Mckenzies, Edinburgh

Used to dine here with family and always remember the food being outstanding, hadnt been for a few years (actually after my parents had bad service) decided to take my partner for lunch was given a pathetic excuse of a set menu full of dated food that wouldnt go a miss at Abigails Party. Selection was rubbish and the food itself I wouldnt give to my dog (she would have turned her nose up at it). Meat dry, veg to share 2 potatoes each (dry and burned). service was rushed had hardly ordered before it was on our table which made me dubious it was faster than a mcdonalds drive through. Ended up paying £40 for the two of us and we were there half an hour! should have refused to pay regret not saying something. Avoid at all cost.

My husband and I had a lovely meal at McKenzies last night. The food was delicious and staff very friendly and service was excellent. I cannot fault anything about the meal or service. We will definitely be back.

Linda

I have frequented Mackenzies for the past few years and I must say the food is most enjoyable with their steaks being there best selling point. The restaurant has a nice cosey feel to it with the age of the building adding to the atmosphere. The service was very good with the waiting staff always beeing alert to what was going on with each customer. The best part of my experience was the food! The steak was cooked to perfection suculantly tender yet cooked through and the diane sausce that was served with it complemented excelently.

I would with out a doubt recommend Mackenzies to anyone who likes their dining experiences to be thouroughly enjoyable!

Visited restaurant recently and the premises were cold - service slow (not enough staff) food very average - some inedible due to tough steak - no tomato juice and only filter coffee.

Will not eat there again!

Having had bad meals here some years ago, decided to give it another chance. Had a lunch there today with elderly parents. The restaurant first of all was very cold and never heated up. The melon starter was hard and unappetising. The steaks were very tough and grisly - we got about one and half potatoes each........my chipolatas were covered in something that resembled bacon .........fatty and limp and not edible. My mother's goats cheese tart was tastless......as was by the way, the mackerel fish cake starter. Christmas pudding was ok but tiny portion with a spoonful of custard. Needless to say we wont go again. This restaurant has great potential but needs new chefs. Staff were reasonably attentive but young and not interested. Its annoying to go out to lunch for an occasion and be so disappointed. We mentioned the tough steaks but the waitress who was foreign seemed to think this was to be expected as they were'well done'!!

Mackenzie's is a fantastic restaurant to eat in. The staff are extremely friendly and after you have been going for a while such as myself you are treated as a member of the Mackenzie's community, I even get called by my name Miss Fish, how lovely. The food is one in a million, for starter you can have fried haggis balls which are lovely and round, not too crispy which is how I like them. For a main course I have the exotic salmon which melts in your mouth and has a lovely taste too. After all that lovely food, I have the banoffi which oh, is amazing, would knock you off you little grey socks.

Overall the staff at Mackenzie's are extremely friendly, and caring, the food served is at the highest quality possible and all with a little bottle of bin 32 , fantastic.

The food at Mckenzies was lovely, staff friendly and helpful and the atmosphere very enjoyable. I took my 80 year old mother along, as well as my wife and child and it really catered for all! Although I put it in the romantic/couples bracket, as I am planning a night there next month with my wife (hopefully it will be perfect).

I went out for a pleasant meal with my girlfriend, and I was very annoyed at the poor service I received at McKenzies in Edinburgh. The food was cold and the waiters were very slow. I would not recommend!

Mackenzies Restaurant is set in a cottage-style house and is in the heart of Colinton Village near Redford Barracks. You go right into the village and just opposite the traffic lights, there is a row of shops and MacKenzies is right at the top!

MacKenzies is named after Henry Mackenzie who is was the Edinburgh-born writer and lawyer who lived in the cottage next to the restaurant!

The restaurant is a brightly yet dimly lit restaurant! As you go in the door, there is a smallish type Bar from which the drinks are served. You are greeted here by the staff who then show you to your table. There are 2 parts to the restaurant. The front part which has around 7 tables all varying from tables for 2, 3 4, even 8 people. You can go through to the back area too. There are around 8 tables through here. The tables are moved regularly to accommodate large parties who are welcome too. Last night there was a table for 13 through the back. The tables have the usual white table cloths and have little tealights for the candle in the middle. The atmopshere can be a romantic one when it is not too busy. For Christmas there were Crackers and Little Christmas Trees on the tables!

There is an entrance to another area from both sections and this is a staff-only door and the toilet door. The toilets are down a long corridor where the coats are kept, the Gentlemen's is first and then the ladies. Hubs said the men's was clean but that was it! The Ladies has 2 cubicles which are spotless. They have 2 sinks too and posh handwash! I can't remember what kind it was, but it was posher than you normally get. There is a paper towel dispenser typical to an American one. But the bucket was quite full of the towels, so maybe they should invest in a bigger one.

The menu in Mackenzies depends on when you visit. Last night they were doing a Christmas Menu for £25.95 per person. This included a starter, Main Course, Pudding, and coffee and mince pies and little oranges. The choices were a wide variety and there was melon, wild mushroom tartlet, soup and Salmon. The main courses included Fillets of Lemon Sole, Traditional Turkey and trimings, Duckling done in a honey and orange jus, steak and A vegetable option which I can't remember now. All Main courses were served with boiled new potatoes and a selection of vegetables such as baby sweetcorn, carrots, mange Tout, swede and greenbeans. The puddings were Banoffi Pie, Christmas Pudding and a Brandy cup filled with fruit.

Hubs and I chose to Start with melon. It was the Ogen Melon which has been cut into a fan and filled with fresh strawberries and a strawberry sorbet. It was a just right for not filling you starter and was so fresh and lovely! The Sorbet was slightly strong though. My Gran had the Roasted pepper and Basil soup which she said was lovely.

My gran had the Lemon Sole which came served in a white kind of sauce with prawns. She said it was very succlent. The turkey was thickly sliced and plentiful and the stuffing was beautiful, and tasted just right without a strong taste. Hubs had the Duckling and said it was just scrumptious!

The banoffi Pie lived up to the usual expectations with fresh banana and toffee! The brandy cup was filled with a lovely variety of fresh fruit and my gran said she just loved it!

Other menu's which they have available usually, are a light Lunch menu which is available obviously at lunch time. This is a good selection of courses suitable for lunchtime. Not for someone wanting a small lunch though. For 2 courses it is £9.50 and £11.50 for 3 courses. This includes a glass of wine or soft drink!

The supper menu is a bit more exclusive and for 2 courses is £12.95 or £14.95 for 3 courses. After Dinner Mints and Coffee are £1.45 extra!

The dinner menu is a a fabulous choice and for £19.95 a 3 course meal. Coffee and mints are extra as before at £1.45.

The last time we were there they did their A'la Carte menu which had a lovely range of choices and their Melon stuffed with melon balls and prawns was just fabulous! I can't wait to go back sometime and have that again.

The staff seem to be quite young, possibly of school age and last night there were 2 young girls on who kept stopping for chats in the kitchen door and wandering about completely ignoring the fact that we were finished. We waited 40 minutes before managing to catch someone's attention to ask for the bill! Just as well we were not in a hurry! I'm not sure if it was because they were busy last night and there weren't enough staff on to cope with the number of people in the restaurant as the last time we visited the restaurant was fairly quiet and there was plenty of attention to ensure that everything was to our satisfaction. There is also an older man who deals with all the drinks and when it gets busy comes and checks how things are going and clears tables while serving food as well!

The restaurant does have a lovely atmosphere, and we will go back. The problem with December birthdays are you always have to put up with the Christmas spirit which is going on at the same time. The Restaurant doesn't make you feel rushed and does give you time before taking your order as well as having a good rest in between courses. It's definitely worth a visit if you are in Edinburgh, but I do advise you to book beforehand.

Check out www.mackenzies.uk. com, yes that is the correct address, for more information.

Contact details are:

MacKenzies Restaurant

2 - 4 Bridge Rd,

Colinton,

Edinburgh.

EH13 0LF

Tel: 0131 441 2587