The Winton

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101 reviews

#1 of 1 Restaurant in Pencaitland$$ - $$$, Bar, British, Vegetarian friendly

+44 1875 446075+ Add website

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Hours

Sun

12:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Wed

12:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Thu

12:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Fri

12:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Sat

12:00 pm - 10:00 pm

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Ratings and reviews

4.0

101 reviews

#1 of 1 Restaurant in Pencaitland

RATINGS

Food

Service

Value

Atmosphere

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CUISINES

Bar, British, Scottish

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options

Meals

Lunch, Dinner

features

Location and contact

Pencaitland EH34 5DN Scotland

+44 1875 446075

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Are the prices at this restaurant mid-range / moderate?

Yes

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CUISINES

Bar, British, Scottish

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options

Meals

Lunch, Dinner

FEATURES

Reservations, Seating, Highchairs Available, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service

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4.0

101 reviews

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Ashley M

1 contribution

High prices. Small portions

Dec 2024 • friends

The service was great and the staff were very attentive when asking if we needed extra drinks. However, either the pricing or the food portions need to be adjusted! My meal was £23 for literally a small chicken breast on top of a dollop of mash potato, with a haggis ball and a drizzle of thin gravy/sauce - no vegetables or some sort of greenery added at all. My partner had the steak and guinness pie which was bigger in comparison, but the mash he was served was probably a tablespoons worth. Both meals tasted lovely, but definitely not worth the price charged.

Written 3 January 2025

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.

Rory H

1 contribution

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Nov 2024 • family

We went to the Winton for Mum's Birthday lunch on Sunday. BRILLIANT! The best Roast Beef I've ever had. All of us were delighted by every dish we had. As a bonus, the service was perfect too....lovely people who you can tell are passionate about making your visit a pleasure. Thank you.

Written 28 November 2024

muirfieldgreen

2 contributions

A nice, welcoming atmosphere with good food and service. Good value.

Mar 2024 • couples

Our visited started off well with two friendly, smiley staff greeting us and showing us our table. My request to have the music turned down slightly was met pleasantly. We enjoyed a good merlot and prosecco while we ordered. My husband chose the (generous) very good crayfish salad and main of fish and chips (choice of bread or batter ) . I had the large bowl of delicious fresh, tomato soup with the (generous) crayfish ciabatta. The service was efficient and friendly but not intrusive, overseen by the competent manager, all obviously well trained by Mr Doyle . The tables are well spaced apart and the dining room is large, airy and attractive with exposed stone walls - but it was a little chilly on a March day. The addition of a log burning stove would have made the room more cosy, adding to the ambiance. It was a very pleasant first visit and we will go again.

Written 9 March 2024

David B

1 contribution

Beautiful Setting, Disappointing Experience

Mar 2024 • family

My recent visit to The Winton left me with mixed feelings. The restaurant boasts a fantastic ambiance, with its lovely setting and inviting atmosphere. However, beyond the aesthetic appeal, my dining experience fell short of expectations. Service was egregiously slow, despite the restaurant being busy. While I understand the challenges of managing a busy establishment, proper staffing levels should have been ensured to handle the anticipated crowd. Although our starters were satisfactory, the main course was where the disappointment peaked. My steak pie arrived overcooked and dry, resembling more of a charcoal briquette than a savory dish. Even the triple cooked chips failed to impress, lacking flavor and moisture. After a considerable wait, a replacement was provided, which was an improvement but still far from exceptional. Unfortunately, the issues extended beyond my meal, as others in my party also encountered subpar dishes, particularly the lackluster roast potatoes. To the restaurant's credit, they promptly removed the steak pie from the bill, acknowledging the mishap. However, this gesture did little to salvage the overall dining experience. In conclusion, while The Winton offers a visually pleasing environment, the disappointing service and food quality overshadowed its charm. Improved attention to staffing levels and culinary execution could greatly enhance the dining experience for future patrons.

Written 31 March 2024

Gus M

Haddington5 contributions

Why such poor vegetation options

Sept 2023 • couples

Just back from dinner at the Winton. We checked their website prior to booking to see what the vegetarian options were and there was a sweet potato and aubergine Bhuna which sounded good but nothing else. On arrival the vegetarian option had changed to a Rainbow Carrot something or other with pickled carrot and barley. So I ordered that and can only describe it as decidedly average and way over priced for what it consisted off, which wasn’t very much and no pickled anything. My wife who is also vegetarian noticed that there was macaroni and cheese on the menu however it came with bacon. Why? She asked if it could come minus the bacon and this was not a problem, however on receiving this dish the macaroni smelt and tasted of bacon! Why isn’t the bacon an optional extra? I feel that vegetarians are an afterthought at the Winton. Interestingly I overheard another table commenting that the vegetarian option was ‘just some carrots’. She wasn’t far wrong. Also the carrot dish was £16. Way way too much. The acoustics in the Winton are also terrible. Very noisy. Considering how much time and no doubt considerable cost must have gone into the renovation of the Winton this is quite poor. Overall I can only say the meal was incredibly disappointing and we won’t be back and for any other vegetarians or vegans I would look elsewhere, however East Lothian in general is quite anti vegetarian.

Written 29 September 2023

Ron

Pencaitland12 contributions

Very poor vegetarian and GF options

Nov 2023 • family

As a coeliac and vegetarian due to allergies and intolerances, I was very disappointed on a recent visit to find out that apart from the soup of the day, there were no gf/veggie options. There were two falafel dishes on the menu and I was advised that they had run out of it. This was the second time in the last few weeks that this has happened. There was no real effort from the kitchen staff to offer any alternatives and I felt sorry for the server who was embarrassed by the whole situation. I ended up with some hummus and baba ganoush dips with gf bread and olives priced at £15!! None of the three other members of the group I was with had any food allergies and they all had good choices and enjoyed their meal. I feel that the Winton needs to improve their menu to take account of allergies. I looked at their Xmas menu and there does not appear to be any GF/veggie options.

Written 13 November 2023

Brydon L

1 contribution

Lovely fresh premises, OK food

Sept 2023 • couples

Stopped off for a lunch after walking the dog as we hadn't been before and wanted to give it a try. First impressions were the place looks lovely and the menu seemed nice, maybe a little pricey in comparison to many other local places but i don't mind that if the foods really good. We had a crayfish ciabatta served with the soup of the day and the burger. When the food arrived one of our orders was wrong however this was very quickly resolved. The soup was really good and the burger was ok. The crayfish sandwich had really hard unripe avocado through it. Nobody checked back on our food. After the manager had asked how things were and apologised and said he'd take something of the bill as a way of apology. He didn't actually do this. The bill was wrong but had equated to the same price as our full meals anyway so i just decided to leave it at that.

Written 15 September 2023

The Cains

16 contributions

Great service and great food!

Jul 2024 • couples

The service at The Winton was incredible. We had a young guy and a woman who served us (sorry, I don’t know the names). I called initially to change our booking time to an hour later, and then to say we were going to be late. The staff were so accommodating and nothing was any trouble for them. I had the chicken wings and some truffle fries. The chicken wings were delicious with a great flavour, plus they gave me a bowl of water to clean my hands in. The truffle fries were ok, not the best I’ve had. My husband had the pie, which he said is the best pie he has ever had. It’s a great compliment as we travel a lot/eat out a lot. It wasn’t a cheap meal but completely worth it. Would recommend to anyone!

Written 26 July 2024

Ron

Pencaitland12 contributions

Very poor GF/vegetarian food options

Aug 2024 • couples

Not been here for several months as I felt that the menu was very poor for vegetarian/coeliac and had provided this feedback direct to the restaurant. I noted on their website that the menu had been changed a bit recently, so as a local resident, I decided to give it another go. It was hugely disappointing to note that there was still no GF/vegetarian main course. Even for a vegetarian the only choice is Mac’n cheese which is hardly an inspiring offer for a restaurant of this calibre. I had a shared starter of veg pakora with my wife. I then had another starter dish of beetroot salad with a portion of chips as a’main course’. All in all a very poor dining experience.

Written 8 August 2024

horsetiger

75 contributions

Great fayre but ..

Feb 2024 • couples

We (two couples) went for evening dinner midweek. Greetings , service and ambience were very good. The menu read very well except for the wine list which was very small and in faded pink - even with reading glasses it was barely legible. We ordered a variety of dishes : crayfish cocktails, haggis bonbons, steak pie , venison steaks, Mac n Cheese. The crayfish cocktail was uncomfortably spiced so much so that we couldn’t finish them, the garlic potatoes were ridiculously over done , garlic potatoes were overpowered by the garlic and the venison dish ( meat was exceptional) was tarnished by a unidentifiable sauce / vegetable side.The steak pie was brilliant , Mac n cheese good but everything was just overpowered by an over enthusiastic abundance of overpowering sauces and flavours. We would definitely go back as the raw ingredients , service and ambience were excellent but would request a simplification of our dishes. Great simple fayre prepared really well will always trump an overly ambitious embellishment of a menu.

Written 27 February 2024

Edinburgh_Lady

65 contributions

East Lothian Gem…

Mar 2024 • couples

We stay in a nearby village but had only been to the Winton once before. My husband noticed they are now offering a market menu (£16 for two course and £19 for three) during the day. This week’s menu was put up on Facebook and looked like dishes we would order, so we popped down for tea! At £19 for three delicious courses this is great value. Service was excellent and it’s a lovely setting. We won’t leave it so long next time…

Written 1 March 2024

Robert K

2 contributions

An Archeological Dig.

Feb 2025 • family

I ordered fish and chips and my wife the roasted aubergine and courgette panini. Both arrived 30 minutes after the order was placed. The fish and chips meal was the large version. However the only iterm large was the batter which dwarved the small fish inside. Getting to the fish was like an archeological dig and really not worth the effort. The chips were burnt and tasteless as was my wife's panini. Both of us felt like vomiting on the way home and today my wife still has stomach cramps.

Written 9 February 2025

marymayer2022

Edinburgh13 contributions

Spacious dining room, family friendly

Mar 2024 • friends

Found this restaurant by accident. It looks like a wee cottage pub from the roadside but has a lovely spacious restaurant at the back with parking facilities. Spotlessly clean, friendly staff but a bit disorganised and slow service. Food was very good, no complaints The Glen Kinshey whisky distillery is close by therefore, was very convenient for us. Probably best to reserve a table however they do accept walk in. We will certainly return and can recommend this restaurant because it’s spacious, family friendly and accessible for disabled people with wheelchairs.

Written 5 April 2024

George N

1 contribution

Not value for money

Nov 2023 • family

Poor service, being in one of the side rooms we were over looked. The portion sizes were very small had the sea bass at £25 and it wasn’t much bigger than a gold fish!! Still starving after a starter and main course! Had to have a desert, which was microwaved sticky toffee pudding. What a disappointment. Live local and will need to travel as won’t be back.

Written 18 November 2023

leonard m

Edinburgh438 contributions

Good food on the whole with attentive service

Nov 2022 • none

As a local resident in the area, it is great to know that there is now a place that offers decent food on our doorstep. The refurbishment of the Winton has been a long time coming. The end result is a success in my view. The interior has been opened up, the decor is appropriate to the building (stone and wood), there is some agreeable art on the walls and the tables are set at a reasonable distance from each other. The lighting is fine and the three substantial skylights are a nice feature. First impressions were very positive. The staff were attentive and friendly and appeared to have some knowledge of the menu and throughout our meal we got the impression that the staff were looking out for the needs of the customers and responding well. The dinner menu offers six starters, eight mains, a further five "seasonal mains" (although it is not immediately obvious what the seasonal aspect of those dishes might be) and six deserts. While the menu does have a clear emphasis on meat and fish dishes, there is something for most folk on offer (but no salads). The menu (with prices) is online. The wine list is not extensive offering around a dozen white and a dozen red options. However the choice is varied and is in harmony with the food menu. There is a more extensive choice of beers and spirits/cocktails. The wine we had (by the glass) was absolutely fine. We enjoyed our meal. The only disappointment was the confit pork belly. The pork was fibrous, had very little flavour and lacked the texture normally associated with a confit dish. That said, the dish was redeemed by the accompanying scallops which were delicious, the black pudding cubes and the excellent sauce. The starter of smoked haddock Scotch egg was both a novel surprise and outstanding. In addition to the fixed menu there were langoustines and lobster available (but limited). We liked that they seem to source their food locally if possible. In summary our food was good on the whole with one dish being outstanding and one dish being disappointing. The Winton is a great addition to the local community and should attract customers from outwith the county. We will return. Pricing is not unreasonable but at the upper end of good pub grub.

Written 6 November 2022