A pub in Edinburgh's old town has apologised after a guest complained about an "annoyed waiter".
The visitor, who left a review on TripAdvisor, said they would "avoid this place like the plague". After spotting a sign posted to the bar on arrival at the White Hart Inn in the Grassmarket, they discovered the kitchen was closed are were left with "very limited" options.
Greene King, who own the old town spot, apologised for the incident and said there was "no excuse".
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Posting their review to TripAdvisor, the guest wrote: "We had friends visiting from the USA and looked at appealing menus for where to take them for lunch in Edinburgh.
"We wanted a place with character and interesting food choices. We booked a reservation for a late lunch. It was downhill from there. On arrival we saw a sign on the bar saying “kitchen closed”.
"We told the older of the two bartenders that we had a reservation and asked about the sign. He seemed annoyed that we even asked and replied 'yeah, your table is right there' (pointing to a table at the exit door).
"We decided to stay and went to sit down. Two of us sat in and one sat where people walked back and forth, as it was, as I mentioned, the exit door.
"We had a menu on the table, and it in no way resembled the one on the website. Choices were limited, very limited.
"We appreciated being told that the kitchen was slow - and our food did take quite a while to come out. My mac and cheese was boring and the side salad was the size of a garnish.
"The others shared a baked cheese plate that was just ok. There are many many places to eat and hang out in Edinburgh, in Grassmarket. Sad to say, I’d avoid this place like the plague."
Quick to respond, a representative for Greene King said: "Firstly I would like to apologise to you for all of this.
"We did have a new booking system implemented on the day you visited along with technical issues in the kitchen but in saying both of these it does not excuse the poor experience you received."
The organisation also offered the guest a gift voucher and invited them to return to one of their venues. The White Hart Inn scores pretty well on TripAdvisor in general, with a four star overall rating.
It comes eighth out of 36 gastropubs in the capital, with 510 excellent ratings and just 67 terrible ones. A recent review reads: "Great little bar, excellent service, great atmosphere and friendly staff , excellent wide range of drinks available."
Another states: "Excellent customer service. Very happy with my visit today. Lovely historic pub and the oldest in Edinburgh! Highly recommend."
A third said: "Pub always has a brilliant atmosphere and guaranteed a great night here. Staff are super friendly and service is quick, definitely worth coming to this pub if you’re in the area."
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