The Spence

To celebrate my wife’s birthday, we paid an unexpected visit to Edinburgh. I came across this restaurant in the Michelin book. It goes without saying that the cuisine was top-notch; otherwise, they would not have made the cut. What really made the supper special, though, was the welcoming staff and the top-notch service. Everything about the evening was perfect: the ambiance, the attention to detail, the food presentation, and my wife’s expression of contentment afterward. It means the world to me.

Spence has an elegant and exquisite ambiance, which would be perfect for a special occasion or when you want to treat yourself to something more than just a night out. I really liked the cocktails. The food was good but not excellent; the sauce didn’t quite work with the fish. I also expected just a tiny bit more from service in such a restaurant.

We actually wanted to come for tea time but were only told in the restaurant that tea time is only available Monday to Friday.
So we had to order from the normal menu. Unfortunately, we found all the dishes completely overpriced. The eclair was dry and tasted like it had been defrosted. The £30 chicken came without a side dish and was very small. The cheese platter was unfortunately the worst I’ve ever had in my life. The cocktails were just too sweet and created without any love. Only the chai tea was really delicious.
The atmosphere is of course beautiful but unfortunately the food doesn’t match it. What a shame.

Food (4.5/5)

Good taste, good presentation, and good options. A bit pricy, but I suppose this is one of the places where you’re partly paying for the atmosphere. The dessert was also very nice (chocolate choux bun), but the portion is much smaller than what I’m accustomed to for desserts.

Service (5/5)

Very friendly and attentive staff—never took to long for them to come take my order, clear my plates, or get my bill.

Atmosphere (5/5)

The ambiance is the highlight of this restaurant. The interior is simply gorgeous—I love the tall and opulent ceiling, the carvings, the marble columns, and the lighting. Even the bathroom was so elegant.

I also love their menu design and thought the pink embroidered napkin was a nice touch.

Criticisms:

I was seated in the lounge area off to the side, which itself was fine, but I found it almost too dark there. And my table was a bit dirty and had a bit of crumbs on it, which one really wouldn’t expect from an establishment of this class. And my bench was slightly too far from the table that was a bit too low, and I found myself in danger of slipping off my seat a few times when trying to lean in and eat.

What a lovely spot to spend lunchtime. Our daughter’s graduation lunch, so a special occasion, and we were looked after so well. Best window seat looking out over the sumptuous bar and restaurant. Lovely food, readily adapted for our dietary requirements. All delicious! Great service from the time of walking through the front door to walking back out over two hours later. Thank you Team Gleneagles for making it such a memorable day.