Three Birds

HIGHLY recommend the Prawn, Squid and Green Onion appetizer! Amazing delicious. Also the beef not Wellington was very good. Service is so very pleasant. Make a reservation, as this tiny restaurant fills quickly! It’s packed for a reason.

We’d heard great things about Three Birds so I was looking forward to heading here for far too long.
The restaurant is small. I can understand that the low lights and living room sized area can be cosy and intimate but I travel with a more than travel sizes SO, he’s all legs and there was no where for him to go. He also comes with a giant coat (roughly the size of a 1 person tent) which he hung on the back of his chair meaning he was taking up more room than the venue really allowed for.
That, however, was the only minus! Apart from the size the restaurant is bordering on adorable. A nice mix of rustic and kitschy makes it quite comfortable and relaxing. There are bird motifs throughout though the main artworks, which are place high so as not to be overwhelming, are mainly pictures of animals one might like to eat (stay tuned for how I ate them all).
We were given time to look through the menu which was jam packed with such delicious and interesting looking dishes! We settled on beetroot and seatrout (me) and celeriac and apple soup (him) for starters. I also threw in some pigs ears which were so tasty!
For mains we shared the 3birds and beasts platter for two people (£36) which was ah may zing. A giant wooden board was presented that was overflowing with fantasticness. There was a pulled pork miso ball which came in a sauce that tasted BBQ sauce-​ish. There were piri piri chicken wings with some light sauce. There was ox cheek cooked in aniseed. There was a sandwich with ox shin and wasabi. There was beans and bacon. There was coleslaw. There was chips. There was two full and happy bellies!
The amount of food was a little overwhelming and I’m ashamed to admit it bested me!
That said, dessert belly was ready for a delicious take on a mess with vodka soaked cherries and Kahlua cream while across from me a delicious Baileys latte was enjoyed.
The food was fantastic, but so was the service. Our waitresses were conscientious and polite. It was definitely service with a smile.
A meat lovers paradise (though plenty of veggie alternatives were spied on the menu) that is worthy of your attention!

Used to live across the road but have to confess only ever been when they have their menu change taster events as new dishes are discounted, as whenever I walked passed I just thought they were a bit pricey compared to other restaurants in the area. Unfortunately on eating here a few times this has always been backed up as the food can be good but I don’t feel it’s value for money. Fries are served in quirky paper bags (my friend loves this, me not so keen), it’s quite a small place so be warned you can feel very close to your fellow diners and it does fill up. However you’ve got to give them credit as they definitely try and push boundaries with their flavour combinations it’s just that I think they don’t always succeed in pulling it off. Desserts are very hit and miss and I’ve yet to have one that I could finish (and I’m a finisher!). My friend really likes the place but even she questions some of the dishes. So, would look out for their taster events but wouldn’t recommend paying full whack.

Great food, attentive service! We started with black bean jalapeño sweet potato cakes with lime sour cream and a rabbit and spring onion salad. For mains we had stuffed chicken with mash, venison with beetroot risotto, and butternut squash and couscous! Amazing meal! Definitely need to book ahead!!!

Cosy and bustling, this place is always busy, and deservedly so. It’s really refreshing to see a place with so many gluten and dairy free options, so their is actually the prospect of having a choice. Dishes change regularly and they are always imaginative and made with high quality ingredients. Prices are very, very reasonable too.
The only downside is that it is frequently fully booked, so the advent of their sister restaurant the Apiary is a godsend.

Two. Course. Brunch. Menu.
Why oh why, has this never featured in my life before?
Eggs benny. The mid morning Sunday saviour. Imagine if it could be your starter? With a Florentine for main course. Of course that’s not what I had, BUT IT WAS AN OPTION! Amazing.
Plenty of veggie/​vegan/​dairy free/​gluten free options which were as delicious sounding as the rest of the menu, and not just a cold, salady afterthought. In fact we both had veggie main courses — a real game changer for my Chef-​lover who is usually all about the beasts.
A tad too stuffed to enjoy a pud but there was an extensive sorbet&icecream menu along with a nice list of ‘afters’.

Three Birds is a gem nestled in the heart of Bruntsfield. Every meal I’ve had has been excellent. I admit, I don’t understand half the words on the menu. But take the leap of faith and they will always deliver.
The menu changes every few months and the specials change daily. Everything sounds amazing, and I am legitimately saddened knowing that I can’t try them all. The restaurant itself is cosy and has tasteful, semi-​hipster décor. The prices are quite reasonable — wine for under £5 and any appetizer/​entrée combination for £10. The staff is always polite and friendly. My only complaint: they kept us waiting quite a while before we got the bill, even though they had cleared all our plates.
We live down the street from Three Birds and walk past it every day. I have never seen it empty, and I don’t expect I ever will.

Three Birds continues to be our go-​to place in Edinburgh. We know that the food and service here will always be spot-​on. We have never had any issue with anything — the food is always delicious and the service is some of the best I have had anywhere in the UK. I especially love that they dont give me a hassle when it comes to my dairy allergy. If a dish has a creamy side, they always allow me to just swap it out for something non-​dairy without any problems. Thumbs up!
The Birds and Beasts platter continues to be our go-​to order and its nice that they change up what they have on it so we dont end up having the same thing over and over. Whenever I order fish it is always a generous portion and the sides are always something tasty and interesting. Also, hats off to their amazing dessert selection, especially their extensive ice cream and sorbet menu. I recently had a plum and black pepper sorbet that would knock your socks off. Delicious stuff.

I’m just finishing my scoop of white chocolate and HORSERADISH ice cream. Who DOES that? It was amazing. The menu was humorous and tantalizing with offerings so out of the ordinary they make you laugh but taste fantastic! Love it!

I really liked this little gem of a restaurant in the ‘Burgh. Jenny L. had admitted that after our team trip to Edinburgh last time, she was a bit stumped as to where to take us. We had, had an excellent meal at Field last year and I was a bit unsure as to where she would find that would trump that… Well, Three Birds had a cracking good go.
We jumped in a cab from the G&V and initially the guy who ordered us the cab had no idea where we the Three Birds was. Luckily, I had the venue bookmarked for handy address finding and after arming the driver with the info we zoomed out way to Viewforth.
This is a twee looking little place, with a bright exterior and big windows. It’s very cosy inside with enough seating to create a fun atmosphere when full, but not so many people that it becomes noisy.
After enjoying a couple of glasses of rather fine wine, I opted for the beetroot soup to start (this was a winner with the shredded chicken) and me and Jody B. shared a «Birds and Beasts» platter for mains. I really hadn’t needed a starter. There was more than enough food to feed three people, let alone two after starters. The steak and pulled pork were the stars of the show for me, but everything was really good.
I couldn’t manage a dessert, but these looked great regardless! The service and food was spot on and it was a great choice for a fun, but not too stuffy, meal out with our team.

This was my second visit to Three Birds — I couldn’t review my first visit as I was mortified at setting a napkin on fire — so I’m glad to say I returned for another visit which didn’t have quite such a fiery end.
This is a busy restaurant and I’m guessing you always need a booking to come here — we were dining on a Monday night and the place was pretty much full. The menu is very meaty (as the name of the restaurant would suggest) but there are some veggie/​vegan options like tofu pakora, veggie mezze platter and a delicious salad main of roast squash.
We ordered some platters to share between us: the 3 Birds & Beasts platter, and the Big Cow platter (between 5 people). For me the stand out was the big cow platter, the meat was delicious and it came with a generous amount of sides like greens, mushrooms, bone marrow, sauces and fries. I also really liked the southern fried chicken from the 3 Birds platter.
All up, this is a place with delicious cooking in a chilled environment with friendly service. Just don’t put your napkin too close to the candle, it’s pretty embarrassing.

Hier wäre ich ohne meine Kollegen wahrscheinlich nie gelandet, da nicht gerade um die Ecke vom Hotel gelegen und doch recht unscheinbar von außen. Man möchte schon fast durchschnittliches Essen erwarten. Aber weit gefehlt, hier wird einem auf dem Teller richtig was geboten.
Mir fällt es schwer, die Karte einer Richtung zuzuordnen, so vielfältig ist sie. Die Fotos hier auf Unilocal sprechen da Bände. Ich hatte mich auf jeden Fall für Corn chips mit Feta-​Pistazie-​Dip als Vorspeise entschieden — der Dip war traumhaft und gar nicht sooo mächtig, wie Feta andernorts manchmal ist. Da blieb noch genug Platz für ein ziemlich super zubereitetes Supreme Chicken. Das Fleisch war perfekt gegart, nicht zu trocken und ummantelt mit einer Art Kokos-​Limetten-​Kruste. Das gab eine ganz andere Note und passte perfekt zur Chilisauce und dem Kräuterreis. Von der Portion allein wäre ich glaube ich nicht satt geworden, zusammen mit der Vorspeise war es dann aber kein Problem. Geschmacklich wirklich toll gemacht.
Zu zweit lassen sich auch die verschiedenen Platten gut teilen, die sahen auch wirklich toll aus. Der Service war unauffällig, stach nicht besonders hervor. Da an dem Abend aber auch die Hölle los war, empfand ich das gar nicht störend. Wir waren zufrieden und aufgrund der tollen Zusammenstellung der Speisen würde ich hier definitiv nochmal vorbeischauen.

I’m very pleased to report that this was the best meal we had in Edinburgh, and it was my choice for my fiancé’s birthday dinner. Out of all the places we went in town, this is the one where we’d go back.
Started off on a great note when we arrived bang on time for our reservation and were told that unfortunately the table wasn’t ready. Yes, a great note, because just wait — they recommended a great bar for us down the street, said to come back in 15 minutes, and they’d give us a free bottle of wine on our return. Winner! Can’t even be mad! That is an example of fine service. So when we came back later, we were seated right away, and given a bottle of the Montepulciano which the (I think owner?) recommended. The small restaurant was warm and dimly lit, and buzzing with people. Clearly the locals know what’s up — this place is nowhere near the main tourist drag. We felt lucky to be there.
We struggled mightily over what to order. It all sounded amazing! After much deliberation, we started with Crab, Peanut, and Caramel Coated Chicken Wings (yes, crab), and then the 3 Birds and Beasts Platter — basically the reason I’d made the reservation in the first place. The chicken wings were amazing. Extremely crisp on the outside, hot and juicy on the inside, with gorgeous and exotic flavors. Reminiscent of Thai or Vietnamese food maybe, faint hint of fish sauce, but in a really good way. A very inspired combination. Then the main event — a platter of pulled pork cutlet, star anise ox cheek, tomato Cajun beef ribs, fried chicken, a big bag of fries, BBQ bacon beans, mustard slaw, and 2 ketchups. PHEW.
The pulled pork cutlet blew my mind. It’s pulled pork, reshaped into a patty and then I guess baked or fried? It looks nothing like pulled pork until you stick a fork in it, then all the delicious meat comes spilling out. It was incredibly tender and flavorful, easily some of the best we’ve had worldwide, including Amurrrica. The ox cheek was incredibly rich and aromatic — don’t save it for last, since it’s the richest piece of meat and harder to eat when you’re full! Fall-​apart tender. The beef ribs were excellent as well, and the chicken was good though our least favorite of the bunch. Perhaps because everything else was so inspired, the chicken just didn’t stand out? But it was tasty though! I just think boneless fried chicken is morally wrong. The fries were hot, crispy, and abundant. I also really enjoyed the sides — beans were made from black eyed peas and were delicious, as was the slaw. Both a nice accompaniment to the meal!
Somehow, we finished it all and managed to order dessert — the Rocky Road. Peanut butter and strawberry jam ice cream (YES) with a big piece of chocolate studded with marshmallows, Turkish delight, and shortbread (YESYESYES)! SO GOOD YOU GUYS. The ice cream blew my mind. The staff brought it out with a little candle for my fiancé’s birthday. I assume his birthday wish was to always eat food this good. And it’s really really really affordable for the quality. Like, stunningly. Not including our wine, we paid maybe £44 for the meal, if I remember correctly. And the wine would have been only £20 if we hadn’t got it for free. That’s a crazy price for an appetizer to share, a huge entrée, and dessert to share. Given how pricey some places in the tourist area can get, for far worse food, as far as I’m concerned this is the place to be in Edinburgh. I don’t think we will ever come back to town and not here! It’s worth the long walk (or short cab ride) from town, because everything is just knock-​your-​socks-​off good.

Oh man, I hate it when I’m the one who disagrees. All these 4 and five stars…
Not for me. And three stars is perfectly good, and it sums up my feeling, as well as the Silent Reviewer. We went there for a celebratory ‘at last I have a job and can spend money frivolously’ meal on a — I do not jest — heaving Saturday night. The previous table occupants were finishing up when we arrived, and due to the small venue space, we had to stay outside in the rain (luckily, there was some handy scaffolding on the night of our visit). When I meant busy, I really meant it.
We were tucked away in the corner, so much that the SR couldn’t see the specials board (I *just about* could), and our waitress kindly read everything out (the service here is excellent) and settled for a beef noodle starter special, as well as salt and pepper prawns for me. As we were in a romantic mood, we went for the sharing tom yum vegetable curry for our main.
We were starving, so shared some bread, with the 3bird dukkah — which involves a comical attempt at trying to squash large chunks of hazelnut and pistachio onto some bread. It’s the first time I tried dukkah, and liked the aniseedy flavours coming out, but for me, it didn’t quite come together as much as I expected, but the smoked shallot vinagrette was an absolute winner.
The salt and pepper prawns were fantastic, although I didn’t feel that the aioli tasted more of mayonnaise than miso or kombu seaweed. As the SR noted, it makes a difference when you have someone who is able to cook in the kitchen versus a quick grab from a local takeway — the batter on the prawns was impossibly light and beautifully flavoured. His beef noodles were consumed, but not commented upon.
The tom yum curry was… nice. Served with flatbread and rice, which was also… nice. I had one of those moments when we ordered that I should have ordered the market fish, but we went for the curry. Curries, and stews, I think, tend to struggle in restaurants to rise above the ordinary, and for me, this didn’t quite make it. It fell into — I can make this at home — category. I did, however, like the touch of adding extra fresh chilli and lime (never can get enough lime) on the side.
So — you may ask why, if I think the service is excellent, and some of the food fantastic, why 3 stars? Simply because it wasn’t all excellent, and some was simply nice. And there is nothing wrong with nice, and nice means a solid restaurant, but neither of left raving about our meal. Perhaps I really should have had the fish.

Oh My, the meat was AMAZING (–the cow– practically all i can remember from our 6 person feast), the fish and its accompanying mussels etc were DIVINE, the Birds and Beast platter defeated us.
But we tried enough to know the the cheek, rib and chicken were amazing…
The worst part of the night was leaving things due to our cabs arriving…
Service, wine, everything else, also superlative — we were SO well looked after. I love this place so much xxxxx

Whenever I give a place five stars, I usually hum and haw for a good while beforehand, doubting myself. When it came to writing this review for Three Birds, I had no hesitation in clicking that 5 «Woohoo! As good as it gets!» stars.
I came here on a Tuesday afternoon for lunch, it was fairly busy as it very often seems to be. We were met by our very friendly and engaging hostess and took a table window. It’s a fairly small place, intimate, light and bright thanks to the large glass windows.
The menu is brilliantly varied. Offering some unusual, maybe even eccentric, combinations but after eating there would have no trepidation ordering anything on the menu. It seems to change very frequently; I assume based on season and availability.
They have a great range of soft drinks; hot and cold. Lots of local beers and a nice selection of wine.
Initially, after eating well at breakfast, I intended to order light. I had a chargrilled prawn salad. The prawns were served whole (sucking out the head juice is one of the best bits!) with a lovely dressing. It was perfectly cooked, crisp and refreshing.
However, I underestimated my appetite. Having spied the seafood sharing platter contained a pot of spoots, I asked if I could have them on their own. Our hostess said she would ask and moments later the chef came to our table and told me he didn’t have many left but that he would happily create something for me with what he had. After establishing I love seafood and that I was quite a fussy diner, he went back to the kitchen. Shortly after he brought me the spoots, along with delicious hunks of monkfish, asparagus, green bean and pea salad. All served with, what I kid you not, was one of the best sauces I have tasted. After finishing I even asked for a spoon, not wanting to waste a drop. Monkfish and spoots are easy to overcook and turn horribly rubbery. Not here. They were juicy, meaty and just spectacular, it was
As I think I have already expressed, service is top notch. Friendly, relaxed and eager to please, the staff are delightful.
After asking for the bill, lunch got even better. £9.50 for a two course lunch of this quality! Quite incredible for Edinburgh.
It’s worth phoning ahead as they are often very busy and I have lost out before without having a reservation at peak times. And doing what they’re doing I can’t see them having any trouble getting bums on seats any time soon!

This place is fabulous! I came here for date night with my beau and I cannot stop thinking about this place since! It’s quite small and intimate with beautiful art work and lighting. The staff were polite and good natured. They also had great recommendations on food or wine selections. It is a bit pricey, so if you’re looking for cheap this might not be the place. If you’re looking for a sit-​down meal with quality ingredients, great staff, and good atmosphere, this is your spot.
We started off with crispy pig ears. AMAZING. It was exactly how I expected and perfect with a touch of sea salt. My beau had never experienced the texture and flavour before but he loved it. Then we moved on to our appetisers. I had the seared pigeon breast with picked pear. The pigeon breast was cooked so slightly and delicious, we really enjoyed the slightly earthly but light taste. My beau enjoyed the fig and goat cheese wrap sitting very deliciously on top of a beetroot yogurt. We both love fig and the goat cheese thus the combination was mind blowing. For our mains, we had the grilled seam bream and the special, grilled seatrout over a bed of couscous. Both dishes were cooked to perfection and filled with flavour. For dessert, we loved the Rocky road ice cream sundae. It was a bit unexpected and a little difficult for me to share but alas, we loved it.
We loved the wines as well. For starters we had the col di sotto pinot grigio and finished with the Francesca Bay Pinot noir. Both excellent with our meals.
Again, highly recommend this restaurant and I am already demanding that we go back!

Ribs! A whole plate of ribs, just for me. Well, also for my partner as it was a sharing dish. But when they brought out the big wooden board piled high with pork, beef and lamb ribs, my wee heart was singing.
In my previous review, and previous visit here, I had a wonderful array of veggie mezze with the likes of carrots soaked in coffee, home made baba ganoush, and boiled eggs pickled in… something delicious. And so, after that mid-​week girl-​date dinner, I knew I had to come back soon for a Saturday night boy-​date.
The restaurant is quite small, and our table was very close to two others. This doesn’t bother me at all, as I like a buzzing, hub bub of chatter and chowing; but the waitress did occasionally have to brush against our table in order to reach one behind us at the window.
The menu has about 8 starter options, 5 main options and 3 ‘sharing platter’ main options, including the ribs we had, a beef steak and something veggie too. There’s also lots of side dishes, including the veggie mezze, which I had and which was delicious.
My fish goujons I had to start were great, but the ribs stole the show. Each type of rib (beef, pork, lamb) were marinaded in a different sauce and tasted entirely different. I’ve never had lamb ribs before, and they tasted so good I knew they must be so bad for me. Lamb, tasty tasty fatty lamb, mmm.
Despite being full, as the mains had been so delicious, we ordered two desserts. Ice cream sundae with rhubarb compote, and a gluten free vanilla sponge with sloe gin. Both were great, really filling and generous portions.
It’s a great place for a date, for a family meal, for a midi-​week girl date, for a birthday dinner with friends, and for lunch I imagine. It’s homely but stylish. It’s great for anyone who likes delicious food. We had to book 5 days before to get a table on Saturday night, which we only had for 1.5 hours. A hidden neighbourhood gem, but evidently a very popular one to the Bruntsfield area!

A-​may-​zing!
The boyfriend and I were looking for somewhere to have lunch to celebrate us having put up with each other for five whole years, and Three Birds immediately sprung to mind. It’s in an area of town that we haven’t visited recently, but used to frequent in the earlier years of our relationship (alas, moving to Leith two years ago has meant we’ve neglected Tollcross and Bruntsfield recently) so it offered both the chance for a big old nostalgia trip and for some delicious food. And it was a good choice!
Lunchtime on a Monday meant that the restaurant was quiet, we were only joined by a table of ladies who lunch and one tourist, but that was a good thing as food and drinks were served promptly (and with a smile).
I’d already ear-​marked (ho ho ho) the Crispy Pigs’ Ears with aioli and sea salt, having seen them on their menu online, and was excited to try them given they’re not something you typically see on menus. They were really nice, crispy and flavoursome, with the aioli and salt being perfect accompaniments. Sure, the thicker pieces were a bit chewy but you are eating ear so what do you expect?
We opted for the two-​course lunch for £9.95, starter and mains, with boyfriend going for the bbq pork belly and myself for the lamb kofta for starters. Mmmmmmm! Both were the right side of spicy and full of flavour, I could easily have eaten a bigger serving. And I loved the two toasted pittas my kofta was served with, perfect for scooping up any remaining chickpea and tomato sauce.
As for mains, well neither of us could see beyond the beef cheeks in porter, with roast potatoes and shallots. Absolutely delicious, easily the nicest thing either of us have eaten in a long time. The cheeks were beyond tender, melt-​in-​the-​mouth, and to die for. I also ordered a salad to keep things healthy, which came attractively decorate with petals!
We didn’t have pudding, as we had a film to catch, but we will definitely be back to sample more of their delicious wares. Especially given how good value everything is, two courses for less than a tenner is fab! And our 500ml carafe of white wine was nicely priced at £8.
So, go go go to Three Birds! You won’t regret it.

I came here with Jenny L for a catch up dinner and to try out this tucked-​away restaurant up Bruntsfield way. I went for a bowl of soup for starters, the veggie mezze platter for mains with a side of chips. I was too stuffed for pudding!
The food here is home-​made, fresh and unusual. My soup was very tasty — barley broth if I remember correctly — and was meant to come with kidney something or other (except it didn’t as the kitchen was out). So an odd and interesting combo. And very nice too!
The mezze platter was weirdness personified, but not in a bad way. I’ve never seen a mezze plate like it (see pics!). There were some very, very strong flavours and everything struck me as just a bit out of left field. The baba ganoush was extremely smoky, there were pickled carrots that tasted like coffee and hard-​boiled eggs that had something extra added. It was an odd plate of food. Just a bit weird… I kept calling my plate the David Lynch of dinners, haha. And it was!
I would definitely come back here to try more of the menu and find out what oddities and delights await my palate…

Oh my oh my!!! Did I not like this!!! Yum!
Came here for a friends birthday with a very food savvy crowd of people, mainly waiters and waitresses from some of Edinburghs best eateries and I think I can say we all left very impressed with what we found.
Before starters we also had a plate of the Crispy Pig Ears, yep thats no typo… pigs ear. And im happy to report they were delicious served with a nice aioli and sea salt.
For starter I opted for the pigeon breast on a bed of peas and pine nuts. Simple cooking and really delicious. The pigeon was pink, juicy and so tender. Winter might be coming but at least that means game birds are back on the menu yuuuum!!.
For main out of a table of 14, 11 of us went for the same thing!!! The steak special cooked in a bone marrow butter. OH LORD… I had mine rare and as well as being perfectly cooked the flavour was incredible. The marrow flavour was there to be enjoyed. Superb.
Deserb, a mango sponge with vanilla icecream. i also tried the blue cheese icrecream and the cheese board with my dining chums! All lovely!!!
The service, the wine, the evening… lovely place… lovely food! Cant wait to go back!