fairly satisfied. I probably wouldn’t go back as there are many other places that, with some forward planning, would likely be a better option such as The Dome and The Balmoral.

I went here for a staff dinner and I have to say this was probably one of the best dinners a student like me has had in this city thus far, and definitely one of the fanciest I’ve had in my life thus far. The food was pretty good and the wine was impeccable (and definitely out of my day to day price range). The restaurant was also quite gorgeous although my one complaint would be (and this really just reflects the infrastructure so take it as you will), is that having 2 stalls for the powder room is not ideal anywhere.

Went here for a surprise birthday dinner can say we got a decent meal. It’s been a while but I think the hubby got scallop salad and rare steak which was nicely done, and I got some fish with black pudding and horseradish salad. The peanuty ice cream dessert was particularly good.
You can get a nice view as well. from the the tower! It made for a romantic evening and it wasn’t busy at all. My only negative comment was that our waiter could have used more attention to personal hygiene. We kept getting wafts of b.o. that was enough to dampen the whole experience!

The Tower reflects a certain type of Edinburgh restaurant much like it’s related sibling The Witchery (by the same restauranteur). Formal, fine-​dining style presentation and food in often spectacular surroundings.
It’s therefore quite hard to give this kind of a place a rating. It does indeed have fantastic views of the castle from it’s rooftop terrace. The food was all cooked pretty well and there wasn’t much to fault about it. At the same time, there is nothing that really stood out or got me particularly excited.
I had a set menu as part of a work Christmas lunch; perhaps the a la carte dinner may have been more compelling but it would also have been more expensive. I feel bad for fancy restaurants that feel obliged to serve traditional turkey Christmas dinner and somehow make it seem interesting. This one did taste pretty good but it wasn’t the most appetising plate of food I’ve ever seen (brussel sprouts aren’t the most attractive food in the world). At least they tried though. The chocolate terrine looked the part though. It tasted pretty much like a chocolate terrine.
I feel the Tower is really more aimed towards tourists who think that a view of the castle is quite novel, or parents taking students for a fancy meal after graduation. If someone took me for a meal here I certainly wouldn’t complain. Spending my own money though, for this type of on fine dining I’d go for something like The Kitchin with it’s locally sourced produce or Timberyard with it’s more adventurous menu.

I’m so happy! I can’t stop smiling! Everything about my experience at The Tower was fantastic.
Me and my dining partner in crime, Steven, decided to take advantage of the Edinburgh Restaurant Festival that is happening this week. They are offering 3 courses for £25, amazing value. Check out the website for more restaurant offers.
As it is situated on the top floor of The National Museum, the view from The Tower is a beautiful panorama of Edinburgh’s skyline. We were lucky enough have an amazing sunset whilst we dined. So romantic! From the moment you step into The Tower you are treated like royalty. The staff cannot help you enough and they were very attentive during our entire visit.
The décor is stylish and beautifully decadent but not over the top. The lighting is soft and romantic, perfect for an intimate dinner. We had three choices for each course; I went for the squid followed by cod and the roasted plums for dessert. The wine list is vast with wines from all over the globe, they are not cheap though. We went for one in our price range of £35. It was very nice.
The food arrived in good time and it was all stunning! I felt rude taking photos so sorry no piccys. This cod was not something you would find in your local chippy, it was thick, plump and perfectly cooked. The stars of the show had to be the desserts. My plums came with a burnt butter ice cream. I cannot put into words how awesome this was, you just need to try it for yourself.
This place is pricey but it’s so worth it. Go on, treat yourself, you deserve it!
Cheers, Amy

This restaurant has an elegant setting with a great view of the castle. Do try to get a seat by the window with good view. I find myself on the two occasions I was here, gazing out the window all the time as the scenery was just that awesome. The wait staff here were also very attentive and very professional.
The first time I was here I had the steak tartare as the starter. I went back to it again as it was packed with flavour and very well seasoned.
However, the main highlight here is the seabass. It is by far the best preparation of a fish with brown shrimp I have ever tasted in Edinburgh. Perfectly cooked whole seabass and deboned for you, complimented by samphire and brown shrimp. Those brown shrimp really do pack some powerful flavour.
The peanut butter parfait dessert was just perfect to finish off the meal. Would definitely recommend it to someone who wishes to impress their partner with the elegance and view from this restaurant.

Very good but for the price not quite 5 stars. Outstanding service and view and though the food was very competently prepared, the price seems a tad overblown. Having said this, the lamb rump is really good and the wine list very strong.

The tower is a fantastic restaurant. Somewhere special and good. It’s noted as one of the finest restaurants in Edinburgh and I agree it is in many parts. It’s entrance via the national museum of Scotland is interesting and exciting. It’s outside terrace is one of the best rooftop views of the castle and old town and a big selling point. On this visit service was good, not exceptional and the food was very nice but didn’t blow me away as you would expect from a fancy place. Haggis starter with pineapple and whiskey jus was tasty but served on a cold plate. This annoys me about nice places as by the time everything is plated with fancy swirls and stuff and described to you in great unnecessary detail your food is barely warm! Anyway without sounding like a moaning trip adviser reviewer the main courses were much better… ribeye steak was cooked perfectly with hand cut twice cooked chips with buttery bernaise sauce was very nice and an interesting deconstructed kind of chicken pie looked and tasted superb. Our party of 4 each had aperitifs, starters, mains, sides, 1 bottle wine, beers and water for £291 so it is an expensive outing. I do like it here but feel it needs to up its game if it wants to be up there with the big boys. Nevertheless I would go back again to enjoy it’s splendid view, drinks and food.

The view is great. The food is OK.

Their afternoon tea is divine. The view of the castle isn’t half bad either! I always take visiting friends here. It’s also great for those rainy days wandering around the museum.
I love the seasonal selection of foods with afternoon tea at the Tower. The special RAF blend tea is amazing — and can be purchased for a good cause (donations to support the RAF).
The tea is very filling, selection is always delicious, and the service is impeccable. Love.

I absolutely love this place! it ticks all of the boxes! Gorgeous food, friendly staff and fantasic views! I opted for a delightful haggis starter, perfectly cooked fillet steak and my favourite was the peanut butter parfait with popcorn and salted caramel! Not a morsal was left, all cooked and presented with perfection! post dinner drinks on the roof watching the fireworks for the end of the festival with classical music playing was the icing on the cake! A must if your in Edinburgh!

We had one of the best tables in the house for our dinner here. We were sat right by the window with a perfect view of the castle. We ended up coming to the Tower after the Witchery pushed our reservation back to 10:30 pm. I’m glad we came to the Tower instead. The food was quite delicious and they had a good selection of wine. Very pleasant experience.

this place is beautiful, came here for a romantic dinner was lovely views of the castle — the only thing is that if you’re sitting with your back to it you don’t get to see much which is a little rubbish! they could rearrange the chairs and tables so everyone can see the stunning views!
the food was great, as was expected and there was a waiter for every course — including for the bread, and the wine. it was great service.

Lovely tea service, excellent service, and very pleasant/​elegant atmosphere. I had a table with a great view of Edinburgh Castle. Free wifi is available-​ask for the password.

Cocktail in the sunshine!
Through the Tower restaurant’s floor-​to-​ceiling windows is a view of Edinburgh in all its stony beauty. The restaurant is located on the fifth-​floor terrace above the Museum of Scotland. Drag your eyes away from the view outside and there’s a whole landscape of well-​sourced Scottish produce on the menu: hand-​dived scallops, Pork loins, lobster, beef, heritage potatoes, and so on.
Haggis bon bons with your crispy squid and a home made pork pie while moules mariners are very well cooked and reminiscent of summer holidays in the Vendee. The poached pear and crème brulees are a lovely end to the meal as the sun sets…
The only problem is that the food isn’t quite as good as it should be. It has so much promise and sounds so tasty but it just misses hitting the nail on the head in the way so many other Edinburgh havens do. Having eaten at all the sister restaurants of the group I do feel the food is sub standard to their offerings and would always favour the Witchery or Prestonfield. Lovely view though and a great spot for a cocktail if not a little pricey.

At first sight this place looked so pretentious that I spent almost five mins before to decide to get in.
I was visiting the National Museum and, after exploring the beautiful sections focused on the earliest human settlements and on the incredible journey of the Scottish platform throughout the whole emisphere, I went to the last floor, to have a break before going to meet the Vikings and the other sections and hosted collections.
After looking at the tables, the maitre, the waiters and mainly felt the chilly athmosphere, my first intention was to jump in the lift, running away as soon as possible.
My curiosity, instead, forced me to read the menu. There I found a couple of dishes that hooked me: Scottish Langoustine Salad and Haggis Neeps and Tatties. It was already sunday morning and after three full days in Edinburgh I was still missing my first taste of Haggis!
Then I went in.
The Langoustine Salad came with all the machinery of the case. The langoustine was fair, but nothing special. The best part was the veggie side: a surprisingly fresh and vary and tasty salad.
The Haggis was breadcrumbed and deep fried, served in three quenelle-​shaped pieces on three islands of thick mashed tatties and three sticks of turnips. Good, good and funny.
The haggis taste was unexpected to me. In my hometown there are several recipes with almost the same ingredients, but the result is very different and the flavour is more on the «rough» side of the scale.
During the lunch I also noticed some useful breaks in the rigid and formal attitude of the waiters. When needed, also the maitre successfully helped them to make the customers’ staying more comfortable. This place may become by far more attractive and cosy, if they would be motivated to take their potential to a more flexible and friendly level (especially at lunch).
I was almost deciding to calculate the vote following Rayan D’s average: 4 for the food + 2 for the place = 3 stars, but the beautiful views over the city and the castle easily balanced some useless formalism, so my final result is still 4 :)

Afternoon tea deal is worth a look. £35 for 2 including a glass of bubbly each. Stunning view of the castle (if you get the right seats, limited view from some that are blocked by «the tower»).
Staff were busy preparing tables for Valentines night so weren’t as attentive towards the end of our visit as they were when greeting us on arrival.

My wife and I went here looking for a classy meal for a reasonable price. What we got was a pretentious atmosphere in mostly the wrong way and food that was only so-​so.
We came for the theater dinner which meant that it was only mildly expensive as opposed to exorbitantly expensive, but also meant that the place was nearly empty, which in addition to being somewhat creepy meant that we got much more «attention» than we wanted.
The small fried fish which I got as an appetizer was too salty to really be consumed and the white fish that I had as an entrée was bland and somewhat unsatisfying. I much preferred the hot tatties that we got the following night for literally ¹⁄₁₀^th the price.

I came here in June for afternoon tea with 5 of my ladies wot lunch companions and there was much excitement on the lead up to this day out! Bellies empty and ready to go, one hungover, one eating for 2, the Tower had better come up trumps!
As there was 6 of us we were seated at a long table and we were given 3 cake stands piled high. Hopefully the photos I’ve posted do it justice. I can tell you, from my own taste point of view, it was amazing and I couldn’t stop eating and very little was left. We did have to stop a few times for a breather, but we carried on, simply because it was just so delish. I thought everything was homemade and fresh. I’ve had afternoon teas before that frankly are a bit stale and look to me like they have been frozen or come out of a stale biscuit tin. I particularly liked the fact the cakes were very light so you did actually stand a chance to get through the savouries, scones and sweets!
We had sandwiches, savoury tarts, mini bruschetta, scones, plain and sultana, clotted cream and jam. Fruit cake, shortbread, crème brûlée, chocolate cherry mousse cake, strawberry mille-feuille…gosh, I’m sure there was more!
To accompany your afternoon tea you get unlimited coffee and tea, bags and loose.
After dining, the weather was so lovely we sat outside to enjoy a glass of champagne!
If you have a smaller appetite or are just not terribly hungry, I would recommend perhaps sharing an afternoon tea — but don’t even think about sharing mine!
The afternoon tea menu changes with the seasons as a friend dined on it during November and hers was different, but I’m glad the menu changes because I can’t wait to go back again! Afternoon Tea is £15.95pp and with Champagne its £25pp.
If there was one tiny negative, some of the group did comment that whilst the staff were pleasant, after we were served, nobody came back to ask if everything was okay. A minor point and whilst everything was okay, its still nice to have a wee bit attentiveness. When we wanted re-​fills on drinks and condiments, we had to ask, rather than being asked but equally, we were left to get on with chatting and eating and not bothered by over attentive staff, so its getting a happy medium with service, so only for that do I not give the Tower 5 stars. But overall, fabulous and its my No. 1 place for afternoon tea, until I find something that exceeds this gourmet feast.

We stayed in Edinburgh for 3 nights and picked the Tower for our «classy dinner» night. While the views of the castle were amazing, the food fell somewhat flat. I ordered off the 3 course menu and had a gnocchi appetizer, chicken with pancetta main, and cheese and chutney dessert. My boyfriend had steak and potatoes with a peanut butter chocolate dessert. The gnocchi was nothing special, my chicken dish was probably the star of the night, and the cheese and chutney was not so great. My boyfriend’s steak was so tiny it was almost comical, the potatoes and his dessert were the winners in his dinner. Although the views were great, the food was unimpressive and overpriced, Edinburgh has tons of other renowned restaurants I would try before going back to Tower.