The Cellar Door

Average Scottish restaurant. Relaxed cosy vibe, good service. Food is average and quite bland, nothing too exciting.

Arrived for an early dinner at 4pm and was escorted to our pre-​booked table, which caused some confusion with the staff as they didn’t know where to put us. Worrying as there were only 2 other covers in at that time. It then took 15 mins to take our drink and food orders. The starter arrived pretty quick but we ordered the artisan bread to share. It was lovely and fresh and soon disappeared. It then took another 15 minutes to take away our dirty plates. We then sat there for an hour waiting for our mains. I had ordered the fish and chips. The chips were cold and soggy and the fish was more batter than fish. The tartare sauce also had an unusual taste, I couldn’t quite work out was was different or wrong with it. By that point I just wanted to leave. We tried to get the staffs attention but we were ignored. Only when a new waitress started her shift did we get the attention you would expect in a restaurant and we just got the bill and left. We noticed that many of the other tables that came in after us were also getting extremely frustrated and the table next to us were given food without cutlery and when they asked for some it took a long time to resolve. (Visit — 30/​12/​2014 Dinner)

We stumbled in here randomly looking for a place for lunch near the castle that was completely jammed. We really didn’t know what to expect, but with half our party getting «hangry», we thought it best to just go in and take our chances. Luckily, we were able to get a table for 4 right away.
Small cozy place, with friendly service and good (but not amazing) food. The lunch specials are a fantastic value, however. £10 gets you a starter and main — you’d struggle to find a better deal than that in this part of town. I started with the soup and followed with the fish of the day. They were both nice. One thing to note: My dad ordered the veal and it was served medium-​well, so if you like your veal a bit more on the pink side (like me), make sure you request it specifically because they don’t ask how you’d like it.
I wouldn’t make a special trip out but for the price and convenience of location, it was perfect for us that day.

Good service! and good meal~
My family liked their meal. Especially, the rip-​eye steak was better.

Nice vibe, ok wine list, good but not great food. Mussel appetizers were good, chicken entre was ok but not great.

Our first meal in Edinburgh. Just walk in randomly.
Food and service are great !!
We had a Scottish beef burger and a Scottish salmon.
All of them are cooked perfectly!
Don’t forget have a bottle of Scottish cider
Strawberry and whiskey cask flavor are nice

Not mind blowing but the Cellar Door still delivers a great punch. The food was flavourfull yet a bit small for the price range. The staff is very friendly and the atmosphere is quite relaxed. Worth a visit but not necessarily a must-​go restaurant.

I wish you coul give half star ratings. This place deserves a bit more. Friendly helpful staff and delicious food. The vegetarian food was ok, but uninspired.
The hamburger was good.

Stumbeld on this hidden little gem recently and it’s become a regular haunt. It’s easy to walk past due to being below street level which is a real shame but being selfish it does mean that I’ve not struggled to get a table!
One of the best and most unique things about it is the Chef’s Surprise! Which basically does as it says on the tin. if opting for the Chef’s Surprise the waitress just asks what if anything to avoid (gluten for me as Im Coeliac) and anything you really like and thereafter it’s up to the Chef to come up with a new and different two or three course meal! I’ve had this a few times and have yet to be disappointed, have tried things I probably wouldnt have ordered from a menu and really enjoyed them!
We booked through toptable and so received 20% off the food bill which makes for fantastic value for money! Definately worth trying!

Following ably in the footsteps of all the previous occupants of these premises The Cellar Door offers great attentive service and good food at decent prices. No idea how good the wine list is so holding off with the stars but my haggis fritters with sides of cauliflower cheese (very good indeed) and chunky chips went down a treat and my companion loved her burger. We shared the chocolate trio dessert and it too provided no reason for complaint. I’ve eaten here a couple of times since first writing it up and it’s maintaining the same good standards of service & quality of dishes. Following the very tasty ham hock terrine last night I opted for the 2 course surprise (£19.95) so ended up with well cooked duck with black pudding & mash followed by a good sized tart with peanut ice cream. Washed down with a decent bottle of Grenache this was £34 well spent. Repairing the hole in the wall in the gents, having the toilet pertition secured to the floor & changing either the towel dispenser or the brand of towel so, as to avoid them spilling out into the sink, would enhance the experience further.

From the street this place looks tiny, but make your way down the stairs inside or the (slightly) rickety metal steps down from George IV bridge and you’ll find an elegant dining room where they serve one of the best lunch deals in Edinburgh: a starter, mains, and two sides for about seven quid.
The food is upmarket without being pretentious; and if I can’t speak of their desserts that at least tells you the portions are more than hearty and didn’t leave any room to try them! My companion qualified her starter of tomato and basil soup as pretty much a meal in itself.
Very good service too in formal yet relaxed surroundings. Don’t watch the large clock on the wall and let your lunch hour go…

The Cellar Door recently broke away from the Olive Branch chain, underwent a refurbishment and reopened under its new name. It’s quite similar to the Olive Branch with the same quality feel, nice ambiance and great food, but it shows its autonomy through its new patisserie which offers some great pastries and cakes.
I came here for dinner with some friends only a couple of weeks ago and we all had a top meal with quick service and amazing food. The menu has an excellent selection of meat and vegetable dishes which all sound amazing. I went for the smoked salmon starter followed by the grilled chicken with cheesy mash and asparagus.
Both tasted incredible and were served in filling portions. The quality of the food, however, does come at a price. We paid about £17 each for our meals. This is definitely a case of getting what you pay for.

Probably the smallest patisserie in Edinburgh, The Cellar Door is a narrow café and take-​away with a small cluster of seats and a counter filled with individual cakes, tray bakes and chocolates truffles. Everything is made on the premise by the head baker Petra and there’s usually a choice of carrot cake, chocolate cake and baked cheesecake alongside more unusual cakes like plum madeira cake.
Unfortunately, the day I visited the chocolate cake was a little dry and the carrot cake looked and tasted a bit too stodgy and bland for me. The fact the hot chocolate was a hundred times better than the neighbouring Chocolate Soup however, means I’ll probably give it a second chance at some point.

You know what they say: Jack of all trades, master of none.
This, however, certainly isnt the case for The Cellar Door, which professes itself as a restaurant, chocalatier and patisserie all at the same time.
The restaurant itself is a nice little place, tucked away on the ground floor of a building facing onto George IV bridge. Its smartly decorated, and certainly has the feeling of being ‘new’.
I was genuinly impressed at how nice the staff were, even on a wednesday afternoon which had the Cellar Door full of people. The food was excellent, although my girlfriend complained that hers was a tad on the cold side, but again to the staffs credit, she waited only a few moments before a fresh (and almost too warm) plate was brought out which was good.
I really like this place, mostly for the friendly staff and the quality of the food, and it would have earned five satrs had that small hiccup not happened!

We stumbled into The Cellar looking for a nice, romantic dinner. I am so glad we stumbled here! It’s a new restaurant located in the lower level of a building. It has a great patio view and well decorated. The staff was very friendly. It wasn’t too noisy either. The most important part, the food, was awesome. Both of us had the Chef’s Surprise, which was a three course meal, and loved it.
I was not given any discount or any other type of compensation for this posting.