The Fruitmarket Gallery Café
45 Market Street
- Food served: Mon–Sat 11.30am–4pm; Sun noon–4pm. [Coffee & cakes: Mon–Sat 11am–5.30pm; Sun noon–4.30pm]. [Extended in Festival].
- Number of wines sold by the glass: 5
- Also offers: Vegetarian options (at least ¼ main courses), Children's portions, Children's high chairs, Wheelchair access
- Music on stereo: Indie
- Capacity: 40
- Largest group: 12
- Open since: 2004
- Average price:
£10 (lunch) - House wine: £13.50 per bottle
Send us more details about this place.
The 2011/12 edition of The List's Eating & Drinking Guide is out now – only £5.95 (+p&p).
This review is taken from the current (2011) edition.
The Fruitmarket Gallery café continues to impress with carefully thought-out menus and attention to detail. The excellent art gallery and book shop entice a broad spectrum of people through the doors with dynamic, sometimes challenging exhibitions, while the in-house café menu changes frequently to reflect the latest exhibition, and features interesting specials alongside substantial filled deli rolls, soups, salads and mezze platters. The chef’s background in vegetarian cooking ensures that meat-free options are by no means an afterthought: the likes of falafel, halloumi and goat’s cheese make up a good proportion of the menu, while specials might include a delicately spiced, creamy curry of butternut and sweet potato served with home-made onion bhajis. Like its sister café at the Storytelling Centre, this place is famed for great coffee and glorious cakes, such as raspberry and almond tart, florentines and millionaire's shortbread. Large windows let the light flood in, making this an ideal spot to relax over lunch while watching others hurrying to work or disappearing down the steps of Waverley station.
- High point: Bright, welcoming and imaginative
- Low point: Service can be slow at times
Reviews of The Fruitmarket Gallery Café (Fruitmarket Gallery, 45 Market Street, Edinburgh)
- 2. Iain_Glyn, Edinburgh – 10 July 2011, 5:24pm
The Fruitmarket Gallery CaféReport -
Good food, for sure, but be warned: the staff impose a strict policy on tables that will leave you waiting if your party is one or two people and the only available table seats four.
This left us (a pair of very hungry regular customers) standing for upwards of 15 minutes staring at a free table that staff would not give us and that no other diners wanted.
Bad for business, because we went elsewhere (and may never return here) and also plain rude - so decide for yourself how much you value basic customer service and good manners before you head here to eat.
- 1. dress up doll, edinburgh – 7 April 2010, 10:50pm
The Fruitmarket Gallery CaféReport -
One of my very favourite places for lunch in town. The salads are so good - I positively look forward to winter when the warm root vegetable salad goes back on the menu! It is always busy, which is well justified, the staff are efficient and friendly and can do a quick turnaround lunch on request. I would disagree with the list's review that the surroundings need "a good scrub" - I think it is fine inside (maybe they mean the buildings outside? It is not on the prettiest of streets) - so don't let that put you off visiting. The gallery itself is free and the shop in the gallery is great too - what could be better than a bit of culture, the purchase of a good book or magazine and a great lunch? Oh and the little rhubarb pies are amazing, I cannot go in without having one.
To post a review you'll first need to log in: Forgotten your password?
Not registered? Sign up – it only takes a minute.
RSS feed of these reviews
