TGI Fridays

If you really need to visit an American chain restaurant while you’re in Edinburgh, please do yourself a favour and walk a little bit further down George Street and go to the Hard Rock instead. This is possibly the most disappointed I’ve ever been going to a restaurant in Edinburgh. I’ve had better service and food from an airport TGI Fridays. We made a reservation despite probably not needing to. The waitress seemed disinterested, the cocktails were expensive and weak, the burger was overcooked, the wings were overpriced, and the onion rings were cold. There are very few places that I’ve ever sworn off going to again, but this is one of them.

Two stars and that’s really just for the cocktail.
This review won’t be full of oooohs & ahhhs and other surprises.
To me, this is just another chain doing standard run of the mill attempts to get American diner experience. I don’t get it.
Service was ok, the food came all hot and the were no problems. The beef chilli nachos barely had any beef chilli — I was expecting a little mound but instead got little flakes.
The taco tower was ok — nothing that really sang to me.
Overall from this and a past experience people will have to drag me in for food as I’m not convinced.

We ate here whilst on holiday in Edinburgh.
We were seated immediately and ordered drinks. They don’t do any alcopops so that was a disappointment for me. I had a cocktail instead which was lovely. The kids ordered cokes and the soft drinks were bottomless however no one ever came to ask for a fill up and my husband went to the bar himself for it. The restaurant wasn’t busy so I thought they could have been more attentive.
The food was lovely though and its a very comfortable place to sit and eat.

I used to love going to TGI Fridays, because they used to have the menu where it was 2 courses for £9.95. My friends and I used to go for birthdays and the staff are always great and you’d never have any complaints because you knew exactly what you were getting.
However, there seems to be some kind of East/​West discrepancy. TGI Fridays in Glasgow would get bstars, or maybe even flour, but TGIs in Edinburgh is lucky to be getting two stars.
The staff were great, but I had mixed up the booking and had booked the table for a day later than required, but they sorted us out. It took us ages to pick from the menu, I ordered buffalo wings. I love buffalo wings. I do. They’re my favourite ever thing from TGIs but in Edinburgh… THEY DON’T PUT SAUCE ON THEM. I was traumatised. I was unsatisfied.
I ordered a chicken burger next and found it unbearably salty. I don’t usually have TGIs burgers, and I don’t think I will again if they’re this salty.
My boyfriend shared his Oreo sundae with me and that was really good, so that’s why I’m giving this place two stars.

short review for a short visit! the boyfriend and i stopped in here briefly while waiting to hear where to meet up with his friends later. i did notice that the place seems to be have revamped since my last visit a few years ago and the bar area is definitely much better with booth seating along one side and proper high chairs at the bar.
we ordered two drinks, mine was an amaretto sour and the waitress brought them over to the table. the amaretto sour was a perfectly nice drink and my boyfriend enjoyed his drink as well, but overall i’m not super excited about tgi fridays. while i do crave that sort of american type food every now and then tgi fridays seems almost a little bit dated and under par compared to the rest of the edinburgh dining scene. there are definitely worse places, but so many more places that are better for drinks or dinner!

American Grill
Oh yes there was a time it was ‘hip’ and ‘cool’ to eat at TGI Friday.
That was about the time that those words were frequently used to mean exactly that. The concept has not changed, consumerism happened. There are places that do steak to perfection. Burger Bars that serve culinary masterpieces and for chicken wings there is only ONE place — and this ain’t it.
Sure, burgers, fritters, wings and a steak, finished off with a Sundae — who can say no to that.
Well not many people, but guess what, some places to it better, tastier and. *gasp*. classier.
I appreciate the atmosphere they try to convey, and the service is great, cheerful and attentive (part of their briefing I know, but feels genuine) nothing wrong there. I like the location and certainly the money off special deals they have at times.
What I don’t like is the flavour, it is lacking that umph. There is no real heat in hot sauce, no satisfaction in the peppered steak. oh, and the cola float. well you get the idea that these are not the droids you’re looking for.
It is catered to kids, not to the older ones, but the tiny tots that just outgrew the buggy are in the «I can do this myself, mummy» stage. The drinks are geared to this demographic: sweet and colourful.
The portion sizes are of a similar ilk. I am not a big eater, but my eyes do like to feast on size of portion. My experiences are a mixed bag and all on the small side. No lack of colourful produce, but small sizes and free of any flavours that may offend parents, toddlers and alike.
I just hope that some day it would be cool AND pleasant to eat here, because at the moment I avoid the place as much as I can.

good atmosphere for a sunday evening. I’ve been there a couple of times and always the food is late. Prices are good and good is good.

Ugh… I hate this place. Seriously hate it. I went in for a friends birthday, her choice clearly… as soon as I saw the menu I was filled with disappointment. Nothing on here isn’t fried, like nothing. I’m surprised even the menu wasn’t presented to you fried. Honestly the food is SO cheap & nasty I could go to lidl & pick up something better. Its REDICULOUS prices too, for what you get… there are so many lovely restaurants (even the snobby upper class ones) that charge less than this… £13 for a crappy burger… seriously?! My food came out swimming in oil it was jut so greasy I wanted to go home & have a shower afterwards.
The only saving grace as the staff, which I cannot fault at all, service was spot on, friendly & attentive… i’m sorry to give you guys a low score as you were all working so hard & I know its a chain so staff have no control over the menu, but the food is just horrible & I would not recommend this if it was the last place to eat on earth.

My sister and I meet here to eat whenever we get together in town, and I don’t think we’ve had a bad experience yet.
I’m quite fussy with food, so I always get the exact same meal — the chicken fingers — and while they’re not exactly exciting, they are consistently delicious. My sister eats a more varied selection from the burgers to the salmon to the quesadillas and she’s always been very happy with her food.
Drinks wise I like a bit of variety in the non-​alcoholic range. I would definitely recommend the milkshakes which are thick and creamy and absolutely delicious. The slushes can be a bit sweet and sickly, but when I’m in the mood they do hit the spot. If I’m in the mood for a plain lemonade or coke, you can’t argue with the value of the free refills.
I’ve never had a problem with the service. It can be a little hard to flag someone down when the place is really busy, but you get that anywhere this size with this many tables. I’ve always found the serving staff to be polite, friendly and helpful. And when my sister and I linger a bit bit after our meals to chat I’ve never felt like anyone was rushing us out the door to make room for new customers — something I have felt at other locations.

I wouldn’t class myself as a regular but maybe visit this one 6 times a year — it all started from taking my daughter and her mates, they’re now 18 but from when she was 10… they were invited into the kitchen to make puddings and add pizza toppings… now though I just can’t get enough of their Jack Daniels Sauce (on anything).
Propping up the bar before the rest of the family turn up is often an enjoyable experience but to be honest I think it’s now down to the staff recognising us and taking the time to ask our names.

Got the ribs, good stuff! (my gf got burger, not so good) she got thr cocktail too, huge but just ok. Waited ages to get table, (think we got skipped) but waitresses was v nice

I wish people would stop slating places like TGI’s. The amount of shite I hear along the lines of «it’s so soulless» and «it’s not locally sourced» really gets on my wick. I also love cosy little restaurants, but on the other hand, there are few meals in the world more satisfying than a half rack of ribs along with some blackened Cajun chicken and a side of onion rings.
This branch provides the same fattening, delicious feasts as all the rest, and like the others, has undergone a minor facelift of late in order to bring it into the 21^st century. The staff have toned down the over-​friendliness that failed to disguise their obvious self-​loathing and feelings of worthlessness, the décor has been made marginally less brash, and the menu returned to glories past.
So stop pretending you’re too cool or alternative to like it, and embrace TGI’s for the genius that it is.

I have to update my review here, because although I believe we visited TGI’s Edinburgh on a bad day, I went again a few days ago for a quick lunch and I had a gorgeous burger which was served with a smile. Stacked with cheese, mozzarella dippers and crispy bacon, it was so yummy! The waitress was so nice to us (perhaps she’s had a read of the reviews on here) and we left thoroughly satisfied. So I’ll up my review by a star because really, sometimes, TGI Fridays is just the perfect comfort food.

I hear staff in TGI Fridays do a lot of training before they get to be a fully fledged waiter. I don’t know whether this is true or not, but if it is it is time to rethink their training programme. No matter what TGI’s I go to the service is always crap. Especially in this one.
Hi miss waitress person I have been waiting to place my order for twenty minutes. Stop walking past me and lowering your eyes so I can’t attract your attention. Oh Mr waiter guy, your service was completely awful that is why we didn’t leave you a tip. You proved I made the right decision when you angrily asked where your tip was.
I do quite enjoy TGI’s food though. I know I shouldn’t because we all like to turn our noses up at them and it’s the same in every restaurant, but it is my kind of food and it goes down a treat. That’s why it gets an extra star.
One more thing, I only like the food when it is on the lunch deal so it is cheap. If I paid full price for it I would rethink my decision to like it.

Poor old TGI’s it’s not doing too well on Unilocal so I though I should put in my tuppence worth about my dining experiences here which have all, bar one been nothing other than fantastic. The one occasion where it could have been a bit better I was with a large group and one of my friends orders was completely forgotten about, so she had to watch, drooling while the rest of us scoffed down out meal — oops. The mistake was rectified as soon as we pointed out to one of the waitresses.
You know what to expect from TGI’s; burgers, nachos, ribs, chicken wings and their chips which are especially delicious even though the portions could do with being a little bit more generous.
It is quite pricey but great if you’re looking for American food and especially great for families/​birthday parties or if you’re with a big group as it always has a great atmosphere. I like TGI’s now and again for a wee treat, especially when I can’t be bothered with getting all dolled up to go to a nice restaurant. Good old TGI’s.

I had a friend who used to work here, and she would eat off the plates when she was taking them away… that used to freak me out.
So this is your bog-​standard TGI Friday’s. To be honest, the atmosphere on a Friday is decidedly less as exciting as I would have expected. I’ve been a couple times and my over-​all reaction is ‘meh’. I think that sums it up. If you’re looking for chicken wings, chilli-​burgers, nachos and ribs, then you’ve hit the jackpot — but otherwise… meh
The cocktails were quite sickly too, but I got a free glass out of it. I am easily bought, and a huge TGI Friday glass did the trick.

Yack.
Same crappy food they serve in the States except smaller portions, cooked in more fat and more expensive. Cocktails not much better either.

To be honest I have never really liked this TGI’s — I have tried it a couple of times but much prefer the one in Glasgow. The staff are nice and try their best but a few times I have been they have had things on the menu that they haven’t been able to produce and I have ended up being recommended something else which is not so nice at all. I know the staff are probably told — ‘if they order this then push this instead’ but if it isn’t as good why bother?
And it is quite expensive for what it is. I can get a decent burger somewhere else for the same price rather than a substandard one from TGI’s.
It just seems good these days for parties and events.

Very accomodating staff as my party of 12 was delayed so we pushed the booking time back twice on the night.
Good range of comfort food along the lines of what you’d expect in an American Diner combined with good meal deals and swift service make for a pleasant and unpretentious night out.

I love this place so much the staff are amazing. Food it so yummi and fresh. A very enjoyable Dinning and social experience.
It’s just one of those places where you just have a good vibe.