Harden's survey result
Summary
“Definitely an experience” – James Thomson’s “glorious” 40-year restoration of a 1595 merchant’s house next to the castle makes a “totally unique and intimate location” for a candle-lit meal, either in the wood-panelled dining room, filled with leather furnishings and hung with tapestries, or in the ‘Secret Garden’. The “atmospheric setting” is “perfect for a romantic dinner” so long as you “don’t expect too much gastronomically” from the traditional menu – and there is a “killer wine list – sorry, Wine Bible”.
Summary
James Thomson’s more than 40-year restoration of a sixteenth-century merchant’s house near Edinburgh Castle has yielded one of the most “atmospheric” dining venues in the country – a gorgeous Gothic extravaganza where even lunch and afternoon tea are candle-lit. The cuisine is appropriately old-school – very “tasty”, too – and is backed up by an “amazing wine list” and whisky selection. You can eat amid the leather, wood panelling and tapestries of the dining room or in the ‘Secret Garden’, and if you want the illusion to last a few hours longer you can stay in one of the individually decorated bedrooms.
Summary
“Stupidly expensive but bags of fun” – James Thomson opened his “warm, quirky, and brilliant” (if somewhat touristy) sixteenth-century merchant’s house very near Edinburgh Castle 40 years ago, and it’s undoubtedly “very atmospheric” both in its Gothic oak-panelled dining room or beautiful ‘Secret Garden’. The traditional Scottish cuisine is OK, but its main distinguishing culinary feature is “a heavyweight wine list backed up by a strong selection of malt whiskies and other digestifs”. Plan on over-indulging? Book one of its glam bedrooms.
Summary
“Stupidly expensive but bags of fun” – James Thomson opened his “warm, quirky, and brilliant” (if somewhat touristy) sixteenth-century merchant’s house very near Edinburgh Castle 40 years ago, and it’s undoubtedly “very atmospheric” both in its Gothic oak-panelled dining room or beautiful ‘Secret Garden’. The traditional Scottish cuisine is OK, but its main distinguishing culinary feature is “a heavyweight wine list backed up by a strong selection of malt whiskies and other digestifs”. Plan on over-indulging? Book one of its glam bedrooms.
For 32 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
Have you eaten at The Witchery by the Castle?
Restaurant details
Prices
| Availability | 2 courses | 3 courses |  |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lunch | £29.50 |  |
|
|
Traditional European menu
| Starter | Main | Veggies | Pudding |
|---|---|---|---|
| £15.00 | £46.00 | £6.00 | £10.00 |
| Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £34.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £5.00 |
| Extras |
|
|---|---|
| Bread | £0.00 |
| Service | 10.00% |
Castlehill, The Royal Mile, Edinburgh, EH1 2NF
Opening hours
| Monday | 12 pm‑10:30 pm |
| Tuesday | 12 pm‑10:30 pm |
| Wednesday | 12 pm‑10:30 pm |
| Thursday | 12 pm‑10:30 pm |
| Friday | 12 pm‑10:30 pm |
| Saturday | 12 pm‑10:30 pm |
| Sunday | 12 pm‑10:30 pm |
Best Scottish restaurants nearby
Scottish restaurant in Edinburgh
Scottish restaurant in Edinburgh
Italian restaurant in Edinburgh
Best similarly priced restaurants nearby
British, Modern restaurant in Newport On Tay
Scottish restaurant in Blairgowrie
