The Witchery

I wish I had read the reviews here to know how horrid the Witchery can be. It was our worst experience in 20 years of fine dining: stale bread, 1 hr wait for starters, cold starter, very small portions (and we like small, just not very small), very thin steak, frites undercooked, sides came 15 minutes after main and without seasoning or butter, waited 25 minutes for cheese before deciding to leave. Amazingly poor and disappointing.But it was a beautiful room and setting!
Comment on this reader review

Will
Friday, November 28, 2008

The witchery appears to be living on its reputation, not by making any current effort. After a magical meal there some years ago, I was appalled by my recent visit (July 2008). The food was ok, but at the prices charged represented very poor value for money. The waiters additionally could not answer basic questipns about the provenance of the food. The tables were so close together I was practically hitting elbows with the diner on the next table. Worst of all, however, they brought a bottle of wine that was 3 times the price of the one we ordered, and when we declined to pay the difference in price, they threatened to call the police!
Comment on this reader review

JBCheese
Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 0
Wednesday, October 08, 2008

It is interesting to read the many reviews of disappointed customers to this once high rated establishment. I recently had the experience of taking a corporate party to dine at the Witchery on the opening night of the tattoo. I made the reservation for the table of 8 back in December and was hugely disappointed by the service and experience that was provided by the Witchery. On arrival we were seated in the Secret Garden...the bit added to the side of the original restaurant which has none of the ambience of the supposedly acclaimed Witchery. The service received on the evening was arrogant, complacent and above all atrocious considering the table booking error someone had made but would not take responsibility for. The food arrived and was placed without a smile, we had to ask waiters for more drinks to be served and one cup of coffee came out stone cold. The biggest shock was upon complaining to the owner of the Witchery I waited 6 weeks for a response to which the overall concensus was he was glad I had brought the matter to his attention. Needless to say I won't be dining within this or any other of his so called acclaimed establishments.
Comment on this reader review

Miss Allan
Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 2
Tuesday, September 23, 2008

After reading very mixed reviews on this restaurant, we decided to put it to the test ourselves, even though we had booked The Witchery restaurant instead of the Sercet Garden the staff said they would try to re-arrange the booking and true to their word we were allocated a lovely table in the Secret Garden area.

Top marks to all staff, the service was first class.

Complimentary bread was not as fresh as it should be, but still palatable, starters very good, scallops fresh although a small portion, prefer my scallops whole not sliced and at £14.95 definately overpriced, crab starter again overpriced but very delicious. We ordered pan roasted cod & Border Lamb as our mains, both beautifully cooked, with sides of new potatoes, sugar snap peas & portobello mushrooms.

Can't comment on the puddings as we were too full to try any.

Fantastic setting, which probably reflects the prices, good food and excellent service. We would recommend this restaurant and look forward to returning
Comment on this reader review

B Russell
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 6
Sunday, September 07, 2008

I totally agree. Me and my husband went there for our wedding anniversary and were sorely disappointed. The girl who took our coats was rude and disinterested.

My kir had barely a drop of cassis in it and was horrid. The maitre d' looked as though he was far too important to bother with his customers.

The food was unimaginative and did not correspond with what was on the menu.

I ordered cannelloni and got tomato sauce and aubergines, not a piece of pasta in sight. Stupidly we didn't complain. I think we were too stunned to say anything. We didn't leave a tip and we certainly won't be going back
Comment on this reader review

Mina Cambridge
Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 1
Sunday, September 07, 2008

I continue to be amazed that this restaurant remains popular with locals and visitors to Edinburgh. There comes a time when the draw of the theater and atmosphere of the Secret Garden to entertain visitors is overtaken by the continuing poor service and quality of the cuisine. I have reached that point.

The service is disorganised and close to shambolic. The telephone directory of a wine list has little substance to it and is targeted for those with money and little common sense. The first bottle of wine took over half an hour to appear at the table and the lack of a sommelier meant hat it was not clear with whom our table should be negotiating. The waiters were either at our table hunting in packs or were otherwise invisible. The menu remains stilted and the descriptions did not match up to that served at the table. Two portions of dry bread are compulsory for all but they are required to hold back the hunger until the food arrives. The waiters needed continual prompting to serve the wine.

The wild salmon ceviche starter was bland and tasteless. My guests thought the duck heavily smoked and dry but the asparagus veloute and parmesan was passable.

The starters did not fill me with much hope for the main course when it eventually arrived. The pan roasted spiced cod and ginger bread crust salmon are prepared in a way to try to disguise tired fish and the price of the meat used for the Chateaubriand and grilled fillet of beef does not match the quality served. The waiter did not have a clue what cheese was included on the platter on offer. The torte looked and tasted good but the local supermarket does a better trifle compared against the Witchery's offering of a passion fruit and mascarpone trifle. This looked like it had just come out of the wrapping, was overwhelmed by gelatin and seemed to have parted company with the mascarpone.

The challenge of serving a table of more that 2 seems beyond the kitchen. The insistence on providing the table with accompanying vegetables was unnecessary and the expense of over £32 for these little more than a scam.

Our modest selection and consumption of wine still left me facing a bill of over £80 a head. The inclusion of a 10% service charge has presumably been introduced to safeguard the waiters' tips which need to be earned in my view. Slipping in a £1 donation to the StreetSmart Charity on to the bill was a novelty for me and something that I did not pick up in the candlelight of the restaurant. The aim 'to provide comfort and hope to people who live on the streets near restaurants where other dine in style' certainly does not apply to the Witchery!

I will not be going back to Castle Hill since Edinburgh is blessed with other, much better quality establishments.
Comment on this reader review

James Garden
Sunday, August 31, 2008

We saved The Witchery until our last night in Edinburgh and were deeply disappointed by the whole experience. The food was bland and at best, mediocre and the service was very amateurish, neither justified the £50+ bill.

The Witchey seems to be relying on its past reputation. However most people go to a restaurant for the food and this menu was sadly lacking. Edinburgh is full of really great places to eat and every other night we had truly excellent food and ambience at half the price. Our best advice to anyone is go somewhere else and not to waste your money at The Witchery
Comment on this reader review

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Extremely disappointing wedding anniversary meal at The Witchery.

We sat for over 15 mins with no menus, then once we were served (by a slow and disinterested waiter). The menu contained nothing seasonal and clearly hadn't changed in months (if not years) - not the sign of a good restaurant. The choices were limited and there were really only one or two things I fancied, you would expect in a restaurant with this reputation (and prices) that you would be spoilt for choice.

After ordering we waited another 30 minutes before our wine and starters materialised (after reminding twice).

The wild salmon ceviche was very small and while the fish was excellent quality, it was totally bland and tasteless. The langoustine and scallop tian was gritty and bland.

We both ordered fillet of beef for main course (having had this here 3 years ago and it was superb then). It was very leathery and tough and mine was so overcooked that I sent it back. When the second lot arrived they were burnt and tough on the outside and raw and cold in the middle. Also the meat had not been rested, so it was pouring blood all over our plates. The chips were flaccid and undercooked.

At this point we'd been there for two hours and decided to cut our losses and leave. The staff did apologise but bearing in mind we were also guests staying in one of their £300 a night rooms, did nothing to try and make amends.

On leaving, we heard the table behind complaining about rancid cheese, and looked around to see numerous other diners with no food on their tables, so I don't think our experience was a one off, sadly.

Also worth noting that the wine list, while fairly extensive, offers nothing between the £25 and £60 mark, pushing you to spend more than you otherwise might. Too obvious not to be deliberate.

One to avoid.
View/Add comments (2)

CrazyCatLadyLondon
Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Went to Edinburgh for my dad's birthday recently and decided to book a nice family lunch at the witchery and it didn't disappoint.

When booking on line, has arranged for 1:30pm and was told that needed to finish by 4pm (nice to see they set the expectation at a 2 1/2 hour lunch!), however when we turned up at 1pm there was no problem sitting at our table. Went on to enjoy a great lunch with some of the party choosing the (very cheap) lunch special and some from the normal menu - I had the oysters which were perfect and the lamb which was melt in the mouth soft and rounded off with some very nice puddings - not sure if the pudding selection was meant as a shared dish but waiter didn't bat an eye when some ordered it each! And trust me, it was a big platter.

With the mix of lunch special and normal menu, didn't seem too bad on price either. About £160 pre wine for 4 people.

Also, dispite being the only ones left in the restaurant at 4pm, the staff didn't try and rush us out in any way and left us in peace to finish up the great wine (more a wine book than a list). Finally rolled down the hill about 4:30.

Would definitely go back.
Comment on this reader review

Neil
Saturday, June 09, 2007

Wholeheartedly agree with above reviewer - was here for dinner 2 weeks ago. Theatrical environment - not really necessary for a restaurant. Food itself - cooking and produce - not up to scratch - not for this price - you can see a sample menu on restaurant homepage. Chocolates served with coffee looked suspciously like Thorntons - says it all.
Comment on this reader review

Thursday, April 19, 2007