survey result

Summary

£55
   ££
3
Good
3
Good
3
Good
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

Marcelline Levicky’s “friendly” New Town staple is a “small but buzzing French-style bistro” that has been of note for its “good value” cooking for aeons and remains distinctly amicale to the wallet (the set lunch is £18.90 and dinner a far from extortionate £32.50).

Summary

£45
   ££
4
Very Good
4
Very Good
3
Good
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

Run by Marcelline Levicky, this lovely “small bistro” in the New Town is a real longtime favourite owing to its “well-presented” Gallic dishes that don’t make too much of a dent in the wallet (its two-course lunches and dinners ringing in at £17/£27 per person respectively).

Summary

£42
    £
3
Good
4
Very Good
3
Good
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

“A lovely little place”“the sort of bistro you would like to have in your neighbourhood”, with “a very nice menu of French dishes and excellent service”. It’s also “very cheap at lunchtime and reasonable in the evening, especially for central Edinburgh”.

Summary

£42
    £
3
Good
2
Average
2
Average
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

“A part of France” with “excellent food and presentation” – and some pretty astonishing prices: where else could you find a two-course lunch of moules marinières followed by haunch of venison in red wine for £14.90? It’s “handy for pre-theatre”, too.

For 33 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 Café Marlayne?

1 Thistle Street, Edinburgh, EH2 1EN

Restaurant details

Highchair,Portions
No dress code
35

Prices

Availability 2 courses 3 courses coffee included service included
Lunch £18.90  
Dinner £32.50  

Traditional European menu

Pudding
£7.50
Drinks  
Wine per bottle £20.00
Filter Coffee £0.00
Extras  
Bread £0.00
Service 10.00%
1 Thistle Street, Edinburgh, EH2 1EN
Opening hours
MondayCLOSED
Tuesday6 pm‑10 pm
Wednesday12 pm‑3 pm, 6 pm‑10 pm
Thursday12 pm‑3 pm, 6 pm‑10 pm
Friday12 pm‑3 pm, 6 pm‑10 pm
Saturday12 pm‑3 pm, 6 pm‑10 pm
SundayCLOSED

Best French restaurants nearby

Café St-Honoré
French restaurant in Edinburgh
£70
  £££
3
Good
4
Very Good
4
Very Good
La P’tite Folie
French restaurant in Edinburgh
£50
   ££
3
Good
3
Good
3
Good
Rhubarb, Prestonfield Hotel
Scottish restaurant in Edinburgh
£103
£££££
3
Good
3
Good
5
Exceptional

Best similarly priced restaurants nearby

PizzaExpress
Pizza restaurant in Edinburgh
£58
   ££
2
Average
3
Good
3
Good
PizzaExpress
Pizza restaurant in Edinburgh
£58
   ££
2
Average
3
Good
3
Good
Wahaca
Mexican restaurant in Edinburgh
£54
   ££
2
Average
2
Average
3
Good