Café Royal Oyster Bar

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• Average price 2 courses:
   £15.95 (set lunch)
   £25 (evening meal)
• House wine: £12.15 per bottle

• High point: Beautiful surroundings
• Low point: The adjoining bar can get a bit noisy
• Food served: Mon-Sun noon-2pm, 7-10pm
• Bar open: Sun-Wed 11am-11pm; Thu 11am-midnight; Fri/Sat 11am-1am
• Open since: 1862
• Also offers: Pre-theatre menu

The List's Eating & Drinking Guide 2008 is now in the shops.

This review is from the 2007 edition.

Surely Edinburgh's most venerable dining venue, the Café Royal boasts the kind of authentic theatrical fittings that most theme pubs covet. With a separate entrance to the adjoining Circle Bar (see review in the Bar & Pub section), the Oyster Bar's oak and walnut wood, stained glass windows, globe lighting and a black and white tiled floor underscore a magnificent marble bar which dominates the room. It creates a dramatic setting for black-shirted, white-aproned waiters to perform their silver service choreography with panache. On offer is a small mixed menu that leans toward fish and crustacea, with occasional nods to chicken, steak and vegetarian. A starter of smoked salmon is nicely underplayed, with thin-rolled slithers doused with lemon and sprinkled with tasty capers, while a wild mushroom soup of the day is vibrant, if a little over-seasoned. Mains may include a beautifully presented dish of pan-seared scallops mixed with earthy mushrooms and white truffle sauce and served grilled on a large shell. Two huge roasted monkfish parcels also impress, coming wrapped in salty pancetta and served with sweet roasted cherry tomatoes. A basket of freshly-made nutty bread remains on the table throughout, and an extensive wine list tops off the olde-worlde hospitality. Those with a delicate disposition should be warned that a mischievous ghost has frequently been reported by staff and customers over the years.