A polished Royal Mile hotel bar with broadly liked food, strong cocktails, and generally friendly service, though some visits feel more like dependable hotel dining than a must-book destination.
Itchycoo Bar & Kitchen delivers solid food quality anchored by reliably praised burgers, fish and chips, and salmon dishes, paired with attentive service that consistently impresses. The city-center setting and polished design create appealing appeal, though occasional unevenness in execution and comfort prevents a stronger showing.
Itchycoo Bar & Kitchen feels like a polished Royal Mile hotel bar that happens to serve real meals, not just drinks. People come for cocktails, afternoon tea, whisky, and an easy stop in the middle of Edinburgh, and the strongest reviews rave about the friendly team and the comfortable, chic setting. One guest summed up the mood as a place with a 'cozy chic atmosphere,' which is about right: relaxed, central, and very much geared toward making you linger. On the food side, this is solid comfort-leaning bar fare rather than culinary theater. Expect crowd-pleasers like fish and chips, burgers, salmon, pork dishes, and afternoon tea items, with a few more interesting touches sprinkled in. The best reports describe the cooking as tasty, satisfying, and sometimes genuinely memorable; the grumbles tend to be about inconsistency, a few basic lunch offerings, or the occasional dish that feels fine but not special for the price. Families should do reasonably well here because the menu seems broad enough for familiar eaters, with burgers, fish and chips, and tea-time sweets that kids can usually handle. That said, this is still a hotel bar/restaurant, not a dedicated kids’ destination, and adventurous or picky kids may be better off with the simplest options. If you want an easy Royal Mile meal that works for mixed groups, it fits; if you need a full children’s menu or lots of customization, temper expectations.
Area vibe: Historic, tourist-heavy medieval thoroughfare with shops, pubs, and attractions.
Safety: Busy by day and evening with lots of foot traffic though pickpocketing and noisy crowds occur; generally comfortable to walk but stay aware at night.
What's nearby: Adjacent to Edinburgh Castle, St. Giles' Cathedral, museums, theatres, Fringe venues, and multiple tram/bus links at nearby Princes Street.