The Nether Bow Port Cafe & Bistro in Edinburgh, City of

So we stepped in to this little cafe. Nothing fancy about it actually. What drew us in was the funny signs posted outside. A must read. By 0900 we walked 4 miles and wanted second breakfast. I ordered for us the pancake paradise. It’s described as “Served with bacon, fresh fruit salad, maple syrup and sprinkled with walnuts.” Sounds like Dennys or IHOP menu. But the unexpected twist. We received an exquisitely plated pair of pancakes. It had us flabbergasted. Amazing and worth the visit I can assure you. Look at our pictures.,cappuccino coffee and hot chocolate were also fantastic.

Fantastic, generous food portions at value for money prices. Friendly staff and service, you can't go wrong here 👍🏻

While traveling with my daughters on a short trip to Edinburgh, we stopped by this beautiful place. We liked it very much and recommend it to everyone.

Delicious beautiful food, extremely friendly staff with quick service. Blow away!

Had fantastic eggs Benedict with smoked salmon here, lovely friendly service, would recommend!

Very expensive, terrible service.

Great services, good coffee, the cake is delicious we had a very nice time with my friend thank you 😊

What a lovely place....scones were moist and delicious, great cuppa too...just what was needed on this cold day. Staff very friendly and helpful.

Delicious foods. Perfect atmosphere 👌

Great food and even better coffee! Kind people form servos, highly recomendation😊👍

The best of the best, I recommend it wholeheartedly... Everything is great

Great place to eat! The food was really good and delicious. Staff were friendly and super kind I would highly recommend to visit this cafe.

Lovely cup of coffee great service.

Came to enjoy our first breakfast in the city and we should have checked reviews... Staff gave off an awkward vibe and we didn't feel welcome. The price did not match the meal and it arrived warm/cold. Went to pay but then the card reader didn't work, had to leave the premises to pull cash out to pay.

Small, intimate and very nice family-run Caffè Bistrot restaurante, very kind manager s, eccellente solution for lunch. Eccellente tagliatelle with meat sauce, exquisite Fish and Chips, a single scottish dish with beans, eggs, sausage, potatoes, vegetable-burger + Chips + toasted bread, all wonderful. A big hello tò the managers, from Max and Nadia from Milan.

Awful. Should be called the never go there port cafe. My parents ordered the poached eggs on toast with avo and tomato and bacon. Now I wouldn’t call this bacon I would call this leather… I myself ordered the bacon cranberry and Brie panini however at first the chef forgot the bacon and the cheese so I had to send it back as I was not going to eat toasted bread with cranberry. Still the chef forgot the cheese. Again this bacon was not bacon and was instead pure leather. Photos attached are of the panini. I would not recommend this place to anyone as the only good part of my meal was the fries (not the unwashed lettuce)

We visited yesterday for breakfast, unfortunately it was a poor experience. Service was not the best, quality of food was not good in particular the sausage which was very poor and inedible. Along with being poor quality food was really overpriced....one of the party ordered one peice of toast with small amount of scrambled eggs and 1 sausage and was charge £12.80 for this!! Out of the 4 of us the only thing we enjoyed was our tea and coffee....Around 50% of the food was left as it was so poor. Such a shame as the cafe is in a great location but they are charging premium price for really substandard food.

me and about 8 others went here for our dinner one evening and it was clear there was a language barrier between the waiter and ourselves. The Food was below average despite the premium pricing. My food had not been prepared in the way I had requested and to top it off we had to pay a 10% service charge at the end. I don’t mind tipping if the service and food is good but I hate it when we have the tip forced upon us at the point of payment when we had not even been informed. As a nation it is not the standard practice for a service charge on the bill as employees in this country are on a living wage unlike other countries. Why am I paying the staffs wages? The prices are expensive and the food was below average. If I had a really good experience I could understand to a degree and probably would have tipped of my own accord but to force it upon me by just “expecting” me to pay it is not ok, not in this country. I won’t be returning there.

I think it would have been more fitting if the staff served the food with balaclavas. The food was so pricey, I was expecting a bigger portion for the price I paid (14.95) for some fish & chips. Total waste of money :/

Excellent option for tourists, the food is served quickly and to the point

Small, intimate and very nice restaurant, family run, very kind managers, family atmosphere, excellent for lunch. Excellent tagliatelle with meat sauce. Exquisite fish and chips, a single Scottish dish: beans+sausage+potatoes+eggs+vegetable hamburger+french fries+wonderful toasted bread.

Excellent Chicken Salad! Perfectly seasoned chicken pieces on a delicious fresh greens, cucumber and tomato salad. The lemon ginger hot tea with honey was a great addition! Waiter was attentive and cordial.

Although the food was good it was a total scam …19£ for a cappuccino and 2 salmon eggs Benedict ( no salad on the side ), it’s even more expensive than London , or maybe it’s a tax because I’m black? I fell to understand how a soya milk coffee with Hazelnut syrup is even more expensive than a Starbucks. And I have never have my receipt.. so there’s that . I’m going there again . I

Best salmon Benedict I’ve ever had! Hot smoked salmon - totally delicious! Also have great salads. Surprise of a little place!!

Terrible food, we had burgers and chips. They tasted like cheap supermarket burgers and frozen chips. Very expensive as well. I wish I had just walked out

Great food and lovely coffee. Service was great and would recommend a visit. It’s quite costly in Edinburgh but I found this cafe was good value.

DO NOT RECOMMEND! all sandwiches are pre made, fish and chips looked like frozen food and taste awful my panini had a hair in it! And was burnt chips awful not nice experience staff ignored us as we tried to call them over multiple times! Only good thing was I didn’t get charged for my panini

Fantastic food and great service.

Owner of the restaurant was very agressive.

6 degrees outside and they didn’t had the heating on. I ordered an americano and the spoon was dirty. My boyfriend ordered a bagel which was very small and my brother ordered a lentil soup which was ok. The worst part was that we couldn’t pay by card and we had to go outside and look for an ATM.

Owner adds service without telling

Great food, great service and a warm and enjoyable environment - couldn’t be happier with the cafe, food and waiters, would definitely recommend, can’t wait for my next visit!

I ate at Nether Bow café, the burger was correct, the waiter was friendly. I ordered a glass of wine and they did not serve me at the table, they brought it directly to me, that is a lack of professionalism, I could not check if it was the type of wine I ordered. There was no toilet paper in the bathroom, but the worst of all was the aggressiveness and incorrect manners of the lady who apparently runs the establishment. Of course, I will not return and if they accept advice it does not benefit at all to have people like that running a place.

Delicious! Really enjoyed it, very hospitable and the owners were lovely! I reccomend it to everyone who visits Edinburgh and even residents! Its worth a day out! UPDATE - 8 MONTHS - Still delicious! Visited again around a week ago and found it had changed a bit... for the better, didnt even know it was possible! The food was delicious and they were just as welcoming as usual! Thanks to the owners! Still highly reccomend

Amazing place, lovely staff and incredible food. Do not judge this cafe by the review-bombers, as they are trying to ruin a business.

Beware, they have a no drink-only policy, despite being called a "Cafe". And their POS machine didn't work, so cash only.

I can't describe how food was delicious and tasty in words. The place is fantastic and comfortable. The staff were friendly. I rate the food 5/5. It's really good.

The café has a bad selection, and not Even all at the menu card. We should pay but the card mashine was out of order, so we had to go to a bank, vth get cash. Very unprofessional

Not oke, were removed because we wanted only coffee. So rude ..

Super endroit pour manger. Cuisine au top! Un thé chaï à tomber. Breakfast copieux.

Lækkert mad! Vi kom på juledag så de havde ekstremt travlt, men vi fik et bord alligevel og fik hurtigt hjælp. Vi fik kager to go hvor ca 20% ikke var med hvilket skuffede os.

The food was mediocre. Fish and chips? It was more roasted flour hiding the corps of very young fish. With chips from Tesco.

Great wee place for food, all staff very friendly and welcoming,the food was delicious and freshly cooked, pleasant cosy surroundings and very clean , I would go back if in the area again, many thanks folks for a great lunch

The food was really good only had a chicken salad but it was really tasty

Called in for a brew and a scone. Very nice, friendly attentive service. Recommended.

Visited here for breakfast as it was just across the road from where we were staying. Good service, very delicious food and just the right portion sizes for us.

Very friendly and kind service, short time to wait for meal, very good food and prices, fully recommend 👍

Petit restaurant très agréable et accueillant sur la Royal Mile ! Il sert aussi bien des petit-déjeuners que des déjeuners, proposant ainsi une carte complète, et pouvant convenir à tout le monde. La salade et le poulet étaient délicieux, bon pain, bon assaisonnement. Et pour le dessert j’ai opté pour un scone, qui lui aussi m’a beaucoup plu ! Je recommande fortement !

Absolutely incredible. Lovely attentive staff without being overbearing. Fantastic coffee, lovely food, quick service.

AVOID THIS PLACE!!!! they charge you more money than your account!

This spot is great breakfast choise (also for vegetarian). The owner is really nice and has good sense of humor. Proces are reasonable:)

Friendly owner wirh good sense of humor reasonable prices and tasty food

El local habían muchos turistas y cuando fui a pagar el datáfono dejó de funcionar y nos obligaron a pagar en euros, éramos 3 mesas, por lo que se llevaron un pico, porque el cambio no lo hacen como está la moneda realmente si no mucho más alto. Nos sentimos timados, robados y con mucha impotencia.

Very tasty food, served promptly at a great price. Definitely recommend! 😊

If I could give this place 10 stars I would. Nuri was amazing tonight looked after all his customers and nothing was to much trouble for him. Food and drinks were both amazing. I will need to visit next time I'm in Edinburgh Thank you to all the staff that made us feel welcomed

Went in with friends for a drink and the staff were all super nice and helpful. Would highly recommend.

I really enjoyed a fantastic cocktail at this amazing café. Loving staff great atmosphere and brilliant service. Highly recommend the cocktails. Really made the start of the night fun.

The sea bass was amazing, the service was very fast and friendly!

Klebrige Tische, stickige Luft, und das Essen ist völlig überteuert und schlecht! Es wurde einem automatisch eine Service Pauschale berechnet, zwar nicht viel aber trotzdem wurde man nicht vorher gefragt, was ich von allen anderen Cafés und Bistros kenne. Habe erst auf Anfrage erfahren, weil der Betrag von hinten und vorne nicht stimmte. Definitiv nicht zu empfehlen!

Yemeklerinden ve hızlı hizmetinden oldukça memnun kaldığımı söylemeliyim. Özellikle mince stuffed aubergine yemeğini şiddetle tavsiye ederim. Fiyatlar makul, Edinburgh'a gelmişken muhakkak uğranmalı.

Great meal and service. Nice relaxing option vs the hustle and crowds of the Mile.

We both had the vegetarian full scottish breakfasts and we were very satisfied with our choices. The breakfasts took a while to arrive so were clearly freshly prepared and they tasted great. We got chatting to our host, who we believe was the owner and he was very friendly and willing to chat despite a busy service. If you’re passing, make sure to check out the handwritten signs in the window, they are very funny and were the main reason we chose to eat at this bistro. Recommended

We came here for cake. We had chocolate orange cake, carrot cake and caramel slice and it was so delicious. Highly recommend having some coffee and cake here!

Overpriced, for 2 pieces of red velvet cake, a black coffee and a latte £21.10

Should have looked at the reviews about shady payment options. While trying to pay apparently the card system wasn’t recognizing our cards, which we tried several and actully caused some alerts on my debit card which caused my bank to put a stop on and the dominoe effect was some automated pay meant were rejected.They were obvously suggesting we pay in cash but didn’t have enough. When I acted like we should just leave since it was their issue, miracously the machine accepted one of our cards. Food was average and not very exceptional for the payment hassle. We sat on street and think they may have forgot we were out there as service was spotty.

Öptüm levent abi ellerinden,adamsın.seni tanıdığıma çok memnun oldum,yine gelicem.

Nagyon klassz hely, kedves a kiszolgálás, tiszta a wc, a csirkés hmaburgerben valódi sült csirkemell volt. A lencseleves mint napi ajanlat is jó volt, a carbonara spagetti azonban nem ajánljuk, kapor van benne, az nem bele való.

FOOD WAS GREAT AND VERY FRIENLY PLACE PRICE WAS VERY REASONABLE WE'LL COME AGAIN 'IN OUR NEXT VISIT

Mükemmel yemekler, mükemmel hizmet, tüm emeği geçenlerin eline sağlık.

Virkelig skuffende oplevelse. Min bagel var et stykke pap, og for 9 pund, smurte de ikke engang overbollen med mayo. Min veninde fik deres carbonara til 13-ish pund, hvilket smagte rimeligt diarré-fremkaldende. Det er svært at lave en dårlig carbonara, men denne var virkelig en større skuffelse, end en tør pap-bagel. Vores tjener var virkelig forvirret, og priserne var absolut latterlige.

Repas sans saveur. Malgré le charme de la devanture , on déchante bien vite une fois à l'intérieur entre le service et le repas en lui même.

A éviter, plat léger et pas bon ... Impossible de divisé la note en deux Plus attrape touristes

Three of us had a snack here. We ordered 1 bowl of soup, 1 scone that came with a packet of butter and jam, and an order of hummus and pita strips. Also 3 cappucinos. We asked for some more pita strips as there was a third of the hummus left. They brought 2 pieces of toast. We asked again for pita strips, which were then provided. The younger man who was our waiter was lovely. The food was good. Our bill came to 45 British pounds ( approx $75 CAN ) and we were taken aback. Aside from the expected high prices, they charged 5 BP for the extra pita strips - the original order for the hummus was 6.75BP. When we expressed feeling that price was unfair, the older man (owner?) didn't care - he said - was there a problem with the service? - was there a problem with the food? If he had reduced the extra pita strip price to even 2BP, we would've accepted it. But his argumentative stance was a big turn off. Clearly he couldn't see the forest for the trees. We said they should have told us that there would have been a charge that big for a few extra pita strips, and he made the lame excuse that they don't normally get a request for/don't sell extra pita strips.... - irrelevant, and rigid. We would not recommend this restaurant purely due to the greed and lack of transparency of the owner.

Verry nice staff compared to the rest of the restaurants in the street, food was verry nice!

We had a delicious lunch & enjoyed the outdoor seating at The Nether Bow. Very friendly service & fair prices! The food was very good & seemed to be of good quality. We had the lentil soup, hammouli salad (AMAZING), iced coffee, & naan w/hummus. Highly recommend!

Good food & great service. Tried out some haggis burger, good burger with a lot of taste.

delicious food & nice ambiente definitely worth it!

lovely, delicious cafe at the royal mile! Can only recommend!

Nice cafe, however, can always improve

Had a heavy session the night before. Bloke who served us sound as 👍🏼. However paid 13 quid for traditional breakfast, got one of each e.g. (1 sausage). 3 quid for a can of irn bru as well but steep. Mates said their coffees was good (I don’t drink coffee) Not good for the price Haggis was a bit crap Sausage was straight from richmonds. Just need bigger portion. Egg not runny as well Don’t come here if your hungry Toast was decent AVFC OK SHES A VILLA FREAK

We had a super breakfast here. Pancakes, omelettes and bagels recommended. The staff were really friendly. Look forward to going again.

Bagel al salmone eccellenti, così come la birra Fraoch gentilmente consigliata dal proprietario, una persona molto gentile e disponibile. Esperienza assolutamente positiva!

Great spot for breakfast & friendly staff

Hamburgers végétarien et non végétarien manquent d assaisonnement, un peu secs. Pâtes carbonara, on cherche la viande. Ambiance et personnel sympas.

It was ... ok at best. Nothing to write home about. I got the Traditional Breakfast. I wouldn't say it filled me up the way one would expect a full traditional breakfast would. Very non-descript flavor to the sausage and haggis. Could have done with more beans... stingy! And the single, tiny button mushroom was a p*ss take. I even double checked the menu in disbelief in the hope it said "mushrooms" - could you not afford to give at least 2 or 3?? Nowadays I'm usually always skeptical about portion sizes when I eat out. I guess this place is yet another example of shrinkflation and/or poor value for money. Oh, and they added service charge without telling us!

Basic and busy cafe. Ordered soup and coffee, recommend the first but avoid the latter.

Porciones muy pequeñas y platillos muy caros para lo que sirven, al momento de cobrarte te incluyen, y sin preguntarte, la propina. No recomiendo este lugar

Good food and friendly staff. Shoutout to Pedro, who was very nice and spoke with us in spanish. However, the owner was a bit pushy for us to pay in cash, and apparently this is quite common. Read other reviews and judge for yourself.

Kleines gemütliches Lokal. Das Essen ist gut, entspricht aber eben vom Angebot her auch dem eines Cafes/Bistro; d.h. die Karte ist überschaubar. Die Bedienung war sehr freundlich. Die Preise entsprechen dem allgemeinen Niveau in Edinburgh (da ist nichts "billig", insofern ist die Kritik in einigen Rezensionen m.E. nicht berechtigt - wer es billiger haben will, muss eben in irgendeinen Pizzaladen um die Ecke gehen). Wichtig: Kartenzahlung wurden bei uns an den zwei Abenden, an denen wior da waren, nicht akzeptiert. Da dies auch in anderen Rezensionen schon erwähnt wurde, sollte man sich von vornherein auf Barzahlung einstellen.

The food was great, the service excellent, and the card machine broken. Bring cash and enjoy.

Das Personal war sehr nett, doch die Portionen winzig. Deshalb nicht zu empfehlen.

Joli endroit pour un cappuccino et un bon scone.

Chicken burgers were pink in middle, when we advised the staff he said he would put it back in the kitchen and “fix it” when we declined he said “all chicken breast is kind of pink in the middle” when I told him that was...

Just in for a hot chocolate as the weather demand but the atmosphere was so good and ambiance. Great hospitality. Definitely going to korer food too.

I have one three letter word to describe this place…WOW… just WOW. My mind is blown away by the service and the food. The workers greeted me pleasantly and we had a light banter going on… they recommended many exquisite places in edinburgh that i had never heard of! Hats off to the cooks as well who made my mouth water with one of the most delicious food i have ever eaten... I highly recommend

If you are in Edinburgh and looking for a place to have soup. You are at the right address. Perfect!!!

Wonderful breakfast with a-lot of options for vegetarian and traditional foods. Highly recommended.

There are a lot of negative reviews on here about this business asking for cash payment when you try to leave. We also experienced this. They are willing to take American dollars, euros, or pounds, but their machine is "broken" when you try to pay with a credit card. They will even try to follow you to an ATM to pull cash out. However, when I started to push back and get angry, the machine mysteriously started working again. This is 100% some kind of scam to operate as a cash business to avoid taxes or some other nefarious practice.

I came in to have lunch, to my surprise, the staff was extremely friendly compared to the other places, the prices were reasonable as well, they even gave information as to where I should see in Edinburgh. The food was delicious and the coffee was by far the best I had.

Meals were delicious. Staff were very friendly and kind 😃 I recommend this place to everyone, you should try it