The Tea Rooms At Edinburgh Castle

We saw afternoon tea at Edinburgh Castle promoted in an Historic Scotland Friends email and thought ‘Why not?’ This meant a special trip to Edinburgh from Glasgow on 28 December 2023 as a festive treat. We had a good time walking past the shops (and going into some of them) on the way up to the castle. However, that was the highlight. We got into the castle with no trouble at our allocated time just after 1:30 pm. There were no signs as to where we had to go or information on the ticket. Guides from the castle were able to point us in the right direction and we arrived at 1:45 pm for our allotted time of 2:00 pm. We were told we couldn’t wait indoors and had go out into what was not a very pleasant afternoon. We came back at 2:00 pm but it was still about ten minutes before we were shown to our table. It then took ages for someone to take our drinks order and we finally got our tea and coffee at 2:35. And then the food didn’t arrive. After reminding the staff that we didn’t have anything to eat, it was eventually delivered to our table fifteen minutes later. Another couple, who were visitors to Scotland, were on the table next to us had to wait even longer. The food was variable in quality. The sandwiches were disappointing. They appeared to have come out of the chiller, had little taste, and looked to have been made from ordinary sliced bread. The rest of the food was satisfactory, and we appreciated the changes made because of my wife’s allergies. The staff were all very pleasant but the whole afternoon seemed disorganised. Maybe we were unlucky and there were staff shortages on the day we went. Whatever the reason, having made the trip, we were disappointed with the whole experience. We couldn’t recommend it.

We arrived at 1.20 for our 1.30 pm slot and was told very rudely to come back as we were too early. We sat inside by the bar area to wait after assuring the waitress we were happy to wait for our allocated time. She did not redeem herself with a smile or a nod she just ignored us and made us feel most unwelcome. What a terrible first impression. Heard the same waitress speak equally rudely to 3 other groups. We were then sat down (by a lovely waitress) and waited for 20 minutes before any food or drink arrived. The room was cold, food very average and my wife had to ask 3 times for milk to go with her tea. By the time it turned up her tea was cold. The rest of the staff were fine but it was the same Asian waitress who was rude and then kept on forgetting what we ordered. Overall not a great experience particularly given the cost. So disappointed as this was supposed to be a lovely treat to enhance our visit to the castle but unfortunately it managed to taint our whole day.

Lovely setting, but even with a thick jumper on, the room was chilly. The mulled wine, gin, and service I can 't fault it. The 'afternoon tea '... mediocre. I 'm coeliac and also a vegetarian. We booked in October for a December tea. The sandwiches I received were all the same: cheese and sundried tomato filling on white bread. The cakes were all chocolate. Chocolate millionaire (one square cut into two fingers), chocolate brownie (one square cut into 2 triangles), and 2 chocolate biscuits... so if you 're a chocolate fan... Considering it 's nigh Christmas, there wasn 't even a gluten free mince pie. The scone was nice, but not spectacular. My friend said the macaroon on her plate was dry/stale. At £50 a head... disappointing.

The savory part was good, my husband thought the bread was stale with one of the sandwiches. The dessert were not great one out of 4 was good, the macarons tasted stale. The scones were ok but the clotted cream had a thick yellow crust on it. The espresso martini, tea, and server were excellent. I would not recommend spending money on tea here

The afternoon tea at the Edinburgh Castle is lovely AND delicious! Having the opportunity to stop here and rest awhile was perfect after climbing up to the castle and exploring. The selection of teas was excellent (I had mango strawberry) and the sandwiches, scones, and desserts were great. They don't rush you so you can sit and enjoy the view as you leisurely dine. Combine it with your visit to the castle so you won't have to climb up there twice!