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Hours
Sun
10:00 - 16:0017:00 - 21:00
Tue
12:00 - 14:3017:00 - 21:00
Wed
12:00 - 14:3017:00 - 21:00
Thu
12:00 - 14:3017:00 - 21:00
Fri
12:00 - 14:3017:00 - 22:00
Sat
10:00 - 16:0017:00 - 22:00
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Ratings and reviews
4.5
Travellers' Choice 2024
RATINGS
Food
Service
Value
Atmosphere
Details
Someone from this business manages this listing.
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CUISINES
European, British, Scottish
Special Diets
Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options
Meals
Lunch, Dinner, Brunch, After-hours
features
Can a vegetarian person get a good meal at this restaurant?
Details
CUISINES
European, British, Scottish
Special Diets
Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options
Meals
Lunch, Dinner, Brunch, After-hours
FEATURES
Reservations, Seating, Highchairs Available, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Wine and Beer, American Express, Free Wifi, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service, Gift Cards Available
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4.5
930 reviews
Excellent
683
Very good
191
Average
33
Poor
16
Terrible
7
MsDisraeli
London15 contributions
Dec 2019 • none
We came here for a celebratory lunch with friends (including an 8 week old baby), and found this place to be cosy and charming. The decor is pared back / scandi vibes, and the menu has a scattering of interesting ingredients in dishes - ie beetroot mash with pork belly. We were able to choose starters from a brunch menu that was running, which was a great touch. Our waitress was incredibly friendly, and we really enjoyed our meal and experience here. (Also, the chips in particular were stand out!)
Written 25 February 2020
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.
grampsEdinburgh
3 contributions
Jun 2020 • friends
We have been huge fans of 3 Birds pre Covid and recently discovered they were open for takeaway food. Last night we had a great experience with three excellent dishes of sea bass, braised beef blade and the big cow steak for 2. The first two just had to be heated but the steak had to be cooked. The instructions for preparing all the dishes was so easy to understand and simple to do. They were all excellent but the star was the big cow which was packed full of flavour and so tender. In these difficult times we would certainly recommend their take out service which replicates and does not compromise their very high restaurant standards.
Hopefully the restaurant will be open soon but until then we would recommend others take advantage of the takeaway menu.
Alan & Mags
Written 20 June 2020
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.
Clare M
Edinburgh91 contributions
Aug 2020 • none
One of those meals that's exactly as good as you hope it will be when you see the menu online and book a table. The service was warm and friendly and the food was delicious. Always nice to be offered the chance to have an apero before the meal, and we had an incredibly tasty pistachio and feta dip with homemade crisps to start as well. Then some tasty starters followed by an excellent sharing platter of superb quality beef, veg and fries with various homemade sauces and mustards. The Rioja was a great accompaniment - very dark and silky. Finished with some ice cream and sorbet which was just what we needed after the giant beef. Everything on the menu looked very good - some interesting veggie options as well as meat dishes. Really looking forward to our next trip to this fantastic neighbourhood restaurant!
Written 15 August 2020
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.
David S
Edinburgh36 contributions
Feb 2020 • family
We used to eat here all the time and it was excellent. Doreen received a voucher for Xmas so we thought a nice treat for lunch and invited Paul as he bought the gift.
Don't know what has happened but it's far, far away from what we remember. The duck terrine was solid, not a hope in spreading it on the melba toast.
The venison stew, it was tasty but the portions were so, so small for a main course for £10. In fact the portion may have something in common with the venison mini cubes. Maybe it was a "baby" main course.
We complained about the portion size, the server stated I will speak to the chef. However when the bill was presented there was no reflection of our complaint, we were presented with the full bill.
This was the last straw, we paid and sorry but we will not be back.
We had been looking forward to a nice lunch but we were sadly very disappointed.
Doreen and David - used to be regular diners here - sorry we won't be back.
I look forward to hearing from your manager by return.
Written 5 February 2020
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.
Nancy
1 contribution
Mar 2022 • none
My friend and I visited this restaurant on a Saturday for lunch. Although we did not have a reservation and the place seemed quite busy, they sat us promptly. We ordered, and our drinks and appetisers came after a small delay. Understandable, since the place was packed by that time. After another small delay, the main courses arrived.
I had ordered the Honey & soy marinated chicken, julienne veg, rice noodles, sriracha mayo, toasted sesame seeds and it was very tasty, and everything flowed well until I took a bite of the small chicken pieces, and I almost lost my tooth. Terrified, I realised that I have bitten on a chicken bone, and a remarkably chunky as well. I discreetly called one of the waitresses and showed her the bone. She apologised thoroughly but did not offer for another plate. So, I left it there, assuming that they would remove this specific course from the bill.
The rest of the lunch was uneventful until we asked for the bill. When the bill came, I realised that the course with the bone had not been removed and I went at the till to enquire about it. I was asking the waitress that I had informed of the event if she had pass it on to the manager, when the manager rudely cut us in, telling me that yes, he had been informed, but what did I want? I was quite taken aback from his rude and borderline aggressive behaviour, and I answered that since I found a bone in my food, which was not supposed to be there in the first place, I thought I should inform them, and that it was up to him to choose what to do with that information.
He proceeded telling me that yes, he had been informed, but what did I want, to pay less? Full of rudeness, and adding that since I had ordered meat, I should expect the possibility of finding a bone in it(!).
At this point, I was too tired to further argue with him, so I answered that yes, it’s a common practice of restaurants to take the price of the bill in such circumstances, but if this practice was not how they dealt with similar events, then I would just pay the whole bill. He said that yes, that is how they deal with it and I returned to my table to wait for the bill.
While I was explaining my shocked friend what happened, the same man came in front of our table and yelled: You come and tell me that you found a bone, but you do not tell me what you want. Do you want me to fire the chef? It’s a human mistake, mistakes happen. To that, I answered that yes, it was indeed a human mistake, but it was not my mistake( although I was treated like I was the one to blame).And since you are the manager- the general manager he offered loudly- then he was the appropriate person to report this mistake and take action for it. Ok, then you want to pay less, you will pay less, and left us wondering if its common for him to treat customers with such rudeness. A minute later, the reduced bill came back and they had removed 4pounds from it. We paid the bill and left the establishment, aghast and shattered from the horrific customer service we encountered.
To be very clear, both the two waitresses that served us throughout our meal were great and the food was very good as well. It was the appalling and unprofessional behaviour of the so-called general manager that shocked us and made us determined to never come back.
Written 12 April 2022
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.
Rob Jones
Edinburgh5 contributions
Jul 2022 • friends
Myself and two friends went here for the £16 2-coyrse lunch menu and it was fantastic! Between us we sampled the smoked salmon, aubergine tempura, honey&soy chicken, braised pork cheeks and seabass...all well prepared and, more importantly, very tasty!
Add to this, the excellent and friendly staff and this is a lunchtime spot you'd be foolish to miss.
Well recommended!
Written 3 July 2022
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.
Gabby A
Wigton1 contribution
Feb 2022 • family
Came with my family on a Sunday morning. Everyone had excellent food, eggs Benedict, eggs Royale and fish cakes. They were accommodating to picky eaters and made sure to ask about any allergies. Poached eggs cooked perfectly and great coffee aswell. Brilliant atmosphere with a chilled playlist and very friendly attentive staff. We will be back on our next trip up to edinburgh.
Written 6 February 2022
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.
Topcat20
Banbridge91 contributions
Apr 2023 • family
Absolutely wonderful from the moment we stepped in the door. We booked a table for 2 on Easter Sunday afternoon for the evening.
The venue is simple and unassuming but wow what a treat we were in for!
When we arrived we received a very warm welcome and the service continued to be friendly, amusing and accommodating.
We chose a starter to share (theoretically to reserve an appetite for a desert)
The menu was very enticing and it was difficult to choose.
We chose the venison and fillet of beef for our main courses which were absolutely devine with perfect accompaniments of sauces and vegetables. All were cooked to perfection and we had to compliment the chef.
The wine list was extensive enough and came in optional quantities so that you could choose a different wine for each course.
We were fully sated by the end of our main course and were unable to have a desert.
At about £100 the bill wasn’t cheap but we feel the experience was well worth it and will be back.
Written 9 April 2023
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.
Cari M
Edinburgh103 contributions
Apr 2023 • friends
This is a wee jewel of a restaurant- excellent service; excellent selection of food on their lunch and brunch menus (two courses for £20 & you can mix these two menus and great value. And the food we had was so lovely. Good selection of wines that we like. Go try it.
Written 7 April 2023
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.
DeeBee90
London151 contributions
Apr 2022 • friends
This was a return visit to 3 Birds on a visit to Edinburgh after a number of years. The restaurant lived up to our wonderful memories of it.
The service and staff are lovely. Really friendly.
The food was superb. We shared the chicken Kiev bonbons to start. Excellent. And £1 from each order was going to the Ukraine appeal fund.
Then we shared the fillet steak. 500 grams of utter deliciousness. Served on a heaped bed of greens - asparagus, samphire, green beans, sprouting broccoli and warm salad leaves and garlicky mushrooms. Skinny fries on the side. Wonderful peppercorn sauce and blue cheese sauce and English and French mustard. This dish simply ticked all the boxes.
I didn’t think we could possibly eat all the meat, but it was so delicious that indeed we did.
It’s always super when you go back somewhere and it is just as brilliant as you remember it.
Written 28 April 2022
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.
fair
1 contribution
Aug 2022 • none
I visited yesterday for lunch with a friend. On ordering I informed the server that I had an allergy to all nuts. She returned from the kitchen to inform me that they did not know if there was nuts in that particular dish and asked if I could order something else. I asked to see the ingredient list so I could check for myself. I was then advised they did not have one I could see. After some time the manager appeared and was rather hostile. He stated the kitchen was busy and that he couldn't access the ingredient list. When I pushed for this he became passive aggressive. Given the severity of my allergy I would not prepared to eat in a restaurant that didn't know the content of their dishes. We left and went to Honeycomb along the street.....they were lovely! Everyone was well informed regarding ingredients and made us feel very welcome. I will not return to Three Little Birds.
Written 26 August 2022
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.
Thr33B1rds
I think you’ll find the staff are fully formed. If you’d waited for the requested list of ingredients you might have notice how wonderful the manager’s full form actually is. But you left, soooo
Written 27 August 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Matti
Stockholm1 contribution
Feb 2020 • none
Excuse me for gushing. For my first Edinburgh visit, we were just looking at nearby gluten free options, and this place came up. What luck.
Few tables, very friendly, helpful and chatty staff, and the dishes were absolutely delicious. Now, I can't remember the dishes exactly, (It was almost three years ago we visited), but I remember being wowed by flavour combinations and little surprising touches - like a vinegar infused tomato that just burst with flavour as I bit into it.
For dessert, I had a tasting plate of the most adventurous flavoured ice creams I've ever tasted. Blackened garlic!
I remember it being on the pricey side, but absolutely worth it! Definitely a destination dining experience for me - and a given, should I ever get to visit Edinburgh again. We visited in April 2018, which wasn't available to pick below.
Written 13 January 2021
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.
jkh
Edinburgh13 contributions
Oct 2020 • none
We have frequented this restaurant a few times a year since it opened years ago and it never disappoints.
We went for a socially distanced two household meal for a special occasion and it was fabulous.
From the covid side of things, safely spaced and of course very clean.
The food was just super. The lunch menu a great deal. Cullen skink and smoked haddock a stand out, followed by the strawberry daiquiri mess.
Also huge round of applause for the kids menu. Well priced (as is everything) and with options kids will want to eat.
Thank you
Written 1 October 2020
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.
LJ
Aberdeen7 contributions
Aug 2022 • couples
Wow what an evening
We were greeted by lovely friendly staff. The restaurant is small and cosy with great music.
We started off with the scallops and salmon starter. Both of them delicious
We had the sharing plate of the Big Cow - wow, wow, wow!!
Steak, fries, garlic mushrooms, brocolli, green beens, peppercorn sauce, cheese sauce and mustards. It came piping hot and perfectly cooked.
Absolutely delicious!!
Written 19 August 2022
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.
Alpinist538
Edinburgh10 contributions
Mar 2023 • friends
I had a meal for 21 people here recently. The food, atmosphere, wine list, decor, staff and in fact everything were exceptional. It was a doddle to arrange a large booking as the team here are totally on it and equally relaxed, as they are on top of their game. The set menu was staggeringly tasty, the wines were lush and the staff so attentive and utterly charming.
Whether you want a wuick lunch or a big shindig, this is your place to go to!
Written 26 March 2023
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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