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Ratings and reviews

Travelers' Choice2023
RATINGS
Food
Service
Value
Atmosphere

Details

CUISINES
Cafe, British, Scottish
Special Diets
Vegetarian Friendly, Vegan Options
Meals
Breakfast, Lunch, Brunch
View all details
meals, features

Location and contact

Old Town
0.2 miles from Palace of Holyroodhouse
Reviews (1,015)
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624 results
Traveler rating
381
165
42
20
16
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Time of year
LanguageEnglish
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Traveler rating
381
165
42
20
16
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All reviews scones soups pastry pie haggis holyrood palace royal mile lovely tearoom home baking prices are reasonable cream scotland
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Reviewed November 1, 2023

What a cute and charming place! We got here right at 11am and only had to wait about 15 minutes. Not that many tables here but they turn them over quickly. Tea was great, and my scone was probably the best I've ever had. Definitely...worth the hypeMore

Date of visit: October 2023
Helpful?
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Reviewed October 18, 2023

We went to Clarinda's Tea Room several times when we were in Edinburgh. They make the best scones & the best porridge in all of Scotland and London. Absolutely delicious with a side of homemade jam and clotted cream. Scones were true perfection and the...porridge was the creamiest we had anywhere. That along with a pot of tea or a latte for my husband was absolute heaven. On a rainy or sunny day, it's a lovely place to visit. The staff is amazing, so kind and efficient.More

Date of visit: September 2023
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Reviewed October 13, 2023 via mobile

We got there and the place was closed. Note on the door stating staff shortage. The local search site shows less busy than normal! Hello, closed!

Date of visit: October 2023
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Reviewed September 1, 2023

After walking up to Arthur's Seat, we had lunch at Clarindas. I had chosen it in advance as it looked very homely and personal in the pictures - and hoped that we would manage to get a table even though there were 8 of us...and there were a lot of tourists in the city. And luckily it went well and we all had a delicious lunch in homely surroundings. Clarindas is also very close to Holyrood ParkMore

Date of visit: August 2023
Helpful?1  
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Reviewed August 28, 2023 via mobile

A quaint and quirky wee tearoom on the bottom of The Royal Mile. They were serving a limited menu due to staff shortages. Breakfast had finished so only options for lunch was soup and quiche. We opted for soup - minestrone which was a meal...in itself and Broccoli and Cheddar, both were delicious. Tea and coffee and a range of homemade cakes. Fab and fast service. We enjoyed our visit.More

Date of visit: August 2023
Helpful?1  
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Reviewed August 21, 2023 via mobile

Went here as it was close to our aparthotel. The cafe has eight tables, so there is usually a queue, but it moves as quickly as people eat. Each table has a live plant or flowers, with novelty salt and pepper shakers. It’s quite cozy...and there are things all over the walls that make it fun to look around and strangely reminded me of my grandma’s dining room (in a good way). The food was like something your mum would make at home; in other words, warm, tasty, satisfying and leaves you happy. The tea is also piping hot.More

Date of visit: August 2023
Helpful?9  
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Reviewed August 15, 2023

This is a very small tea room so had to share a table with another single person. I ordered a mushroom soup with a brie toastie and a pot of tea. The mushroom soup was wonderful and looked and tasted of mushroom. The toastie was...overfilled with cranberry brie bacon so no room for a cake. Very clean toilet but soap dispenser empty i told a member of staff and they immediately changed it. Customer satisfaction is a priority. The prices charged are very reasonable. Well worth a visit.More

Date of visit: August 2023
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Reviewed August 10, 2023 via mobile

Beautiful venue, good variety of options on the menu, delicious food & the cake is amazing! Quaint tea room that's definitely worth a visit.

Date of visit: August 2023
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Reviewed August 6, 2023 via mobile

The food at Clarinda’s is so delicious, it’s hard to imagine that the service and ambiance could be just as great! I have been interested in and taken afternoon tea for many years in many places and this tearoom is vastly under appreciated. The ambiance...is that of your granny’s home and the food tastes like she just made it fresh for you. I would be here every Sunday afternoon if I could!!More

Date of visit: July 2023
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Reviewed July 25, 2023 via mobile

It's cute, that's why you come here. We got a table for ourselves, but sometimes you're asked to share because the place is tiny. Staff inexperienced but friendly; service a bit slow, but the place was packed, can't complain. The cakes were outstanding! I had...a lovely slice of Bakewell tart, and my daughter had an amazing slice of fruit pie with scrumptious cream. Pot of tea for 2 had enough for 4 people. Bacon sandwich was stuffed, but the bread was average. The only proper downside was the incredible amount of Asian girls coming in to take a million pictures with their phones and blocking customers and staff! I wish the staff would intervene, but it's obviously great advertising for them. Very clean place.More

Date of visit: July 2023
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Reviewed July 25, 2023 via mobile

We stopped in here early afternoon. It is small but really lovely. Waited about 15 minutes for a table to become free. We had lunch and dessert which can be picked for the dessert table. Smoked salmon was so yummy. Soup was very good too....Victorian sponge was delicious. Staff were so efficient and friendly. They knew how to keep the tables going and move around the small area.More

Date of visit: July 2023
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Reviewed June 28, 2023 via mobile

A lovely Victorian style tea house at the bottom of the Royal Mile. Serves breakfast, brunch and lunch. Delicious and varied home baking as well as a wide variety of teas. The decoration with various shapes of teaware, embroidery and framed floral fabrics is just...so creative! I tried haggis and cheese toast, delicious combination of savory haggis, cheddar cheese and toasted wholemeal bread, original scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam. Also a pot of herbal tea, Elderflower & lemon the fruity floral, with slightly sweet after taste. Perfect for summer.More

Date of visit: June 2023
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Reviewed June 8, 2023

Went here for breakfast yesterday with my partner before returning to Ireland. This place was very cute and dainty. They had lots of options to choose from and lots of yummy treats on display. I ordered a fresh homemade fruit scone and it was unbelievable....They had a lovely sugary taste off them. We will definitely be back again!More

Date of visit: June 2023
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Reviewed June 8, 2023

I visited Clarindas on the recommendation of a friend from Edinburgh, and it very much lived up to expectations The small tea salon is beautifully decorated, the choice of food, especially tea and cakes , is amazing, and the quality is superb Service is great...too I'd definitely go back when I'm next in EdinburghMore

Date of visit: June 2023
Helpful?1  
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Reviewed May 30, 2023

We liked this cafe so much that we came back for a second visit. It's quaint and has decor that reminded us both of our Grandmother's houses (china plates, embroidery and lace doily style table cloths). It is a small cafe with around 8 tables...but we didn't find it was too cramped or busy, on our second visit a couple had to wait for a few minutes to be seated (just before 12 o'clock). They have a breakfast and a lunch menu. They stop serving breakfast at 11am and start lunch at 12 so for an hour they are only open for tea and cake. The first time we were there for breakfast and I had a bacon roll with an added tattie scone (additions are 70p per item) and an Irn Bru float. They also served cakes and fruit pie which was served as a generous helping with real cream (thick) or icecream. I did hear one man say his slice of pie didn't have much rhubarb in it, but he seemed happy overall. The prices given this is on the main road down from the Castle to Holyrood were really reasonable I thought. On our second visit I had an Irn Bru and a generous slice of their ginger cake. The cakes are set out on a stand in the room so you can look at them before ordering. They were preparing the soups for lunch and I think there were 3 types available. I think it's a very cute tea room and worth a visit, the food was good as well. Also the servers were friendly and welcoming and we didn't feel rushed. The people in the cafe seemed to be a majority of overseas tourists but also some locals and UK tourists too, Also the ladies loo was super cute.More

Date of visit: May 2023
Helpful?1  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Questions & Answers
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thisyurthaswifi
June 10, 2018|
AnswerShow all 5 answers
Response from centralpamom | Reviewed this property |
I don't know, I stopped in on a Friday early afternoon, and was easily able to get a seat.
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CLARINDA'S TEA ROOM, Edinburgh - Old Town - Restaurant Reviews, Photos & Phone Number - Tripadvisor

Frequently Asked Questions about Clarinda's Tea Room

Clarinda's Tea Room is rated accordingly in the following categories by Tripadvisor travelers:
  • Food: 4.5
  • Service: 4.5
  • Value: 4.5
  • Atmosphere: 4.5