Cafe Rouge – Edinburgh

Beef bourginon reminded me of airplane food. Unfortunately, on a Saturday night when every good restaurant in these few blocks is booked solid, walking in here to a half empty dining room should be a clear sign. Nice enough staff, just truly tasteless food. My cooked vegetables came with absolutely nothing on them– not a hint of salt pepper oil butter ANYTHING. Definitely instant mashed potatoes as well. Beef broth was too salty and the meat was sparse and fatty. Unacceptable for your signature dish at a French restaurant.

I tried escargot for the first time here and it was marvelous! The duck confit is fantastic as well– seriously the best I’ve had in a while! Lovely atmosphere and service!

We walked in on a cold and rainy Sunday morning, after wanting to head a bit further afield for out weekend breakfast.
A waitress barked at us from behind the counter ‘table for two?’ We said yes and she said ‘over there on the couch’. That wasn’t so bad as maybe the staff are just casual.
We sat down and were immediately given menus and had a drinks order taken. Which sounds good, but we were given roughly 30 seconds to look over the menu before the waitress returned for our order. I made a quick decision (as I’d already made up my mind before I went in) when in a French type place for brunch, get the Croque Monsieur! They even had one with salmon so I was all over that!
The drinks arrived and were thrown at us. The waitress spilled some tea. From the pot into my handbag and the OHs coffee looked like it was going to end up on top of him. It didn’t, luckily as he took it while she was setting it down. The tea was ok but the coffee did not look appetizing and reports indicate it wasn’t great.
The food arrived and was again thrown. I had to take the (very hot) plate from the waitress to prevent it landing in my lap. I was disappointed. My sandwich was wet, the bread was from a white sliced pan and the salmon looked very cheap (in a ‘clearly farmed in not great conditions because this pink is not natural…’ way) Having had some excellent versions of this sandwich in Edinburgh (shout out to I Heart Café and Word of Mouth) I couldn’t believe a French styled establishment could get it so wrong.
The OH had ordered scrambled eggs and bacon with toast. He got one slice of white sliced pan bread, what looked like the equivalent of an egg and a half scrambled and two sorry looking bits of bacon.
As soon as our plates were empty they were taken away and the bill was thrown on the table. We hadn’t finished our tea/​coffee and had been in the place only 20 or so minutes at this stage. We quickly finished up and paid.
Now, all this would usually get two or three stars from me as often situations like the above result from overworked staff at busy times. However, that didn’t seem to be the case here and I’m sorry to say the staff did not redeem the place one bit. Our waitress was wearing a black apron that was filthy. We never received a smile and while we were paying she audibly sighed as I was clearly taking too long.
Additionally, though I was ready to mark Café Rouge up for the cute décor (the hand painted words and food are quite adorable on the walls) and Parisian feel, all this came crumbling down when I found a black hair lurking under my teacup and, on closer inspection, found that nothing on the table could be comfortably called ‘clean’.
I will not be by again.

Café Rouge was not my first choice on a Saturday night — the restaurant where I wanted to eat was fully booked and it was time for plan B. Ok, let’s give Café Rouge a chance, after all it’s been a few years I’ve been there last time so I thought why not.
My husband and I entered the restaurant and the waiter asked where we wanted to sit After being seated we studied the menu for a while and the waitress came to take our orders.
We shared the starter of ‘Bresse Bleu’ which was a small pot of melting blue cheese served with baguette slices and apple slices. When the starter arrived, I commented that it looked a bit small. However it was actually filling enough and tasted absolutely delicious.
On to the main course. I had a chicken caesar salad. It was quite good, chicken nicely charcoaled and tasty. Perhaps a little bit too much dressing, but that was just a personal preference.
A starter, two main course salads and small glasses of wine came to £38. I think it was reasonable.

What a terrible terrible experience, maybe my worst dinning experience of all time. Dull boring inside, rude staff who did not want to interact with the diners, food was just slammed on the table. And the food was vastly over priced, tasteless and tiny portions which left me very hungry. I had the beef bourguigon, bland and a dire small portion which left me starving, and for £15 I expected so much more. From what I seen around me the rest of the food on the menu looked poor to, to sum up just walk past this place and go elsewher.

Great spot when it’s warm out. Yes it’s a chain, but in this prime position you’ll struggle to find a table when that yellow thing in the sky rears its pretty little head!
A quick spot of lunch and I must say, they’ve really stepped up the food quality from the last time I visited. I grabbed a steak baguette and chips which at around £10 is slightly pricey, but the quality was really good. Do check if there’s a discount voucher around as they seem to always have a promotion or two flying about.
I asked for medium rare and was pleasantly surprised to receive medium rare. Great! Soft and juice made for a really nice sandwich. The dijon mayo was spicy enough to tingle but not so much to blow your nose off, which is always a worry. All in all, a very pleasant lunch experience. I’d go again!

Considering this is part of a massive chain I was very pleasantly surprised when eating dinner here at the start of this week. The chicken liver terrine came with an ample amount of bread, the beef bourginon was very tasty and filling (as well as cooked so that the meat practically melted at the touch of the fork) and the tarte au citron was a fitting dessert seeing as I was too full to risk failing to finish the cheese board. The service from our waitress Ruth & the rest of the staff was attentive & never intrusive so all in a very enjoyable experience.

Still not the most wonderful experience, but hey — it’s a chain store.

A gorgeous café on a busy street in New Town. A small patio outside to enjoy the weather, and cute café tables on the inside. We had no wait even over the Xmas/​New years holiday at prime lunch hour.
Excellent service, very tasty lunch fare, and reasonable prices.
I would definitely return here, and would try dinner or an afternoon tea as well.

I was here on a Saturday evening around 8 o’clock. Perhaps not the best time to review a café/​brasserie, however, it wasn’t busy so there really wasn’t any excuse to my mind as to the poor quality of the food.
I had the cod filet, which as it turns out, wasn’t a filet at all. My partner-​in-​crime had the lamb which I think was sufficiently satisfying. He didn’t comment on the quality, so I’m guessing that it wasn’t exceptional. My dish however was absolutely horrendous. To start the fish was floating in a layer of olive oil, something that I just don’t find appealing. If the oil comes halfway up the fish, I’m not a happy camper. Then, the filet was not a filet. It was a full fish, with massive amounts of bones. I didn’t expect bones, and they were everywhere. In the first bite, and I take small bites, I had three bones big enough that I had to remove them.
To give some credit where credit is due, since I didn’t eat the fish, just the grilled-​to-​mush vegetables that it came with (also schlumping around in oil) we didn’t have to pay for the fish. But the waitress made such a big deal out of it that it was incredibly awkward.
All-​in-​all? Poor service, poor food, and screaming babies on a Saturday.
Lovely, enjoy.

At first the waitress serving us was extremely sharp when we asked her for menus! Not the sort of welcome you expect! My wife was extremely polite and firm at her when she asked if we were ready to order and this seemed to do the trick as when she returned she was very pleasant! The food was fine and nice for a quick refuel! Maybe recommend to friends if they were looking for somewhere to eat, wouldn’t be top of the list to go!

Not as nice as expected. Quick service though. A strong smell of fresh paint and no ice just warm drinks! The peppercorn sauce was actually disgusting and ordered at an extra cost of £2. The so called Bavette was not the Bavette one might order in France. In fact having spent eighteen years of my life in France eating out in real French restaurants I can but underline the difference. The fries were delicious though! On the other-​hand my partners half a chicken was quite a success. So mixed feeling about thus place after this first visit. I think it deserves a second chance so maybe next time…

This very traditionally French looking establishment has been a sturdy feature on the Edinburgh café/​restaurant scene for a good while now. I’ve been here a number of times over my Edinburgh residing years, and it’s always been pretty consistently good, and I really have nothing to complain about as far as the food goes.
Café Rouge seems to have had the same faithful, tried and tested menu favourites for a while, and it delivers them well. I can personally recommend the classic Caesar salad, rib-​eye steak baguette, and any of the steaks on the grill menu, as traditional French fare is what this place does best. Larger than the norm outside seating area for sunny day basking too, nice for a breakfast coffee plus pastry, and the inside is pretty spacious too, so you’ll never be too pushed to get a table. I don’t think Café Rouge is the trendiest, most exciting place you could attend in Edinburgh, but it’s definitely reliably decent and very conveniently located.

This gorgeous French restaurant/​café/​bar was highly recommended to me by a friend who lives and works in Edinburgh. She had been here for a small family celebration and said the staff were absolutely lovely and the food was a real authentic taste of French cuisine, for great value.
I didn’t need much more convincing, so my friend and I rocked up one Tuesday afternoon to sample their Prix Fixe menu, which runs from midday til 5pm and costs £8.50 for 2 courses (1 course and 3 course options are available)
We were seated by a really nice waitress who asked us how our day had been and recommended some wine to us, which was lovely as you don’t usually get chatty, relaxed staff in eateries in Edinburgh; they’re always flustered and stressed. We browsed the menu and I was pleasantly surprised to see that it wasn’t over full with complex choices, which made it easier to pick from especially since I don’t eat in French restaurants very often.
I ordered a glass of Café Rouge house Rose which I was told was sweet and girly, just what I was after! I then went for a main meal of pork sausages with Thyme gravy and mash. My friend followed suite and when it came, I was very happy with my choice. The portions weren’t massive but really nicely presented and honestly, I was in heaven. I don’t usually go for meat other than chicken or fish, but these bangers were something else! The gravy really set it off and the mash was creamy and delicious! I could go on!
I decided to try a desert, as I’m usually a starter and main person, so I went for a crème brulee with raspberries, which was just the right amount of sweet to finish a meal off. Delicious. The waitress who served us kept checking to see if we were ok, or needed anything, but in a totally non evasive way which was nice.
We left with smiles on our faces and seriously satisfied tummies. I can’t wait to come back here at night when the ambiance is in full swing and the French favour would definitely be in full flow.

It speaks volumes for a place by how busy it is, and Café Rouge is always very busy. You have to book — there’s no question about that. But it’s a brilliant place.
Their food is delicious, I especially love their steak sandwiches (they do a male and female version) and their smoked salmon salad.
The only thing I would say is their coke is served in TINY glasses, I had to ask for 3 top-​ups. The table comes with a jug of water though, so it’s not a big problem.
The service is brilliant too — when my cousin still hadn’t arrived they took away his pre-​ordered steak and chips and kept it on heat for him, providing fresh chips. It’s the little touches eh!

Café Rouge, especially come the weekend, is always bustling with diners. There’s plenty of reasons to justify this observation: the classical French food is exceptional and the service is rapid.
I’ve repeatedly opted for their onion soup alongside the Gruyére cheese and caramelised onion Fougasse (a light, soft French bread).
Such simple French dishes are consistently produced to a gob smackingly tasty standard each and every time I’ve dined here.
I admire restaurants that don’t overlook the classics and avoid serving the more complicated dishes. Plus the prices are affordable and as a place to eat lunch it’s superb.

The BEST Mocha in the city. Fab food just as expected and a very friendly service.
I would definitely recommend it.

this may be part of a chain but don’t let that put you off, its food is scrumdiddlyumptious, ALWAYS! as part of their birthday club, i am lucky enough to get a free bottle of bubbly on said occasion, but that hasn’t swayed me in the slightest, until i’ve drunk it anyway ;) try their fougasse for starters, just make sure youorder one each cos you won’t want to shareusually have the steak frites, but have tried the beouff bourginon and almost cried with happiness.

Café Rouge is great for big parties as it’s so huge! The food is delicious and there’s lots to choose from. It is a chain restaurant and as such it does lose a bit of atmosphere and character as when inside you could be in any Café Rouge in any city. That aside I really would recommend it for a big gathering, I’ve had a work ‘Do’ there and it was perfect as you can have mixture of people eating and some just drinking a coffee or a beer so it suits everyone. It’s reasonably priced and the food is great.